Brooklyn Co-Op Preschool

Our son is currently enrolled at Brooklyn and we all absolutely love it! We really enjoy being involved in the school and are enjoying it WAY more than we did at Childswork with our other son. Teacher Merry is awesome!

You know what’s great about this co-​op? Everything.
Let me start with Teacher Merry. Her passion, kindness, ability to teach while nurturing, redirect without shaming, and reach in to shine the light in the childrens’ eyes and heart are only the tip of the iceburg. And shine they do; the woman knows what she’s doing. Everything she does in the classroom relates directly to the development and abilities of children. These skills will shape how they will construe the environment they are in now, and every year after they leave the co-​op. Children recognize authenticity when they see it, there is no need to look further if you are looking for a teacher for your small people. This is where I’ll throw in she was educator of the year in 2013 for PCPO organizations — but you’ll never hear that from her.
Next, I’ll tell you about the space. Holy guacamole. It’s clean, it’s organized, it’s well thought out and continually changing to accommodate the growth and development of the kids. There are three rooms with very specific purposes. One room has an array of weekly and sometimes daily activities that Teacher Merry carefully plans out and shares their developmental purpose. In the other two rooms exist plenty of hands on sensory experiences and art making opportunities. You want some glue, little one? Go at it. You need some paint? Go get it. A woodworking table? Heck yes. Under the watchful eyes of parent teachers and Teacher Merry, have at it. It made me nervous to see hammers and saws and nails (oh my!) just sitting out willy-nilly,(it’s not really willy-​nilly, there are very specific boundaries for the woodworking table, to the untrained eye, however…) but it turns out children are receptive and willing to try out new things while being safe if just given the chance. Eye protection check! ear protection –check! here’s how you hold the saw, ready … and… go!
The community is a community. There are ebbs and flows to every community. You get out of it whatever you put in. If you have the time and desire to be a part of the co-​op, buy in wholeheartedly. It is work. I question the review commenting on the «sea of revolving faces». Fine. There are different parents teaching every day, but that doesn’t mean the kids don’t see the same faces they see every school day at pick up or least once a week as a parent teacher. Maybe even at their friends’ houses at playdates. It’s a village. Sure, that sounds cliché, but also brilliant for the sort of community the co-​op fosters. It’s for real.
If the idea of your child making his or her own decisions is scary, if having an award winning teacher running the show doesn’t sound great, if being a part of a community with backbone seems like too much work, if being a part of your kid’s everyday life and earliest education experience just isn’t your thing — then look elsewhere. If these things sound good to you, check out Brooklyn Co-​op. When my daughter comes home at the end of the day, she is happy and so am I. There is no amount of money, no amount of naysayers, no way anyone could convince me that a happy 4 year old is anything less than perfect — glue smeared, paint covered, loved and smarter for it. Me and my girl. Making friends at the co-​op — you’re invited too!

Writing is not my strong suit, so please bear with me. We are current members of Brooklyn and I wanted to address a few inconsistencies in our less then favorable reviews.
Some of the info is untrue, «kids see a sea of revolving faces. Every time they walk in the door, it’s a different set of parents running the day.» Um no, it is the same small group of parents who the kids get to know and love. That is what I love about a co op and our co op in particular. It is a small group of parents, not a «sea of revolving faces». This is our second year and I really know and adore those kids, and they all know me.
«The downside, the indoor space is 3 closed off rooms which does not allow the teacher to see what’s going on in the individual spaces. It’s one teacher for 15 kids– parents fill in the other gaps. «I feel the 3 rooms are awesome and give the kids a bit of space to get away and feel a tiny bit of independence as they make their own choice about which room to be in. They are good sized rooms and to me it was a bonus when I saw it, I liked it better then the one room preschools. There are group projects they are all expected to join in but they also get to make their own choices about what to create/​play with during the day. And there is a parent in each room, the reviews make it sound as if the kids are running around the other rooms unsupervised. We are trained parent teachers and we each supervise a room, where we help with projects and activities that the children choose to do.
Not only is this our 2^nd year here, but our full class came back for a second year, we did not lose one single family. Obviously we are doing something right. Brooklyn is a warm welcoming atmosphere, where my child and I have made some really good friends. My son has really blossomed and grown through out the last year. Teacher Merry is a wonderful and patient teacher. We are very happy here.

My kids have attended four different co-​op preschools in the PCPO network, and Brooklyn is definitely the best one we’ve found. Teacher Merry is amazing, and we’ve made good friends with other families there.
The physical space is comfortable and supplied with everything a preschooler could want– indoor «treehouse», art room, sensory table, woodworking bench, books, puppets, blocks, educational toys & games, and much more. The playground is also very well-​equipped.
We like the healthy snacks that are included in the cost of tuition. We also enjoy the field trips and community events that happen throughout the year. My son adores Brooklyn!

This is such an excellent preschool. The space is well organized and bursting with fun activities. Teacher Merry is such a gifted educator. My girl loved her and loved being at school. The coop is a lot of work, so expect to have real work commitments but it’s so worth it.

To start, there are some really nice things about this school. The outdoor space is wonderful, lots of places for the kids to explore. Over the summer, there is an organized play date in the park which helps new kids meet their classmates and Teacher Merry comes and meets each child at home before the school year starts. The downside, the indoor space is 3 closed off rooms which does not allow the teacher to see what’s going on in the individual spaces. It’s one teacher for 15 kids– parents fill in the other gaps. Though the parents are nice well meaning people, they’re parents, not teachers. The teacher is managing all the kids and all of the parent questions/​needs throughout the school day, making the classroom feel very chaotic. In addition, kids see a sea of revolving faces. Everytime they walk in the door, it’s a different set of parents running the day. After a couple of years at this school, even though we were heavily involved, we never really felt a strong sense of community.

We’ve had two kids go through Brooklyn. Things seemed to go downhill in the last few years. More parents were into the money-​saving aspects of the co-​op instead of the community aspects, and you could tell by the way they just went through the motions, doing the minimum required and caring little about any kid except their own. Of course there were some wonderful parents there too, but your experience will largely depend on the mix you get. The teachers were good (not great) and seemed overwhelmed, especially on days with less engaged parent-​teachers.

My daughter goes to the Brooklyn Co-​op and it’s her first year. She loves it! I can’t say enough about Teacher Merry and all of the families that make up this awesome community of kids, teachers, and parents. I’m so glad that I am a part of her first school experience. The facilities are great, and Teacher Merry always has something special going on in the classroom. I also really love the outdoor facility. There is a garden, and sandbox, huge playground. Much bigger that other preschools that I toured. And the kids are always getting outside. We love it at Brooklyn, and can’t wait to do it a second year!

my son goes to preschool here and we love it. i love being part of a cooperative preschool. the teachers, families, and facilities are awesome. they have an onsite nursery for younger siblings when you are parent teaching which is amazing. the nursery care taker is wonderful. the playground is very new and huge and the teachers are pretty die hard about outside time. kids learn through play based teachings. it is a mix of structure and free time. safe environment, caring folks.