We started small in the Fall of 1952
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Founded in 1952 by Heather McDonald and Lee Cowan, Lansing Cooperative Nursery School began with a morning program in the basement of The Church of Annunciation on Florence Ave in North York. Here the school remained until 1955, when Lansing temporarily moved to Spring Garden Baptist Church in North York.
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During this relocation from 1955-1957, the "Group of Seven" families - Strange, Gillens, Ypes, McMillan, Nose,
Summerbell and Farriant - formed a long-term plan for the school, with the motto still in use today of "the little school for little people". |
Grew and built a school of our own
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In 1957, a new permanent Lansing school facility was built in North York at 74 Church Avenue, funded generously by donations from the community, architect and builder.
Throughout the 1960s the school continued to grow, expanding to morning and afternoon programs for for up to 80 children. Car pooling was a regular form of transportation, along with a dedicated school bus. |
The introduction of junior kindergarten in public school system in the 1970s however, led to decreased enrolment and eventually the afternoon program was cancelled. During the 1980s, the school re-focussed on its core cooperative philosophy, with parents being directly engaged in offering their skills and talents to the school's operation.
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And continuously evolved
to the Lansing parents love today
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In the 1990s, a large townhouse development required a relocation to our current premises at 80 Church Avenue in North York. The developer generously funded the new building, but the move affected Lansing financially. Fortunately, the community rallied to protect our cooperative mandate and the city of Toronto provided a property tax exemption recognising Lansing's charitable status.
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During the 2000's, Lansing re-introduced Afternoon Kindergarten and Nursery programs.
During 2010's however, an increasing need for pre-K school programs led us to refocus on offering the popular multi-level Preschool programs you see today - Morning Nursery, and Full-Day Preschool. |
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A true community and educators |
I've had three children over 5 years go through the Nursery Program and would recommend Lansing to any family. This is not a school where you simply pay your fees, drop your kid off in the morning, and collect them at night. This is a true community of parents and educators that are all fully committed to creating the best environment for early childhood education. |