Li'l Cottonwood Play Group started in 1959. It's a parent co-op preschool. The current president is Angela Bantle, a stay-at-home mom with two children. Bantle is excited to watch her children grow and participate in their education. She thinks learning should be fun. We talked with her to find what makes the Li'l Cottonwood Play Group special.
Q: What is Li'l Cottonwood Play Group all about?
A: It's about providing a unique atmosphere where parents can be involved with their child's first educational experiences. Children learn through play, using all learning styles – visual, auditory and sensory. They participate in group time and other activities every school day. Our teacher follows the Los Alamitos Unified School District curriculum guidelines as she prepares the students for kindergarten. She subscribes to the Piaget Theory, where children will be able to experience all of the senses through music, language arts, science materials, literature, dramatic play, nutrition and small and large motor activities.
Q: How are parents involved?
A: We are allowed to be in the classroom and watch the light bulb turn on in our children's heads when a new skill or concept clicks into place. The teacher, Mrs. Vicki Donahue, isn't just teaching the children. She's teaching the parents how to continue promoting a love of learning in their children as they move out of preschool and start their elementary school days. In addition to working in the classroom, each family holds a job to help run the school. Some jobs are more labor intensive, some more time intensive. LCPG tries to pair families with jobs that best suit them. Jobs can be anything from housekeeping to fundraising and so much more.
Q: Are friendships formed?
A: The students, as well as the parents, are making life-long friendships. Even after we graduate from Li'l Cottonwood and start attending different elementary schools, we find ourselves meeting regularly for play dates and parents nights out. This preschool promotes friendships and bonds that far outlast the couple of years spent together in class. Many alumni classmates have remained friends through college and beyond.
Q: Is this a different experience than you had as a child?
A: Curriculum and expectations are so much different from when I was a child. In my kindergarten class, I remember learning the letters and their sounds. I didn't learn to read and write until I was in the first grade. In today's kindergarten, students are expected to read simple stories and write simple stories with a minimum of five sentences. It is so important to give your children solid educational bases before they head into kindergarten. Mrs. Donahue and Li'l Cottonwood Play Group provides a safe place to do just that.
Q: What are some of the things you love about the group?
A: Every day we follow the teacher's instructions and interact with students to guide them through their learning. You can't be afraid to sit criss-cross on the floor or sing and dance to silly music to help students work their wiggles out, either. I love to be involved with my kids. That's why Li'l Cottonwood is such a good fit for us. It's hands-on learning for the whole family. Mrs. Donahue encourages older siblings to come back and read to the class, sharing their new knowledge and skills. It's such a special day also when the daddies are able to come to class and be the working parent for the day. They all love it and so do I.