Shannon Nursery School

I cannot recommend Shannon Nursery School enough! We checked out 16 other preschools, in person, by website, etc. and by far are very glad we went with Shannon!
My son started here in the Fall & loves going to school at Shannon! When asked about this school I always say: primarily, the teachers all genuinely love these kids & care about them on a daily basis. They welcome them every morning to school and upon leaving as well. Second, the environment inside is bright & welcoming, and it has a nice, well-​maintained, play-​yard space as well. Lastly, the parent participation requirements are great & not as overwhelming as other coop schools in the area.
Thank you Shannon Nursery for being a great environment for my son!

My son is now in his second year at Shannon and he absolutely LOVES it. Shannon is a co-​op, non-​profit, play-​based preschool. The 3-​year-​olds attend twice a week from 9 – 11:30, and the 4-​year-​olds attend three days a week from 9 – 12:30, overlapping with the 3-​year-​olds on their 2 days. When we chose Shannon, we didn’t really have a clue what differentiated one preschool from another, but we liked the feel of the school and the play-​based environment, and the teachers seemed nice. Now that we’ve gotten to know the school better, and through friends been able to hear about other schools, we’re so glad we chose Shannon!
First, the teachers are absolutely amazing, and we’ve learned that’s more important than anything. When we first started we noticed that the teachers greeted each child with unbelievable enthusiasm *every day*, and we thought they couldn’t possibly keep that up throughout the year. Well, they did, and they do, because it’s 100% genuine. They don’t just chaperone the kids, they love each and every one and are committed to their development. They pick up on little nuances of each child’s personality that even the parents themselves didn’t figure out. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful, caring, and giving people teaching our kids!
Second, Shannon has the lowest parent-​to-​child ratio around. We looked at another co-​op where there was a parent for every 2 kids, and thought that was great because the kids would get a lot of adult interaction. Then we realized that our son received *plenty* of adult interaction at home, and the reason we were sending him to preschool was to interact with other kids, not other parents! Shannon has 1 parent for every 4 kids plus 2 teachers, so there is always more than sufficient adult supervision. However, the kids are encouraged to play with each other and problem solve with each other rather than relying on adults to do everything for them. Our son was fairly shy when he started out at Shannon, but within the first few months he was far more confident around other kids and also more confident in general. The low parent-​to-​child ratio also has the side benefit of requiring less parental commitment than other co-​ops.
The third thing that we really like about Shannon is that it lives up to its description of «a family of friends». The Shannon community is incredibly strong. The parents all get to know each other and support each other in so many different ways. The children love going to Shannon (to the point of asking all summer: «When can we start school again?») and the parents love having their children be part of a strong and loving community. It’s no surprise that some of our «alumni» come back a decade later and tell us how great their experience was!
I really can’t recommend Shannon highly enough. The people – both teachers and parents – are what make it such a special place, and after our son finishes this year we’ll look forward to coming back when our daughter is old enough to attend!

My son and I love this school! We were referred by a friend who was continuously raving about the teachers and everything about Shannon Nursery School. We finally went on a tour now that my son is 3 and he loved it from the moment we walked in. He roamed around playing with the many cool toys and projects while I chatted with the teachers about the school. He didn’t want to leave which I took as a good sign. We have now been there for a couple of months and couldn’t be happier. The school has several rooms and a large outdoor area for the kids to roam. It is a very positive environment and the teachers and parents are all so warm and kind. We highly recommend Shannon Nursery School!

Great school loving caring fun teachers. You are part of a family at this school. You get to participate every week and see your child and other children develop in front of your eyes. If you are not sure where to place your child me and my wife highly recommend Shannon Nursery School. Check it out Friday May 23, 2014 for an open play day. Meet the teachers Janell and Rebecca and take a tour you won’t regret it.

Shannon Nursery School is a warm and friendly environment that we have felt lucky to be a part of!
My son went for two years and my daughter is finishing her second year and we will be sad to leave now that it is time again for kindergarten.
It has been a home away from home and my children have both loved it. The teachers are caring and supportive, the families have been great, the school is a fun and nurturing play-​based program that has allowed both my children to flourish, and, as a parent, the co-​op work experience has been very manageable and rewarding.

I am just finishing up a year with my son at Shannon Nursery School (SNS), and it could not have gone better. My son and I have both been so happy at SNS. Here are a few of my favorite things about the school:
— It’s a real co-​op: parent input really matters and is taken seriously by the school
— But it’s not overwhelming: outside of working the assigned day while your child is in school very little outside time is required. Everything is highly organized and made very clear.
— The teachers are skilled, supportive, and friendly: I love that they are so experienced and have children of their own — they make the school a fun and rewarding place for everybody.
— The other parents make the school: I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know so many involved parents struggling with many of the same problems I am facing with my child.
— The facility is inviting: the school has been around for decades with lots of time to gather great resources. They have clearly continuously invested in a great play space.
I could go on, but this is turning into a novel. To sum up — we love Shannon Nursery School!

My family and I absolutely love Shannon Nursery School. I was not sure whether to send my daughter to nursery school at all, but the nurturing atmosphere and the amazing, intuitive philosophy convinced me that this would be a wonderful place for my daughter to grow and play. Not only that, but I have grown and learned tremendously in the process. The kids enjoy free play in a variety of settings: an art room, a science room (with puzzles and nature like fish and silkworms and tadpoles), and a playground. The kids enjoy voluntary activities like planting flowers or blowing bubbles, and they all enjoy snack time and a story, but the goal is free play — just each child choosing what to do and where to play. Parents and teachers supervise and direct activities. The overall philosophy is one of nurturing and celebrating each child as they are. My daughter loves it and talks about her friends and what she plays all the time. She usually comes home singing a song she heard at snack time. There is no academic agenda, but the children learn simple correspondences like the red paint brush goes in the red paint (an early math skill), and following simple directions like hand washing and getting in line. The teachers are universally understanding, patient, kind, and gentle with the children. We are so lucky we found Shannon! We just called them up and asked to take a tour so we could see how my daughter liked it, and we had trouble leaving because she was having so much fun! We signed up the same day!

We could not be happier with this adorable school. We love the parent participation/​co-​op experience because of how amazing our teachers and parents are. It is such a kind, positive and happy environment.
My son loves going to school each day and really misses his teachers and friends when he is away. It is a great experience for him and as a parent you can’t really ask for more.
We are so happy we found Shannon!

Terrific school! Can’t sing enough praises. So grateful we found it. Our son’s been there two years and will be returning for a third.
The three teachers there are fabulous, sooooooooooo fabulous! You can tell they love the children and they love their jobs. The create such a positive environment.
This is a parent participation school (also known as a co-​op). We really value our involvement there, getting to know the other parents and children, and learning as we go. Makes for a wonderfully supportive community for the three of us (my husband, my son, and I) to grow.
Very reasonable tuition and parent commitment.
We commute from 20 minutes south of the school, but it’s still totally worth it. We debated finding a program closer to home, but we just love those teachers at Shannon Nursery School too much to leave.