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January 2024 by Caitlin Grogan
The first time I asked my almost 3-year-old son to imagine where he would go, if he could go absolutely ANYWHERE ("Like a castle or the moon!" I suggested), he responded: "School!" and then quickly added, "so I could see Miss Mary and Miss Salena and my friends."Our son's joy at being a part of this school is as great as my own joy at being a part of this community. There is so much trust, care and safety built into the environment created here, as well as a true commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a co-op, Families Together offers particularly special opportunities for parents to be a part of the community, interweaving our children's "home" and "school" spheres into a single supportive world for our kids.If you are looking for a place to nurture your growing child to learn important lessons through play and joy, create friendships, and learn how much fun it is to learn, you will be thrilled with Families Together. #earlychildhoodeducation #prekoptions
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December 2023 by Justin Doggett
Our daughter looks forward to going to school every single day because she loves the environment. She gets to socialize through play, paint, listen to stories and do many other things that help her development. We're watching her blossom at Families Together!
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November 2023 by Azusa Shiraishi
This is the first year we joined with this school. Environment, teachers and staffs, all the kids are so great. Our kid, my husband and I are beyond happy and thankful to find this school. We see so much value in sending our kids to FTCNS.
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November 2023 by Julia Antonick
Families Together is such a special place. Our kiddo has gone to school here since she was 2 years old. We'll miss the teachers and the community so much next year when we head to kindergarten but know that the things she learned here will be lasting. Highly recommended!
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October 2023 by Fabiana G.
Families Together is a magical place. The play based learning model is the heart of this school and families have to be involved in the co-op model. A minimum of volunteering in and out of the classroom, plus loads of extra optional community events. They have helped our family so much and we've made great connections with others. The staff are all excellent, fun professionals and I can't say enough good things about this experience.
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October 2023 by Jenny Mason
Finding a preschool that allowed "kids to be kids" while learning how to identify and work through feelings, problem solve and play with others seemed impossible...until I found FTCNS! Getting involved in my child's early education has been such a joy. I have found my tribe of parents as well :)
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October 2023 by Emily Russell
I highly recommend Families Together! All three of our children spent two years at the school and LOVED it. They learned that school and learning are AWESOME, giving them a really positive start to their academic career and life in general! The teachers are amazing and I always look forward to my turn to assist in the classroom (about once a month - doable and totally worth it!). I've learned a lot listening to the teachers talk the children through a problem or conflict - it's made me a better parent for sure! The community is wonderful to be a part of, and has been a lifeline for me at times. The school actively builds community with a combination of parent and family events. Plus, you get to be in the classroom so you get to know the other kids, and the kids know the other parents... it creates a really special dynamic. We started there when we had a stay-at-home parent, so the part-day options were perfect. We've stayed there with our third child even though we're both employed full-time now, because we know it's the best place for them to be. There's a little extra juggling (we hire a babysitter for a couple hours in the afternoon), but the amount of time in school feels really developmentally appropriate. Also wanted to mention that we don't live in Edgewater, we drive over from further west and there are other families coming from this way as well.
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September 2023 by Susan Vescovi
We have loved out time with FTCNS! It has made us feel connected to the community through the teachers and the other families that are part of the school. FTCNS's teaching model allows kids to learn while still being kids (rather than making them do repetitive tasks like color sheets or writing out letters). We got frequent updates from the school and the teacher's about our son's classroom and the fun activities they did every week creating a sense of connection between our family and the school community. It's a special place!
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September 2023 by Jeffrey McManus
Families Together is a truly amazing place. Our child reports every day that the only "problem" with at school is "I need to go back RIGHT NOW and stay with my friends and Mary and Salena all day." The curriculum follows children's interests. The teachers are highly trained. The class sizes are just right with tons of support (with parent volunteers and assisting teachers, the ratio is often about 4 kids to one adult) Transitioning to school each year is dome thoughtfully and intentionally. Communication is excellent. You'll make lifelong connections with other parents here, we're told by alumni families, and in our case, we can already see how that will be true for us after our kids move on to kindergarten, too.
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September 2023 by Chanin-Kolaj Family
There's no place quite like Families Together. If you have ever wondered why Edgewater feels so magical, it's because these teachers have had a hand in raising the neighborhood children for the past twenty years. Our son and our family have thrived in this lovely, supportive community. Having parents in the classroom creates a special bond between the children and caregivers, and between parents and teachers.
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September 2023 by betsy b
Families together is a wonderful, inclusive, nurturing, play-based preschool. Our first daughter spent two very happy years here and our second daughter will be attending this fall. I can’t say enough about the wonderful community here. The staff is wonderful and highly experienced (there is very little turn-over at the school). Tuition is sliding scale, and this is just one example of the school’s dedicated efforts to make such a great preschool experience accessible to all. In the process of choosing a preschool I visited quite a few in my neighborhood. Families Together is a 15 minute drive for us but I’m willing to do it because nothing else I visited can compare. Really cannot recommend highly enough!
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September 2023 by Jessica Marasa
Yes! I will forever be grateful for our time at Families Together. Immediately we felt we could entrust the teachers with our child and felt our child was welcomed and accepted. A few of the many reasons why we chose families together was for its sliding scale tuition and the cooperative model. With so many families involved in the school we’ve been able to form deep friendships with the parents and children in our class and it has been the enriching time we’ve needed for our whole family.
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September 2023 by Barbara Lea
Families Together is well worth the monetary investment. Now having my second child at Families Together Cooperative Nursery School, I can clearly see how children are given so much 1:1 attention, they learn how to share, communicate their thoughts, and learn how to work together with other little humans(& adults). If they've happened to develop and habits that are not as pro-social as you would like them to be, the staff and teachers at FTCNS have an amazing way of positively redirecting then and teaching them the skills they will need in life. It's really the best foundation you can give your 2.5 to 5 year old!P.S. Being a teacher myself, I can say that they also have such a rich, diverse and inclusive curriculum!
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September 2023 by Jessica M.
As a parent I wanted to be involved in my child's first schooling experience and Families Together offered this in a way no other place did. The coop model resulted in us forming deep friendships with parents and children and has enriched our lives with community and care. The staff are experienced, wise and kind and it was everything we were looking for in an early childhood experience. Yes!
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September 2023 by .betsy ..
We have two daughters and this is our 4th year at Families Together co-op. This is a truly wonderful preschool. We wanted to give our kids the gift of a play-based preschool experience where they can truly be kids and be themselves. I visited a lot of preschools closer to our home, but after visiting FTCNS, taking a tour and hearing the director talk about the school, I knew we had found the right place. The staff is wonderful. There is very little turn-over staffing wise; most of the teachers have been there 15 plus years. They get to know each student and family as individuals and there is a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I love the way they interact with and treat the children. There is no talking down to, no scolding, no babying. The children are truly listened to and conflict resolution is approached through discussion and giving the children the tools they need to express themselves and learn how to advocate for themselves and each other. The school has a wonderful focus on nature, community building, and kindness. Tuition is sliding scale based on family income.
