About us
A Community Learning Through Play
A nurturing first school experience
Welcome to Watchung Cooperative Preschool, a nonprofit community learning through play, connecting parents, teachers and children since 1967. Our hands-on, play-based educational programs provide a nurturing environment for children two-and-a-half to five years old. Our philosophy emphasizes the social and emotional well-being of our students and fosters their love of learning while nurturing each child’s individual learning style.
Preschool is one of the first decisions you will make that influences the educational, social and personal priorities you set for your child. School signifies your child’s first big step away from home. It becomes their launch pad for learning, developing and connecting socially with the world around them. It is a precious time. It is a fleeting moment. You want to be a part of it.
At the Watchung Co-op, we understand the need to be involved in your child’s first preschool experience – and we make it a reality.
A Message from Our Director
Dear Families,
Thank you for visiting our website. The Watchung Cooperative Preschool is the oldest preschool in Montclair. It was founded by Betty Bailey and a group of parents in the 1960’s. From the school’s inception we have fostered a partnership of parents, teachers, and children. The beginning of preschool marks a milestone in both the parents and child’s life. The Co-op affords children the opportunity to venture out of the home into a safe, loving, and nurturing environment. We offer children a play based curriculum in a nurturing and meaningful setting. Rather than the teachers following a set yearly curriculum, the teachers work to create lessons based on the children’s curiosities and interests. This type of inquiry allows for a rich level of learning and excitement within the classroom environment.
As a cooperative school, we believe that all families should have an opportunity to partner with teachers and actively participate in their child’s first school experience. The transition from home to school is met with a compassionate nod from teachers at our school. At the Co-op the teachers and parents create a partnership where home and school work in unison.
We hope you will consider the Watchung Co-op Preschool for your child’s first school experience. If you are interested in learning more about our school please call us to schedule a tour.
Sincerely,
Christi Porter-Johnson
Our Values
Play
Our school is process-oriented and child-centered. Using open-ended questions, having conversations, placing an emphasis on play and the use of reflective practices are key to meeting each child's needs within the classroom.
Positive Guidance
As a school, we meet the child where they are. We help them navigate through difficulties in a positive way and foster skills so they are able to thrive at school and in the world.
Community
Our school acknowledges the parent as the child's first and most influential teacher. Parents and teachers can work together to build a strong community for the children and strengthen social emotional skills to help build relationships in the classroom.
Meet Our teachers
Nurturing, dedicated, experienced
The Co-op’s nurturing and skillful staff is regularly hailed by our parents as one of the strengths of our school. Many of our teachers and assistants have been part of the Watchung Co-op for more than 15 years and these dedicated professionals are committed to the children, parents, and philosophy of our school.
Our teachers have extensive professional experience and backgrounds in early childhood education, including certification, and they have all sent their own children to the Co-op, so they have experienced preschool from the perspective of both parent and teacher. Every day, they bring their knowledge, caring, creativity, and warmth to the benefit of our children and families.
Our assistant teachers serve in various roles at our school, which makes them familiar to all students. Whether it’s assisting in the classrooms, supervising lunch, helping out in summer camp or greeting students at the door, our wonderful assistants are indispensable to the smooth operation of our school.
Christi Porter-Johnson
Christi Porter Johnson is the Co-op’s Director and also serves as the Lead Teacher for Discovery Pre-K. Christi was introduced to the Co-op in 1998, when she completed her practicum here for Montclair State University’s M.A. in Teaching/Early Childhood. She has taught the Co-op’s mixed-age summer camp (to rave reviews from students and parents alike) and works with many of those children again throughout the year, providing them with a comfortable transition from one class to the next.
Christi discovered her love for teaching preschoolers during her previous career as a dance instructor (her undergraduate degree is in Dance), and was inspired to return to school for her Masters in Teaching.
She looks forward to the Co-op parents’ active involvement in her classrooms, having observed first-hand during her practicum the positive impact that their presence can have on a child’s first school experience.
Laura Shortt
Laura Shortt brings over 15 years of early childhood education experience to her role as Lead Teacher in the Co-op’s Discovery Pre-K class. Prior to joining the Co-op, she developed and supervised school programs at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) and was Lead Teacher of their Early Childhood classes. CMOM provided Laura with hands-on experience incorporating Multiple Intelligence Theory and 21st Century Learning Skills. She was awarded a Continuing Education Certificate by The Miller Early Childhood Initiative of A World of Difference Institute.
Laura’s teaching style draws upon her background in theater, and includes imaginative play, music, and storytelling. She strives to nurture communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity in the classroom. Laura holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked with numerous performing arts organizations, including Urban Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Peregrine Theater Group, Classic Stage Company, and The 52nd Street Project.
Marianne Robertson
Marianne Robertson is the teacher for Creative Play. Marianne has been part of the Watchung Co-op since 2002, when she enrolled the first of her own three kids at the school and became committed to the philosophy of learning through play. As a Co-op parent, Marianne was an active member of the school and served on the Board as treasurer.
Marianne returned to the Co-op in 2009 as part of the staff as the maternity leave replacement teacher in our afternoon Pre-K class. She remained in our Pre-K class, going on to serve as an aide to a special-needs child and then as a class assistant before becoming the teacher of our Creative Play class in 2014.
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Marianne brings all of her artistic talent and creativity to her classroom, developing imaginative projects to stimulate and engage our littlest Co-op kids. Her warm and caring nature is just what it takes to nurture their socialization and separation skills.
Jenn Prochilo
Jennifer Prochilo is a co-teacher for Discover Pre-K’s afternoon class, and also serves as administrative coordinator at the Co-op. Jennifer has been part of the co-op since 2010 when she enrolled her oldest child. Since then, she has seen her youngest child through the school and served on the Executive Board as Board Secretary for 3 years. She joined the staff during the 2015-2016 school year and couldn’t be happier spending time with all the kids at the Co-op. She can often be found at the play dough table taking sculpture requests or sitting on the carpet reading a favorite book to one or more kids.
Janet Hines
Janet Hines is a teacher’s assistant at the Co-op. Janet joined the staff in 2008 after seeing two daughters through the Co-op where she enjoyed her time co-oping and serving on the Board. A nurse who has previously worked in trauma/critical care, Janet enjoys reading just about anything (mostly limited to children’s literature in recent years) and loves animals.
Megan Marti
Megan Marti is a co-teacher for Discovery Pre-K’s afternoon class. She loved the school and its community of families so much during her child’s time at the Co-op that she never left. She first joined the staff as an assistant teacher in both the DPK and Creative classrooms.
Before joining the Co-op, Megan worked as a visual manager for Anthropologie for many years. A graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Megan uses her creativity and love of art when working with the children. Her favorite part about working at the Co-op is watching the children grow through a play-based environment.
Enrichment at the Co-op
At the Co-op, we believe that learning happens in many different ways and so we are happy to offer our children special enrichment classes. These classes offer children new experiences, the chance to explore new skills and the opportunity to learn using all the senses. Plus they’re a whole lot of fun!
In addition to our Music Together curriculum, we offer yoga and Maestro Tales, a music program that introduces children to classical music and orchestral instruments. In recent years, the Co-op has also offered science, cooking and dance.
Click the class below to read more about our enrichment classes.
Lauren Koueiter is a Montclair neighbor, mother of three young boys, committed yoga practitioner, and an ice cream enthusiast. A former corporate graphic designer, she chose to teach yoga to children because it’s the intersection of everything she most enjoys. She works to create a weekly ritual not just for movement, but where children can learn about breath, relaxation, kindness, and even a little American Sign Language and Spanish. Come sing out of tune with Lauren! Let the yoga rumpus begin.
A boutique children’s program that presents classical music and nursery rhymes, theatrical storytelling of fairytales, and an introduction to symphonic and folk instruments. Their goal is to cultivate musical development during a child’s most formative years.
Students get hands-on experience with instruments from every orchestral family, as well as lesser-known folk instruments. The children are introduced to a variety of musical terms throughout the class with the help of sensory aids such as a giant parachute, giant scrunchie, shakers, and rhythm sticks. A class favorite is bubble music, when they play an extended classical piano excerpt while blowing bubbles!
Those that have taken Maestro Tales class not only learn to identify musical instruments and terms but become more familiar with well-known classical music and composers, all while being told a timeless fairytale.
The people that bring you MaestroTales every week are professional actors and musicians, who have spent their careers performing around the world.
Music Together is a renowned early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through age eight—and the grownups who love them! Their music classes help little ones develop their innate musicality—and much, much more.
The primary goal of Music Together is to support children’s music development. However, their play-based, developmentally appropriate approach also fosters children’s growth in other areas essential to success in both school and life, raising the quality of a child’s early education both in class and at home. In other words, Music Learning Supports All Learning®.
The Music Together classes nurture children’s inner sense of musicality by exposing them to fundamental musical concepts in a fun and playful way – in keeping with the Co-op’s philosophy of learning through play.
Each class uses songs, chants, and rhymes to introduce concepts including loud/soft, fast/slow, high/low, and pitch and rhythm matching. Every class also incorporates dance, and an exploration of various musical instruments. Classes also expose the children to many genres of music, including jazz, rock, folk and international.
The Music Together curriculum supports children’s language development and emergent literacy, social and emotional development, cognition and general knowledge, physical and motor development, and approaches to learning. Learn more about the Music Together In School curriculum here.