DACP offers a developmental, play-based preschool program for children ages 2, 3 and 4. We are a state licensed, non-denominational and non-discriminatory school.
But we are much more than that.
Enroll your child at Drayton, and you have an active role in shaping your child’s first school experience. You’ll work in the classroom alongside the teacher and see your child’s social and academic development first-hand. You will also become part of a community of parents sharing the experience of running the preschool together.
~ What Parents are Saying ~
All three of my kids have attended Drayton. It has been more than a great school to us. It’s been a way to connect with the local community.
– Seth K.
I don’t know how I did it all before Drayton. Not only are the teachers fantastic but the lasting friendships I have made with the families are unbelievable.
– Keely S.
A History of Drayton
The first cooperative preschool was started in 1916 by a group of twelve faculty wives at the University of California who wanted to secure social education for their children, parent education for themselves, and a little free time for their Red Cross work. The first parent cooperative was followed in the 1930’s by five others. Since that time, they sprang up with such spontaneity and in such numbers that they have been considered a folk movement.
Our own Preschool began in 1949 with a group of mothers who were working in the Roosevelt School Summer Play School. During the summer, they attended a series of workshops on child development at the Merrill Palmer Institute. After the summer play school was over, they began thinking of starting a Preschool during the school year. They obtained the use of a room at the Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church and recruited an enthusiastic teacher, the leader of the summer playgroup, Mrs. Harry Penson. By using the phone and preschool lists, they had twenty children to begin the first session in the fall of 1950. The Preschool has operated continuously in Ferndale since 1950—making Drayton Avenue Cooperative Preschool one of the oldest, continually operating co-op preschools in Michigan.
The Preschool existed at Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church until July of 2017, when Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church finalized its decision to close, making the future of the preschool unsure and forcing it to move. In August of 2017, the Preschool moved just four blocks to the south, still on Pinecrest Drive, and just south of Geary Park to the former First Baptist Church of Ferndale, which is now Renaissance Vineyard Church. The Preschool started the 2017-2018 school year with a 1-year lease, sharing classrooms with Renaissance Vineyard’s Sunday School. The classroom space alternated between DACP during the week, and Vineyard Kids on the weekends. Beginning in 2018, DACP occupied the main classroom inside the educational area of Renaissance Vineyard Church.
Now entering its 75th year, DACP is making the move to Ferndale’s beautiful and historic First United Methodist Church on Woodward Ave.
Parents have been coming together at DACP to provide a preschool education for their children and parent education for themselves for more than 70 years. Our future is bright, and we look forward to preschool starting!
What is a cooperative preschool?
A cooperative preschool is owned and operated by parents. Parents work in the classroom alongside the teacher and children, and an Executive Board of parents elected by co-op members oversees the day-to-day operation of the preschool. Being a co-op also allows us to keep our tuition low while offering a unique, high quality program. DACP is a member of the Greater Detroit Co-Operative Nursery Council, Inc. (GDCNC)
What is a play-based curriculum?
Play is children’s ‘work’. It’s how they discover and learn about the world. We offer children a variety of developmentally appropriate activities each day, encouraging independence and creativity. In this way, the child learns to make decisions, think critically, and becomes self-reliant. By following a program that allows children the opportunity to make choices and think independently in a developmentally appropriate setting, we equip them with valuable skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Click Here to read a CNN.com article about play-based curricula (or download the pdf).
