About us
Together, we are dedicated to fostering happy, socially engaged, independent thinking children through a teacher and parent supported community. We envision a community where children are valued, parents are involved, and early childhood education is the foundation for lifelong learning. CCNS is a non-profit 501(c)3.
Our Values
Experiential Learning: Learning while doing and playing. Giving children, parents, and teachers opportunities to learn through shared experiences.
Trust: Give the benefit of the doubt, have honest intent, and a reliance on our community.
Participation: To be actively involved in the CCNS community through classroom activity, committee work, co-oping, social events, maintenance, and supporting children, teachers, and other participants.
Our History
Janet Gillilan founded Community Co-Op Nursery School (CCNS) in 1962. She felt that the existing preschools were too regimented and focused on academic learning. Gillilan’s concept for the school was to foster what she termed “readiness”. “Readiness” means learning how to develop healthy relationships with others, operate appropriately within the school structure, and respond to new situations as they occur. “Readiness” stresses broad-based experiences and new encounters upon which new abilities can be built. It focuses on exposure to diverse art projects and stories, different people, novel social situations, and enriching field trips. The hope is to foster curiosity as well as to teach children how to share, get along with others, and express themselves verbally.
As Janet Gillilan’s founding ideas were cemented into practice at CCNS, the school was established as a non-profit and the following mission, vision, and values were outlined. These principles remain a guiding force in our community and practice as early childhood educators.
In 2020 we launched our Wasatch Wanderers outdoor program under the guiding principle that “Not all classrooms have walls.” We took our values and mission and explored the trails and mountains around Salt Lake City.
In 2021 we changed our name to Community Co-Op Nature School to better reflect our current offerings.
Our mission is to develop a love of learning through play.
The hope is to foster curiosity as well as to teach children how to share, get along with others, and express themselves verbally.
