For the Long Run

CHANNEL MARKERS - for the long run The Power of Play

The Children’s Schoolhouse designed a completely outdoor curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Children’s Schoolhouse has offered a cooperative preschool experience since 1971

by Grace Kennedy | photography courtesy of The Children’s Schoolhouse Embarking on its 50th school year this fall, the Children’s Schoolhouse was founded by a group of Davidson parents who wanted a preschool where children could exercise their natural curiosity and discover the world around them.

As a family cooperative preschool, the Schoolhouse relies on the commitment of parents, who choose jobs based on their schedules, skills, and interests. The co-op structure gives parents a voice in school policy and operations and makes them an essential component of the school community.

For Board President Caroline Schollmeyer, community is key. Schollmeyer, her husband Tom, and their two young daughters moved to the Lake Norman area in the height of the pandemic. The Children’s Schoolhouse connected them to a supportive network of families with similar-aged children and gave their older daughter a place where she could still be a kid in the midst of lockdowns and quarantines.

“It felt so critical to have socialization opportunities for my daughter, not knowing anyone when we moved here,” recalls Schollmeyer. “I needed to know that she was going to get every ounce of childhood that she could.”

Meanwhile, the Schollmeyers formed bonds with fellow parents thanks to the co-op setting. “The community that we have started to build in the past year is more rooted and richer than any community that we have been involved in since we had children,” says Schollmeyer. So how does a play-based preschool operate during a pandemic? The Schoolhouse community did what they do best: they got creative. They reduced enrollment by 40 percent, designed a completely outdoor curriculum, and raised funds to build a permanent outdoor shelter, which was built by Schoolhouse parents Benjamin Boyd, owner of Boyd’s Custom Building, and Tom Schollmeyer.

Head teacher Tara Stout, who has been with the Schoolhouse since 2010, arranged outdoor opportunities for dynamic play, from a complex water system built by a parent and dubbed “the car wash,” to transforming the play structure into a spaceship. “Tara took all the imagination that was inside the building and brought it outside,” says Schollmeyer.

Imagination is central to what families love about the Schoolhouse philosophy. Schollmeyer equates it to the difference between coloring a flat worksheet of a blank apple, versus getting to hold, taste, and smell the apple. “The opportunity to explore leads to confidence and curiosity, which leads to knowledge,” says Schollmeyer.

The board and teachers are keeping a close eye on COVID-19 conditions and plan to ensure a safe environment for children and their families during the upcoming school year, while providing plenty of opportunities for play-based exploration and socialization.

The Children’s Schoolhouse is accepting registrations for the 2021-2022 year and giving tours throughout the summer. Visit thechildrensschoolhouse.org or email admissionscsh@gmail.com to learn more.