Triangle Cooperative Preschool

"Our year at Triangle was met with disappointment after disappointment. At the open house we were warmly greeted and we were excited by the Triangle community. Over the summer, my wife was asked to be Vice President, a volunteer job which required a tremendous amount of work which ultimately showed underlying deficiencies in the structure of the school. The board is made up of parents, so the board changes every year and nobody is around long enough to have a grasp on what’s going on. Also, this year, staff was made up of a new teacher and a teacher who had been there just one year as the senior teacher had just left. My wife brought in a retired early childhood and preschool expert who volunteered her time to better Triangle. Teacher Susan was very dismissive of the expert’s proposed ideas. The President unexpectedly stepped down in August, just before school started, partially due to Triangle’s disorganization (they chose a different preschool). My wife was asked to step up as President, which she agreed to. The school year started smoothly, but my wife’s goals of fixing the budget and improving the school’s teaching and learning was met with hostility which resulted in her being asked to step down as President by the teachers. The board wasn’t involved in the decision and the sudden meeting was very unprofessional. At this point, we realized that Triangle’s unstructured play-based curriculum meant that it’s essentially just a playgroup, as there are no objectives or progress-monitoring, but our daughter liked the teachers and students, so we decided to let her finish out the year before finding a better fit elsewhere. Two and a half months later, we got a call at 10:00pm (the night before a school day) informing us that the teachers wanted our family to leave the school immediately. We asked why and the current President could only say that the teachers felt that my wife wasn’t being cordial enough and it created an unsafe environment for the kids. We asked for examples or details but she could not provide any. Teacher Susan had asked that the Vice President’s family be removed from the school immediately also. Again, the interaction was very unprofessional. We were stuck with just two months left in the school year, having to tell our daughter that she couldn’t go to school anymore. There were no prior discussions or meetings with the teachers, the board, or other parents about this topic, so it was very unexpected. Just after, the President stepped down, so Triangle will be installing their fourth President this school year. It’s no wonder they have such problems with families returning for a second year. It's such a surprise considering Triangle markets itself for having a sense of community. I kept putting off this review because I genuinely want Triangle to succeed, but at the same time, I don’t want other families to fall into the same trap of disappointment which has consumed our year."

"We are so pleased with our experience at Triangle Preschool. Our daughter loves her teacher (so do we!) and she's always excited to get up and go to school. The warm, sensitive environment feels like an extension of home - it's a great "first school" experience. There is a focus on play, exploring art and science and nature, and forging social connections and friendships. The Triangle community is a joy to be apart of; we can't imagine a better school for our daughter."

"All three of my kids thrived during their time at Triangle. We love the warm, caring teachers, the play-based curriculum, the light-filled classroom, and the wonderful playground. I'm not only grateful for the school, but for the Triangle community. I treasure the friendships I have made as a parent there."