Four Years at Creative Play Cooperative Preschool

When our children were young, we looked for a preschool that students attended for a few hours a day instead of one that was attached to daycare. A person at a local park suggested Creative Play Cooperative Preschool in Pleasant Hill. It is a parent-supported preschool with a teacher in each class. Not only did we do our cooping, we also had other jobs such as maintenance and putting on the yearly Winter Wonderland event in December which was a big money-maker, as children from the area attended to meet Santa, play games, and do crafts, and grownup bought baked goods. The philosophy of the organization was learning through play. There was no emphasis on learning reading, writing, etc. There was learning though, through play and exploration.

Elizabeth was already not yet four and placed in the afternoon Monday/Wednesday/Friday class as a substitute, which meant when a child was going to be absent, Elizabeth could go in their place. If I was present at the school as a parent helper, she could also attend. Since I had Tuesday/Wednesday off at work, I could stay on Wednesdays so she could attend. We did this a couple of times a month, especially on days with special events, like a field trip to the pumpkin patch down the street or for a party.

Birthdays were special

She had the same costume as the teacher

The next year, she was enrolled in the DK class that met Monday-Thursday in the morning. This class was especially for those who may have been old enough for kindergarten but weren’t ready yet. Again, the emphasis was on learning through play. One fun activity was creating a restaurant and the children played different roles from chef to waiter. They also went on field trips; one such trip was to Mt. Diablo.

Playing restaurant

Exploring in the creek at Mt. Diablo

The following year, Elizabeth went to kindergarten, and Margaret was enrolled in the M/W/F morning class. I learned that if I took the job of scheduler, I could control my cooping duty schedule with my crazy BART train operator job. It was a thankless job, as sometimes moms would not like how I scheduled them. Usually, we worked twice a month, but some months forced a person to work a third day. I tried to keep track of that so it was spread around everyone.

Margaret took to preschool like a duck in water. You let her off at the door and she went running in, usually to the dress-up box. She was a born actress and often spent the day in costume. Cooping in her class was fun. Moms would have a job for the day, such as manning the science table or the craft table. At snack time, we ate with our child and a few of their friends. We would read a story and play a game, both of which Margaret would pick out.

My favorite photo of us taken by a parent

The following year, the class graduated to the afternoon T/Th/F class, with Friday being in the DK room with the DK teacher. DK was all about giving skills to be more successful in kindergarten. It was a tough transition for some of the students having two different teachers with different teaching styles. However, Margaret always went with the flow.

Margaret in the blue princess dress in the front row

These four years were memorable for the girls as well as for us. Norman took days off on those days that the Dads were encouraged to be there and also on maintenance days. It’s encouraging that when I drive by the school, it is still there, letting new generations of children learn by playing.

#52Ancestors-Week 22: Creativity

This is my seventh year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe.

I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

Copyright © 2024 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.