I am looking for current feedback on Skytown Preschool. My 2 year old daughter has gotten a space for the fall, but we are unable to visit or tour the school as we live out of the country, and are moving back to Berkeley this summer. I have never seen the school myself, nor known anyone personally who sent their child there. I have read the comments from 2007 on BPN, and wonder how the transition with the new director has gone. Francine

On a personal level, the parents who send their kids to Skytown seem to be a great group of people and I have made some lovely friends. The benefit of a co-op is that you can be as involved in your child's education as you want to be.

Skytown is currently looking for a new head toddler teacher as our beloved Teacher Nancy is moving away, but I'm sure that the school is committed to finding another fantastic teacher. There will be continuity in the classroom as I believe that the assistant toddler teacher will be staying on next year. A Happy Skytown Mama

Can anyone offer any advice about the Skytown Co-Op in Kensington? I have heard great things about the place and am thinking of sending my son there. Has anyone had any recent experiences they can pass on? Thanks caz

I have always found Skytown to be an amazing place, even in times of difficulty. They have not really had a strong leader since we started 2 years ago. Yet, the community is very strong and incredibly committed. They work hard for the school and the teachers. The remaining teachers provide excellent care for our children. I wouldn't hesitate to have any parent at Skytown take care of my child. I also did not hesitate to sign up for one more year. The director they have now has been a teacher there for a long time and she is wonderful. She has lots of energy, enthusiasm and knowledge.

If you thought Skytown was the place you wanted to send your kid, trust you own instincts. I did and couldn't be happier. Staying Right Where We Are

Near the end of the year, the school lost its two preschool teachers. As a fairly new family, we had two conflicting impulses: run away, or embrace the co-op experience and get more involved. I considered my daughter's feelings--the toys and activities were the same, the kids were the same, the parents were the same, and she was as happy as ever. I had met so many great moms and dads, and almost all were staying; I was reluctant to start all over somehwere new. What did we decide? Well, my son is starting the Skytown toddler program in the summer and I have joined the Board of Directors. It is a good fit for our family. If you want more information to figure out if it will be a good fit for yours, please feel free to contact me. Mira

Secondly, the writer said 'The director left abruptly in April.' The director did leave abruptly in April which was due to her own lack of professionalism, but it doesn't happen often. The previous director was there for years. The new director has worked there for a few years on the toddler side and is now with the pre-school children. The new toddler lead teacher has also been there for a few years. When the previous director did leave abruptly, the parents and the current teachers really pulled together so the children would not be effected. It really made me proud to be a part of Skytown and to have my child attend a school that has so many like-minded parents that care about their children. This is what a co-op is all about.

I toured many preschools before choosing Skytown. I have no regrets and my daughter loves it. Her day consists of dressing up as a princess, making her own art projects, playing with play dough, building towers with blocks or legos, circle times, playing house in the outside kitchen area (her favorite thing is to make sand cupcakes) or digging in the construction area. If you are thinking about Sktyown, be sure to tour it and see for yourself. Happy Parent

I know you said you were looking for something other than a coop but from what I found in my research, for what you want to pay, coops are the way to go. I can't speak for all coops but I do know that my daughter's school, Skytown Preschool, allows parents to bring their babies (in backpack carriers) on class participation days (and to buy out of participating). To send your child two to three days a week, that would cost between $123 to $179 (if you did the class participation). In the preschool program, parents participate one day for every four their child attends. For three days a week, that's roughly 3 participation days a month. If you decided to buy out of your class participation, three days a week would still be around $340. In addition to participation requirements, there are committee jobs. Some of these jobs are done during school hours but many are done after hours (none of the jobs that I do require me to be at the school to complete them). You can also do jobs at Skytown and have your baby with you - we see that a lot. Skytown also offers a toddler program (for kids from 18 months) so when your wee one gets bigger, that would be a nice transition. Lots of Skytown Preschoolers started in the toddler room. And at least one Preschool participating mom brings her son in the backpack and in a few months, he'll be ready for the Toddler room. Skytown has rolling admission so your child can start at anytime.

Skytown is a wonderful community. We've only been there since September but I feel like it is home. There's no "attitude," people are warm and friendly. The staff is fantastic and creative. They try to use a Reggio Emilia (children collaborate in building their curriculum) approach to learning whenever possible. For example, the Toddlers were fascinated with trains so the teachers constructed a whole unit on trains that ended with a class field trip on the Amtrak train. The Preschoolers were learning about insects and showed an interest in bees and honey so their teachers developed some activities that involved honey (yummy and sticky!). Because it is a coop, there is a camaraderie and mutual respect. And it's fun because the kids are having such a good time and thriving! I recommend it without hesitation to anyone looking for a warm, nurturing, creative and flexible environment for their child. If you want to see for yourself what makes Skytown so great, come to our open house on Feb. 5 at 11:00. For more info. check out www.skytown.org or call Justine at 510-526-8481. One Happy Skytown Mama

I just wanted to highly recommend Skytown Preschool (Kensington) to parents looking for a warm, fun, nurturing and stimulating school for their toddlers or preschoolers. My son has been at Skytown for over a year now and his experience there has been better and more than what we hoped for him. Please put Skytown at the top of your list when looking for that ''perfect'' school for your child! I just want every parent to feel as comfortable and secure as I have ... It will be a wonderful experience for your child as well as yourself! Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about the school... Marie

I'm looking for people's experiences with Skytown Co-op's Toddler program. There are some postings on the net, but the detailed ones are all fairly dated. I've visited and liked what I saw, but I'd love to have some more personal information. Let me know the good/bad/ugly/indifferent. Thanks! Potential Co-op Mama in Kensington

Re: 3 days a week play-based preschool

Skytown Preschool in Kensington. 526-8481 or www.skytown.org elisa

Re: preschools for allergic child
Skytown Preschool is a nut free school. This includes all tree nuts and peanuts. You can visit them at Skytown.org elisa

Re: 2-day-a-week play day for 2-year-old

Skytown Preschool has a toddler program which runs from 9:15am - 12:00pm. You can choose the number of days that meet your schedule. Skytown is located a 1 Lawson Rd in Kensington. Their phone number is 526-8485.
Clifford

hello: can anyone speak of skytown parent cooperative pre-school in kensington? we're curious about your child's experience, family participation, quality of program. thank you, phyllis

I would like to recommend Skytown Preschool in Kensington off of Arlington Ave. My son started last year in the toddler program and recently graduated to the preschool class. We've been extremely happy with our experience in both the toddler and preschool classes. Skytown is a co-op and there are varying levels of participation and tuition changes accordingly. Because it is a co-op, the adult child ration is quite low- 1:3 in the toddler program, 1:4 in the preschool program. I currently participate in the classroom while wearing my baby in a backpack. He loves watching the big kids and my older son is thrilled to have me come to school with him now and then.

Skytown is a wonderful site with bright classrooms and a very large outside play area. The toddler program is for children ages 18 months to 3 years. The teacher, Liz Masterson, is wonderful. She is warm and nurturing and makes every effort to ease the transition into school. She is also silly and fun and the kids adore her. My son was a little anxious about moving to the preschool class only because he was so attached to Liz, but he immediately fell in love with the preschool program as well. Diane Algrhen, the preschool teacher, introduces the children to new topics and activities in such a way that the children are excited to learn more. It is a play based program, so children are provided with many different activities and have the freedom to choose what they'd like to pursue. My son is thriving in the program and is always eager to go to school.

I believe that there are still a few openings for the summer program, but you'd have to call and check. Skytown Co-op Nursery School 1 Lawson Road Kensington 526-8485. Thanks! Gayle

I would like to recommend Skytown Preschool located at 1 Lawson Road, Kensington. My three-year-old son started attending the preschool in October and the experience has been wonderful. Skytown is a parent cooperative school where pricing is dependent upon the level of participation. I began looking for a preschool when we moved into the area from Wisconsin. I wanted a preschool where I could be involved and one that provided a safe and nurturing environment for learning through play. I had an additional concern - my son has multiple food allergies. In the preschool program all the children bring in their own snack and lunch. I do not have to worry that my son will feel different from the other children since he cannot eat the same foods or that he will accidentally be fed an allergic food. The director and teacher of the preschool program, Diane Algren has made subtle changes to the program, which allows my son to participate fully. For instance, she replaced the wheat flour in the play dough recipe with rice flour so my son could play with the play dough.

Diane does a wonderful job introducing the children to new learning opportunities but always at the individual child's pace. The preschool is spacious both indoors and outdoors, and the children decide where they want to play. This is my son's first preschool experience and he loves going and never wants to leave.

Skytown offers a toddler program for children 18 months to three years and a preschool program for children 3 years to pre-kindergarten. Parent participation in these programs is optional and flexible. The school is located at 1 Lawson Road in Kensington off Arlington Ave, at the border with El Cerrito. It is approximately 4.5 miles from the Berkeley campus. ,p> For additional information please call (510) 526-8485.

I am writing to recommend Skytown Preschool, a parent co-operative located off Arlington Ave in Kensington, at the border with El Cerrito. It is approximately 4.5 miles from the Berkeley campus. Skytown has two programs: one for toddlers (18 mos to 3 years), with a maximum of 12 kids, and one for preschoolers (3 to 5+ years or pre-K), with a maximum of 24 kids. The hours are 9-12 with an 8-9 morning option. The toddlers have a new, extended 12-3 program while preschoolers can stay through 5:30. Participation in the co-op is flexible, and is set to maintain a 3-4 to 1, child to adult ratio in the morning. Parents participate in the classroom, do committee work, or both, or they opt for minimal participation with attendance required only for monthly membership meetings and once-a-semester work parties. Participation status depends on a family's interest, job demands and budget (full participation rates are excellent while minimal participation is moderately expensive). Call 526-8485 for current rates.

I have had most experience with the toddler program, from which my oldest son just "graduated" and my youngest son recently joined. It is truly a WONDERFUL program. Children are exposed to a variety of fun activities and art projects during the morning program, and are given the opportunity to choose WHAT they want to do and HOW they want to do it, within safe limits. Through unstructured play, they experience self-directed learning (as opposed to teacher directed), develop an internal locus of control (as opposed to relying on someone else's ideas, goals and values), and are allowed to be totally creative. There are group activities too (a walk around a church parking lot in a very safe and beautiful setting, snack time around a candle-lit table, music time) which also help teach toddlers some basic "rules" (like staying on the sidewalk; redlight; don't ram other kids with your bike; how to bus your own dishes). The overall philosophy fosters strong respect for the individuality of the child. I've seen very shy, solo types, and very social or spirited children thrive in this type of program. The teacher, Cathy McQueeny, is beloved by parent and child alike. She helps each parent appreciate how special and unique their child is, and she provides the safe, warm and stimulating environment necessary for each and every child to thrive. As a participating parent, I have learned LOTS from the program and from watching a pro like Cathy: how to redirect behavior that is not exactly wonderful, how to set limits in a respectful way, how to guide and stimulate without interfering with independence.

The preschool side is an extension of the toddler program with much more space, both indoors and outdoors (and with total freedom to be either in or out), more toys 'n play structures, more projects including an environmentally-conscious circle time. In warm weather, the kids have fun with water, building rivers and lakes (then swimming in it- clothes at this point are optional). The director, Diane Algren, is interested in nature and gardening and is adding her expertise in these areas into the curriculum, which remains play-based.

Our year-plus at Skytown has been stimulating and rewarding. I wanted to pass info on this unique co-op to UC parents who are looking into toddler and preschool programs.