Menlo-Atherton Cooperative Nursery School

The Menlo-Atherton Cooperative Nursery School was founded in 1951 as the Menlo Play Center by the American Association of University Women, in co-sponsorship with the Sequoia District Adult School. For its first ten years, our school was housed in a series of rented quarters while members worked to locate a permanent site. In May 1961, after a significant community fundraising effort, we moved to a new building in our current location in Nealon Park. On February 16, 1992, our school suffered a devastating arson fire that destroyed our building. Fortunately, our teachers and parents mobilized quickly to ensure that the school would survive. Adopting the motto "You can't keep a good school down," classes were held on the playground and parents staged numerous fundraising events to replace the toys, books, and furniture lost in the fire. With input from teachers and parents, local architect and former co-op parent Sam Sinnott designed an award-winning facility for our school. After nearly three years of hard work, we proudly dedicated our new building in October 1994.