I'm a local mom of three little ones and have spent the last year wondering why such an active community doesn't have a community based preschool yet? Any one know the answer.
Seems that the few childcare options in the area run at capacity and nothing is within walking. I would love to see a small development Montessori type school set up- run as a cooperative, non-profit. Would be great to set it up near the wildflower center and engage the community who lives there.
Has anyone looked into this already or interested in discussing?
What a fabulous idea! I have twin almost three year old boys. This area certainly has tons of kids and a strong belief in community. Sounds like a good combination! We have been searching for a program with no luck. Trying to find a spot for one is difficult, but two spots open at the same time seems to be laughable. We have been on the Austin Co-op preschool wait list for over a year and it doesn't sound like we will get in. My husband has joked several times that I need to start my own preschool. In my searching, I did see another neighborhood co-op on the west side of town. Maybe it would be worth considering doing something similar? I would be happy to discuss it further. My email is cari at keller dot net.
Personally, I consider St. George's a de-facto community pre-school, as 75% of my son's classmates live in the hood, with the others living in surrounding neighborhoods. Plus, several of the teachers live here as well.
St. Paul Lutheran Preschool is an excellent option and has several community students. It is located on Red River just north of St. David's hospital. It allows for children 18 months through 4 year olds and is open year round. Check it out.
Thank you for the suggestions. I looked up both St. George and St. Paul's programs and they are both religious based. I can't imagine that all families in Mueller are comfortable putting their children in a program that pushes religion. I know we aren't. Those programs, as most of the ones I have found, are based on all day/5day a week enrollment. Again, I can't imagine that fits a lot of families needs. As a SAHM, I cringe at putting my kids in an all day program just so they can have the benefits of preschool. I have found two other community based programs in Austin. A South Austin Co-op based in Bouldin Creek. Southaustinkids.org and a mom based co-op in the Brentwood area theneighborhoodcoop.blogspot.com. Both these programs are community based programs. Wouldn't it be great to have something like that right here in Mueller? Something that we could walk to? Something that uses the resources and heavily involves our local families? As a co-op, costs would be more reasonable and families would be more involved/connected. Is anyone else in the Mueller community interested in considering this opportunity?
Yes, I do know many neighbors who love and use those schools but I echo Cari that I think there is room for a local school. I also suggest looking at schools like http://www.petiteecole.com They have a French element but are a nice non-profit/ parent involved set up.
I know personally the favorite school my daughter went to was a small Montessori that meet in the mornings 5 days a week with the option of doing less than 5 days for the younger ones. It was an obvious labor of love by the staff and parents were very involved.
Have you checked magnolia.montessoriforall.org? It's a lottery based, dual language charter school, serving the 78723 zip code. They will open in the fall and are located in East Austin. They're starting with pre-K and K and will add upper grades each year.
Escuelita del Alma, with a Spanish immersion program, is another daycare/preschool option. My daughter, a 10-year-old now, spent a wonderful time there. It's located on I-35 and 32nd street. The problem, though, is that it has a long waiting list.
As a parent of 2 St George's alumni, I would just like to say that they don't "push" religion. We aren't religious at all, and any exposure our boys received was very general, like the Golden Rule.
We are also looking for a small COOP situation. We have some dear friends in South Austin that had great success when seven families came together to create a small community based montessori-like preschool. They met two days a week from 9-12. They interviewed, hired, and trained their own teacher. Split the initial cost of supplies and toys. One parent from each family was present each day COOP met to supply a snack, supervise, guide and help the teacher. This (or something) similar is what our family is searching for. We are on the 2015 wait list for All Austin Coop which will be the perfect setup for us when our son is 3. (He is 17 months old). Or possibly Magnolia Montessori which also sounds promising!!! But until then a small COOP is what we are searching for.
We are meeting another family at the Downtown farmer's market tomorrow to discuss starting an East Side COOP. If anyone would like to hear about the fruits of this meeting please PM so we can network.
Also, I'd like to say (since it has been mentioned) that a local/community religious center might be a great resource for finding a space for a COOP group such as we are discussing. Our friends in South Austin used a small space within a Buddhist meditation center for their group. No one in their COOP followed a Buddhist lifestyle ….however, the space was perfect and had a small garden area. And, in my experience and opinion, "religious" based preschools include families from many different religious and secular backgrounds.
Thank-you to everyone for posting and reading about this topic. We are new to the neighborhood and excited to be surrounded by so many interesting and progressive families!!!
Another school I would suggest is Highland Montessori School. Near Mueller and it has many Mueller families. Lead teachers are both Montissori certified and one with masters degree. Very community focused and one of the school's missions is to educate parents in support of the kids. Not IN Mueller but they will have spaces available next school year. My child is there solely because of how awesome the staff is. My older child had the founding teacher years ago and we followed her to HMS for our younger. Not religious affiliated. They introduce kids to many cultures and holidays. One teacher is fluent in and teaches some Spanish.
