Celebrating Community aT LGPNS

At Los Gatos Parent Nursery School (LGPNS), we're more than just a preschool – we're a close-knit community dedicated to providing children with a foundation for a bright future. If you've ever wondered what makes us unique, you're in the right place. Today, we're going to take you on a journey through our wonderful world of cooperative preschooling, what makes us such a special community, and how our fundraising efforts make our preschool world go ‘round.

Cooperative Preschooling: The LGPNS Way

So, what exactly is a cooperative preschool? At LGPNS, cooperative preschooling is all about families and teachers working hand in hand to provide an enriching, playful, and nurturing environment for our young learners. It's a place where parents get to actively participate in their child's early education, engage with our fantastic teachers, and build a strong sense of community.

LGPNS opened on May 6th, 1946 in a backyard on Glenridge Avenue in Los Gatos with a few bags of sand and a large barrel donated by the Eatmore Ice Cream Company for the play yard. The founding parents wished to establish a cooperative preschool providing a nurturing, safe environment for children and their parents to learn and grow. The idea caught on quickly and they soon outgrew this location. After many months of fundraising, they purchased the property at 15 Lyndon Avenue. The first classes were held on November 3, 1947. Since that day in November, the physical property has gone through many improvements, including rebuilding after a fire in October 1967 and three complete playground overhauls!

While the school has undergone many physical changes it has stayed true to the founding families’ principles. We continue to provide a play-based curriculum for preschool-age children and offer parent education classes with the goal of building a strong community that values parent involvement in early education.

How We Operate

Operating a cooperative preschool like LGPNS involves many moving parts, from curriculum development and working alongside the children in the classroom to maintaining a safe and stimulating learning environment and helping spread the word about our classes. An extremely important focus of our operations is on fundraising. The fundraising efforts we make help to ensure our school continues to thrive and provide quality early education.

Fun Fundraising Opportunities for All

When many folks hear the word “fundraising”, to them it sounds like a chore. However, at LGPNS we make it a ton of fun by offering a variety of both internal and external fundraising opportunities, so you don’t even have to be an enrolled family to make a big impact on our little school. Some of our community-driven fundraising effort include:

• Dine for Dollars: When you eat out at your favorite local restaurants on special LGPNS nights, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to our school. It's a win-win for your taste buds and our school!

• Big Truck Day: All local families are invited to visit our preschool in the Spring to learn about the big trucks and vehicles that clean, repair, and keep our town safe. There are opportunities to see a Police Car, go climb inside a Fire Truck, School Bus, Garbage Truck, Cement Truck, and many more! Enjoy food trucks, face painting, crafts, and a special appearance by S.J. Sharkie!

• Swag Galore: Discover the LGPNS Swag Store, where current families, alumni, and supporters can find stylish apparel for the whole family, perfect for showing off their LGPNS pride.

• Preschool-Related Sales: Stay tuned for a range of fun, useful, and tasty goodies we occasionally feature in our fundraising efforts. (Hint: Pie anyone?)

Upcoming Fundraisers: Save the Dates!

We've got an exciting lineup of fundraisers that you won't want to miss:

• C'est Si Bon Bakery Pie Fundraiser (Starting Nov 6): Get ready for a delicious Thanksgiving with delectable pies, and know that your purchase supports our school.

• Wooden Horse Shopping Night Fundraiser: A fun-filled evening of holiday shopping at the Wooden Horse in Los Gatos. A portion of the proceeds will benefit LGPNS.

• Giving Tuesday Fundraiser (Starting Nov 28): This global day of generosity is your chance to give back to the LGPNS community and contribute to our school's success.

Thank You to Our Amazing Sponsors

Before we wrap up this whirlwind tour, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful sponsors. They've played a crucial role in helping LGPNS thrive. So here's a big thank you to:

• Moreno Law Firm

• Vinovero

• Arustamyan Family

• McMillan Electric

• Hills Construction

• Inflated Creations by Brittany

• Mind Align Family Therapy

• FJM Truck Center

• FITmama South Bay

• Smash Plumbing

• Reed Animal Hospital

• Intero Real Estate

• Wolfe Mechanical

• Enfabrica

• Kiefer Family

You make a significant difference in our school's journey, and we're incredibly grateful for your support.

Conclusion: Join Us on This Incredible Journey

At LGPNS, we believe in the power of community and cooperative learning. We invite everyone, parents and non-parents alike, to join us in creating a bright future for our little learners. Fundraising isn't just about financial support; it's about building connections, fostering growth, and strengthening our community. We look forward to sharing many more exciting adventures with you as we continue our journey together. Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being a part of the LGPNS family!