Woodside co-op school director retires Woodside co-op school director retires (July 06, 2005)

** Lolly Miller will stay on as teacher; Andi Dierolf is the new director.

By Kate Daly

Special to the Almanac

Lolly Miller of Menlo Park asked her students what they should call her now that she is retiring as director of Woodside Parents' Nursery School and staying on to teach.

An obvious choice would be Teacher Lolly, but there already is a Teacher Lolly on staff, so some suggested the name Teacher Love.

That seems like an appropriate title for a mother of two grown sons who has taught children for over 34 years, the last 13 at the co-operative nursery school, where she has been both director and a teacher.

For more than 30 years, the co-op, as the school is called, has been run by a group of parents. The board of directors hires credentialed teachers, and parents then work in the classroom on a rotational basis along side the staff.

WPNS uses three rooms and a playground at the Woodside Village Church. Every corner is filled with colorful artwork, toys and "manipulatives" -- puzzle pieces, blocks, etc., designed to help toddlers on up to pre-kindergartners practice problem-solving skills.

"We teach them to learn. What we do here is for their brain growth," Ms. Miller said, adding that the teachers shy away from formal reading, writing, and math instruction.

Over the years, Ms. Miller has seen the school prosper. Enrollment is full at 78, with wait lists for every class. The facilities have gone through many changes, including three revisions of the outdoor play structure.

"It just gets better and better around here," she said.
New director

Ms. Miller said she "targeted" her successor, Andi Dierolf of Redwood City, when Ms. Dierolf first came to WPNS as a parent. For two years, she has taught at WPNS and served as assistant director.

Ms. Dierolf started working at Redwood Parents' Nursery School in Redwood City five years ago.

In her new job as director, Ms. Dierolf said, she hopes to offer more parent educational opportunities in addition to the co-op's monthly parent meetings.

As for Ms. Miller, in her scaled-down job as pre-kindergarten teacher, she said she hopes her new Monday-through-Thursday afternoon work schedule will allow her time to write and illustrate children's books.

She said she is thankful for "the years of beautiful children and supportive parents" and that she feels fortunate to be able to stay at WPNS.

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