Families Together Cooperative Nursery School - Chicago, Illinois

RH A.

Families Together Cooperative Nursery School is a gem for families seeking a community-focused, play-based preschool. As a parent-participation cooperative, it offers a hands-on approach to early childhood education, fostering strong connections among families, teachers, and students.

The play-based curriculum is fantastic, encouraging creativity and emotional growth through art, outdoor play, and storytelling. The staff is warm, experienced, and truly invested in each child's development. I also love the emphasis on diversity and inclusion, creating a welcoming environment for all.

If you want a preschool where your child thrives and you’re actively involved, Families Together is an excellent choice!

Katherine D.

When we decided to enroll our then 2.5 year old in Families Together, we did not to expect to find the treasure trove we did! Amazing, long-term teachers who truly care about the children; dedicated & caring administrators who care for the welfare of not only the students, but also educators and parents; and a wonderful community of parents that support each other! It's not cheap, but we love the sliding scale tuition and really think of it as an investment in our kiddo's future.

Seung J. P.

FTCNS is a high-quality preschool. Truly, I can write an essay, but I'll try to condense and hit the highlights.
- Most, if not all, teachers have stayed for many years. Other private childcare facilities generally have high teacher turnover rates. Children benefit from stable, long-term relationships with their teachers. My child is in the Juniper's class. The teachers are excellent. They know my child well. They are well-educated, observant, caring and attentive.
- My child's teachers have mastered the art of conversation with little children. You'll have to see it to understand it. They talk to children in a way that is very gentle, neutral, yet sensitive and intentional, and still delivers a clear message.
- The preschool is very organized, and very responsive to parent inquiries. I was very pleased with their approach in transitioning children on their first days of class. The goal was not to overwhelm the young children. It is truly very thoughtful.
- There is a local park across the street, and children go to this park to play for a good amount of time when weather permits.
- I have to point out that they make their own play doughs! Commercially available play doughs have offensive smell. FTCNS's does not. This may be a small detail, but I appreciate it a lot!
- From what I have observed, teachers value the process of making art, as opposed to relying on product-oriented activities. You may see children freestyle with finger paints, and in doing so express an authentic part of their thoughts and creativity, as opposed to product-oriented activities where they would've been just following step-by-step procedures to represent someone else's ideas.
- It's a parent cooperative, so parental involvement is expected.
- The times I spent as a parent volunteer, I observed very engaged children. An engaged child is a child who is learning.
- If you have read this far, you should apply, while a seat is available. The children/parents in and near Edgewater is very lucky to have a high-quality preschool in their neighborhood. Their offering of sliding-scale tuition is a cherry-on-top, making high quality preschool education accessible to all.

Ruby A.

My daughter could not be happier at Families Together, which in turn means that I could not be happier as a parent.
We want the best for our children, and I believe that we have found that in FTCNS.
The teachers and staff could not be more welcoming, compassionate, patient, or kind.
The program is extremely play based and student led, and teachers are excellent at engaging and tailoring their lessons to student interest. This means that there is no one size fits all, by the book, curriculum. Every week, really every day, they note what the children have been interested in, and help to build on those ideas.
Most staff, if not all, have been involved with the school for well over a decade, which speaks volumes.
We are so glad to have found Families Together.

Katherine L.

Our child has had a wonderful time at FTCNS. The teachers are experienced, kind, and amazing with all of the kids. I can't imagine a better introduction to school.

Michael R.

Both our kids went/go to families together. The teachers are compassionate, kind, and experts at working on conflict resolution and communication skills. Our eldest was set up well for kindergarten.

Helen H.

Hey so I want to give a quick plug for the Families Together Cooporative Nursery school. My twins started there this past fall - they were 2.5yo. The school has a number of options for enrollment - classes for different ages or times of day. The faculty and staff are all really talented and dedicated, many of whom have been working there for a decade plus - unlike a lot of schools with high turnover because they wear their employees down. The school is cooporative, which means that parents are really engaged - my husband is on the fundraising board and every few weeks I’m acting as an assistant teacher in my kids’ class, which is actually really fun!! As a result of this engagement, the school offers a sliding scale for tuition. I feel truly very lucky to be part of this warm and supportive community and I will definitely be starting my youngest in the toddler play group this fall! Enrollment is down this year, so of you’re looking for a stellar preschool, please consider Families Together!

Marie

My niece and nephew (twins) go to this school and they have both blossomed in their own way since starting there this past fall. When I came to visit, I got to be involved with picking them up from school. I got to see how engaged they were with the community of teachers, students, families and it made me so grateful they found this place. Absolutely worth exploring if you have a 2-5 year old person who needs a loving, nurturing school!