Wondering about Albany Coop Preschool

Hello,

Wishing you good luck with your preschool search! I understand your concern about forming bonds but if your child is going to the program at the same time every day, they will form bonds appropriate for their age. When the kids are older, kids seem to become more "loyal" to friendships  but at this age, a child who is only there half day will make friends with the kids that are there that half day. My child was there until 1pm 3 or 4 days a week (I can't remember) and formed good bonds with many kids. 

My child went to Kensington Nursery School 7 years and I cannot recommend it enough from how it was then. It is also a co-op but without a big commitment. It has 2 big play areas, wonderful adult to child ratio with guided activities part of the time and a whole lot of opportunities for free play indoors and out. I appreciated the daily little bits of foreign language exposure, mostly Spanish here, learning songs, counting, colors- wonderful fun and great brain development. The teachers there were all  so good with the kids, maintaining limits with positive attitudes. Painting, snacks, a year-end science fair that is a blast for the entire family, a "trike-a-thon" fund raiser! The kids always seemed happy, with a lot of laughter at pick-up.And they are really, really serious about ensuring quiet for those who require a nap- there is a space for those who nap and those who don't during scheduled nap time. 

I just checked out their website and don't see any staff list but hope many from our time are still there- they were all great!

I would definitely recommend scheduling a tour to see if this could be another option for you. 

We live in Berkeley and went to the Albany Co-op for the morning program. A lot of families didn't live close by. It helped that the kids played for a bit after pickup across the street under the Bart-- where the exercise equipment is. 

We liked that the school started with a morning circle. It helped ours start the day. Being able to volunteer and get to know other kids is great for parents. I also liked that they provided snack--at other co-ops parents have to take turns bringing snack for all. They also had more structure than other co-ops in music time and a couple of simple plays.

No co-ops have a lot of structure and there were cliques of kids--that clique thing would change every year, of course. Parents were always kind to the kids who visited their station. The teachers didn't try to draw out the kids or connect them, but our other preschool didn't either. It's just luck in general if your kid connects with other kids--true throughout school.

Getting involved in board and volunteering can help your kid bond with others--since parents will be more open to it. Don't be shy to say your kid would love a playdate with someone--if you see a possible connection. Just hang out and chat.

 We liked the co-op--but both preschools we tried weren't amazing for us. I don't think it's really the preschool's fault--it's a rare preschool that would have met my hopes. Bottom line, preschools are tricky to run/teach.

Hi! I have a child currently at Albany Preschool. We are part of the all day program, but the whole school community is quite close. My experience is a little unique because we started during 2020 when childcare centers were required to have pods. When we had pods, I think the kids within the pods got really close. Now that there are no mandated pods, the kids seem to have all bonded quite well across the different programs. I know this is a perspective from an all day family, which is not exactly what you asked for, but I wanted to chime in to say that the school has been a wonderful experience for my kid, and I've seen kids bond across the AM, PM, and all day programs.

For what it's worth, the all day kids only make up about 1/3 of the families at APS. I don't know exact numbers, but anecdotally, it seems like 1/3 of the families live in Albany, 1/3 live in Berkeley, and a 1/3 live in Contra Costa County (mix of Richmond and El Cerrito).

I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have. I love APS! It's been wonderful for us.

Hi, I’m the enrollment coordinator for Albany Preschool so I can give you the inside scoop.  We have a fixed number of full day spots and just over a quarter of the kids are full day. The rest have a morning or afternoon schedule. The kids bond around shared interests, not their schedules –  for example, there are the kids that build and dig together in the sandbox, the tricycle riders, the ones that love magna tiles, or the group that dives into pretend play. One great thing about a co-op are the preschool community events that parents organize, from play dates to a yearly camping trip, so there will be opportunities for kids and parents to connect outside of school as well. My twins graduated from Albany Preschool 10 years ago and we are still friends with families we met there who went on to different elementary schools. 

I can also tell you that Albany Preschool is not predominately Albany families. It varies slightly year to year, but this year about 29% of the kids are from Albany, 20% from Berkeley and the rest are from West Contra Costa County.  

For many of our kids Albany Preschool is their first childcare experience, so our teachers are very experienced with helping children (and parents) with the transition. There’s no one rule fits all; the teachers work with each child’s temperament and personality and they want your child to have a successful and happy experience in school. Contact me if you'd like to get the information we send out over the summer about preparing for preschool and the transition, with tips, pictures book suggestions, etc.

I will be emailing acceptance notices out by mid-February if not sooner. Feel free to email me if you have more questions: info at AlbanyPreschool.org.

We were an Albany Preschool family for four years. We did both the morning only and all day program. When we were there, most kids are actually just there in the morning. There were only two kids (out of 24) who did the all day program when we were there two years ago. I would not worry about your kid not bonding for being a morning only kid. My kid who did all day had his special friends in the morning and his special friends in the afternoon program.

I would also not worry about being the only Berkeley family at Albany Preschool. You will likely not be the only family who does not live in Albany. In all the years we were there, a good number of families were from Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond and Kensington, in addition to Albany. I will also say that despite being an Albany family and later going into an Albany elementary school, neither of my kids got any of their Albany Preschool classmates in their kindergarten class. There were a few kids at the same school, but not in the same classroom. 

Overall, we really enjoyed our time at Albany Preschool. I personally enjoyed my hours in the classroom, meeting other parents and being able to see my kid in the preschool setting. I recommend it without hesitation. 

Hello - both my children went through Albany Preschool so I was there 4 years straight.  We are not Albany residents but the kids both made great friends and relationships that lasted.  In my first 2 years, I had a baby at home so my daughter was in the PM program that didn't require participation.  In my last 2 years with my youngest, we did the AM program where I participated weekly.  They were both great experiences and the kids connected well.  It's been years now so I have no idea what's changed but from our experience, I do recommend it as a great preschool.

My child went to APS for morning only and did a couple afternoons/week. There seemed to be no problem with friends, bonding or transition. Be sure you understand what you are looking for in a co-op and be sure to meet and talk with the teachers/staff. I didn't go with my gut feeling about the head of school and ended up enrolling because of convenience, but it turned out not to be a good fit. I have experience with other preschool co-ops, but APS is not a 100% parent-run school .. the head of school is really the person in charge so you have to vibe with her. I'm glad we were only there a short time. Fortunately in the short time, we made good friends, so it was worthwhile.