Neighborhood Nursery School Seeks Expanded School Hours

Cottage Coop Nursery School, a day-care facility located at 169 Arlington Drive in Pasadena, has formally asked the city for permission to extend its operating hours beyond what was originally approved in its conditional use permit.
The facility, which also holds occasional parent-education meetings, serves children from two years of age through kindergarten entry and is located in a residential neighborhood.
On Jan. 16, the city will hold a public hearing on the request.
The original permit, issued in 1985 allowed the establishment of Cottage Coop as a day-care school with an enrollment of 40 pupils, and hours of operation between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., Monday-through-Friday. Occasional classes and parent meetings in the afternoon and evenings not later than 8 p.m., are also permitted.
The application requests that the hours of operation be changed to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with not more than 40 students at any one time. The request further clarifies that the occasional classes and parent meetings in the afternoon and evenings would be limited to a maximum of six events per calendar year, with no more than 80 attendees. These events would also cease by 9 p.m., according to the application.
Cottage Co-op Nursery School was founded in 1972 as a non-profit, cooperative preschool by parents of children who formerly attended the Children’s School at Pacific Oaks College who wanted to create a co-operative school that honored Pacific Oaks’ approach to learning.
The regular program at Cottage Coop follows a 10-month calendar, from September through June. The school also offers a yearly eight-week summer camp program for families in the Pasadena community.
During parent education meetings Cottage Coop schedules guest speakers, coffees with the director and teachers, and book club meetings that focus on parenting books.
Wednesday’s public hearing begins at 6 p.m. at the Permit Center Hearing Room, First Floor, at 175 N. Garfield Avenue in Pasadena.