Belonging, Access, and Learning in Nature.
A cooperative preschool grounded in relationship, community, and care.
Our Approach. An Outdoor School Rooted in Community
Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School is a neighborhood-based, nature-focused early childhood program grounded in the belief that children learn best when they feel known, respected, and connected — to one another, to their environment, and to the adults who care for them.
Our school was founded through cooperative traditions that center shared responsibility and collective care. These values continue to guide how we build relationships, make decisions, and welcome families into the life of the school.
Learning Outdoors as an Equity Practice.
Access to daily outdoor learning is not evenly distributed.
For many families, opportunities to spend meaningful time in nature are shaped by geography, transportation, cost, and long-standing inequities in access to green spaces.
Our program intentionally situates outdoor learning within a walkable neighborhood setting, allowing children to experience nature as present and familiar — woven into everyday life rather than set apart as a special destination.
Outdoor learning at our school is not enrichment. It is the foundation.
A School Designed for Many Ways of Being.
Children arrive with different strengths, identities, languages, temperaments, and lived experiences.
Our outdoor, play-based approach offers space for movement, flexibility, and multiple forms of expression. Learning unfolds through building, storytelling, observation, experimentation, and collaboration, allowing children to engage in ways that feel natural and affirming.
We believe inclusion grows from environments that adapt to children, rather than asking children to conform to rigid expectations.
Cooperative Care and Shared Responsibility
As a cooperative school, families participate in the life of the program alongside teachers. This shared presence strengthens communication, deepens trust, and supports continuity of care throughout the day.
Adults work together to support the teacher-designed curriculum, care for the learning environment, and attend to the well-being of the community as a whole. Through this collective model, children experience a wider web of trusted adults and a school culture grounded in relationship.
Families seeking safe schools rooted in connection, community, and attentive care often find alignment in our cooperative, nature-based approach.
Place-Based Learning in Takoma Park
Our school is rooted in the Long Branch neighborhood of Takoma Park, where nearby green spaces, daily walks, and relationships with neighbors and local businesses shape children’s understanding of place.
Learning is influenced by the rhythms of the community and the seasons from changes in light and weather to noticing how people care for shared spaces. By learning within their neighborhood, children develop familiarity, confidence, and a sense of belonging in the world immediately around them.
Moving Toward Greater Access.
We recognize that building access is ongoing work.
Through tuition assistance efforts, community partnerships, and continued reflection on policies and practices, we work to reduce barriers that prevent families from participating in nature-based early childhood education.
This work is guided by listening, transparency, and a commitment to growth rather than perfection.
An Invitation to Learn More
Families who are exploring cooperative, outdoor early childhood programs are invited to learn more about our approach, visit the school, and experience our days in motion.