The Glen Rock Co-op’s philosophy is Learning Through Play. We pride ourselves on creating class curriculums that encourage hands-on play to foster creativity. As your child moves through our school they will continue to gain levels of independence that will ultimately set them up for success in Kindergarten. Classes are divided by age, and we try our best to make sure your children are surrounded by their peers and friends as they move up each year.
Pre-School Classes
 | Toddler & Me 1 Day a week for 1.5 hours Children ages 18 months to 2.5 years to attend with a parent or caregiver In Toddler & Me, children will have their first introduction to a structured learning environment. Learning stations are set up to encourage active play while our teachers engage the children with stories and songs. This class is a great way for mothers to get to know one another and for children to explore arts & crafts, puzzles, and sensory exploration alongside their peers. There are three sessions of Toddler & Me – Fall, Winter, and Spring. |
 | 2.5’s 2 Days a week, Tues/Thurs 8:45-11:30am Children ages 2.5-3 years old, with parent co-oping approximately 4 times per year Option to stay for Lunch & Play until 12:30pm This class focuses on basic social skills and helps children get accustomed to a learning environment. Learning will focus on shapes and colors, which will be taught through many modalities. Children will have the opportunity to work on communication with others and to have fun creating. |
 | 3’s 3 Days a week, Mon/Wed/Fri, 8:45-11:30am Children who are 3 years old by October 1, with parent co-oping approximately 4 times per year Options to stay for Lunch & Play until 12:30pm or STEAM until 3:00pm The 3’s is a class for children who will turn 3 before October 1st of the school year. This class continues to work with children on developing language skills, and self-expression. Colors and shapes are focused on, and concepts of numbers, weather, days, months and years are introduced. In addition to these, the curriculum introduces beginner geometry (whole/half, empty/full). Fine motor skills and manipulation of objects are addressed in activities. In addition to planned activities, there are stations for children to explore pretend play, building, tactile/sensory play, puzzle building, art, and more. Children continue to develop communication with others and begin to move from side-by-side play to collaborative play. |
 | 3.5’s 5 Days a week, 8:45-11:30am Children who turn 4 early in the school year, with parent co-oping approximately 4 times per year Options to stay for Lunch & Play until 12:30pm or STEAM until 3:00pm The 3.5’s class works with children in a slightly more structured learning environment. Here, children will have free play but will also be expected to participate in circle time and organized group activities and crafts. Children will begin to explore letters, learning letter structure through a fun “Mat Man” and eventually practicing name recognition. This class is a perfect hybrid of our 3’s and 4’s classes. |
 | 4’s 5 Days a week, 8:45-11:30am Children who are 4 years old by October 1, with parent co-oping approximately 4 times per year Options to stay for Lunch & Play until 12:30pm or STEAM until 3:00pm This class focuses on attaining kindergarten readiness. Curriculum includes letters, numbers, language skills, and pre-reading. Letters are explored through crafts, music, tracing, and writing. The class is structured to include daily activities designed to address the curriculum goals and stations for free play where communication skills and interactive play are improved upon. Thematic reading segments are done throughout the year to expand knowledge of animals, plants, weather, science, seasons, emotions, cultures, and holidays. |
 | Transitional Kindergarten (TK) 5 Days a week, 8:45-11:30am Children who are 5 years old by December 31, with no parent co-oping Options to stay for Lunch & Play until 12:30pm or STEAM until 3:00pm Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is designed for the young 5 who would benefit from another year to mature socially and/or academically before entering traditional Kindergarten. The curriculum includes pre-reading skills, enhancing communication, listening, and interpersonal skills, the development of fine motor ability, and the introduction of math concepts. |
Lunch & Play
Available to the 2.5’s through TK, families have the option to opt-in for our Lunch program, running from 11:30-12:30. Children will enjoy lunch with their friends, eating a nut-free lunch packed from home or purchased through our Francesca’s Lunch Box hot lunch program. Please note, our school is allergy aware and takes proper precautions to ensure the safety of all children with allergies during snack and meal times.
STEAM (Science, Teamwork, Engineering, Art, Math)
STEAM and STEAM JR. are our afternoon courses that follow lunch and continue until 3:00 pm. STEAM consists of 4’s and TK children and STEAM JR is made up of children from our 3’s and Older 3’s and Young 4’s Class. Lessons are hands-on and exploratory, introducing concepts in science, teamwork, engineering, art and math. Active learning encourages children to make hypotheses, experiment, and be able to describe what has taken place and why. Outdoor time during STEAM is plentiful. In addition to offering a curriculum that stimulates creativity and introduces the sciences at a young age, this program extends a child’s day to 3:00 pm.
STEAM is now offered all 5 days! You may opt for full-time STEAM or choose specific days for a part time schedule, subject to availability.
Specials
From Monday to Thursday, students will enjoy a half hour specials class. Classes take place in our Specials room (located next to the Rainy Day Room, across from Mrs. Smith’s Classroom). These classes are an opportunity to further enrich your child’s development through movement and sensory play.
Yoga
Taught by Ms. Julie Finkle, our children enjoy Yoga every Monday for a half hour. Julie is a certified children’s yoga teacher through Next Generation Yoga. With a keen eye and a lot of compassion, Julie supports students in their introduction to Yoga, creating fun and thematic flows for our children so they can meet life with greater ease, flexibility and joy.
Music
On Tuesdays, our learners meet Ms. Nicole Nowak for a half hour music class! Nicole is a Music Education major at Ramapo College with several years of experience in teaching, introducing musical concepts to young learners through games, songs and hands-on experience with a variety of instruments (the accordion was one of the coolest!). A multi-instrumentalist, Ms. Nicole always has a fun musical surprise up her sleeve! Ms. Nicole’s silliness, clear instruction and musical expertise is setting up the children of the Co-op for a lifelong love of music, as well as the confidence that they can do anything they set their mind to!
Spanish
Senora Elena Vishniakova teaches our newest special, with Spanish starting in 2025! A Co-op parent, Senora Elena spends Wednesday mornings with our children. Our Preschool Spanish class introduces our little estudiantes to a new language through songs, crafts, stories, and play. Children build confidence and curiosity as they learn simple words and have fun.
Big Blocks
Mrs. Jocelyn Reiman has been teaching at the Co-op since 2013. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education and Psychology (Skidmore College) and Master’s in Early Childhood Education (Teachers College, Columbia University), and is certified to teach Pre K- Grade 6 in NY and NJ. Mrs. Reiman’s love for teaching young children brings her to the Co-op for Big Blocks, a weekly special held every Thursday. In Big Blocks, our children are encouraged to explore the depths of their imagination, creating and erecting structures out of large foam blocks.