Updating, since we're still here at IPCP 7 years later! We have now had all four of our children go…read morethrough IPCP (with the youngest graduating this spring) and everything written below still holds. This school has been such an amazing place for our kids and an incredible community for our entire family. The play-based learning and conscious discipline approach has given our kids a great start, and we have loved the opportunity to be involved every step of the way. We've made life-long friends and strong connections to the local community that we'll carry with us even after we leave the school!

Love this school. I'm a nerd so I created a spreadsheet of 25 Atlanta intown preschools, went on…read moretours at 6 or 7 of them, and submitted applications to 3. Got my kid into all 3, and chose IPCP. Why did we choose it? The co-op approach. It's not for everyone -- you might just want a transactional relationship with your preschool, you do you -- but I was looking for a place where I could feel more involved. The coolest way to get involved is as a Parent Helper -- 1 day per month you get to (have to) work as a teacher's helper in the classroom. That's a lot of fun, you get to see what your kid is doing all day, and you learn a few new songs. Also love the outdoor focus - unless it's pouring, kids spend almost half their day outside, which I think makes my son happier and less cranky. The biggest downside is that they have limited space. So may Lady Luck be on your side.

After a horrible touring experience at a preschool near by, I was relieved to have found a school…read moreran by POLITE AND HONEST PEOPLE. There is a long wait sadly, but for good reason. I peaked into every classroom and saw smiling teachers engaged with the students, and children looking happy as ever. This school seems to be worth any wait there may be. Thank you all for this fantastic experience

The approach to education, focus on developing the child's social and emotional skills as well as…read morewarm caring staff are reasons why we chose this school and still love it for our daughter. We live right around the corner so having the opportunity to bike or jog with my daughter for drop off adds a nice highlight to my day each day. The daily reports are very comprehensive helping me get a sense for what she did each day and the pictures/videos sent via their tadpoles app bring a smile to my face!

GPCP is different than any other school in town, and I am so proud to be part of this community…read more The reggio emilia approach to child-centered learning and play makes it so fun. Our two sons, who are 1.5 and 3.5 years old, love it, and we are in our 3rd year here. Our teachers are uh-mazing (I get jealous how much my kids sometimes run to their teachers instead of me. Belinda (the atelierista) gets our kids exploring museum worthy art projects (who knew toddlers could do all this?!) and she helps them appreciate and interact with nature. You'll never get the flexibility you get like you do at GPCP. It's more affordable than any other comparable option (my husband does an excel spreadsheet for all things financial). Where else can you pay what we do for as little or as much child care as you need? Only sending your kid for M/W/F but need a random Tuesday for aftercare? Yours!  Every single one of my friends at other "preschools"  (daycares) who have left GPCP have made me really appreciate GPCP. These families usually left because they have the kind of jobs where they just couldn't participate to the level we are required here (neither parent can leave work to do parent helper days for example). Their schools have a lot of great things that I sometimes envy, such as less parent requirements. We do a lot of "parent helper days" and committee meetings. It's safe, nurturing. Like most cooperative non profit schools, they can be a tad more disorganized, and they take off for many holidays and staff development days (either my husband or I have to take work off, or arrange additional childcare, which is a lot of hassle). But believe me, there's a major tradeoff.... What my friends at these other schools all complain about is that they don't really feel like they have any sense of community. They don't know the other parents, kids, or families. They describe a much more transactional, "corporate" feel. And... they all miss GPCP and wish they had the kinds of jobs that were more flexible (or more family support) so they could return. These parents know that they are paying for a child care service, and that they lost the sense of community that came with GPCP. They complain that they don't know the other families and have more of a "hi" and "bye" interaction with most other families (and teachers). Sure, parents there don't have to work nearly as hard as we have to, but psychologically most of us all tend to care more about whatever we've put some sweat equity into. We have hosted many of our GPCP teachers and parents to our (very untidy) house with their kids for playdates, dinner, school camping trips and even some major holidays; we've even vacationed with several families. We really know our fellow GPCP families. Unfortunately, GPCP just isn't built for every child or family, especially for those who are just wanting (or needing) full time, nothing-else-required-of-parents type of child care. Most of us GPCP families are privileged enough to have the option to do something like this school. All of us have at least one family member with the kind of flexibility necessary to participate in this kind of model (we have a lot of entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers part-timers, or at least some family support (grandparents) to actually have the time and bandwidth to participate as much as we do.  We have created a place that feels more like a home than a "daycare". We GPCP families are also typically cut from a different cloth, and we truly value our "cooperative", very parent-participatory model of early childhood education. We not only get the privilege of watching our children and their friends at school together, we are actively involved and shaping their school environment. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This school is amazing and there is nothing else quite like it in the city. The parents that…read morecomplain about it forget that the school is a cooperative experience - and is only as good as they make it. You can walk right into the Executive Directors office or come to a public Board meeting. My son has been at the school since he started walking and he just turned 5. All his best friends are his classmates. He knows all his friends parents because they hang out with him on their Parent Helper day. This is a comfortable and super fun environment with the most lovable educators you've ever seen. The educators believe in child-led so their curriculum is based on what the class is into. However, it is a lot of work on the side. There is some committee work and parent helper days (you work at the school about once a month) but it's more of an opportunity to be more involved in your child's education and development. I highly recommend this school to any parent who loves a granola, community-oriented vibe for their children. It's not only very affordable for childcare but a healthy lunch is also provided with tuition!

Both of my children have attended UEP, we live in Grant Park and love the community and teachers…read more We highly recommend the PreK class taught by Ms. Cynthia and have been very pleased over the last four years with our children's growth.

Our family looked at all possible options (Waldorf, Montessori, local co-op) and Urban Explorers…read moreoffered something truly different. The emphasis on learning through play has done wonders; my child and ALL her classmates are well above their cognitive development benchmarks thanks to remarkable teachers and an environment that fosters a love of learning, rather than a spoon-fed (or often force-fed) curriculum. I particularly like the practice of moving one teacher, but not both teachers, up from one age/level/room to the next, along with the child. This has given our daughter the chance to bond with someone familiar and ensures her learning is uninterrupted, but also gave her the chance to interact with new teachers, new expectations, new ways of learning. Familiarity AND flexibility. Brilliant. Director Jenni and Assistant Director Joanna have always been great: communicative, committed, passionate, organized. Especially throughout COVID shutdowns, when the city closed the school building, their ingenuity and devotion to getting individual students into risk-adjusted, peer-group, professionally staffed learning pods has been inspiring. Amid so much uncertainty, one thing I never doubt is that I'm sending my kid into the best situation for her, both when we started at UEP and every morning drop-off since.

Our student does not go here. This is a review based on the tour and recruitment process that we…read morefelt we should share with prospective families. After touring SoulShine, a virtual group tour, we were not impressed and felt that prospective families should know about the schools structure before applying. This group of facilities does not operate to the level of a preschool and instead would be better reflected as a nature based daycare. The director who toured us was over the Kirkwood location but we saw photos of all three facilities. The rooms were well furnished but the curriculum in each space was greatly lacking with a student-led approach focusing on centers rather than a structured teaching day. We did not hear about the daily curriculum or milestone tracking for our students development. The tours involvement of curriculum seemed to be focused on what they had in each space (toys, playgrounds, book corner) rather than the learning. We were immediately put off at viewing the Kirkwood location when shown that the infant room opens directly to the outside of the building. While I am sure there are safety precautions in place there is not a way that I could feel comfortable as a parent knowing my newborn could potentially be interacting with strangers that approach the building. We will not be applying to this or any of the SoulShine locations and feel it is a overpriced daycare option and severly lacking preschool option.

Great daycare! My daughter has been attending the Decatur location for about a year and she loves…read moreit. We switched from the Montessori Academy to Soulshine and it has been great since day one. Teachers are caring and attentive, and we love the permaculture concept.

We've been going here for 4 years now, it's such a creative and nurturing environment! I would…read morerecommend it to anyone with kids under school age. It's from 9-1 2 or more days a week.

From the owner: We are a local preschool in the Candler Park neighborhood centered on play-based learning.read more