PCDS Community

Parents Association

Tessa Crompton
Co-President of the Parents Association

Nina Strauss
Co-President of the Parents Association

Sierra Lorenzini
Vice President

Martha Driscoll
Treasurer of the Parents Association

Events

THE PCDS PARENTS ASSOCIATION (PA)

The strong community at PCDS has always been and continues to be vital to its growth and ability to provide the high standard of teaching and nurturing to its young students. The PCDS PA aims to promote this sense of community by providing a wide range of opportunities for families and parents to connect both to the school and to each other.

All parents and guardians of students attending Park Children’s Day School are members of the PA. We encourage all of our members to become involved in these activities. The success of each event greatly depends on your participation. Key PA activities are described here:

Annual Benefit

The Annual Benefit is our primary fundraising event. It is a cocktail party for parents with a silent and live auction. Unusual and exciting items, all of which are donated or solicited by parents, are offered at auction. This is a wonderful occasion for parents to meet one another, and it is a successful format for fundraising.

Book Fair

In the spring, the PCDS Book Fair begins with an opening night cocktail reception for parents to shop, followed by a day of visiting the Book Fair with the children to choose their favorites!

Children’s Lending Library

The Children’s Lending Library is part of the school curriculum. It is completely parent supported, and volunteer staffed. Children are escorted to the library by parents during the regular school day. Each child may choose one book to take home each week. The Fours and Fives begin to use the library once a week in the fall and the Threes will join the program in January. Please plan to volunteer several times during the year. The children count on, and look forward to, your participation.

Dads' Night Out

This is a great event for dads to get together and socialize in a casual atmosphere.

Family Friday

All PCDS families are invited to join Betsy Newell and Rhonda White for songs three times a year at 8:20 a.m. in the gym. Our musicians are our very own talented PCDS parents!

Friday Morning Coffees

The PA sponsors “Coffees” which are held on Friday mornings when PA meetings and “Family Fridays” take place. The entire PCDS community (including caregivers and siblings!) is invited to stop in at these informal gatherings for coffee/tea, tasty treats, and relaxed socializing.

Holiday Party

Each class has a class party on the last day of school in December. The PA sponsors a holiday party afterward for families in the gym with crafts, games and visits with Santa.

Alumni Ice Cream Social

Alumni are invited back for entertainment and, of course, ice cream while visiting with old friends and former teachers.

Moms' Night Out

This a fun-filled evening of socializing for PCDS moms with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Pajama Breakfast

Dads prepare and serve breakfast for all families at PCDS. Children come in their pajamas and moms ENJOY!

Spirit Day

This is a festive day when teachers and children dress in school colors and “Spirit Wear” to celebrate PCDS! All classes meet to sing the school song and for an all-school photo!

Spirit Wear

An array of items featuring the PCDS logo are available for purchase online through Lands’ End. The PCDS school number is 900163510.

Teacher Appreciation

We sponsor special events including a holiday and end-of-year luncheon for our teachers and staff to let them know how much we appreciate everything they bring to our community.

Used Clothing and Toy Sales

Donate your gently used adult and children’s clothing, books, toys and equipment to benefit the PA.

PCDS Alumni

PCDS stays in touch with hundreds of its alumni families. Many attend various events at the school long after their children have graduated from PCDS and attend other schools and colleges. Younger ‘alums’ eagerly attend the annual Ice Cream Social in the gym and reunite with their teachers and old friends. A strong sense of community has persisted over several decades, surviving the move to the west side. Deep and lifelong friendships are made between parents during the nursery years. We receive photographs of lunches, dinners, annual holiday parties, and vacation trips years after the children have graduated from PCDS.

Our halls and stairways are decorated with ‘First Day of School’ photos of our alumni. Every December we receive dozens of holiday cards which we display throughout the school. We love seeing the faces of the children we knew so well in the past, and we can’t bear to take the cards down until after spring break. Although our oldest child at PCDS is barely five, every spring we wait with baited breath for news on where our alumni are going to college. We are so proud of our graduates. Often when they get to college they meet up with preschool friends whom they have not seen in 13 years.

We are honored that so many of our graduates elect to send their own children to PCDS, and are deeply appreciative of the trust that all our parents have placed in the school since its founding. We celebrate the continued interest and support of our alumni families.