What are Cooperative Preschools?
Today, cooperative preschools are enjoying a renaissance thanks to changing attitudes towards work and family, and to many parents’ desire to play a larger role in their child’s development and education.

Preschool cooperatives date back to the 1940’s. After reaching their peak in the 1970’s, co-ops gradually became less popular. Today, cooperative preschools are enjoying a renaissance thanks to changing attitudes towards work and family, and to many parents’ desire to play a larger role in their child’s development and education.

A cooperative preschool is a private, nonprofit entity run by its members, who are parents of the students. The school is operated by the parents and staffed by professional teachers. Co-op philosophy recognizes that parents are the primary educators of their children and encourages mothers and fathers to share their interests and talents in the classroom, on a Board of Directors, or on committees. Parents help the teachers in the classroom and may do some or all of the daily work necessary to operate a successful school.

This direct parental involvement makes the cooperative a unique educational opportunity. The children grow in mind, body, and spirit as teachers and other parents nurture them with acceptance and kindness. Co-op preschools also help moms and dads become better parents by offering hands-on parent education. By helping in the classroom, observing the children, and communicating with teachers and other parents about their experiences, parents can discover more about what their children need to thrive.

Information in these pages regarding co-ops and how they work was gratefully borrowed and adapted from Parent Cooperative Preschools International and Agassiz Preschool in Cambridge, MA.