Island Cooperative Preschool

ICP supports our family. We and our children make friends and learn together at ICP. It takes a village to raise a child and we build our village at ICP. Teacher Ellen is WONDERFUL with the kids and sings and plays guitar for circle time. The icing on the cake is that ICP is a certified EcoSchool with the National Wildlife Federation, which aligns with our family's values around taking care of the earth.

The cooperative preschool provides a fantastic environment for early childhood development. The collaborative approach involving parents fosters a strong sense of community. The dedicated teachers create a nurturing atmosphere, and the emphasis on play-based learning ensures a well-rounded experience for the little ones. The focus on parent involvement not only enriches the child's education but also strengthens the bond between families. Overall, it's a wonderful place where children thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

I love having my child enrolled here! As an educator and new parent I was looking for a lot in a preschool. I love that by being a co-op there is a lot of family involvement and many opportunities to get connect with other parents. I also can’t say enough about the teacher, school, outside area, and overall environment at ICP. Though it may not the newest place or have any special label as preschool, I feel that this school has kept the focus on exploration and growth for both kids and parents!

My son has been at Island Coop now for several months and we have loved the experience. It's great for parents who want a "soft start" to preschool since you are in the classroom with them 1 day per week and drop off the other day (for the 2-3 year olds). I LOVE being part of his class and getting to see his confidence grow, his personality come out, and his relationships with the other children develop

I grew up on the island and Teacher Ellen was actually MY preschool teacher too! She is such a devoted and experienced teacher and obviously loves what she does. The format is play-based and the kids spend about half of their day inside and half outside. I personally wanted to build community and friendships for myself and the co-op format is great for that because you spend a lot of time with the other parents. The other benefit is that the tuition is much cheaper because parents help out.

I would highly recommend, especially if you're looking to find a group of friends!

We've been here for a few months, and guys, I love this school! It's part forest school, part play-based traditional preschool. They spend half the day outside in this huge, awesome, wooded space filled with many different imaginative play zones.

Teacher Ellen is so accommodating to me. I'm a pretty high needs, anxious parent, and she is really involved in creating strategies and providing support for me and my son to get comfortable and grow. I get to stay in class everyday (most everyone else drops off) which is huge, and he isn't required to be potty trained.

It is a co-op, so parents participate in running the place, but that's why it's so much cheaper! And it's really not bad - 2 days per month you help out in class. It's also such a sweet community where you actually get to meet and play with all the kids and get to know the other parents beyond just drop off.

Anyway, totally recommend!