Our Mission
At Hartland Cooperative Nursery School, we strive to make quality early childhood education accessible to local families. We provide a curriculum rich with social-emotional skill building, communication, cooperation, and play. We foster curiosity, independence, and self esteem in our students. We offer half day classes for children ages 3 and up. Aside from our strong staff and curriculum we also feature: nature based play, Vermont Institute of Natural Science monthly lessons, local library story time visits, and parent/community involvement.
Our Philosophy
We believe there is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to learning. We believe in individualized, developmentally appropriate, relationship based learning which happens through play and real life experiences. We emphasize independence and want children to feel empowered.
Our Curriculum
Our environment is warm and nurturing of the whole child. Our teachers prioritize their relationships with each individual child. Children are introduced to consistent routines and expectations so that they are set up to succeed. Students are guided in exploration and a variety of learning & play opportunities to meet the needs & interests of all learners. Children discover the world around them and navigate their way through it with their teachers as guides. We pull our inspiration from popular theories of education including Montessori, Waldorf, & Reggio practices. Our curriculum has a focus on socioemotional skills and kindness, and we hope all students leave our program as kind, cooperative, thoughtful leaders & learners who care about each other & our world.
Our Co-Op
As a cooperative, we rely on our families to run some of the logistics of our program. We are run by a parent & community board who work closely with staff on program operations. Though being on the board is optional, parents are required to clean the school once a year, and provide a classroom snack once a month. Another optional (and fun) piece of our cooperative is the choice to be a classroom volunteer! We also hold community events and fundraisers in which we welcome family participation.