What is a Parent Participation School?

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A parent participation (or co-op) school is a family enterprise. Explorer’s Director along with our small team of experienced teachers are the only day to day staff while the rest of our school is run entirely by parent volunteers. Our teachers play a critical role educating our children while also providing knowledge, leadership, support, and guidance to parents. Our families join together and draw on each other’s talents and resources to support a high quality and affordable educational experience for their children. Explorer Preschool’s operations are guided by our Board of Directors, a group of dedicated parent volunteers who have elected to take on leadership roles at our school. These volunteer Board parents create and implement school policies as well as lead all aspects of running the school including administrative tasks, fundraising efforts, school maintenance, budgeting, and more. We really are all in this together! Our families are invested in our school and our entire community works extra hard to make Explorer the best possible experience for our children and families.

 

What are the benefits of Explorer’s parent participation program?

There are many reasons to choose Explorer and our parent participation model of education. Taking part in a co-op preschool allows you to be directly involved in your child's early education.  By working in the classroom and sharing in your child’s preschool experience, you are building bonds with your child while having the unique opportunity to see him/her in a group situation. Through interaction with and guidance from their teachers, you are developing a more knowledgeable approach to your child’s education and supporting their social-emotional growth.

In addition to high quality children’s education, Explorer also offers families extensive parenting support and a robust parent education program. Providing access to high quality parent education through both our teachers and outside parenting experts is a valued aspect of our school. All families receive support and resources to increase their knowledge and skills related to parenting and healthy child development. Through this process, parents grow in their abilities to be educators of their child both at home and at school.

Finally, joining our parent participation school provides significant social and community connections for both children and caregivers. When you join Explorer, you are joining a supportive and inclusive community of families. It is both enriching and rewarding to be part of a community experience where people are working together to accomplish a common goal. The lasting relationships that develop and strengthen as families work together and support each other in a co-op preschool continue for children and parents long after graduation. In our 60+ years of operation, we have been fortunate to welcome many family members and friends of our Alumni and even children of our former students!

 

What is the curriculum at Explorer Preschool like?

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Explorer Preschool’s curriculum is guided by the California Preschool Learning Foundations and we are very proud to be the only local co-op program accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children. Our school’s mission is to honor each child's individual ability to learn through play, and empower parents to become child advocates at home and in their community.

Learning and playing are serious business! We cap enrollment in our toddler and 2s programs at a max of 16 students per class and provide not one but two experienced Early-Childhood Educators in our multi-age and PreK programs. Explorer has been educating children and families for 60+ years and is committed to providing children in the community with access to high-quality early learning experiences.

Our teaching staff are well-trained and experienced in early childhood development. We are extremely fortunate and proud that our teachers were former Explorer parents themselves (and volunteer Board members too!) and have deep ties and connection to Explorer Preschool. Explorer embraces several key teaching methods across our curriculum, implemented in developmentally appropriate manners for each age group. Each class experiences large blocks of uninterrupted child-directed time to allow children to engage in the teacher-prepared environment. Children are respectfully supported with predictable routines at the beginning and end of their class, as well as through transitions in and out of teacher-led group times. Parents are trained in positive discipline and attentively support children’s social development and help them develop problem solving skills. Carefully selected books, art projects, sensory experiences, celebrations, outdoor activities, and other daily choices allow children the freedom of open-ended inquiry and empower them to be themselves and learn in their own way.

What your child is learning while playing may not be evident to the casual observer but every lesson and activity is thoughtfully crafted by our teachers as an invitation for developmentally appropriate learning. The importance of play is not to be underestimated. Play is important business and supports the growth of the whole child. Through play, children develop their cognitive, physical, literacy, and social skills. They will have practice in getting along with their peers and adults, in protecting their rights and in being sympathetic with other people’s feelings. They will develop a feelings vocabulary and learn to handle their own feelings in emotionally healthy ways. Our school’s general philosophy toward creative media is to leave the children free to work at their own pace. We do not try to directly teach skills such as cutting, pasting and painting. Rather, we encourage free use of art materials in many forms. This enables the children to progress at their own rate, eliminating the frustration that can occur when expectations are beyond their capabilities.