Crickets

To qualify, children must be 2½ and no older than 3½ by July 31st for a Fall start of school.  Crickets meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 - 11:30am and tuition will be $261/month in the 2023-2024 school year.

 
 

What do crickets learn?

Crickets learn how to interact, negotiate and play with others. As they explore their world they begin to realize that it's much more fun to play with a friend than to play alone. They learn how to form friendships and about other people's feelings. Crickets start playing interactive games with each other. They learn through stories, singing, play, art and games. Crickets are improving their large and fine motor skills daily and are learning to interact with their environment in new ways.

 
 

Example Daily Class Schedule

(May vary due to COVID Limitations)

kids arrive!

  • Wash Hands

  • Teacher greets children and parents/caregivers as they get signed in

  • Teacher and Working parents help the children with the transition into class

WELCOME CIRCLE

We will meet at the beginning of each day to welcome children into the classroom. After singing and talking about the day’s activities, the teacher and working adults will transition the children into free choice activities.

FREE CHOICE ACTIVITIES

This is the most important part of the day! During this block of time, the children will choose among art and sensory activities, blocks, the water table, the dramatics center, puzzles and games, the library center, and much more. Many of these activities will relate to our present theme; some will be daily activities that are available throughout the year. Each child may choose to participate in several activities or concentrate on a particular center. The choice is up to the child.

CIRCLE TIME

We will meet for a few minutes each day to share news in the children’s lives. This time may also be spent acting out stories, reading, reciting finger plays and poems, and moving to music and rhythm.

OUTDOOR TIME

LCP has access to two enclosed outdoor play spaces with a sandbox, diggers, balance and building toys, garden tools, and plenty of room to move.  At the teacher’s discretion, the class may also cross the street to play at Lakewood Playground with swings, sandbox, play structure and playfield. 

Good-Bye Song

Parents are welcome to come into the classroom for a last song and good-bye to our classmates.

From Marita Grunfeld

Crickets Teacher

I joined the LCP Community as the Cricket Teacher in 2015 and I couldn't be more ecstatic! After 6 joyful years as a parent and community member at Lakewood Cooperative Preschool, jumping into the role of Cricket teacher could not have felt more natural. As an educator for nearly 15 years with experience teaching pre-school thru high school, and a master's in creative arts and learning, I truly believe in the power of the arts to engage learners of all ages. I absolutely love to sing, dance, paint, sculpt, design, create, climb, leap, play and pretend along-side my new Cricket friends. The spunk and independence of the twos and threes as they test boundaries and develop relationships on new and profound levels makes my job dynamically rewarding every-day.

Together we create a positive and nurturing learning environment that includes developmentally appropriate activities focused on art, science, pre-reading and math skills, dramatic play, music, and language development. All of our activities-free-play, outdoor play, snack, and circle-support the development of fine and gross motor skills, as well as social-emotional skills. Truly, a cooperative school is a magical place where we learn along-side our children and parent peers while joyfully exploring our world through play. I am grateful to make navigating and negotiating this magical play my work.