Woodside Parents' Nursery School

We’ve been attending WPNS for a few months in the 2s class with our second child. We have loved the experience there so far. Their new space is phenomenal with an incredible outdoor area for the kids to play. The classrooms are perfect and set up to encourage learning through play and exploration. The teachers are excellent (caring, compassionate and really attuned to what the kids need) and our daughter has become so comfortable with them and loves school. She cannot wait to go to her big girl school and is ready to be there by herself (having me drop her off and come back for circle time). This means I get a few hours each week to just be with my newborn. Since WPNS is a coop, there is a required commitment to work in the classroom but it is so minimal- 1x-2x a month and the other parents in the class are willing to switch days if you’ve been scheduled but have a conflict. WPNS is a great place to send your kids to prep them for TK in their formative years.

In the fall of 2021, my son and I joined the Friday mommy-and-me program at WPNS and it's been one of the highlights of our year. Teacher Karen is so kind and supportive with us newbie moms and has such a loving, gentle way with the kids. Every week, we are blown away by the number of creative play areas she has set up for the children to explore and enjoy. Over the course of the year, I've seen my son grow and develop in so many sweet ways, and WPNS has absolutely been a key part of that. The program has also helped me connect with other moms who are at the exact same stage as I am and who live in my community. WPNS has been such a positive experience and I'd recommend it to anyone.

My son (almost 3 years old) attends WPNS 3x a week and absolutely LOVES it! Last year he attended the TU/TH class and is moving into the M/W/F class this fall. He is also attending Camp Woodsy this summer and is having a blast. He has met a lot of good friends there, and really enjoys the teachers and activities. The teaching staff really do create an environment of positive learning, caring, and fun! Our fellow parents are also great! I highly recommend WPNS!!!

My daughter has been at WPNS for two years and we're really happy there. The teachers are warm and energetic. The new director, Karen Trudell, is full of creative ideas. The other parents are friendly. With the shared duties and monthly parent meetings, you get to know each other quickly and form a little community, which is great because the parents can hang out with each other while the kids play. Another thing I like about WPNS is that we get all the benefits of a cooperative school, but the workload is lighter than at a lot of other co-ops. We call it co-op lite. Also, WPNS is starting a transitional kindergarten program for older 4s and young 5s kids. That ll be nice since my daughter is an October baby.

Our son loves WPNS. Last year he was in the T/Th class and it was so enjoyable to ask him at dinner those days what he did at school. His eyes would light up as he ran down the list of names of his friends and the activities they did that day from reading stories, playing outside in the sandbox and on the play structure, to arts and crafts. I think he names the entire class when talking about his friends. He also loves the teachers and has asked a number of times for us to invite them over for dinner. We are excited that he is enrolled for M/W/F next year and will also be enrolling our younger son in the Friday Toddler class as soon as he is eligible. The nice thing is he doesn't have to be away from his friends and teachers during the summer as he is at Camp Woodsy for the next 4 weeks and he is having such an amazing time.