San Jose Parent Participating Nursery School

We have been members of SJPPNS for 6 years. Both of my sons have attended for 3 years each and my daughter will begin in the fall of 2016. SJPPNS has become a second home to our family. The community is tremendous and truly a loving and nurturing environment. The play based education has been exactly perfect for both of my sons as well as wonderful preparation for kindergarten. Because the school is a co op, I have had the privilege of working in the classroom all 6 years. I have made wonderful friends and also learned so many valuable techniques and skills to help in my parenting journey. I highly recommend SJPPNS and can not imagine the last 6 years of our lives without it.

San Jose Parents has been absolutely foundational in the educational and social development of my daughter who will be headed off to kindergarten next year. I am confident that she will be prepared for anything that kindergarten throws at her including the ebb and flow of peer relationships. She is confident, eager to try new things, able to participate as both a leader and a follower, and has the ability to work through problems with others (which let’s face it, is a tough skill for adults). This year is our third and last year at the school and this year in the 4 day program has been my favorite. The activities are enjoyable even for the classroom parents, we have monthly hikes to have school outdoors, the children participate in gymnastics together and they are learning SO much through play and exploration. I am so grateful to have had the chance to participate in my daughter’s preschool experience and hope to continue to participate in her classrooms for years to come.
Sharon Malone is amazing! The kids love her! She is friendly, funny, adaptable, and always pursuing education on a range of topics related to teaching and child development and looking for new ideas to play with. She connects well with families and working in the classroom truly feels like being among friends.
Aimee Loginetti is our new teacher this year in the 1 and 2 day classes. She was a long time SJPPNS parent who stepped seamlessly into the teacher role and once you see these little guys calling her name and running to hug her, you know she is in her element. We are glad to have her.
This school is 65 years old and I recently had the privilege of speaking with a women who was a parent of the school many many years ago and had such an inspiring legacy to share. This school has amazing teachers, amazing resources and an amazing space but what I realized in speaking with this woman is that it is the way the parents and kids come together in learning and in life, that makes the coop experience so extraordinary.

I think SJPPNS is a wonderful school. It’s a play based co-​op so parents are involved in the school but I don’t think time requirements are as much as other schools I had looked at. I think it’s a great option for parents with flexible schedules or stay at home parents. You get to see what your child is into, who their friends are, and how they interact with others. You really learn as a parent and build a great community of people around your child. I have teacher Aimee and she is wonderful! She’s so kind and patient with the kids. When my daughter sees the school she excitedly yells, «It’s School! Let’s go to school!» As a parent, what more can you ask for?

My twin boys spent four fun filled years at San Jose Parents Participation Nursery School.
This play-​based cooperative is a wonderful experience for both children and parents. Students are encouraged to explore and direct their own play, while given the opportunity to engage with dozens of toys, tools and activities. Some of these include: sand, water, bikes, scooters, painting, puzzles, building, making music, making food, dress up, drawing, science experiments, exploring nature, gardening, etc. The classes also take parent chaperoned outings to various parks and educational sites of interest in the area.
Both teachers, Sharon and Susanne, each have their own wonderful way of interacting with the children.
Working at the school and sharing the preschool experience with my boys was priceless.

I have both my girls at this school and have been very happy with the teachers (playful, caring, and fun), the curriculum (it’s play based yet offer so much for the kids to explore and learn), the huge outdoor play area, the pristine indoor classroom (it gets clean from top to bottom and I am talking scrubbed several times a day because the parents are involved and are required to as part of the involvement). You really aught to come see it for yourself to appreciate it. I have had my children at Explorer, Gymboree school skills, and seen other preschools and nothing compares to what is provided at SJPPNS. I have my eldest in the Summer camp and am sad for her to be finishing and going off to Elementary School because I am sure it will not be the same. Just happy that my younger daughter has a couple of more years to go:-)

Amazing school fabulous teachers!

Both our daughters went to SJParents & had teacher Sharon as well as Teacher Susanne. They were always so caring & loving to the children & gave wonderful parenting advice during our monthly meetings. I always describe the preschool as «kids’ paradise» when explaining to other parents about the school. It is the perfect place to send your kids if you are looking for a beautiful, clean environment with caring teachers & supportive parents who allow for their children to learn through play.

Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Directors at San Jose Parents Participating Nursery School. Please don’t assume my role at the school has influenced my opinion. Instead see my role as evidence of how engaging this place really is. I didn’t start out as a board member. My wife and I started out as bewildered parents, overwhelmed by options, advice and opinions. We did our homework (OK, my wife did our homework and put both our names on it) and in the end we chose San Jose Parents Participating Preschool for simple reasons: We believed in the concept of a co-​op school, we felt comfortable at SJPPNS, we liked and respected the teachers, and the curriculum fit our understanding of what our children needed in a preschool environment.
We made that decision over three years ago when our daughter entered the school. At the time I wasn’t a board member, but the janitor. Yes, everyone at a co-​op school has a job, and they’re not all glamorous. In fact few of them are glamorous, none of them are particularly difficult, and all of them are extremely important. No matter what your role is in the school, every minute you spend there gets you more engaged with your kids, their education, and the SJPPNS community. And that is what is truly special about co-​ops in general, and SJPPNS specifically.
Living in the Bay Area, we are blessed with many excellent options when it comes to our children’s education. Everyone has their own vision of what their kids’ education should look like, and I won’t assume ours is somehow universal. What I can say is that this school has been excellent for our kids. They love the school, the teachers, their classmates and the facilities. As parents, we love the curriculum, the teachers, the parents and the relationships that have grown from working so closely with all of them. There’s no place we’d rather be.

After six years and four children, I can honestly say that we had a wonderful experience at SJPPNS. We wholeheartedly agree with a play-​based preschool experience, and SJPPNS offers just that. No «formal» academics here — no worksheets, no direct instruction in letters or numbers, etc. What SJPPNS offers is learning colors, counting, writing, letters, science… all through play. I loved seeing my kids come home covered in dirt, sand, and paint every day. That’s what preschool is all about!
Their teacher was nurturing and supportive of our family’s needs, and set up lots of creative activities each day. Parents work in rotation in the classroom, and it’s fun to watch the kids all grow and blossom.
As my kids head off to elementary school, I feel like they have a solid foundation to succeed in school. And they were able to learn while still «being a kid» and having fun.

I would like to clarify that my child never attended this school, this review is simply based on TRYING to attend. When my child was around the age where I wanted to start applying to co-​op preschools this was one of the 1^st ones I contacted based on location. I liked what their website described and wanted to apply but the application period was closing at 5pm the next day. It said that I could bring the application in person if I didn’t think that I could mail it in time.
I called and spoke to someone at the school who confirmed that I could in fact drop the application off in person before the 5 o’clock deadline. I asked this person if there was a particular time that would be best and I was told anytime before 5 and that they would be there all day long.
So I arrive about 1:55pm and began walking around the building looking for an office /​reception area. I saw some other mothers heading to the building and asked if they knew where the office to drop off applications is. A couple of the women told me «oh there isn’t really an ‘office’ just bring it into the classroom». The preschool has just one main classroom that looked very nice. It is used for different age groups at different times.
I headed to the classroom and looked at the time, it was 1:58pm and the 2−4pm toddler class was getting ready to start. Miss Sharon was busy greeted and checking in her students. I approached her and asked her if I was in the correct place to drop off an application. She said I was and took the application from me and set it aside. I could tell that I was interrupting her work by being there.
This upset me very much because I called the afternoon before and specifically asked if there was a good time to drop off the application. I was told to come anytime, but feel that I should have been told that I would be interrupting a class if I came between 2 – 4.
Miss Sharon did not ask me if I had any questions, or if I would like to schedule a tour, or anything of the sort. But I understand she was busy with her class. What I don’t understand is why a preschool wouldn’t have an office, or an assistant, or a secretary to handle applicants. The teacher should not have to interrupt her class to do it, and I should not have been told to come in at any time.
I had also applied to 3 other co-​ops in the area and they we so much more organized and accommodating to new parents and offered tours without me even having to ask. It was this interaction with other schools that made me see that San Jose Parent Participating Nursey School would not be what we were looking for to accommodate our family.

My son is now in first grade but spent three wonderful years at SJP. He was shy and really clingy in the beginning but with the help of the other parents and the teachers I was able to get a little mama-​time and he was able to blossom and create lasting friendships. It’s a group of dedicated, hard working people who put the interests of the kids first. This is not a drop and run day care, it’s an old fashioned, hands on nursery school where kids of all cultures, economic status and areas of silicon valley are welcome to play the day away, blissfully.

I want to write an update because now my son is off to kinder and my daughter has started in the 3Day program here with teacher Sharon and again we love it. SJPPNS is an NAEYC accredited school as are the teachers who also are regularly trained through conferences and other programs such as music together. This school does require that parents be involved by working one day in the classroom and holding a committee job-(well worth it for only paying $ 165 a month) This school is run by the parents and is not for people looking for a mere drop off. On your non-​workdays when you do drop your kids off, there are at least 6 parents in the classroom and a teacher. On top of the once a week conference that you have on your workday teacher Sharon sends out a week in review letter giving thoughts on the week, praise, advice, issues, and upcoming events. The teachers always have the kids best interest in mind. I feel like our kids have made lifetime friends here and so have we. This school is very involved and a great community. The teachers are wonderful and everyday has a theme. Again I can not say enough about this school. Best of the best!

Our 3 year old daughter was just kicked out for being «Disobedient» and having «hard to understand speech». This was after only 7 full days in the 2 day program. This review is being written still fresh in my mind. I just got out of a meeting with Miss Sharon, the «Certified» but «Non accredited» teacher that runs the 2 day program.
Not all kids are going to come into preschool with perfect speech, or perfect discipline. Isn’t that the job of the teacher to get everyone up to speed before kindergarten?
There was a lot of things Miss Sharon pointed out as wrong with our child, and she offered little in the way of actual solutions. She asked us to have our child evaluated by the school district, which we made the appointment to do but were kicked out before this happened (because the school system is so backlogged).
We also forwarded her evaluation to our Pediatrician Dr Yaffi of Kaiser hospital who is a close personal friend of my wife’s mother. Dr. Yaffi told Miss Sharon our daughter is fine. Did getting a second opinion from a certified pediatrician change her mind? Nope. She kicked us out anyways.
My daughters time at the school was short, they only worked with her for a accumulation of about 14 hours (I know my wife said 16 hours, but deducting 2 for the day Miss Sharon called me to come get her because she was ill equipped to deal with my daughters tantrum)
Because my daughter showed signs of being problematic from the get go I opted to be with her on most of the days I was supposed to be off (like any good, loving father would) This made no bearing on Miss Sharon’s decision to kick us out. I would say my daughter only spent a total of 4 hours of the 12 total solo (without dad)
Speech problems — I told her my family has a history of speech problems. My father and I both went to speech classes. My brother had his tongue snipped so people could understand him. I hear another cousin had the same long tongue problem as my brother. I informed Miss Sharon of this. Is it reason to kick our daughter out? Einstein did not speak until he was 4.
Disobedience — My kid doesn’t exactly follow orders but that’s OK, isn’t preschool supposed to get kids ready to sit still in class?
Intelligence — Heh, my kid can recite episodes of kids shows word for word. I only know one guy in the world as good as she is, and he’s a genius. It’s comforting to know my kid has a genius skill.
Mostly her assessment was filled with inaccuracies. She even inaccurate at the meeting tonight when we brought up my daughters last circle time.(Circle time is when Miss Sharon sits in her special Miss Sharon chair, and reads a story or whatever)
The previous 6 days my daughter didn’t go to circle time. I was there for most of them, and would pull her out of class if she got noisy.
She said my daughter was clawing at the door at the last circle time. Impossible, I was sitting between her and the door at the last circle time. She wasn’t making noise, she just wasn’t sitting still which if she had given her another minute or two I’m sure she would have sat down in my lap.
Instead Miss Sharon ordered me to «Take her out of the here». Without protest I carried my girl out.
Miss Sharon could only offer «Well, it might have been Tuesday she did that instead of Thursday when she clawed at the door.»
I also think Miss Sharon has a skewed view of what is and isn’t disruptive. There’s one young man, we’ll call him «J». I have seen J attack kids almost every time I was there. I was pulling J, another kid, and my daughter in the wagon when J started kicking my girl violently to get out of the wagon. My girl cried, I simply told J and the boy sitting next to him «I am no longer pulling the wagon for you» and walked away daughter in arm.
Another time I saw J punching my kid on the playstructure. Another father peeled him off my daughter. As the father was pulling J off, he was still swinging in the air at my little girl.
Another time I saw J wildly punching the twin on the bike path, again some parent peeled him off.
The last incident with J involved one of my favorite kids who I taught to flex like the macho man randy savage. I saw J run up, shove little macho to the ground, and laid on top of him while delivering body blows. Yet again, some other adult had to peel him off. Did I mention J is bigger than all the other kids?
I even brought up this kids behavior to Miss Sharon. Did he get kicked out? Nope. From what I understand J has been there 6 months doing this. WTF?.
So she condones a kid that can speak well, but beats up the other kids over my daughter who’s just a little slower with a speech impediment? Luckily my girl is too young to remember this place, because I would hate for her to think this is her fault that she’s booted while a bully is allowed to stay.
I tried to write this out factual based on events, without insults. I hope folks understand why.

You really can’t beat the education you receive as a parent when you belong to a preschool coop. When the kids hit kindergarten and you no longer are a part of their classroom… wow…you really understand what a gift this school is to the kids AND to the parents.
This is a developmentally based program and my kids flourished with it.