Why Rocky Hill Co-op?

At RHCNS, I am the director and head teacher, but I am also a former parent. Two of my three sons attended RHCNS. (We didn’t live in the area when my eldest when to preschool!)

When my second son was three years old, by the time I’d heard of RHCNS, the classes were full. He attended another school. When he was four, I’d enrolled him in his same school, paid the non-refundable deposit, then got a phone call that an afternoon class was opening at Rocky Hill, was I interested?

ABSOLUTELY! Forfeiting the other deposit was a no-brainer.
RHCNS is an “old-fashioned” nursery school. It’s a place for parents who can/want to be involved in their child’s preschool education.

The Rocky Hill difference? For me, I loved the fact that I got to see who my children were playing with, and got to meet the other parents in the school. I also loved spending time in the classroom, being the helping parent.

At RHCNS, our policy has never been to pull a sobbing child from a parent’s arms. If a child needs their parent to stay, the parent can stay. (I myself stayed the first three weeks with one of my children!) If, however, the PARENT has difficulty separating… that’s a different story! Cell phones make it so easy… if your child needs you; we call you!

That being said, we work WITH the parents! In September, some parents are confident that their child will cry for a short time and will be fine. If that’s the case, we comfort the crying child.

We are a co-op, which means parents run the school. We have always employed head teachers with at least a BA in education. We meet periodically with the kindergarten teachers at Montgomery Public Schools and implement any curriculum suggestions they may have.

Parents are encouraged to share their talents. Have a new ideas? Share it! RHCNS is a place for families!

The helping days work out to approximately four or five times a year.
Parents can choose their amount of involvement. They are required to serve on committees or the board, but other involvement is optional. There are parents whose children have long since graduated, but still get together on a regular basis. Parents have been known to form book clubs, social groups, vacation together…. It’s up to you!

As a teacher with a degree in Early Childhood Education (Rowan University, ’80) and certified as a Teacher of the Handicapped, I’ve used my years of experience to create a language-rich, hands-on curriculum. Don’t look for worksheets here! My years as a volunteer at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association also comes in handy, and allow me to provide fun nature experiences for the students!

This year, RHCNS is celebrating our 50th anniversary. I find it amazing that I’m only the fourth director in 50 years! Stay tuned as we plan for our big celebration on May 2!

Rocky Hill Co-op is school about families, for families. Parents understand the importance of play, discovery, and hands-on learning, and the children have fun!