Berkeley Parents Network: Montclair Community Play Center

Berkeley Parents Network

Montclair Community Play Center

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Preschools > Montclair Community Play Center

Website for Montclair Community Play Center: www.mcpckids.org

Jan 2008

Hello, I'm exploring different pre-schools in Oakland that are parent cooperatives or have highly engaged parent programs. So far, I'm aware of Peter Pan (Maxwell Park), Sequoia (Montclair), and Inch-By-Inch (Mountain Blvd). Do parents have any others to suggest? Thanks--much appreciated! Laura

The Montclair Community Play Center ( on Thornhill about 2 1/2 blocks from Hwy 13) should be on your list. We have been SUPER happy there. It's hard to get in because the applications to openings usually is 3-1, but it's worth applying'cause you might be lucky. The teachers are fabulous, the curriculum is interesting/stimulating and the physical plant is clean( parents keep it cleaned daily!) and nice. I think that learning from the teachers has made me a better parent. The parents-only information night ( mandatory attendance) is Wed, January 23rd at the school. Call the school to find out what time it is. After you get the big picture from that, you can get a tour when school is in session ( you and your partner and your child are encouraged to come). Good luck! Jean

Feb 2007

Re: play-based schools?
My child is currently enrolled at MCPC. We have been very happy with the program, the curriculum, and the director. I can't speak to the issue of kindergarten readiness, but I did want to address your situation as the parent of twins. At MCPC, we try to divide parent duties so that each family is responsible for roughly 1/25th of the aggregate workload. Each family has one workday, one ''job,'' specific fundraising obligations, etc. In order to keep this equitable, parents of twins (who reduce the community from 25 to 24 families) are asked to perform the full range of duties for each enrolled child. In other words, parents of enrolled twins would have two workdays each week, two jobs, twice the usual amount of fundraising obligations, etc. I believe the only exception to this is attendance at the monthly parent education meetings. I don't mean to warn you off MCPC -- it's a great school, and we have had twins enrolled in the past and have an alumni set due to begin in 2008 -- but if you think the increased workload might be an issue for your family, it might be worthwhile for you to inquire about the policies for families with twins at each of the schools you're considering before you get very far along in your search. Best of luck to you. MCPC Parent

May 2006

Re: Desperate for a Summer Preschool Program
MCPC (Montclair Community Play Center) on Thornhill in Oakland offers an excellent morning summer camp program for that age group that runs for about 6 weeks, broken into two sessions. My daughter attended for the last three summers, but now she will no longer be eligible as she is moving on to first grade. She keeps asking me if she can go again! The camp gives priority to incoming or continuing students, but they usually have some open spots for those just interested in summer camp. Unlike their regular preschool co-op program, there is no obligation for you to work It's just drop off. For more information, go to www.mcpckids.org. Good luck! tiffany

January 2004

Looking for inpute re Montclair's Community Play Center's Preschool program. Can anyone share their experience with sending their child there in the last 2-3 years? Is the space big enough? Does anyone feel it is too ''play based'' and not enough structured activities or ''learning''? All input appreciated. looking for insights into MCPC

My daughter is in her second year at MCPC. I can not say enough great things about MCPC. Susanna the director and Marianne the teacher are both wonderful. My child has florished there. You asked whether it is ''too play-based.'' I'm not entirely sure what you are asking. If you are asking if your child will be bored, the answer is absoultely not. There are many activities available to them. The curiculum is very rich. There are all kinds of things going on. You also ask if there is enough ''learning.'' It is not academic, and they do not work on letters. They do, however, learn a great deal. The social skills they learn are invaluble. It's great to see two boys who previously hit each other over a conflict be able to talk it out and work out their conflict. They also learn science, pre-math, and pre-reading (they often cook their own snack.) The art projects are varied, and sometimes I'm jelious that I can't take a branch of leaves and dip it in paint and slap it on a huge piece of paper when I saw that was the art project.

Is the space small? Yes it is. It works though. The kids can run and jump. Some play their own version of football with goals and everything.

There are alot of great pre-schools out there. MCPC is one of them. You need to figure out what kind of philosophy that you want your child's preschool to have whether it be play-based, montessori, or what not. The information night for MCPC is next week, so you can check it out yourself. (check the website for the information www.mcpckids.org )There is also a school tour scheduled at the info night for a school day, so you can actually see the school on a typical day. It's a great place. I hope you consider it in your search. (I hope I wasn't too preachy. I'm just passionate about the place.)

A Fan of MCPC

Nov. 2003

Re: Afternoon Mom/Toddler Classes
Hi - The Montclair Community Play Center has classes most afternoons 3:30-5 and may also have some early afternoon classes beginning at 1 or 1:30. These classes have everything you are looking for - free play, circle time, snack time. Go to http://www.mcpckids.org/ and follow links to toddler classes. Enjoy! Ioana

I recommend MCPC's afternoon toddler class. It has been a while since I did it with my daughter, but at the time there were two classes to choose from - 1:30 and 3:30. It is basically just like preschool except a parent or caregiver stays and it is an hour and a half. MCPC is located across from Thornhill Elementary school in Montclair. Lisa

MCPC in Montclair has exactly what you are looking for. You can find all the information on www.mcpckids.org It's a pre-school in the mornings, and in the afternoons is has a toddler program with parents attending. It's a great way to meet other parents as well.

Jan 2003

Does anyone have any recent experience with Montclair Community Play Center preschool? I'd like some more recent feedback than what is on the website. Also, if there are any other preschools in the Montclair area that you might recommend. Thanks. Cecile

To the person looking at Montclair preschools...have you checked out Montclair Community Play Center? Our Web site is www.mcpckids.org. MCPC has been around for over 70 years, and is a parent co-operative. We have a director whose teaching is inspired, another great teacher, and 4-5 parents working each day, so the ratio for kids to adults is excellent (about 6:1). We offer a play-based developmental curriculum, with lots of art and science projects, and an incredible focus on conflict resolution--we are trained to help kids resolve their own conflicts. Our co-op requires 1 work morning per week, holding an administrative job, and a number of 2nd year parents are on the board. As my son visits kindergartens, I hear, without fail, how the kids from MCPC are unusually prepared for kindergarten. The emotional care they get at MCPC is really great...and you get a wonderful chance to be with your child as they start off on their educational journey. Anyway, if you want more info, check out our Web site. We'll be having a prospective parent information night from 7-9 on Jan. 29. Interested parents must RSVP. We'll also have a table at the East Bay Moms preschool fair on Jan 25. Good luck in your search! Therese

Dec 2002

Re: Afternoon Mom & Toddler Classes

I recommend the toddler program at MCPC (Montclair Community Play Center). It is located on Thornhill in Montclair. THere are two afternoon classes - I think at 1:00 and 3:30 - most days of the week. It is just like preschool only shorter and a parent (or caregiver) must attend with the toddler. There is lots of indoor/outdoor freeplay, a snack and story time, and a circle/music time. My daughter and I started when she was 18 mo. and it was a great way to get her ready for school. Lisa

I have heard great things about the parent/toddler program at MCPC (Montclair Community Play Center)... like a weekly ''preschool'' for toddlers and parents together, complete with messy art projects, snack and circle time. I believe it's an hour or an hour and a half each week and that they are taking sign-ups for the next session right now. Check out the website at www.mcpckids.org Sarah

July 2002

Has anyone attended the toddler program at the Monclair Community Play Center? There is an old posting recommending the preschool, but I'm wondering if anyone has had recent experiences with the toddler program. Thanks! Christine

Our son has been in MCPC Toddler program since he was 18 mos old (completed two sessions) and we LOVE it! The program is very loosely structured, perfect for young kids. The teacher sets up lots of activities for the children such as crafts, art, puzzles, trains, waterplay, etc and most of the session (1.75 hrs) is free time for them to play indoors or out in whatever they are interested in, with the only structured times being a nap/story time (families switch off bringing snack) and a circle time with singing at the end. We attend the Saturday morning session, since our son naps in the afternoon when weekday sessions are held (after the regular preschool schedule) which allows my husband and I to switch off accompanying him. My husband enjoys the time with his son and other kids and likes the other the parents who attend with their children (lots of dads in the Saturday session.) The classes are small (12 children) enough not to be overwhelming, and a lot of the children from our first session were also in our second, so there was nice continuity there as well. I will say that at 18 months our child was the youngest, and probably a child of two would get more out of the activities besides free play in the yard than an 18 month old, but the teacher is very kind and accomodating and tries to find things to engage all the children. You also get preference in preschool enrollment at MCPC if you have attended the Toddler Program, which is great since we hope to enroll our son when he is three. The Toddler program is a great way to ''test drive'' the school and ease your child into a socializing, play based environment with other kids and get them familiar with the school itself. The children are not just from Montclair, but from other areas as well. I can't say enough good things about the teacher, Brianna Offill, or the school. The facility is intimate and very child scaled and friendly (also an old house, shows definite signs of child presence and wear) although they have plans to build a new building which may or may not affect where classes are held in the next year or two. cabernard

We love MCPC! My daughter is in her last few weeks of attending the Wednesday afternoon session. When she started, about 1 1/2 years ago (just before turning 2), she called it ''art class''. It has been a great ''pre pre-school'' class -- they have circle time and do a lot of pre-school type art projects and other activities. It is a great way to introduce a child to formal group activities. The Wednesday class, at least, has been wildly popular and has had a waiting list at least since we have been attending. I could not recommend it more highly. Stephanie

Hello, I am the president of MCPC's parent-run board this upcoming school year. I am so glad to hear the very positive posts about the Toddler program! Brianna, who teaches Toddler, also team-teaches the preschool afternoon program for kids who enroll at age 3, so Toddler children who come to MCPC for preschool will know her for quite a while (more continuity)!

I wanted to let everyone know that MCPC is NOT going to build a new building any time soon. We may do some minor renovations that will not affect Toddler or the preschool program. The rebuild idea has been around for quite a while, but the membership has elected not to go forward on rebuilding any time in the forseeable future. Therese

May 2002

Re: summer camp for 3 year old
Montclair Community Play Center on Thornhill Drive in Oakland has a great summer camp for 3 year olds. There are two 3-week sessions that run from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. Their number is 510 339 7213. Frances

Oct 1999

I wanted to recommend an excellent preschool, called Montclair Community Play Center. It is located on Thornhill Drive in Oakland and is a wonderful, nurturing place for children. Both my daughters have gone there. It's a cooperative, which means that parents work in the classroom one day a week and do an outside job for the school. The parental involvement is time-consuming, but all that interaction creates a cohesive and loving community. The school also has a toddler program for children 18 months to 3 years where kids go with one of their parents or a caregiver. The school also has a great annual auction where parents can pick up great deals on children's classes, clothes, toys, etc. This cooperative preschool is 67 years old and is a wonderful place for children. If you want a great school and a sense of community, look into it. Call 339-7213 for information. Franny

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