Mill Valley Nursery School

Mill Valley Nursery School is a non-profit, parent participation, play-based preschool. It is Reggio Emilia–inspired and views children as capable and inquisitive, actively co-constructing their learning alongside peers and adults. The program focuses on child-led exploration, creativity, collaboration, and the development of the whole child, including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional areas.

Mill Valley Nursery School was founded as a parent participation nursery school in 1941, was incorporated as a non-profit on February 14, 1957, and moved to its present location in 1967. Experienced educators work at Mill Valley Nursery School. The school’s mission states that it is built on relationships and playful exploration within a nurturing, inclusive, and deeply engaged community where children and adults learn and grow beside one another, and that its philosophy fosters a child’s natural curiosity of the world while providing a warm and secure environment to build lasting connections. It is Mill Valley’s only parent participation preschool and describes itself as an epicenter of a multi-generational community of creativity, exploration, and lifelong learning, rooted in the motto, “friends helping friends and families helping families.” The community includes people of diverse abilities, needs, backgrounds, experiences, and cultures, and the school welcomes families of all races, colors, religions, and national and ethnic origins without regard to sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. Mill Valley Nursery School is a member of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools, a state-wide community of parents and educators committed to teaching and inspiring families through parent involvement and mutual support.

Last updated June 4, 2026.