About
Manhattan Beach Nursery School offers play-based, self-directed and child-led learning that includes experiential play, time spent outdoors, and experiencing nature. Children use tools such as non-violent conflict resolution, problem solving, and effective communication skills, and they are free to choose how and when they want to engage with indoor and outdoor spaces. The school also includes family participation in activities such as adult education meetings, fundraising activities, and school maintenance work like repairing broken toys, washing school laundry, and sweeping.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: School year from September–June with morning and extended-day options on specific weekdays
Manhattan Beach Nursery School includes a Younger Group for ages 2–3 years that meets from 9:00 am–12:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and an Older Group for ages 3–5 years that meets from 9:00 am–12:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. An Afternoon Program (Extended Day) for ages 4–6 years meets from 9:00 am–3:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Each family has a Participation Day one day per week from 8:45 am–12:15 pm for a family member age 18 or older, and all programs require family participation of one morning per week on campus.
The school is a family-participation preschool cooperative that has been serving the community since 1956 and operates largely through the volunteer efforts of member families. Each family is assigned a family job, sometimes including a position on the board, and must complete 6 hours of school maintenance work each semester, or 2 hours during each session of Summer school. During the regular school year, families provide a shared group snack on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on a rotating basis, with examples such as carrots and hummus, apples and sunflower butter, veggie crudité, and hard boiled eggs. The school also offers a Summer Program, a Toddler You and Me Program, and adult education meetings to support families on their parenting journey, along with fundraising throughout the year to cover costs beyond tuition.
Manhattan Beach Nursery School states that children are trusted and respected and that it does not use shame, punishment, or extrinsic rewards as a means of control, and it bases limit setting on developmentally appropriate expectations. The program is based on guidelines set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and on the anti-bias curriculum developed by Pacific Oaks College. Its mission includes supporting and nurturing the growth of children and their parents, emphasizing nonviolent communication methods, and offering a social and emotional environment that is supportive, empathetic, and loving for children beginning the process of separation from caregivers. The school states that it recognizes and respects children’s innate curiosity and creativity by offering a safe and supportive environment for children to take physical, emotional, and cognitive risks that encourage their growth.
The leadership team includes Director Carol Tatsumi; Psych Advisor Laura Dotson; On-Site Director (Fridays) Aimee Odle; and teachers Katie Stone (Thursdays), Jorie Denny (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays), Marilyn Lopez, and Jennifer Madison Pisz. Director Carol Tatsumi obtained a B.F.A. from California State University at Long Beach in 1988 with a focus in Psychology, a certificate in Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount College, and an M.A. in Human Development with a focus on bi-cultural issues from Pacific Oaks College. Psych Advisor Laura Dotson, M.A., LMFT, has over 40 years of varied experience working with children and their families and maintains a private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the South Bay.
Manhattan Beach Nursery School describes itself as a family preschool cooperative that has been committed to supporting and nurturing the growth of children and their parents since 1956 and to being a warm and welcoming home for both children and their caregivers. It states that, as a community, it agrees to combat racism, homophobia, classism, ageism, bodyism, sexism, and religious and non-religious discrimination. The school has a non-discrimination policy covering national or ethnic origin, race, creed, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, disability or status, and it admits members of any national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to members at the school.
Last updated July 11, 2026.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: School year from September–June with morning and extended-day options on specific weekdays
Manhattan Beach Nursery School includes a Younger Group for ages 2–3 years that meets from 9:00 am–12:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and an Older Group for ages 3–5 years that meets from 9:00 am–12:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. An Afternoon Program (Extended Day) for ages 4–6 years meets from 9:00 am–3:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Each family has a Participation Day one day per week from 8:45 am–12:15 pm for a family member age 18 or older, and all programs require family participation of one morning per week on campus.
The school is a family-participation preschool cooperative that has been serving the community since 1956 and operates largely through the volunteer efforts of member families. Each family is assigned a family job, sometimes including a position on the board, and must complete 6 hours of school maintenance work each semester, or 2 hours during each session of Summer school. During the regular school year, families provide a shared group snack on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on a rotating basis, with examples such as carrots and hummus, apples and sunflower butter, veggie crudité, and hard boiled eggs. The school also offers a Summer Program, a Toddler You and Me Program, and adult education meetings to support families on their parenting journey, along with fundraising throughout the year to cover costs beyond tuition.
Manhattan Beach Nursery School states that children are trusted and respected and that it does not use shame, punishment, or extrinsic rewards as a means of control, and it bases limit setting on developmentally appropriate expectations. The program is based on guidelines set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and on the anti-bias curriculum developed by Pacific Oaks College. Its mission includes supporting and nurturing the growth of children and their parents, emphasizing nonviolent communication methods, and offering a social and emotional environment that is supportive, empathetic, and loving for children beginning the process of separation from caregivers. The school states that it recognizes and respects children’s innate curiosity and creativity by offering a safe and supportive environment for children to take physical, emotional, and cognitive risks that encourage their growth.
The leadership team includes Director Carol Tatsumi; Psych Advisor Laura Dotson; On-Site Director (Fridays) Aimee Odle; and teachers Katie Stone (Thursdays), Jorie Denny (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays), Marilyn Lopez, and Jennifer Madison Pisz. Director Carol Tatsumi obtained a B.F.A. from California State University at Long Beach in 1988 with a focus in Psychology, a certificate in Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount College, and an M.A. in Human Development with a focus on bi-cultural issues from Pacific Oaks College. Psych Advisor Laura Dotson, M.A., LMFT, has over 40 years of varied experience working with children and their families and maintains a private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the South Bay.
Manhattan Beach Nursery School describes itself as a family preschool cooperative that has been committed to supporting and nurturing the growth of children and their parents since 1956 and to being a warm and welcoming home for both children and their caregivers. It states that, as a community, it agrees to combat racism, homophobia, classism, ageism, bodyism, sexism, and religious and non-religious discrimination. The school has a non-discrimination policy covering national or ethnic origin, race, creed, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, disability or status, and it admits members of any national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to members at the school.
Last updated July 11, 2026.
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