Logo of Ashland Community Preschool featuring a white tree with light green leaves inside a brown circle, with the text 'Ashland Community Preschool' to the right.
Two women and three children gather outside a house, with one woman dressed as a ghost and the children reaching out to her while the other woman observes. The scene takes place on a sunny sidewalk with a house, plants, and parked cars in the background.
A middle-aged woman with short gray hair and glasses, smiling and waving in a colorful room with children's artwork and toys, wearing a polka dot dress, striped top, and a cream cardigan.
A pre-school classroom where a teacher is reading a book to young children sitting on a yellow rug, with some children sitting and others kneeling or lying down, all attentively listening.

Ashland Community Pre-School

Ashland Community Preschool started in the early 1970s as a playgroup where families took turns watching the children, much like a “Mom’s Day Out” program. Over time, the “Community Play School” grew into an official community preschool. Today we are an organized Montessori-based preschool licensed with the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Ashland Community Preschool is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cooperative school run by a parent board. As part of the cooperative, member parents have the chance to witness their child's development and create those first educational memories together. As active partners in our operations, each of our families plays an important role in creating a successful school. 

ACP currently offers two mixed-age preschool classes: 2 days a week or 3 days a week. A teacher and two working parents are always present in each class.

  • Our Tuesday-Thursday class is open to 2.75-year-olds through rising kindergarteners. This class is limited to 16 students.

  • Our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes are open to preschoolers 3.5 years and older, with an optional kindergarten preparatory class available to rising kindergarteners. This class is limited to 18 students.

In combining traditional educational tools with Montessori-based ideals, our classes offer a unique approach to beginning education. By allowing self-directed learning through hands-on manipulation and play-based “work,” we are able to foster independence, self-discipline, and a love of learning. 

Nestled in the basement of the historic Hanover Arts & Activities Center, Ashland Community Preschool is committed to our students, our families, and our community. We believe a preschool education should be affordable and accessible. We are not affiliated with any religion, and we welcome children of any race, religion, nationality and ethnic origin. Year after year, we look forward to watching our growing friends graduate onto exciting new journeys while new little adventurers find their way into our sweet school.

Ashland Community Pre-School Website