Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School

LPCNS is the most incredible place. Our daughter is a Covid baby and she THRIVES in the classroom setting here. On just the second day, she ran inside and said “Bye mom!” and hasn’t looked back since. They offer gentle separation that is led by the child and no hard lines about potty training. We get to be heavily involved and volunteer in her classroom monthly. The teachers are exceptional - patient, understanding, engaging, and all around lovely.

Absolutely wonderful first school experience for my daughter and our family. Lincoln Park Co--op came highly recommended by a neighbor and we immediately felt a connection after taking a tour and meeting Emily Darrell, the Executive Director. My daughter’s three day program was exceptional and the teachers (Abby and Meredith) were kind, patient, highly educated, and very versed in social emotional development. Thanks to LPCNS, my daughter absolutely loves school and can’t wait for the upcoming school year!

The Co-op was a great spot to start my kids’ school journey. The teachers have been so supportive and warm, and my kids have loved their experiences over the years! Some of our closest family friendships began at the Co-op too.

It's hard to express what a wonderful place LPCNS is. The entire staff is so supportive of both students and parents. I LOVE having the opportunity to be in the classroom and have learned so much as a parent. Both of my children have grown so much during their time here as the teachers have such a unique ability to connect with the children and their individuality. A very special place that I wish every family had the opportunity to be a part of!

Our son started at LP Co-Op just after he turned 3. We considered many other options in the city, but we settled here and we are so glad we did. 5 stars doesn't seem sufficient, and I am just as sure that this review won't do the school justice. We believe that the preschool environment at LP Co-Op is really unlike any other in the city (reaffirmed by swapping stories with friends). The school has an incredible bench of teachers and administrators. These women have master's degrees in early childhood education and some have been there since the 80s. From the very first meeting, the faculty stresses how important the relationship between a family and the school is. The teachers are a sounding board, cheerleaders, supporters, and friends. They keep you as informed (or uninformed) as you want to be. They don't bat an eye at questions or requests. They are there to support your family in whatever way that is appropriate for you. We looked for a while before we selected a pre-school and here is why we chose LP Co-Op (and will continue to select it for our other child(ren)) - in today's political and social climate, it seems we are losing our ability to be part of a community, to rely on each other and take care of one another, to work together. These social responsibilities were extremely important to us. Sure, it is important to us that our son learns his ABCs and 123s, but first and foremost, we wanted our son to PLAY and through that play, we wanted him to learn to be a part of a community, to deal with his feelings, to share and be kind. LP Co-Op has taught, and continues to teach, him (and us) how to be a better and more productive member of society. When you walk in the doors, there are no flat screen tvs or fancy decor, there are classrooms that will give you nostalgia, they will remind you of the classrooms you went to when you were in preschool - filled with play items, places to climb and explore, and artwork made by students. We are grateful for all of the support this school has given us and we truly believe that other families will find the same.