About
Anchorage Cooperative Preschool is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) cooperative preschool in Anchorage, AK, where families and children learn together. The school follows a child-centered, play-based approach that integrates family and community life into the classroom. Activities emerge from children’s interests and family ideas, with teachers guiding exploration that supports social and emotional growth alongside early academic readiness.
The program emphasizes foundational skills such as friendship, turn-taking, sharing, listening, helping, self-advocacy, and peaceful problem-solving. Children practice focusing attention, valuing themselves as individuals and group members, learning from mistakes, trying new things, and developing curiosity through hands-on discovery.
Anchorage Cooperative Preschool is led by Director Jessica McCartan and a team of early childhood educators with training in early childhood education and the creative arts. As a cooperative, family involvement is central to the school’s model, creating a safe, welcoming environment and a strong connection between home and classroom. Families seeking a developmentally appropriate, relationship-centered preschool will find a program built on the principle that children thrive when their needs come first.