Childhood the OCNS Way
We are fully enrolled for the 23-24 school year.
Tours have concluded for this school year. Click below to learn about 24-25 admission.
What is the OCNS way?
We believe that children are capable of creating educational experiences organically. At Oneonta Cooperative Nursery School we encourage exploration and support messy moments. We allow children to navigate through their early childhood at their own pace. The OCNS Way is playful and creative, it is sandy and it is covered in paint. The OCNS Way is exploratory and inquisitive. It is a developmentally appropriate play-based, emergent approach to learning about the world. The OCNS Way respects that every child is an individual with unique ideas and curiosities. The OCNS Way builds up children to be thoughtful community members who hold secure feelings about themselves while respecting differences and learning to have a just and equitable lens.
Learn more under the Our School tab.
Be sure to check out #TheOCNSway on Instagram @Oneontacoop1947
At a glance:
1:3 ratio in Greenhouse Seedlings | 1:4 ratio in all other classes | 2 teachers + 2 working parents per class
3 classrooms, 1 classroom patio | a bike yard and a play yard
What is a Co-Op?
Our cooperative preschool is a unique space where families come together to be collective and active partners in the developmental journey students experience throughout their early childhood. OCNS is powered and operated by the dedicated members of the Co-Op community. Everything from this website to maintenance projects in the Play Yard are at the hands of our wonderful OCNS families.
As a family-run school we operate with a Board of Directors made up of parents/caregivers of students attending OCNS. Each family holds a committee aide position if not on the Board. Our Board, Director, teaching staff, and families work hand-in-hand to create an enriching, supportive, and progressive learning community.
Everyday you will find two Co-Teachers and 2 parents working in each class. We maintain a 1:3 ratio in our Greenhouse Seedlings class and 1:4 ratio in all of our other classes.
Diversity.
Equity.
Inclusion.
Oneonta Cooperative Nursery School is committed to building a space that actively embodies these cornerstone values. We challenge ourselves to grow and to learn not only together, but from one another. We seek to ensure equity within our community, honor and promote diversity in our society, and be allies that stand for inclusion across all sectors and facets of life. At OCNS we operate with an anti-bias curriculum by ensuring that our classroom is reflective of the world we live in; our students see themselves and others reflected in their environment. Click here to learn more.