Disclosure: Triangle Cooperative Preschool has sponsored this listing and provided information for the listing.
This is part of our Preschool Guide. Check out the full guide for more class options.
- Location: 1432 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor 48104
- Minimum Age: 3 by September 1
- Daily Schedules Available: Half Day
- Weekly Schedule Available: Partial Week
- Schedule Type: Fixed Classes
- Categories: Cooperative, Play Based
- Website: trianglecoop.org
- School Email: info@trianglecoop.org
- School Phone: 734-221-0905
Triangle Cooperative Preschool has offered a high quality, play-based preschool program to Ann Arbor area families since 1951. Triangle is housed in a beautiful church building (although unaffiliated with it), that boasts a gated playground area exclusively for our students’ use. Our certified teachers have extensive experience in child development. Triangle Cooperative Preschool is a member of the Huron Valley Council of Cooperative Nurseries (HVCCN) and the Parent Cooperative Preschools International (PCPI).
Triangle is a place where children get to explore, create, and discover; enjoy friendships; develop self-esteem, confidence, and social-emotional skills; and learn by doing. At Triangle, children participate in creative expression; have active and dramatic both play indoors and outdoors; joining together for stories and music; and are both challenged and accepted.
Triangle is a place where parents contribute to their child’s learning through assist responsibilities; develop a community; share parenting concerns and learn new strategies; and feel secure knowing that their children are part of a loving, quality preschool program.
Triangle is a place where the teachers celebrate the uniqueness of each child; accommodate allergies and special needs; are knowledgeable in child development with many years experience working with young children; and foster growth in a positive, loving atmosphere.
Triangle students also benefit from class field trips and events throughout the year. Some favorites have included field trips to farms and botanical gardens, visits from Mother Goose, gymnastics classes and tours of the fire station.
Class Options/Schedule
Triangle offers two age-based classes:
3s meet Mondays and Wednesdays 9:15 am-11:45 am
4s meet Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9:15 am-12:15 pm
** On-site sibling care is available! **
Parent Responsibilities
Parents provide assistance, which keeps tuition costs low and cultivates a close community with a sense of true collaboration. Classroom Assist days can be a rewarding opportunity to participate in your child’s school experience and observe how your child is learning and growing! Parents in the 3s class assist approximately two days per month, while parents in the 4s class assist approximately 3 days per month.
Each family also helps with periodic school clean-ups and through an administrative role (i.e., newsletter editor, treasurer, field trip coordinator). Every effort is made to match the requirements of a job with the interests and skills of the member, while keeping duties reasonable. Parents are kept informed of school-wide news through a General Meeting held each Fall and Spring. Each family is additionally responsible for fundraising (currently $200 per school year) through participation in school fundraising events or by personal contributions.
Extras
Triangle hosts playdates at various area parks throughout the summer. This allows returning students to maintain friendships and helps incoming students and families foster important connections that can ease separation struggles.
In the winter, the classroom climbing structure is transformed for one week into an imaginary environment – a submarine, a rocket ship, a veterinary clinic and more! The classroom is decorated and toys are coordinated to create a magical environment of child-led learning and fun!
Class theme days – Beach Day, Bike Day, Pajama Day – also bring novelty and fun to the school year.
What Parents Are Saying
Rosamond R.:
“I love the positive, creative, and safe environment and the respect and care that the teacher and assist parents show the children. We are new to Ann Arbor, so I value the helpful community of parents. I like that as part of a co-op I get to participate and have a voice, and I also appreciate that parent responsibilities are reasonable and tuition is low. My daughter and I both love Triangle!”
Leah M.:
“When our family began our preschool search, one of the most important factors we considered was the school’s approach toward play—namely, whether there was ample opportunity for free, unstructured play experiences, supported by lots of novel toys/objects/materials. When we found Triangle, and I got to hear about its philosophy and witness our son becoming instantly at ease in a new setting among unfamiliar adults, I knew we had found our match. What I love about the climate at Triangle is that this community is doing so many things right in relation to child development, free play, attachment, relationship-building, and fundamental respect for each child’s individuality and personhood.
An anecdote:
One morning at drop-off, I overheard a fellow Triangle parent encouraging their child to “get messy today, okay?” It stopped me in my tracks—I don’t know that I’d ever been told that, but I love it. It is such a great phrase for inspiring curiosity and for reminding us that this whole parenting thing gets to be messy as well.
