Our Teacher
Mrs. Pattie Palasek is a teacher and a co-op alumnus! She has been teaching for four years. Mrs. Pattie brings enthusiasm and a new chapter to our co-op with a love of learning, growth, and play!
Northwest Co-op Preschool offers play-based learning rooted in nature and creativity with equal emphasis placed on social, emotional, and intellectual growth, surrounded by a supportive community of families. Your child will learn in a safe and experience-rich environment with an excellent student-teacher ratio. Our teacher has a deep understanding of early childhood development and the experience needed to guide young children in the learning process.
We believe children learn best in a safe and experience-rich environment that provides them the opportunity to explore and play, fostering their creativity, encouraging flexible thinking, and aiding in discoveries which make their learning more meaningful to them. Combined with a balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities, these explorations ready our students not only for kindergarten but for life-long learning.
Come meet our teacher, learn about our play-based curriculum, partnership with Blandford Nature Center, and how a co-op may be the best first educational choice for your whole family! Children and parents are welcome to explore the classroom and meet some of our current students and their families.
Mon. February 23rd, 2026, 5:30-7:30pm
A cooperative preschool is administered and maintained by the parents on a non-profit, non-sectarian basis. The parents assist the professional teacher in the classroom on a rotating basis and participate in the educational program of all the children. Each family also shares in the business operation of the school through board or committee assignments and fundraising opportunities.
Bethany A. Cronk, Editor, Offspring Magazine
The curriculum is based on well researched teaching practices that support the unique way that young children learn. Experience-based education encourages children’s creativity, helps them to become critical thinkers, and promotes interest in life-long learning. Parents are viewed as partners and collaborators in the education of their child.
As a co-op, we enjoy the benefits of parent participation in the classroom and in the operation of the school. Northwest Cooperative Preschool is a great choice for your child’s first school experience and a welcoming community for your family.
Our students get outside in every season to connect their experiential learning to the wonders of the great outdoors!
Extensive educational research demonstrates that nature supports children’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development. Being outdoors supports creativity and problem-solving, enhances cognitive abilities, increases physical activity, and improves social relationships and self-discipline.
Kind Hearts Bloom brings nature inside the classroom monthly for the students to explore! The students have planted seeds for winter sowing, created dried flower art, dissected a pumpkin, and much more.
Preschoolers are always busy exploring their world, and in addition to our monthly Blandford visits, field trips to area locations such as the RAPID bus depot to learn about public transportation or the Kent County Recycling and Education Center to learn about the importance of recycling are all exciting extensions to the curriculum.
Mrs. Pattie Palasek is a teacher and a co-op alumnus! She has been teaching for four years. Mrs. Pattie brings enthusiasm and a new chapter to our co-op with a love of learning, growth, and play!
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
Fred Rogers
During the school year, there are several special days which need a little extra prep from families to succeed. This list highlights a few of the many the special days your child will get to take part in this year. The children explore many new paths and topics during the school year, so unexpected and delightful special days sometimes pop up.
Once a month, a day is devoted to the exploration of a color. During that day, the children wear that color to school. They make a collage of flat glue-able items from home, like magazine pictures, ribbon, torn paper, etc. This is a great opportunity for discussion at home and fine motor practice for your child.
Beach day is a favorite of the kids. This special day happens in the middle of winter. This kids wear their bathing suits under their clothes and the classroom is turned in to a mini beach. Don’t worry, Mrs. Wilson cranks up the heat in the classroom to help beat the winter blues with this fun day of games and a picnic.
Who doesn’t love to spend the day in their favorite pjs? On pajama day we make a special sleepy time craft, and camp out in the gross motor room.
In celebration of National Reading Month in March we have a book character day. Students dress as character in a story which they love to read and bring a copy of the book to class. Costumes can be simple or elaborate.
When the weather is warm, we like to get the kids outside for bike day. Students bring their bikes or trikes and helmets to school for some fun in the parking lot. The kids love bike day and the change in routine.
To celebrate the beloved children’s author’s birthday, we may do a Wacky Wednesday or backwards day. We dress silly and learn many good lessons reading and exploring the books of Dr. Seuss.
All kids love a good party! We celebrate several holidays throughout the year with small parties in the classroom – we dress up, play games, sing songs and have holiday themed snacks.
The Northwest Co-op Preschool first opened its doors in September 1962 under the name Northwest Co-op Nursery. While enjoying a cup of coffee and watching their children play, Mrs. James K Miller, Mrs. E. W. Swanson, and Mrs. C.L. Koopmans discussed the need for a preschool for them to attend. Since there was not one in the area, they decided to start one.
The original structure of the school is very similar to its current form. Parents held committee positions and volunteered in the classroom on a rotation basis. St. John’s United Church of Christ on Lake Michigan Drive has always been home for the preschool. The preschool has also always been non-profit, secular, and licensed through the state. The preschool has had six teachers, with our current teacher Mrs. Pattie now leading the school.
For questions regarding the application or enrollment process, or to schedule a school tour, please contact Elise at 760-215-3737.