Plymouth Children's Nursery
5835 N. Sheldon Road
Canton, MI 48187
(734) 455-6250
http://plymouthnursery.org

Overall rating by 1 member: 7-8

Class size: The cap is 21. It's around 16 usually. There is one teacher and four parent aides.

Best thing about school: It's a gentle way to introduce kids to preschool in a play-based environment. There are many opportunities to be involved in school. Mrs. Lloyd is a very loving and gentle instructor. It's VERY affordable! It's not a strong preparation for kindergarten academically. It's been super for my child who has a later fall birthday because we could do preschool there and then head to a young five program.

Worst thing about school: The layout of the building itself is a little clunky and doesn't allow the teacher to see all of the students at once. The number of field trips can be a little excessive.

Teacher qualifications: Mrs. Lloyd has over 35 years preschool teaching experience. Mrs. Springer has no formal educational training, but has been involved with PCN for a long time, including three years as a teacher.

Typical daily routine: Children come in and hang up their things. They proceed to a play area. When the teacher blows the train whistle, they come to the green room for morning time, including calendar work, letter of the day, songs, finger plays, etc. They then go wherever they want within the school, proceeding from area to area at their own pace. They end the day in the green room with a story and sharing. When the weather permits, they go out to the playground.

Philosophy that informs curriculum: PCN is a play-based school based on freedom of choice for children.

Opportunities for parent involvement: PCN is a co-op, so parents are highly involved with the school and with their children, including mandatory aiding, attendance at parent meetings, involvement in school fundraiser.

Discipline: Gentle redirection is most typical.

Building and play space information: The school is broken up into four rooms - the yellow room (playdough, sand table, art table), the peach room (letter and number concept activities, puzzles, snack, water table), blue room (creative play, blocks, toys), and the green room (circle time, large motor obstacle course, workbench). The playground is nicely equipped for young children.