Westside Co-Op Preschool

We LOVE West Side Preschool. The teachers are sweet. The space is amazing. Our older son entered as a shy little boy and graduated as a confident leader of his class. And our younger, more extroverted son is loving his first year just as much. Plus, the parents are great. We've forged some amazing lifelong friendships. I can't recommend it enough. It's a true neighborhood gem.

We are thrilled with the experience our daughter is having at West Side Preschool. She looks forward to going to school everyday to see her friends and teachers. They have a very special space, with lots of light and areas to play and learn. The daily email from the director helps us discuss the day with our daughter which is always an adventure.

Pros: Example: best croissants in town

Cons: What are the drawbacks?

We have been very happy in our first year at West Side Preschool. Our daughter enjoys her classmates and teachers, and has a wonderful time learning and playing in the creative and nurturing environment there.

Pros: lovely school, great teachers, nice families

Our 4 year old son has been at West Side Preschool since he was 2.5 and loves it. Today is Sunday and he was asking to go to school. Friday was Beach day and he had a blast wearing his bathing suit and sitting on a beach towel, picnic style, to eat his lunch. The large room was turned into an underwater sea world with fish and painted scenery everywhere. The children sang ocean theme songs and did a beach dance. There was even a life guard. We love the schools creativity and their focus on the arts. Our son has thrived there and has excellent fine motor skills. We have also been pleased with the New Director and Head teacher and all their help getting our son into a great Kindergarten for next year.

Pros: Great Space, Great creatvity, Easy Going

We love Westside Preschool as does our daughter. The teachers are terrific, very engaged and aware. The school has a wonderful low-key feel to it - unlike many of the other preschools we considered.

Some of the parents and board members can be challenging, but that is too be expected in a NYC school, right?

Pros: Great Staff, Great Space

Cons: Some parents / board members

this preschool has a very nurturing and warm environment: the ratio teacher/student is 1 to 4 and they always have a few interns as well. The school comprises 2 large rooms and the kids also go to the top floor in the gym where they can play all sorts of games and run around. When the weather is nice they go across the street to the playground. The teachers make sure the kids experiment all areas of the room (manipulative, creative...). They also work on projects: this year, they talked about the city and each child built his/her building with cardboard boxes. They did a project on the planets. They also study animals and plants, have music class.
A great thing is also the mixed age group: it allows the kids to act as "big sister, big brother" the second year and help the new students. We sent our 2 kids to West side Cooperative Preschool and they were very happy all along and so were we!

Pros: space, teachers, curriculum, mixed age group

Cons: none

The previous poster has bad information - the director is retiring but the former head teacher has been named the director and the new head teacher is a longtime member of the staff. So while there are changes taking place, the school WILL continue to be the same warm, nurturing place it is today. My son loves it there. Never once has he said he didn't want to go to school and on saturdays when there is no school he always seems a little disappointed. In addition to a great team of teachers the school offers a teriffic physical space with a large, open classrooom right across from a playground that the kids use in nice weather. When it's cold they have access to a large indoor gym which is a real rarity in NYC. We got accepted to several presschools in the neighborhood and I'm very happy we chose West Side Cooperative Preschool.

Pros: warm, nurturing, teachers, mixed age approach, large airy classroom

We love this school. Our daughter is in her first year there and we could not be happier. The teachers are wonderful with all the children and provide a great balance of structure within the play. While it is play based, it provides every opportunity for learning. My daughter has learned to write her name and has developed a strong interest in reading. They have plants and animals that they have taken care of throughout the year. If children show an interest in a subject, they do their best to incorporate it into the curriculum. The school has an indoor gym that they use all year for the more physical fun that children need. We have every intention of sending our son in a couple years and are commited to this wonderful preschool family.

Pros: Great space and staff

Cons: None

As of January 08, the school director and teacher have announced that they are retiring, so be sure to check with the school about the status of new staff. With two such key people changing, this could radically change the environment of the school. Our caution took us elsewhere.

Pros: used to be great

Cons: some difficult parents, board members

The teachers are loving, attentive and responsive to all the children's needs. They are wonderful at helping the children negotiate amongst themselves and have, with my children, instilled the hard to learn lesson of discussing and sharing.

The classroom is large, sunlit and cheery with a wide variety of learning centers that include writing, blocks, manipulatives, water, sand, painting, science and a dramatic area. Both my children have enjoyed the cirriculum learning lessons in science and nature discovery (the solar system is a hot topic in our home!), community helpers (police and firemen), 'our bodies & nutrition', and individual and collaborative art projects.

The mixed age grouping was one of the main draws for us to attend this school. It was our hope that our children would not only learn from their peers, but that it would also provide them with an large classroom experience similar to the one they'd encounter going into Kindergarten. My son plays just as comfortably with the 3 year olds as he does with the 4 year olds, and enjoys guiding the younger ones through the routine of the day. This has been a great bonding and empowerment experience for him.

Sending all 3 of our children to this preschool should be very telling of our feeling for this school and its teaching philosophy. This home-away-from-home and we know our children will be well cared for and happy.

Pros: Large sunlit space with indoor gym! Rare for Manhattan!

Cons: None!