About
Children’s Community Center Preschool offers hands-on activities where children sew, cook and bake, create art, sing, and explore science, music and movement, sign language, and storytelling. Children spend time outdoors pumping water, building rivers and dams, building forts, gardening, going on nature walks and off-site field trips, and engaging in outdoor play in yards and gardens that are extensions of the classroom, including a hilltop that is open for play and described as “a magical wonderland built for preschoolers, full of pathways for kids to explore, dry river beds and natural objects for kids to build with and move around.” Children also explore sensory play with oobleck, work on botanical craft projects with natural materials, and use tools such as a mortar and pestle to crush and grind.
• Ages: 3–5 years old
Children’s Community Center is the oldest continually operating cooperative preschool in North America, with a history dating back to 1927. The program operates as a cooperative preschool with a member-run structure in which families play an active role in running the school and making decisions, and parents participate in the social and educational experience. Its mission is to create, for children and their families, a dynamic and diverse environment in which learning, empowerment and growth happen in the moment through play, creativity, connection, and community. The preschool follows a cooperative model with a child-led, play-based developmental philosophy and an emphasis on anti-bias, emergent, and project-based curriculum, and it includes a strong parent education program. The school is by appointment only and not open to the public outside of scheduled tours and community events.
The leadership team includes Allyssa Adair (Front Yard Teacher-Director), who began her Early Childhood Education at Contra Costa College; Kathy Chew (Front Yard Teacher), who earned a degree for preschool through kindergarten at San Francisco State University; Lara Gabato (Back Yard Teacher-Director), who obtained Early Childhood Education credits from Contra Costa College and Merritt College; and Ryan Farrell (Back Yard Teacher), who received a B.A. in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Parent reviews describe the school as “truly amazing” in how it supports children learning about themselves and each other and highlight “how lovely the community is there.” Other testimonials note that children have “a magical experience with lots of outdoor play, gardening, stories, songs and art” and that families gain friendships that become a “long lasting community.” Parents also report that “the bonds you build with each family and their children are deep, supportive and last for years,” and describe attending CCC as “one of the best decisions” made for their family’s wellbeing. Reviews describe the staff as “incredibly special and gifted at their jobs” and say that the co-op participation was fun and “a great learning experience” for parenting. One review calls the space “a magical wonderland built for preschoolers, full of pathways for kids to explore, dry river beds and natural objects for kids to build with and move around,” and describes teachers as “true masters” at balancing guidance with independence.
Last updated April 13, 2026.
• Ages: 3–5 years old
Children’s Community Center is the oldest continually operating cooperative preschool in North America, with a history dating back to 1927. The program operates as a cooperative preschool with a member-run structure in which families play an active role in running the school and making decisions, and parents participate in the social and educational experience. Its mission is to create, for children and their families, a dynamic and diverse environment in which learning, empowerment and growth happen in the moment through play, creativity, connection, and community. The preschool follows a cooperative model with a child-led, play-based developmental philosophy and an emphasis on anti-bias, emergent, and project-based curriculum, and it includes a strong parent education program. The school is by appointment only and not open to the public outside of scheduled tours and community events.
The leadership team includes Allyssa Adair (Front Yard Teacher-Director), who began her Early Childhood Education at Contra Costa College; Kathy Chew (Front Yard Teacher), who earned a degree for preschool through kindergarten at San Francisco State University; Lara Gabato (Back Yard Teacher-Director), who obtained Early Childhood Education credits from Contra Costa College and Merritt College; and Ryan Farrell (Back Yard Teacher), who received a B.A. in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Parent reviews describe the school as “truly amazing” in how it supports children learning about themselves and each other and highlight “how lovely the community is there.” Other testimonials note that children have “a magical experience with lots of outdoor play, gardening, stories, songs and art” and that families gain friendships that become a “long lasting community.” Parents also report that “the bonds you build with each family and their children are deep, supportive and last for years,” and describe attending CCC as “one of the best decisions” made for their family’s wellbeing. Reviews describe the staff as “incredibly special and gifted at their jobs” and say that the co-op participation was fun and “a great learning experience” for parenting. One review calls the space “a magical wonderland built for preschoolers, full of pathways for kids to explore, dry river beds and natural objects for kids to build with and move around,” and describes teachers as “true masters” at balancing guidance with independence.
Last updated April 13, 2026.
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