Skip to content

Frequently Asked Questions

Admission and Tuition
Philosophy and Curriculum
About Us
Current NVNS Handbook

Admission and Tuition

Visit our Admissions page to learn about our process for admitting new students. 

Ready to enroll? Submit your information HERE. We can’t wait to meet you!

As a preschool and early education provider NVNS is able to serve children from age 2 to those entering Kindergarten. Children must be at least 2 years old by June 2nd (T/Th class), and 3 years old by September 1st (MWF class) to enroll. 

Do you have specific questions? Contact us! We’d love to chat.

The waiting list is used in two ways: if full enrollment is reached at the start of the school year then this list is used to fill openings during the school year and to request a spot for future year openings. The wait list length varies yearly. Names are added to the wait list on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority to returning families and siblings. Joining our waitlist does not obligate you to the program, but does give you the best opportunity for enrollment. 

If you’re not sure yet but are excited about our program, we encourage you to submit an enrollment inquiry so we can keep you informed through the enrollment period and school year. 

Yes, alumni families have enrollment priority over new families, but don’t let that detour you from submitting an inquiry. Each year is unique and enrollment is often fluid as the needs of families change through the enrollment period and school year. If you’re interested in our program we encourage you to fill out an enrollment form to discuss current opportunities. 

Multiple children may attend NVNS at one time. We do not offer a multi-child tuition discount at this time, but we do offer a package of benefits for the family. 

As part of our co-op program there are several school related commitments that each enrolled family is responsible for. If you enroll multiple children in the same school year your responsibilities are not multiplied by child. Families with multiple children enrolled continue to only have to commit to: one School Job, one Housekeeping Saturday, and one End-of-Year Clean-up Shift.

Children must be out of diapers and pullups. Teachers will help your child with using the toilets, and will give frequent reminders to go to the bathroom. If your child is new to using the toilet, pack lots of extra clothes as accidents are common (and expected!), particularly in the first days and starting weeks of school.

If you have specific questions or would like to discuss details pertaining to your unique situation, please reach out to us. We’re here to support this transition for your family and create a positive school experience for your child.

The school year runs mid-September to the end of May. Our schedule is generally compatible with the NVUSD calendar. 

We have two classes at NVNS that are grouped by age. If your child falls into the age range for both classes please contact us for assistance in determining the right fit.

Ages 3+: Class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am – 12pm

Ages 2+: Class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 9am – 12pm

* Our program duration, both in days/week and hours/day, is proudly rooted in best practices for child development in early education. If you’re interested in learning more about this or exploring options, we’d love to chat!

Please visit the Admissions page for the current tuition schedule and enrollment costs. 

Tuition assistance is available for qualifying families. Please contact Heather at admin@nvns.org

Yes, please submit an enrollment inquiry and we’ll get back to you quickly with next steps.

  • 3:1 up to 4:1
  • One teacher and five working parent teachers will be at the school to run the program

Transitions can be hard, for children and parents alike! We’re here to support your family in many gentle and flexible ways. Parents are welcome to stay as long as they would like during the first week(s). Some children warm quickly, while others need more transition time. Teacher Adrianne is an expert at facilitating this change and will be a tremendous gift during this time, as she develops connection with your child. 

Philosophy and Curriculum

We are a preschool where parents are actively involved in their child’s school experience. 

Parents are involved in the day-to-day operations and work together with the teacher and other parents to create a nurturing and high quality learning environment for their children.

How it works: 
  • Parent-elected board: A board of directors elected by parents establishes policies and manages  functional aspects of running the school
  • Parent involvement: Parents participate in the educational program, help in the classroom, and volunteer their time / resources
  • Shared ownership: Parents share in the business operation of the school, which is usually a nonprofit (which we are!)
  • Low cost: The cost of tuition is often lower than other preschools because of the parent involvement.
Benefits
  • High quality education: Parents work with the teacher to provide a curriculum deeply rooted in research based early childhood development and social emotional learning practices.
  • Close parent-child interaction: Parents have more opportunities to interact with their children, as well as the community of children and families that participate in the co-op together.
  •  Community building: Parents build relationships with other parents who share similar philosophies. The parent community naturally becomes a built-in support system and network to source parenting information as your children grow and hit developmental milestones.

Click here to learn more about our philosophy!

A cooperative nursery school gives parents an opportunity to be actively involved in their child’s first out-of-home school experience. Parents give the co-op their energy, skill, ideas, and support to a small community of children and their families.

Parent Education is a component of NVNS as parents work directly in the classroom, hold a school job, attend Parent Meetings, and may serve on the school board. Being in a co-op requires more time, effort, and dedication, but you also gain a family support network and learn the value and importance of the integration of hame and school. This is a great start for your child’s entire education journey ahead. NVNS also costs less than traditional preschools because of the families’ involvement. Families and children grow together and many create lifelong friends and support.

At NVNS we have a saying that Together We’re Better because it really does take a village.

NVNS is a play based program with an emergent curriculum. Teachers and parent teachers observe children’s play and make choices about activities and projects according to the children’s interest. 

Our child-led curriculum draws on philosophies of play-based and emergent learning. Adults provide the raw materials for inspiration and enough structure to enable children’s minds to flourish. Choices are always available for children not interested in the main group activity. We believe the most important thing for children to be learning at this age is peaceful socialization and positive communication, and we incorporate this believe into everything we do. 

A typical day includes a healthy dose of free play, activities that draw on gross and fine motor skills, healthy snacks, group reading, music time, exploring the natural environment, and more play! We are community based, and draw upon our surroundings for inspiration and learning opportunities. Music, language, yoga, art, cooking, and the study of nature are all concepts introduced to children within the Napa Valley Nursery School curriculum.

The primary difference between these types of curriculum have to do with foundational philosophy. While all three approaches incorporate play, a play-based curriculum prioritizes open-ended, child-directed play as the primary learning method, whereas Montessori focuses on structured, hands-on activities with specially designed materials to develop practical life skills, and Waldorf emphasizes imaginative play and artistic expression through storytelling and sensory experiences, often delaying formal academics until later stages of development.

Compare and Contrast Play-based Emergent Curriculum vs. Montessori vs. Waldorf

TL/DR: At its core, play-based is most flexible with a focus on exploring individual interests, Montessori leans towards practical skills, and Waldorf prioritizes creative imagination through play.

Play-based, Emergent: Highly flexible, child-led play through educational prompts with minimal teacher intervention. This method encourages social interaction and exploration through open-ended activities, paving the way for confidence building, social emotional skill development, foundational academics, and social awareness.

Montessori: Emphasizes independence, self-directed learning with specially designed materials focused on practical life skills like cleaning, dressing, and basic academics introduced early on.

Waldorf: Prioritizes imaginative play, storytelling, and artistic expression through music, art, and movement, with a focus on nature and delaying formal academics until later years. 

Children are offered a multitude of unique opportunities to learn through play each day. Activities are fluid between the indoor and outdoor spaces and reflect the nursery schools core philosophy. Our Play-based curriculum is soundly rooted in early childhood development, creating environments ready to be explored by little hands and big curious minds.

Teacher Adrianne greets every child as they enter the classroom daily and the day starts with open-ended play and a long list of activities based in an emergent curriculum. This is the time when most active learning takes place. Afterward, children gather together for music and movement time, followed by a family style snack, and group activity / story time. The day ends with our goodbye song and parent pick-up.

Children are offered a multitude of unique opportunities to learn through play. Activities in the classroom and outdoors reflect the nursery school curriculum, based on early childhood development. Teacher Adrianne greets every child at the door and the day starts with free choice of activities. This is the time when most active learning takes place. Afterward, children gather together for music and movement time, followed by snack and group activity/story time. The day ends with our goodbye song and parent pick-up.

Check out what a typical day in the life is like at NVNS!

Your role as a working parent teacher is to follow the guidance provided by Teacher Adrianne and support the children as they experience and engage with the days activities. At co-op the grown-ups are in the background making themselves available to support a child in their discovery and exploration. Parent teachers can make suggestions, but the goal is to let each child openly engage with the prompts and follow their own curiosities.

Parents are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of class to open the school for the day. This includes setting up the days’ planned activities, preparing outdoor spaces, making decisions on educational prompts, readying the paint easel – to name a few. The children start play immediately after crossing the entryway threshold, so it is essential for adults to begin their supervision responsibilities promptly at the start of class. Each parent chooses a work card which dictates which play space and activity they’ll oversee that day. After free play, some parents are designated to assist with music time while other set up snacks. All parents participate in snack time. After snack, some parents participate in story time, while the other parents begin clean-up. Every working parent is assigned a job on their card to assist with clean up for that day. This is generally a 20-30 minute commitment.

How far ahead of time will I know my working parent schedule? The “next month” schedule will be available no later than the 10th of the month leading up to it.

Can I have other adult relatives work in class if I am unable to fulfill the working parent requirements? Yes, any adult relative may work in the classroom as long as they complete their medical paperwork and attend an orientation session. 

Can I bring my other child/baby to class with me when I’m a working parent? No, when you are working in the classroom you must leave non-enrolled siblings at home. It is important that every working parent be able to focus their full attention on the children.

Can I request to only work certain days a week? Yes, as long as you can fulfill your minimum work requirements, your scheduler will do their best to accommodate schedules.

Can I request not to be scheduled on certain days? Yes, there is a schedule form each parent is asked to submit prior to the start of each month. On this form you can define days you’d prefer or days you’re unable to work. The class scheduler will always do their best to meet individual requirements prior to finalizing the schedule.

What if I can’t work a shift I’m assigned to work? While you are responsible for this work day, there are a few actions you can take if you’re unable to work. 

  • Call an official class substitute. These are parents who have been identified as open to picking up shifts with frequency. One on one you can decide to either trade work days with this person or pay them for covering your shift ($50 per shift).
  • Ask parents in your class if anyone is available to switch a shift or cover the shift with payment.
  • In the instance of a real and sudden emergency, the on-call parent can be activated (also for payment)
 

Each family is responsible for actively participating in either an elected Board of Trustees position or a general School Job. There are a wide variety of school jobs available from pet care, photo historian, and playdough making to Treasurer and Board President. Our Job Coordinator works to help match each family to an appropriate job based on skill and interest. Have a special skill, talent, or passion? Let us know!

Medical leave is allowed for up to six weeks with a doctor’s written notice and Board of Trustees approval. During this time your child will remain in school, but you will not be expected to work in the classroom or make-up work. Meeting the Parent Meeting attendance, School Job responsibilities, and snack provisions requirements are still required (see member handbook for further requirement details).

Maternity leave is the same as Medical leave, but a doctor’s notics is not required. Maternity leave begins with the birth of the baby and extends for six weeks. Past this timeframe the typical process of covering shifts you’re unable to work is evoked. All shifts are the responsibility of the assigned parent and can be traded away or covered with payment.

Parent Meetings are a highlight of the co-op nursery school experience. This is a time for NVNS parents (at least one per household) to come together and gain deeper understanding about our program, what the children are engaging in, parent education in child development, and occasional guest speakers on varied relevant topics. This is an incredible opportunity to gain additional exposure to parenting and child development resources, ask questions, and meet your fellow parent community outside of the classroom. There is so much each family brings to our community and the more effort each one of us puts in, the more we all gain collectively. 

A typical meeting features an educational highlight from the classroom over the past month, fun findings, a preview into plans for the upcoming weeks including seasonal elements, child development markers and insights, community input (aka Q&A), updates from the board, and upcoming events and reminders.

There is one meeting per month, generally the first Thursday of the month (subject to change), and lasting 2-2.5 hours. Parents can miss up to 2 meetings per school year without repercussion, additional missed meetings are required to be made up by attending an open Board Meeting. We do this not as punishment, but in emphasis to the importance of ongoing program engagement for the whole family while they’re enrolled at our school.

Yes, NVNS supports all children across the spectrum of learning and dietary differences. We work hand in hand with families to make NVNS accessible to all and a place for all children to flourish. Some children may require an aid depending on their unique needs.

Please reach out directly with any specific questions.

Safety is taken very seriously at NVNS. Our school is locked from the exterior, as are our school rooms. The outdoor play yard is fenced in and secure. Every play area has constant parental supervision. 

Regarding Covid and other airborne illness, we prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff, and families. We follow the California Department of Public Health (CA DPH) guidance on public safety policies to create a safe and healthy environment for our children.

No, NVNS does not have any religious affiliation or program component. The nursery school leases space through First Methodist Church.

It is the policy of Napa Valley Nursery School not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender expression, religion, creed, age, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, military status, disability, or any other classification protected by Federal or State law in any of its educational programs, activities, policies, practices, and procedures.

We provide a research based DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Program) for children to learn through play. Each stage of development is enriched and enhanced through the environment set for learning. Children grow and unfold at a natural indivdual learning pace and when they leave for kindergarten then are prepared for their next growth step. Parents are often concerned about kindergarten readiness. Our classrooms offer experiences to promote the growth of the total child (emotional, social, academic, and physical readiness) at their current developmental stage rather than actual kindergarten work, which totally prepares them for traditional learning atmospheres.

This is a personal decision that every family must make to fit within their personal constructs. The introduction of funded T-K programs in Napa County cannot be understated or undervalued. It’s a remarkable resource for our community. That said, there are several reasons why a family might choose co-op for their continued pre-school experience.

NVNS is a preschool and serves a similar purpose to the T-K program, with a number of distinct and nuanced differences. Neither option is wrong or right, instead both programs exist to serve a range of families and needs within our community. 

Our program hosts a number of specialties that make it the wonderful, unique, and beneficial school for some families. Among those distinctions are: 

  • We boast a low student to teacher ratio, ranging from 3:1 to 4:1. In contrast, a T-K class might have a ratio closer to 10:1 or 15:1.
  • Our program is particularly sensitive to positive behavioral rerouting vs. traditional forms of discipline, which research has shown to improve not only the behavior in the immediate but aid in long term positive adjustment.
  • There is strong focus on developing a child’s ability to relate to and communicate with other children, as well as adults.
  • We provide a caring, cooperative learning environment that helps children gain self-esteem; one of the core foundational building blocks necessary for later academic success.
  • STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics – principals are incorporated organically throughout the program focusing on tying personal experience to the curious world around them.
  • Fine and Gross motor skills are similarly developed through a wide range of play-based activities such as cooking, gardening, engineering waterways in the sandpit – to name a few. 
  • We offer parental and family support through community and parent education, a benefit that can be paramount during early years

Napa Valley Nursery School is a wonderful school with an established decades old community of alumni. The co-op model asks for participation beyond the standard preschool experience, so it is important to be clear if the requirements for participation are a good match for your family.

Parent Responsibilities Overview
  • Parent participation in classroom workdays. These average to 2-3 days per month (T/Th class) and 3-4 days per month (MWF class)
  • Commitment to E-parent days, an on-call emergency person to work in the classroom if there’s a sudden need. This averages to 1 day per month.
  • Each family is responsible for one school job. Examples include a range of skill sets such as: events, playdough making, fundraising, laundry, or joining the board of trustees in any of the various capacities.
  • Each family (at least one parent) is required to attend monthly Parent Education Meetings.
  • Participation in one “Housekeeping Saturday” per year, to maintain our school’s overall cleanliness, organization, and health.
  • Commitment to one 2-hour work shift during “End-Of-Year Cleanup” which is intended to close down the school for summer.
  • Provide a family style snack for the class on a rotating basis (typically 4-6 times per year). 
  • Participation in school fundraising efforts. We are a small school so it’s critical everyone pitches in to fundraise for our program, as we’re 100% reliant on these funds to operate.

No, when you are working in the classroom you must leave non-enrolled siblings at home. It is important that every working parent be able to focus their full attention on the children enrolled in the program.

We have an established communication system in place so you and your family can feel connected and informed at all times.

  • Parents and teacher(s) generally speak during drop-offs and pickups, if any issues arise
  • In the instance of an emergency, Teacher Adrianne will call you or text you directly
  • We use email and Google Chat for ongoing community messages and communication
  • Google Photos (private albums) for the parent teachers to share pictures throughout the day

 

Because our parent-to-school connection is so involved,  you’ll find crowd sourcing questions and information via the group thread in Google Chat is an immensely helpful tool to stay up to date on all details of the school and school day. It’s a valuable source for schedule questions and swaps, as well as a place to source fun outings, join playdates, gain parenting tips and tricks, and just general wholesome community chat!

We proudly offer several enhanced experiences throughout the year. These can evolve and change from year-to-year, but you can expect to enjoy a number of activities such as:

  • Kids Night Out evenings: we open school for evening care while you enjoy a few hours of kid-free time. We provide entertainment and play opportunities, dinner, story time, and more! Siblings are welcomed to join (space and age permitting).
  • Reptile Day
  • Guest pets
  • Seasonal field trips
  • Hosted playdates
  • Alumni events
  • Guest speaker series on wide range or relevant topics pertaining to child development
  • Dedicated events with age appropriate educational elements including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day 
  • Milestone celebrations – ie. birthday parades!
  • Access to an in-depth library of parent resources

Yes, every day we have a family style snack time where the children gather together amongst several tables and enjoy a community meal. This is a time for the children to experience a number of important scenarios such as sharing, sitting at a meal table, making food decisions, understanding portion size, serving themselves both food and beverage, drinking from cups without lids (yes, there are spills!).

Snacks are provided by working parents on a rotating schedule. Snacks are healthy in nature and designed to support regulation and long-term energy. A typical snack is comprised of a protein, a carbohydrate, and a fruit and/or vegetable. In addition to this being a balanced presentation, having snacks provided by rotating family sources provides the awesome experience of food exposure that might be different than what your child normally eats at home. Often we are met with pleasant surprises from parents as they learn their child has tried (and even enjoyed!) a new, formerly strange, food.

Our school is flexible to meet the unique demands of each class. We have been pea/nut free at times, when appropriate to do so. We are committed to providing a healthy, safe food environment for all children.

Enroll Today