MCPC Philosophy

MCPC is a non-profit, parent-operated, cooperative preschool. Founded in 1933, we are a supportive community of 25 different families, working together to facilitate our children's development. Our focus is on creativity, socialization, independence, cognitive growth, and sensory-motor development.

Our objective is to create a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment, in which our children can learn to build self-esteem, and to value diversity. The programs at Montclair Community Play Center are based on three key principles:

Developmental Model of Learning
Emphasizes free-choice play and hands-on experience that satisfies our childrens' needs, interests and abilities.

Parental Involvement
Daily interaction supports learning for both parent and child. To promote parental involvement, we offer parent education on a variety of child-rearing topics throughout the year.

Focus on Conflict Resolution
Parents and children learn the skills they need to resolve discord at both school and home.

Our programs are also mindful of different races, abilities, religions, gender, social class, and family structures. Our anti-bias orientation allows children to explore the differences and similarities between peoples, in a safe and open environment. We have designed our programs to help our students develop the skills necessary to identify and counter the hurtful impact of social bias.