El Cerrito Preschool Co-Op

I can't say enough good things about ECPC. It's a great community for kids and parents alike. The teachers are kind and provide a lot of interesting projects without forcing anything onto the children. Both of our kids wanted to stay longer when it was time for pickup. I only wish ECPC had space for older kids so we can stay longer.

I feel so lucky that our family found this preschool. It is such an amazing community of kids, teachers and parents, and has been everything we expected and more for our 4 year old twins.

We had two main goals when we started our first year at ECPC this past fall. Our twins are very close to each other, but were not very social with other kids their age and we wanted them to be able to grow socially before starting kindergarten in 2018. In addition, my wife and I were looking to find our own community here in the Bay Area, since moving 3 years ago from Brooklyn, where we lived for over 13 years. Nine months later - check and check.

First, I want to talk about the teachers. Our twins are in the afternoon program, and their teachers are Nga and Jenny. I don't know how these ladies do it, but they both have the unique talent of connecting personally with parents and kids in a way that makes you feel like you're family. They know each kid in the program as if they were their own, and they understand what each child needs in order to thrive at the school. No kid is pushed into doing anything that they are not ready for. They are allowed to play with others, or play independently, and explore their surroundings in whichever way is most comfortable for them. Through their gentle, caring and patient approach, Nga and Jenny helped our children to come out of their shells, start talking more and sharing their passions with the teachers and parents. Within a few months our kids were starting to make friends and not rely on each other as much in play. Now at the end of the year they have so many new friends. We all adore Nga and Jenny, and can't thank them enough for everything they do for ECPC.

Second, the parents. As a cooperative, parents are the lifeblood of the school, so it requires dedication and commitment for everything to run smoothly. Between program participation, family jobs, membership meetings and community events, the co-op nature of it can feel a little overwhelming at first. But once you become involved, you realize how special this community really is, and how everyone's work contributes to the school's success -- whether it's program participation days, monthly maintenance parties, doing laundry, planning fundraising events or volunteering at a potluck or open house. Because I wasn't able to participate during school hours due to my job (my wife is our family's "parent participator"), I attended the monthly membership meetings and almost every community event to stay connected to what's happening at the school and get to know other members.

But it wasn't until Messy Art Day - our annual spring community event that invites kids 4 and under from throughout the East Bay to ECPC for a day of free immersion in art activities - that I started to feel a deep love for this school. My family job this year was on the MAD planning committee, but I had never been to the event before to see it in action. Once the day came, I was able to see with my own eyes how much local families look forward to this event each year, how much fun kids have getting covered in paint, shaving cream, "clean mud" and oobleck, and how it takes participation from everyone at the school to pull off seamlessly. MAD is the epitome of everything this school stands for -- learning through imagination and play, cooperation among the ECPC membership, and connection with the wider community.

Our family loves ECPC and can't wait to see what next year brings.

Was interested in sending my kid here but could never get my phone calls answered, called several times on several different occasions