The Peter Pan Cooperative Nursery School is a play-based parent cooperative located in Oakland, California. 

Since 1947, we have been providing a community, a neighborhood, and an extended family in which parents and children can grow and learn together in a diverse, nurturing, and flexible environment.

We are licensed for children from two to six years of age and have a ratio of four children to each adult. Our students do not have to be toilet trained.
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We follow the OUSD school calendar and holidays, with a school day that begins at 9 am and ends at 12 noon. An optional PM Program is available from 12 noon to 2:45pm.

Peter Pan is a non-profit, parent-run organization affiliated with the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. We welcome families of diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Latest updates from the community

UPCOMING EVENTS

Virtual Tours will start February 17 thru March 13. Sign up here today.
Families are required to attend a tour before requesting an application. For questions email peterpanmembership@gmail.com



Covid-19

Due to COVID-19 and shelter in place orders, Peter Pan Nursery School closed its doors for in-person learning on March 16, 2020. Since that time, Gail, Lenore and our curriculum committee have carried on the magic of Peter Pan virtually with weekly story time, amazing art/activity bags and transforming the front yard into our own pumpkin patch for some COVID-friendly Halloween fun.

In October 2020, with the daily case numbers declining, there was hope that we would be able to resume in-person school (modified of course). With lots of time, energy and planning from our families and staff, Peter Pan was able to open its doors for 'outdoor school' on Monday, November 9th, 2020. Unfortunately in-person school was short lived when Alameda County moved back into the Purple Tier of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy on Tuesday, November 17th, 2020. Even though it was just one week, it reminded all of us the joy preschool brings our children, the love Gail and Lenore have as educators and the wonderful community Peter Pan creates. Although 2020 was not the year we thought we would have, we are thankful for the resiliency of all our Peter Pan Families (current, past and future).
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We remain hopeful that we will be able to resume in-person school in the coming months, but we recognize COVID-19 is far from being out of our lives and our number one priority is to continue to keep our community safe, so at the present time we will carry on with our virtual learning.​

Philosophy.

Children in a cooperative model experience a deep interconnectedness of family, education, and community. 

At Peter Pan we focus on individual growth and social development and use our experiences to learn from one another and our environment.

The cooperative model allows parents to be actively involved in their young child’s preschool experience. Parents share responsibility for maintaining all aspects of the preschool—if you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done! Membership responsibilities include monthly meetings, weekly jobs, committee work, maintenance hours, and fundraising.

In the co-op model, a member of each family works one morning a week as a teacher along with the director and seven other parents. Through this deep involvement parents gain an understanding of child development, experience in working with children of different ages, and close relationships with their children’s peers. Parent education happens daily and at monthly meetings. We pull from Positive Discipline, Bev Bos, the works of Gessell, Ilg, and Ames, and an understanding of individual temperament to support our parenting and our school philosophy. This has helped the Peter Pan community work well with children of many temperaments and backgrounds, including children with special needs.

71

Years in the Community

700+

Panner Families

Peter Pan is a non-profit, parent-run organization affiliated with the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools.
​We welcome families of diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Peter Pan Cooperative Nursery School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

PETER PAN LOCATION

Maxwell House

Peter Pan is located on the grounds of Maxwell Park in Oakland.
​We are just east of High Street and not far from Mills College.