It takes a village to raise a child.
Well, it simply is not…read morepossible in today's society where both parents work, sometimes acting like two ships passing in the night, and relatives and trustworthy friends are worlds away. Bluntly put, parenting is so difficult. You are alone in all this. I myself have found myself lying awake in bed, terrorized by the thought that I am a bad tempered, screaming, evil banshee and that through the trauma of being under my care, my toddler will grow up to be a ruthless career criminal. The next day I would overcompensate by indulging my child with pricey toys and taking him on amusement park and museum trips.
By enrolling my son at Silverspot Co-Operative Nursery School, I unknowingly committed myself to become a better parent. Unlike regular preschools where kids are left by their parents from 8AM until 6PM, one of the major conditions of the co-op is that the parents are fully involved in the day to day running of the school, in addition to other fundraising and volunteer activities spread over the school year. I had hoped that my son would become better socialized through active play. What we received in return was tenfold.
First of all, the teachers are passionate about their work. The dutiful teachers remind me of mothers who have extra set of eyes behind their heads. They see everything.
When you count in the three parent teachers who work with the teachers in each session, the teacher-student ratio is always or better than 1:5. The teachers are experts in their field, and masters at helping each child to become self sufficient and well adjusted intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially.
As far as I have witnessed, even the parents who work their shifts are gentle, upbeat and quite knowledgeable about childrens' behavior and psychology. In addition to the school director and the two permanently assigned teachers for the AM and PM sessions, Silverspot has pre-k readiness classes with another teacher, a music and drum teacher, and dance teacher who come on a regular schedule. No activity is forced on an uninterested/unwilling child, but rather, each child is enticed to become interested in learning new things and engage as a part of a group.
Secondly, all the requirements that you are supposed to commit to seem so complicated at the time of enrollment. The monthly Silverspot member meetings, which is one of the requirements, gives you a chance to meet all the other people walking the same perilous path of parenting and are in charge of taking care of your child the same time every week. These meetings have lecturers who provide encouraging and insightful tips on child development and communication. The lectures inspire you to educate yourself to become a better parent. The other members provide a support system in case you are bewildered or puzzled or simply, need more help.
Thirdly, the facility has an adjoining public gated and fenced city playground. It is well kept, and the school facilities are well maintained on a beautiful garden setting. The kids enjoy an endless repertoire of different games, chasing, throwing frisbees, racing tricycles in the playground, observing insects and experimenting with sand (and water, if weather permits,) while the garden in the front enables the children to maintain a close connection with nature with its different flowers, plant life and fruit trees. Silverspot also possesses an abundance of supplies, constructive play sets, creativity stations, pretend-play costumes and storybooks, science curiosity equipment, and tactile exploration stations, all neatly labeled and organized after each play session. A major plus.
After six months of my toddler joining this "village," I am convinced that I have also changed in my role as a mother. Thanks to the wonderful people at Silverspot, I no longer need to scream at my "willful" child to get him to do things. My child generally no longer needs to misbehave to get my full attention. As a result, I am more confident as a parent and no longer afraid to ask for help or to offer help. I also have developed deep attachments to each beautiful child attending this preschool. Truly, it takes a village to raise a healthy, bright child, and I am so glad to have fumbled upon Silverspot Co-Op.
