When our son turned two and we faced a big decision as parents: Do we start sending him to school or wait another year? Many parents face this same challenging question and there is no one right answer. Every child is different, every family is different.

We knew we wanted our son to have engaging activities to do each week, but we also knew we didn’t want him to sit in a classroom all day—there would be plenty of time for that in the future! We know it’s important for children to interact with other kids their age. We also know it’s good and healthy for children to be away from their own parents from time to time.

One day, we heard about CCNS from some friends who absolutely love the school. After doing some research, it seemed like the perfect option for our family, especially the Little Wanderers program. It seemed like such a natural transition for our son to begin his school journey. It’s not yet a classroom, and it gives him a couple days each week to be away from us and out in nature.

The fact that CCNS is a co-op meant that we as parents could go to school with our son once in a while and get to help, interact with his classmates, other parents, and his teacher, all while contributing to the classroom community (and school community) in a meaningful way.

Our son, like most children, is his happiest when he is outside playing and exploring. Every time I pick him up from class it seems like he is talking more, taking calculated risks more often, and truly growing and learning from each experience.  For him to have the opportunity to do this all year round with children his age and teachers that are so committed and passionate about their jobs is a dream come true! It was a big decision for us and our family to send our oldest child to school but our CCNS experience has been amazing and our son truly loves it.

-Cristina