7171 N Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46240

A Cooperative Preschool Established in 1960

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The child has one intuitive aim: self development

One Family's Co-op Experience at Meridian Hills Cooperative

A 5th Year Family’s Experience & How To Enroll

I never could have imagined that choosing my child’s preschool would have such an impact on our family now seven years after my initial “research” into local schools! Meridian Hills Cooperative Nursery School & Kindergarten landed on my radar after reading about it in Indy’s Child Parenting Magazine and later having a friend call me after her tour and tell me I had to check out this school. I set up my tour and was sold: freedom for the children to move between three large classrooms, a heavy emphasis on nature and outdoor play in all weather (and an amazing playground), a parent participation component that would allow me to be a part of my child’s education, and a rare part-time kindergarten option to which we could look forward.

Unfortunately, we landed on the waiting list, so we settled in at another area preschool. We had a good experience, but we had no idea what we were missing until we landed back at Meridian Hills with two kiddos in the Chickadees (3s) and Kinderbirds (5s) classes. The welcoming community drew our family in, offering to provide meals following the birth of our third baby even before classes had started! We loved everything from the summer playdates to help our children connect with their classmates, to the opportunities to socialize with other parents, to the quick bonds we created with the teachers at the school for whom working at Meridian Hills was so clearly more than a job.

Now in the middle of our family’s fifth year at the school, we can’t say enough about what Meridian Hills has meant for our children or for us as parents. The teachers at Meridian Hills offer an environment where children are free to be themselves as they play and explore, educating them in ways that are developmentally appropriate and, because of the small class sizes, catering to who they are as little learners. As the mom of particularly rambunctious kiddos, I have appreciated the approach to discipline, which is not punishment-based but focused on redirection and supporting them in a way that helps them to feel empathy rather than shame.

As parents we have learned by working in the classroom alongside the teachers and veteran parents. We have attended Parent Education events where speakers address topics applicable to our stage of life. We have spent countless hours socializing and doing life together as our children play for hours after school and we all form deep friendships. I always say that my children benefited greatly from their time at Meridian Hills, but I also know that I’m a better parent because of our time here (or at least I have the tools I need, even if I don’t always use them in those moments when my children and I are both at our worst!). I’ve heard others say it before, and it’s true that sending our children to Meridian Hills has been the single best parenting decision we’ve made.

In a year that has been anything but typical, it’s hard to believe it’s already time to be thinking and planning for the 2021-2022 school year! Early Enrollment runs from Sunday, January 10, through Friday, January 22, and is open to anyone with a paid application on file. We hope to offer class placement or notify families of placement on the waiting list early in February. You can find details about the application and enrollment process here. We place classes based on application date, so don’t delay!

We will be offering tours the week of January 11, so please contact our Membership Chairs at membership.mhcns@gmail.com to schedule a time to see our space!

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