About
River Oak Co-op is an outdoor preschool program where children take part in imaginary play, nature education and exploration, cultural education, and mindfulness skill building. The program follows a child-led outdoor school curriculum in which children lead their own learning through their play and observations of the world, with activities rooted in their interests as well as the seasonality and natural phenomenon of outdoor spaces. The program’s values include compassion, environmental stewardship, cultural awareness, curiosity, and joy, and it has a stated goal to create a space where young children can run, climb, shout, and be wildly silly in a mixed-age class with a small class size and a 3:1 child to teacher ratio.
• Ages: 2.5–5 years old
River Oak Co-op describes itself as an outdoor preschool program fostering curiosity, compassion, cultural awareness, and environmental responsibility in children ages 2.5–5 years old. The program is led by teachers Sarah, Stacy, and Haylee, and it serves families in the Albany Park and Lincoln Square neighborhoods of Chicago as a city-centered program along the Chicago River with an all-outdoor year-round curriculum.
One parent, Dani, shares that her child notices birds, bugs, and trees, and mentions that her child has learned how to tell an oak tree apart from other trees and enjoys elaborate pretend-game landscapes, and that her child is calm and sleeps soundly after a day at the co-op. Another parent, Colleen, describes Sarah, Stacy, and Haylee as trustworthy and attentive to the children and notes that the curriculum prioritizes imaginary play and includes nature education and exploration, cultural education, and mindfulness skill building; Colleen recalls her son saying, “I put my hands over my warm heart.” A third parent, Kelly, notes appreciation for the small class size, 3:1 child to teacher ratio, mixed-age class, and all-outdoor year-round curriculum, and describes seeing their child’s ability to focus and curiosity grow during the first year with the teachers at River Oak Co-op.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
• Ages: 2.5–5 years old
River Oak Co-op describes itself as an outdoor preschool program fostering curiosity, compassion, cultural awareness, and environmental responsibility in children ages 2.5–5 years old. The program is led by teachers Sarah, Stacy, and Haylee, and it serves families in the Albany Park and Lincoln Square neighborhoods of Chicago as a city-centered program along the Chicago River with an all-outdoor year-round curriculum.
One parent, Dani, shares that her child notices birds, bugs, and trees, and mentions that her child has learned how to tell an oak tree apart from other trees and enjoys elaborate pretend-game landscapes, and that her child is calm and sleeps soundly after a day at the co-op. Another parent, Colleen, describes Sarah, Stacy, and Haylee as trustworthy and attentive to the children and notes that the curriculum prioritizes imaginary play and includes nature education and exploration, cultural education, and mindfulness skill building; Colleen recalls her son saying, “I put my hands over my warm heart.” A third parent, Kelly, notes appreciation for the small class size, 3:1 child to teacher ratio, mixed-age class, and all-outdoor year-round curriculum, and describes seeing their child’s ability to focus and curiosity grow during the first year with the teachers at River Oak Co-op.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
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