What is a cooperative preschool?

"Hey, shouldn't all preschools teach children how to cooperate?"

Well, yes, but that isn't exactly what a cooperative preschool is about. Here's a quick look at what a cooperative is, and how we at Dulin define "cooperative" (in addition to teaching our kids to share and take turns, of course!).

Dulin Cooperative Preschool is operated by the membership -- the parents. Parents handle almost all daily operations of the preschool, including hiring, maintenance, membership, purchasing, accounting, publicity, and scheduling. Such ownership in our children's school results in thoughtful decisions and quick action if problems arise or changes need to be made.

At Dulin Preschool, parents also play an integral role in our classrooms. Each class has a professional, experienced, licensed teacher at the helm. However, instead of a teaching assistant, Dulin parents take turns acting as the assistant on a rotating basis. This gives parents hands-on experience in their chidren's first schoolrooms, an opportunity to observe your child's growth and development in the classroom first hand, and regular, face-to-face interaction with your child's friends, their parents/caregivers, and the teacher.

Don't worry -- as a Dulin co-oping parent, you aren't teaching the class! We leave that to the professionals. Usually, the teacher will have a list of tasks she expects you to assist with during the class, such as craft time and small-group work. Teachers also handle any disciplinary issues. As helping parent, you'll also arrive a half-hour early to help set up, stay 1/2 late to clean up, and provide and serve a healthy snack.

Your experiences in the classroom varies from day to day. Sometimes you'll be working on music day, where you'll get to listen to little voices in song. Cooking projects are always fun, and if you're helping parent that day, you may be tasked with helping the children measure, sift, stir, and roll. Wear comfortable shoes, because during outside play you may be asked to participate in a game of "chase!"

Our Participation chair takes care of scheduling your days in the classroom and distributes the calendars a month in advance. You can expect to be the helping parent roughly once or twice a month; this may vary if other families have extenuating circumstances, such as a new baby or extended vacation. In cases such as these, you may have to work an extra day or two, but then have a month in which you work once or not at all. Each family's participation is carefully logged, and by the end of the year, all families have worked equitably.

There are a number of cooperative preschools in the area. Almost all operate as we do, with a parent-run Board of Directors. Most co-ops include parental involvement in the classroom. However, some co-ops offer a "buy-out" option, or keep parental involvement loose or voluntary. At Dulin, we consider co-oping in the classroom to be an integral part of our educational mission and philosophy, so it's required of every single family. It's what sets us apart from other preschools, even other cooperatives. It's also what attracts outstanding, involved families to our school!