Mission

Archer Cooperative Nursery School is committed to providing quality preschool education through program diversity and age appropriate child development techniques and activities. The cooperative nursery school concept provides a unique opportunity for parents to actively participate in their children's learning process by assisting in the child's classroom. We believe that cooperative education successfully blends the essential elements for the optimum learning by young children: quality teachers, committed parents and the children themselves.

Programs

Curriculum Highlights

Mommy & Me

This class is the first step toward preschool. Children will interact with each other while playing with age appropriate toys. Mom/Dad or caregiver with their children will listen to stories, music and play games.

Toddler Class (2-1/2-year-olds)

This class teaches children separation, social interaction, listening, following directions, sharing, and exploring.

Nursery School Class (3-year-olds)

The children will learn to share, listen, resolve their differences, follow instructions and learn to be independent. This class encourages social interaction, reading readiness, language arts, science, math and social studies. Children love the “Fantastic Fridays” where they discuss ocean animals, dinosaurs, and all types of transportation.

Pre-K

This class prepares your child socially, physically and academically for kindergarten. The curriculum includes letter of the week with letter bags, numbers, math readiness, writing (letters, numbers & their names), journals, news of the week and a “Me” box.

Extended Day Enrichment Program

The Extended Day Enrichment Program is offered to both the 3 and 4 year olds and provides learning and playground fun, as well as the sate required rest period. The children will eat lunch with their friends and engage in free play, story time, games and a variety of other fun activities. Some of the planned activities will be literature based, doing hands-on projects related to the story. For example: We will read “Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?” then follow up by baking chocolate chip cookies. This enrichment program will also include various science projects. It will be fun and exciting - keeping the children wanting to come back for more!

Goals

Archer Cooperative Nursery School provides a well-equipped and happy social environment away from home. The curriculum is flexible and contemporary. Every effort is made to help the preschooler develop as an individual in the following areas:

1. Making a successful transition from home.

   Children need a feeling of belonging; being part of a world which is interested in them and makes them feel secure. Our nursery school provides an atmosphere where they feel comfortable. The teachers and parent helpers are warm, protective and alert to individual needs and limitations.

2. Learning to be with other children.

   Children need to learn to be social and enjoy a group experience. Some children find this natural while others may need more help. We realize that children have varying needs and personalities and we offer an atmosphere that encourages and supports all children in learning to be part of the class group.

3. Developing an interest and joy in learning.

   Each nursery school day consists of various meaningful experiences. The most important of which is helping the children to discover the interesting world around them. We encourage the children in all their experiences by honestly answering their questions. Their curiosity is challenged through simple experiments and observations about their world. We make every effort to guide each child in learning to listen, learning to speak in front of a group and learning to take directions.

4. Developing security and a feeling of success.

   Children must feel that they can do things successfully in order to form a positive self-image. We encourage this by providing age-appropriate materials and a well-planned curriculum. We include the opportunity for freedom of choice and creative experimentation. The attentive and affectionate support from the teachers fosters a feeling of security and provides a framework for success.

5. Developing self-expression.

   Children are given the opportunity to experiment with paints, scissors, clay, paper, glue, blocks, sand and water. Their ideas and unique means of expression grow as they become familiar with a variety of art media and other manipulatives.

6. Developing self-control and responsibility.

   The development of responsibility is promoted through taking care of toys and materials at school, helping to clean the play areas, handling materials carefully and learning basic health and safety rules. Children learn to control angry feelings and to vent them in acceptable ways. When difficulties arise, the teachers assist the children in resolving the differences without embarrassment to anyone. Hostile feelings can often be relieved through change of activity, water play, or outdoor play.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning

The school is firmly committed to providing quality preschool education through program diversity, exploration, and age appropriate child development techniques. It is unique in that it allows the parents an opportunity to share in the world of the preschooler by actively participating in the classroom. This cooperative experience, which permits parents to assist at school, helps to facilitate a gradual transition from the family group to the larger outside world. Classroom participation also provides parents with important information regarding their child's learning behavior. At Archer you will find an environment that encourages personal and social growth, a highly qualified and dedicated staff, and a diversified program that offers our students opportunity and excitement.

We understand how important your choice is to you and we want you to make a wise decision. For that reason we invite you to visit Archer. As you observe a class, meet with our staff, or talk to current students' parents, you will begin to appreciate all of the ways that you can benefit by having your child attend Archer.

Staff

At Archer Cooperative Nursery School you will find a highly qualified, dedicated, and nurturing staff who are all professionally trained preschool teachers with long-standing tenure at the school.  In fact, many of the teachers’ own children attended Archer years ago! 

The Archer staff is committed to helping children learn and successfully guide them through a number of different experiences.  The staff creates an environment that encourages personal and social growth within a diversified program that offers students opportunity and excitement.  As a cooperative school, the staff’s close relationship with parents provides a uniquely warm nursery school environment.  The school values open communication between parents and staff.  Formal parent-teacher conferences are held each spring, but parents are encouraged to communicate with the teachers at any time during the year.  Parent ideas and questions help to maintain excellence in Archer. 

Archer Cooperative Nursery School is licensed by the State of New Jersey and all staff meet the educational requirements for Director, Head Teacher, Teacher or Assistant Teacher as outlined in the Manual of Requirements for Child Care Centers, State of New Jersey, Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family Services, Subchapter 4, Staff Requirements.  Archer staff, along with parents who have opted to participate in the Cooperative experience, have successfully completed a state mandated, criminal background check, along with fingerprinting, to insure and maintain excellent safety standards.  

Meet the Archer Cooperative Nursery School Staff

Karen Miller, Director
Karen has been with Archer Cooperative Nursery School for a little more than 30 years.  She was a former public school teacher and an assistant teacher at Archer before being appointed director in 1981.  Karen is an active board member with the Bergen/Passaic Chapter of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has served on the Bergen County Advisory Board for the Office for Children in Hackensack.  She earned her BS degree in Elementary Education from East Carolina University and her MA from Glassboro State (Rowan) University.  Karen has two children – the younger a proud graduate of Archer!

Lorraine Smithuysen, 4’s Head Teacher
Lorraine is currently in her 9th year at Archer Cooperative Nursery School.  Prior to becoming Head Teacher of one of the 4 year old classes, she taught the 3 year olds.  Lorraine previously taught Kindergarten and 1st grade in the Northvale public schools.  She earned her degree in Early Childhood Education from William Paterson University.  Lorraine is the mother of two children – her youngest is a proud Archer alumni!

Janine Luthcke, 4’s Head Teacher
Janine is currently in her 12th year at Archer Cooperative Nursery School.  She also teaches the 2 and 3 year olds at the Curiosity Shop Summer Program in Waldwick.  She holds a BA degree in Business Administration and a CDA (Child Development Associate Degree).  A mother of two, Janine’s youngest child is a proud graduate of Archer!

Betty Frueh, 3’s Teacher
Betty has been with Archer Cooperative Nursery School for over 17 years.  She spent 1 year as an assistant teacher for the 4 year olds, and the remainder of her career as teacher of the 3 year olds.  She is a former Archer parent and board member.  Betty attended William Paterson University and holds a CDA (Child Development Associate Degree).  Betty is a former Archer parent and board member.  Betty’s two children are proud Archer alumni!

Elyse Roller, 2 ½’s Teacher,  3’s Assistant Teacher
Elyse is currently in her 21st year at Archer Cooperative Nursery School.  In addition to teaching the 2 ½’s and assistant teaching the 3 year olds at Archer, Elyse also teaches at the ALEOOOP after school program in Allendale and at the Curiosity Shop in Waldwick.  She earned her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education at Alphonsus College.  Elyse has two children who are proud Archer graduates!

Elaine Dube, Mommy & Me Teacher, 2 ½’s Assistant Teacher
Elaine began her teaching career at Archer Cooperative Nursery School as an assistant teacher for the 4 year old class in 1980.  She then created Archer’s  2 ½ year old program, and taught the program for 18 years.  Elaine retired in 2002 , but returned in September 2007 as assistant teacher in the 2 ½ year old class and now teacher of our Mommy & Me program.  Elaine has her CDA credential in Early Childhood.

Ann Donohue, 4’s Assistant Teacher
Ann has been an Assistant Teacher for over 14 years in the 2 ½’s , 3’s, and 4 year old classes.  She graduated from Montclair State with a degree in English Literature.  Ann is an Allendale resident and all three of her children are Archer graduates!

Irene Tibbs, 4’s Assistant Teacher
Irene has over 20 years of experience as an Assistant Teacher with all programs at Archer!  She attended Bergen Community College.  Irene is currently the Assistant teacher for Lorriane Smithuysen’s 4 year old class. 

Brenda Cary, 3’s Assistant Teacher
For the last few years, Brenda has worked in the three year old class as an Assistant Teacher to Mrs. Betty Frueh.  In addition to assistant teaching, Brenda is the mother of three daughters – and a former Archer parent.  All three of her children are proud Archer alumni!

Sue Radleigh, 2 1/2’s Assistant Teacher
As an Archer parent, Sue Radleigh was so pleased with the warm and caring atmosphere of both the school and teachers, when she was asked to be an Assistant Teacher she was thrilled!  She has been an Assistant Teacher in the 2 ½ year old program since 2002.  Sue’s daughter, an Archer graduate, attended the co-op as a 3 and 4 year old.