CHCNS Preschool: A Magical Place to Share, Learn, & Grow!

A cooperative preschool is organized by a group of families who hire a trained teacher to provide their children with a quality preschool experience. Parents generally hold to the philosophy that they or trusted community-members have a valuable role to play in their child's early learning experiences.

CHCNS is a teacher-led parent cooperative, owned and operated by its members.  Parents either hire a school-wide administer (current model for 2025-2026) or manage the entire operation of the school, hire the preschool teacher, and assist in the classroom on a rotating basis.  

First, you have to ask yourself, am I willing to engage with, play with, clean for, and help young children, as well as commit to a community of other families: caring for their children's learning environment and experience as well as my own? At CHCNS we expect parents to be interested and involved in the daily life of our co-op. Some weeks require more involvement than others but parents work as a team to take care of the co-op's needs and serve duty days with our lead teacher FORTNIGHTLY. An approved caregiver or nanny may serve in a parent's stead. Parents may also opt into our non-cooperative model and pay a higher price to cover the cost of a second teacher for their Duty Days.

Additional responsibilities of parents include membership meeting attendance, fundraising, & chaperoning field trips (when needed). Parents are free and encouraged to contribute any special skills they have to benefit the classroom learning experience.  They work alongside the teacher to support classroom activities and student goals as determined by the teacher. 

• Ability to supervise and observe your child in the classroom and reinforce classroom experience at home
• Interaction with a community of parents who share your commitment to early childhood education
• Opportunities to learn from an experienced preschool teacher alongside your child
• Extra time to bond with your child, get to know their peers, and reinforce the importance of education through your own participation

To help keep tuition costs to a minimum, parents of students are assigned twice-a-month duty days to assist Ms. Frances in the classroom. Responsibilities of the parent on duty are:

• Arrive at the school promptly at 8:30
• Help children settle into the classroom
• Help the Lead Teacher monitor children's free play and step in to assist when needed
• Assist children with art projects or other activities
• Escort children to the bathroom and change diapers as needed
• Assist with Snack and Lunch Set-Up
• Take a role in Emergency Evacuation Situations
• Clean up classroom and monitor for supply needs

The schedule remains fluid; however, snack and lunch occur at roughly the same time each day. Every day includes a range of sensory stimulating activities like playdoh, painting, and riding scooters outside. 

Ms. Frances remains flexible to respond to the needs, interests and mood of her classes. Children learn to sit and attend just as they learn to use their words, resolve conflicts with peers, work on fine and gross motor skills, and respect their environment as well as others. 

Most days, children spend at least an hour, if not more outside. They walk to local parks, visit the post office, and go on exciting field trips to landmarks around Washington DC. 

8:30-8:45 am- Drop Off and Settling In

8:45-9:15 am- Circle Time and Songs

9:15-10 am- Craft, Music, STEM, or Special Project

10-10:30 am- Snack and Bathroom Break

10:30-12:00 pm- Outdoor Adventure: playground, field trip, or walk

12:00-12:30 pm- Lunch Time

12:30-1:20 pm- Free Play

1:20-1:30 pm- Clean Up and Preparation To Leave

1:30 pm- Pickup

The School Year Program runs September through June, and generally follows the DCPS schedule. Each year the Co-op may choose how many  days the program runs: three, four, or five days a week. The program is running on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the 2025-2026 SY. Parents can express their personal wish for weekdays enrolles between 8:30-1:30pm in the 2026-2027 school year. Please note the school will remain open MOST federal holidays as well as over the winter & spring breaks for our Drop-In Day Program. This program is separate from our SY program and students may attend for an additional fee. Holidays that the school is closed are: MLK Day, 4th of July, Juneteenth, Thanksgiving and the Friday after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. The calendar will be set for the incoming class in August. 

Lead teachers are trained to handle allergies with the utmost care. When applying, please fill out the allergy form as accurately as possible. Children’s hands are washed before and after eating to ensure no cross contamination happens. A teacher also sits with the child to make sure they are safely eating. If your child has a severe allergy, strict allergy codes will be enforced for the year your child is enrolled. 

In diapers, no problem! Potty training, no problem! Teachers take turns each day providing the littles with bathroom breaks and are very vigilant in ensuring children have the opportunity to go to the bathroom. Please let our teachers know what stage you’re in so they can better assist your child. If potty training, please provide additional clothes in case of accidents.

Simply reach out with the form at the bottom of this page or email info@chcns.us and our administrator will be in touch within a few business days. Most tours happen T, W, or Th at 9 or 9:30 am and children are welcome to attend with their caregiver.

Our experienced and dedicated faculty and staff are committed to helping each student reach their full potential. They provide a supportive learning environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and a love of learning. We currently have a lead teacher, Ms. Frances and a second teacher, Ms. Kendra.

Now that you've read all about our wonderful school and program, you're interested in signing up! Hooray! 

Here are detailed steps on the enrollment process.

1. Fill out the application and pay the application fee of $65. You can do so with this link: https://www.jovial.org/chcns/hello

2. Once an application has been submitted, a Jovial welcome link will be sent to access your family dashboard and the administrator will be in touch to answer questions and help you complete next steps. 

3. Once the committee member knows the class you would like to enroll in, they will add your child to the roster. Once your child is added to the roster, all of the fees and tuition will be added to your account. The first and last month's tuition are required to secure their spot.   

4. The dashboard will also have several documents from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education that must be filled out before starting school. These include health and permission forms. All forms are to be filled out electronically though your Jovial family dashboard.  Please note some forms require doctor signature. 

5. Once payments are received and all paperwork is complete, your child is ready to start school. 

6.  All caretakers volunteering at CHCNS must submit required health forms, complete a CPR and Fieldprint background check, and attend a training on our Duty Day expectations as well as Emergency Evacuation Procedures before volunteering or participating in parent duty days. 

Children are dropped off at 8:30am at the double doors located on 5th street. Teachers are outside or in the lobby waiting on children. Caretakers take them to the 2nd floor and help put away coats and lunch boxes before leaving. 

Pickup is at the same entrance and children are typically outside playing while waiting on caretakers. Backpacks and any additional items are in the lobby for parents to retrieve, although teachers also bring them out to you.

We are located on the second floor of Capitol Hill Methodist Church at 421 Seward Square SE. 

Our entrance can be found on 5th street SE. 

Extensive current research has shown that parent involvement is critical to children’s educational success. As the only true parent-run cooperative preschool on Capitol Hill, CHCNS believes strongly in the benefits for preschoolers of connecting school and home experiences. We are committed to bridging what happens inside the school to what happens at home.

As a way to help children transition from home to school for the first time or at the beginning of the year, Ms. Frances offers to visit the home, at your convenience, to meet your child, discuss routines and get to know your family. Home visits are casual short visits in the child's safest place, their home. Building the relationship between the teacher, child and parents before school starts makes the transition into the school year more comfortable for the children. 

Although nannies or other caregivers may serve on duty days, it is preferred that parents fulfill the duty day obligation. This allows the parent to participate in the child's school life, get to know the child's world, and give the child a sense of pride and confidence. Parents are also expected to participate in fundraising efforts and serve as chaperones on field trips. 

In a city with an incredibly high rate of two working parents we want to be sure and provide those families access to our school. That is why we offer our non-cooperative model at a higher rate for these families.

CHCNS is inspired and influenced by the work and theories from the founders and educators of the Reggio Emilia schools. Some aspects of the CHCNS curriculum also resemble the choice focused principles of Montessori programs. These programs do not provide a curriculum for the program. However, they offer a framework for educating young learners based upon the individual interests of each child.

Capitol Hill Cooperative Nursery School, Inc., is the first parent-run cooperative preschool on Capitol Hill, and was established in 1960 by 10 families.  It was housed in the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church until 1972 at which time it moved to the Capitol Hill Metropolitan Baptist Church.  In 1983, the school relocated to the Lenox School Building.  

The school moved again in 1986 to Watkins Elementary -- part of the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools.  In 1987 it moved to Peabody Elementary, the Early Childhood campus of the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools.  The school moved to Watkins Elementary in 1997, where it was located for two decades. 

In 2016 CNHCS moved to its current location at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church.  CHCNS is licensed by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Service Facility Regulation Administration, Child Care Branch.