A Look Inside Heights Cooperative Preschool

For more than 50 years, Heights Cooperative Preschool has been woven into the fabric of the Cleveland Heights community. While our name, leadership, and location have changed, our commitment has remained the same: to nurture young children through play, curiosity, and connection.

We’ve grown alongside the families we serve, evolving to meet the needs of each new generation. And over the past three years, a new chapter has taken shape, led by our Director, Taryn Kaplan (they/them), known as Mx. Taryn to students and their families. Their vision, supported by a dedicated teaching team, engaged board members, and a growing community of families, has brought intentional, inclusive learning spaces to life.

Classrooms Rooted in Belonging and Representation
When you enter one of our classrooms, you’ll feel the care in every detail. Designed to support development and foster belonging, our learning environments reflect the beautiful diversity of our school community. Inclusivity is not just a value, it’s a practice. It’s reflected in everything from the books on our shelves to the stories we tell, the materials we offer, and the way we plan our lessons.

Classroom spaces feature soft, calming colors and cozy areas for quiet moments. We use open-ended, screen and electronic-free materials that invite children to build, imagine, and explore. Our curriculum is responsive and child-centered, honoring the identities, cultures, and experiences each student brings with them.

We believe children learn best when they feel seen, safe, and celebrated, and our classrooms are built with that belief at their core.

From Parking Lot to Playscape: A Community-Built Transformation
One of the most remarkable changes in recent years has been the transformation of our outdoor space. What was once a simple parking lot has become a dynamic and imaginative play and learning environment, shaped not just by our educators, but by our entire school community.

Under the leadership of Mx. Taryn, the project has grown through collaboration with local artists, carpenters, engineers, and the children themselves. Every new space has been developed in response to the interests and needs of the children using it.

Our gentle nature-loving PreK Class of 2023 helped create the garden beds, and their little painted handprints can still be seen on one of the wooden frames. The play food truck was added to spark dramatic play and bring bright color and big imagination to our yard. In 2024, a rock box was introduced to support a class full of enthusiastic builders and diggers. Most recently, we expanded imaginative play by adding a child-sized marketplace and built an irrigation system to support our garden beds. The irrigation project was created in partnership with the children as part of our construction theme. The children helped construct the layout, and their original drawings can be seen decorating the pipes.
Children now enjoy:

• A child-sized marketplace and play food truck for dramatic play
• Multiple gardens for planting, digging, and connecting with nature
• A bike and large motor area that encourages movement and coordination
• A shaded picnic area for gathering, rest, and shared meals
• ​A rock box construction zone where collaboration and creativity thrive

Each of these elements was designed with intention, offering children space to move, explore, imagine, and build meaningful connections with their peers and the world around them.

And the work continues! This year’s contribution will be a collaborative mural on our fence, bringing even more color and creativity to our shared space. Stay tuned!

Pets as Part of the Learning Experience
At Heights, our commitment to nurturing the whole child includes building relationships with the world around us, including our animal companions. Pets are a beloved and meaningful part of our school community, bringing comfort, joy, and countless learning opportunities into our classrooms.

Adopted at the end of the 2023 school year, Cooper, is more than a friendly face, she’s a certified therapy dog. Her training was tailored specifically for working with young children in a classroom setting, and the process itself became a valuable learning experience for our students. Trainers visited the classroom regularly, working not only with Cooper but also with the children. Together, they learned how to build trust, show empathy, and communicate respectfully.

Cooper now plays a special role in our school: supporting emotional regulation, modeling gentle behavior, and helping children feel safe and grounded throughout the day. Her presence offers comfort, consistency, and a calming influence that is deeply valued by both students and staff.

In the PreK classroom, Glitter the tortoise and Kiwi and Mango, our gentle guinea pigs, teach children about empathy, routine, and care through daily interactions. In the 3/4s classroom, Gingersnap the hamster is often seen snoozing in her bedding or peeking out to greet curious little faces.  

And in our Threes classroom, students recently welcomed a new kind of living guest: a terrarium filled with isopods. This tiny, thriving ecosystem has become a living science station that offers daily opportunities to observe natural cycles, ask questions, and practice gentle stewardship. It’s a powerful reminder that even the smallest creatures can inspire big wonder.

Whether it's feeding, observing, or simply sitting quietly nearby, our classroom pets offer powerful, hands-on lessons in responsibility, compassion, and respect for all living things.
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A Cooperative School Built on Community
At Heights Cooperative Preschool, community isn’t just something we value, it’s something we live, every day. Our families come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities, and together they form a vibrant, supportive, and deeply connected school community.

As a cooperative preschool, every family plays an essential role in shaping the daily life of our school. From serving on committees and helping plan events, to pitching in on projects or offering support behind the scenes, our families are not just participants; they’re partners. This shared investment strengthens our relationships and helps create a school environment built on trust, respect, and shared purpose.
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The diversity of our families brings richness to our conversations, creativity to our classrooms, and a true spirit of collaboration to everything we do. By learning, growing, and leading together, our cooperative model ensures that every voice matters and every contribution counts.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and we’re even more excited for what’s ahead. Whether you're just discovering us or have been part of the Heights family for years, we hope you'll come see what we’ve created together.
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Come grow with us.

​Want to see more? Check out our virtual tour and photo gallery below to experience the magic of Heights Cooperative Preschool.

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