This 32 year old school is a phenomenon and a rarity. It's a Cooperative School - meaning it's set up for high parental involvement, family support/education, and daily opportunities to interact with the kids, parents, teachers, the owner/administrator, the on campus Speech & Occupational Therapists, and even the PE Coach! The teachers are wohighly trained, warm, & friendlyThe school has had to make adjustments for Covid, of course. My grandson was in a public developmental preschool for a speech delay. It was only 6 hours a week and I was shocked at how little parental involvement, communication, and education existed. I placed him in Creative Bridges the remaining two days a week. Long story short, I ended up placing him in Creative Bridges full time, which was a wonderful decision I learned my grandson was way behind with both his fine & gross motor skills, and had numerous other issues needing investigation. His speech and confidence absolutely blossomed at Creative Bridges. Long story short, he was just diagnosed with autism at age 4 & 1/2 years old, but is still thriving at Creative Bridges. read more

Let's talk about the problem at CBCP, her name is PAM. Pam has an opinion of your family and child, she has a plan for your family and child, and when you do what parents do, and make your own decisions for your family and child, PAM is not happy. When we made a decision to try out an early morning developmental program for our son that Pam advised us not to do based on 10 year old experiences she had, we were on her black list. When the day came to pick up our children and next year registration packets, we were not given one. When confronted, she said that we had made the decision to take him to a different program and therefore she didn't give us a packet. This all came after we sat down to have a meeting with Pam to discuss that the developmental program (for our speech delayed and autistic son) would be before her school hours and only have him arrive about 10-15 minutes late. On another ocassion she told me how unfortunate it was that I was homeschooling my 4 year old since "kids do not learn from their parents". These are a few of my experiences with Pam and lest you think it was just our family, I can assure you I have yet to meet any current or former families of CBCP that have a delightful thing to say about Pam. Her ship floats on the backs of the amazing teachers who out shine the dark little rain cloud that Pam is. I am here to leave anyone considering enrollment in CBCP the favor I wish I had, DO NOT DO IT. What might you consider doing instead? Head north to Northern Ave and make a left turn toward Central, there you will find the small gem called Crossroads Preschool. Go anywhere else, really. read more

I've visited six schools in my neighborhood after I moved to Phoenix. And this school was my best choose cause I have some reasons. Close to my home, the road condition is very good, driving in this neighborhood rarely encounter speeding and impolite behavior. The school is surrounded by a beautiful neighborhood, quiet and safe. Pam, the director, was confident, generous and outspoken. In the communication with her for more than a year, we really felt her professionalism and enthusiasm. If you have any questions about your child's progress in school, you can talk to her and give feedback. She will always give you answers and follow up until your problems are solved. She will also keep in touch with your child's leader teacher and follow up your child's development. She seemed to care about the children in any corner of the school, which made us feel that we were seen and our children were safe here. When she found out we were moving to a different neighborhood, she looked up good school in our new neighborhood for us. There are three teachers in my son's classroom, Jill, Shauna and Angel. In the past year, we developed a feeling like family and friends. I have been to the school many times to participate in the participation day, and I was impressed by how well the children be arranged their day. From study, to entertainment, to sports, snack time, lunch time. They had classroom rules, but also the maximum respect for the nature of the child. We spent many times together, I have to say, teachers are very professional, gentle, powerful, love children but not spoil children. You will see that the children like to hug their teachers, and the teachers will hug them and talk to them gently. The children here are adorable. My son loves everyone in his classroom. He also made good friends here. He cherished the time he spent here. We will definitely come back to visit the director, teachers and children sometime in the future. We love it here so much. read more

I Love Creative Bridges! What a wonderful place for kiddos :-) My son attended for three years total, two years of preschool and one year for kindergarten. His preschool classes had two teachers and a parent volunteer everyday. His kinder classes had 3 teachers. They know what they are doing and really helped give my kiddo a great start! Thank you! Candice. read more

We love Creative Bridges. My son is almost 3 years old and has been coming here for a year. The teachers are warm, friendly and actually teach. The place has a wonderful owner and it reflects in the quality of personnel. Some of the teachers could go elsewhere and make more money but stay because the environment is so good. My son loves coming here. read more

Creative Bridges Cooperative Preschool - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Creative Bridges was my daughter's home away from home for three years, and we could not have asked for a better or more loving environment for her. The teachers were all wonderful; we always felt as though our daughter was being challenged and held to firm but loving standards. She learned so much in addition to academics. The curriculum was engaging and diverse; I love that she was taught many of the old childhood favorite songs and poems and reading some of the best in children's literature. I miss not having the cooperative element in my daughter's new school. I felt that that was an irreplaceable part of the experience, and I would not trade it for anything. I always felt welcome and appreciated when I was in class, and many of the special days (Rodeo Day, Stone Soup, Pajama Breakfast) were some of our most memorable times. My daughter is doing very well academically and socially in her new school, and I know it because of the firm foundation she was given at Creative Bridges. We were so fortunate to have had the instructors at CBCP present in our child's early years. We miss them, and Creative Bridges will always have a fond place in our hearts! read more

I strongly believe in advocating for my child and being the voice they have yet to discover as well as looking out for the safety and health of my child. Concerns about my sons safety and health started a few months into the school year but grew over the course of the winter months. My main concern was the lack of cleanliness with the toys in the classroom but I kept my thoughts to myself and assumed all Preschools had toys that looked similar to these ones. I also listened to a few parents and staff members as they repeatedly said, "kids always get sick when they start school." Children in my child's class were becoming sick and I knew that this was bound to happen but I had no idea how sick the children were getting or how capable my child was in catching so many illnesses until I realized a huge part of it was because of the toys were not properly disinfected. My child was old enough to know not to put things in his mouth and to wash hands before eating so why was my child getting so ill?? (Please google HFMD and when you see a horrible image of blisters all over a child's body- that was what my child dealt with in every crevice of his body. Extremely painful, not to mention it's highly contagious so naturally he then passed it to my infant. I was furious and so stressed with two extremely sick babies. I shared some pictures with the teachers and even they were shocked at how horrible the images appeared.) I finally reached out to Pam (the Director ) via email after my child had caught a horrible cough that would come and go for months at a time, multiple ear infections, Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD) and finally the FLU! (How many people die of the flu each year?) Every week the teacher would attach a new flyer to the sign in sheet with a new virus that someone in the class room had- letting parents know our child was at risk and had been exposed. I was sick of it and I asked Pam if I could donate cleaning supplies, possibly donate more time in the classroom to thoroughly clean toys, take bins home full of toys to clean and bleach to help get these children well but I was denied. Pam had no empathy for my sick child and simply stated, "When there is an outbreak of anything in the classroom, the teachers bleach everything, they're constantly spraying with Lysol, they're cleaning toys so we don't need more cleaning things, it's just these are things that just happened." I thanked her and that was it. A few days later after another doctors visit I emailed again and simply asked if she wouldn't mind sending me her toy cleaning policy. Pam's response, "I believe I answered this question from you in a previous email but I will answer again. The tables are cleaned with soapy water and then bleach water. A cleaning crew comes in each evening and cleans. Toys that are observed going into a Child's mouth are bleached. Lysol is sprayed at the end of each day and quite often also at the beginning of the day." Number one, How rude and unprofessional to respond to a concerned parent. Number two, THAT IS NOT A POLICY. That is generalized way of "cleaning". Spraying is not cleaning!! A policy states how a toy is thoroughly cleaned and dried. Number three, Tables are cleaned because the parents have the responsibility to clean them during their CO-op days. The evening cleaning crew mops floors, vacuums and maybe wipes down counters. I verified this. Number four, Toys observed going into children's mouths are not cleaned and I saw this happen on multiple occasions during my co-op days. They toys weren't even set aside, they were dumped right back into the bins. I asked other parents about this and they observed the same thing. Number five, I'm happy to hear Lysol is sprayed on the tops of the toys in bins but what about all the other toys that aren't touched? Does anyone physically clean each individual toy? No! They are simply sprayed. Toys should be dumped out on a towel, "sprayed" on one side and then flipped over to be sprayed equally on its opposite side. Eventually I figured out that the only time the toys are individually cleaned is at the beginning of the year when you sign up to clean the classroom. This is unacceptable in my eyes. The school is contaminated at the height of RSV season and the toys that are touched are merely sprayed at the surface. I did love the idea of a Co-op school and enjoyed my days with my child once a month. That was the best thing about this school. I also loved the classes that were available after school;karate. The teachers were sweet too! When I called to inform Pam I was going to send my child to a new school she said, " Well you missed the cut off for 25% back so I'll give you something but I need to check." I fully take responsibility in signing that document on deadlines but the more I think about it... she is going to fill my child's spot with no problem and probably filled the spot that same day. Why keep a family's hard earned money?? Greed. read more

I would not bother touring this school if you have a child with special needs. I was open with them about my son's autism and IEP, and despite him being verbal, potty trained, having two years of successful preschool with no incidents with staff or students, the director spent five minutes with us, commented on his poor muscle tone and physical skills in front of him and told me their PreK program would be a "Stretch." I feel like they consider themselves experts in autism and will keep students that they identify while in their program but do not seem welcoming to others. Additionally, for the expense of the school, it also did not seem that they put their money back into their facilities. read more

My son went to CBCP for 4 years and now my daughter is here. We love this school, the parent involvement is like none other. The staff is amazing, and my son was more than prepared for Kindergarten. The friends that we have made from this school are some of the greatest people and we couldn't be happier with our choice. read more

My son went here for a few months before we moved. He loved it. He had pretty bad separation anxiety but he outgrew it quick here! He loved the teachers and activities. This place is amazing! read more

I absolutely love this school for my son. The staff are friendly and really take the time to get to know my son and help him to grow.

How to summarize how incredible this school is in the span of one review? We could not imagine a more perfect school or situation for our son and we could not recommend Creative Bridges enough! We are so so thankful that we found and will spend the next few years at Creative Bridges. We honestly feel that this school has already created such a powerful and positive foundation for our son's future education and life, they have changed his life so much for the better! We just finished the first year at Creative Bridges (room 3) and before this, my son was home with me (and one completely disastrous week at a truly awful preschool that we tried before being referred to Creative Bridges). I was certainly apprehensive to trust someone else, anyone else, with my son, but after the first couple weeks at Creative Bridges, I was completely comfortable and happy to send my son to school each day, knowing that he was in a kind, supportive, inclusive, fun, loving environment where he was happy to be. The teachers (we had Tina and Ashley last year) are awesome!! The "coursework" is play based which is so powerful and appropriate for this age! Our son learned so much while having fun and still having the chance to be a little kid! And what we feel truly sets them apart from other options is that they (everyone at the school, the director, the office staff, the teachers, and even the other parents that participate in the classroom) truly care about EVERY child. We can feel the love and it makes all the difference. You could not find a better place for your child. Additionally, our son is on the autism spectrum. When he first started at Creative Bridges, he was fairly non-verbal and just beginning on the path of diagnosis and therapies. When I first met with Pam, the director, to discuss how he would fit with the school, Pam was nothing but supportive and positive. Nothing that I said was any problem, it all was taken as information and here's what we'll do so that everything will be best for him. That meant so much to us! Since starting at the school, Pam, the teachers, and the therapists have continued this behavior. I have never felt like any of my son's challenges are problems, and more importantly, he never feels this way. Everyone is supportive, inclusive, kind, and go out of their way to do what is best for each child, individually, as well as the class as a whole. In addition to the normal classrooms, Creative Bridges brings in speech and occupational therapists (not affiliated with the school, also amazing, but that's a different review...) to work with the kids that need it during the school day with minimal disruption to the child and the daily schedule. The therapists work together with the teachers to support each child in the best ways possible. Pam even coordinates with our outside neuropsychologist who performed the autism evaluation. Everything and everyone work together so cohesively and with maximum effectiveness. And beyond the school, Pam is such an amazing resource for all things child development and autism support. Our son has made so much progress over just this first year, and is already so much happier and more engaged in all areas of his life! So far, our only difficulty has been having to say good bye to his first year teachers! (Although, one month into summer school, his new teachers are just as amazing!!). I didn't keep this very brief but hopefully it has been helpful in evaluating potential future preschools for your child. Good luck with your search (but you should truly stop now, you've found the best preschool in the valley and beyond!). :-) read more

After working with a school consultant and finding ourselves exhausted and discouraged, my wife and I found out about Creative Bridges from a friend who had sent her child to the school almost 20 years ago and raved about the experience. We did our research and saw that what our friend was saying was pretty much in line with what other parents were saying via online reviews and word of mouth. We made an appointment the next day to tour the school. After touring the facility and meeting with the administration we knew we had found the perfect place for our son's next chapter in education. He has attended the summer program and he has adapted, grown and has come home every day with something new to talk about that he learned that day. The teachers are wonderful and caring and you can tell that they are there because of their love of children and education. If you are searching for an outstanding school, Creative Bridges is it. read more

Building the proper foundation for your child's education is paramount and this place exceeded all of our expectations. We found the place by accident and didn't know anyone at the time. Talk about being lucky. We put both our daughters through the program over 4 years and loved every moment of it. The teachers we had each year were truly phenomenal. Patient, nurturing and also the perfect balance of everything else a child needs as they grow in those early years. The school is a blend of the best styles of teaching and the Director knows exactly how to run a successful operation that greatly benefits the child and also the parents. We have met incredible lifelong friends and families there. From the team that runs the school to the children to the parents themselves, I promise you that if you end up here for your children, you will count your lucky stars that Creative Bridges was a part of your family's life. Thank you Pam and everyone that made this experience so special for our family. read more

Creative Bridges has been an absolute godsend to our family and most importantly our son. He struggles with severe anxiety, among other issues and the staff not only is accommodating but they are completely open to collaborating with us as parents and his current therapy practitioners. Without this collaboration and support, children with particular issues or needs end up getting caught in the fray. The entire staff at CBCP is top notch and the classroom setup and tools inside the room are so creative and calming at the same time. Our son loves coming to school and feels very safe and encouraged while there. He has grown leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time at the school and we can not wait to see what the school year brings. read more

We loved this school! My two daughters thrived there. It is a happy, loving, caring environment and they put so much thought into everything they do for the kids! I miss it so much since we have moved out of state. I highly recommend CB, it is a wonderful preschool experience! read more