Why a co-op preschool?
Research has long indicated that the young children involved in participation preschools excel in a variety of developmental aspects. This growth results as the benefit of sharing the educational experience, not only with family, but with the diverse community united through the co-op, simultaneously. However, what is less widely known is that exposure to this type of communal, educational environment is to the advantage of all involved and is not strictly relegated to the prosperity of children alone.
How does enrollment with a cooperative preschool benefit the children and adults who partake, and what does their participation offer the community they represent and the broader community, as a whole? Read on to learn more…
Children
Transition well in what is often their first educational experience outside of home, as they are not alone in their journey, but are sharing this experience with their families.
Model behaviors after the positive adult role models accessible to them in the classroom and through their member community.
Experience a variety of enrichments offered not only through the broad curriculum and equipment they are exposed to, but also through the opportunities to interact with a range of caregivers replete with their own unique sets of skills and abilities.
Gain self-esteem, confidence, enhanced social and communication skills, and a stronger sense of responsibility, belonging, and involvement.
Parents/Caregivers
Develop a solid partnership with their child’s educators that transitions into a system of support and accessible knowledge and experience to better understand the growth, development, and challenges of rearing preschool aged children.
Share a voice in the educational environment of their child and their child’s peers.
Increase the opportunities for extending the learning experience into the home. Engagement in the classroom generates a deeper awareness of the curriculum and topics being taught, leading to a natural extension into areas outside of school.
Have a greater understanding of the developmental milestones with which all children progress. Exposure to educational resources, like teachers, and a child’s peers leads to a pronounced understanding of age appropriate behaviors and skills.
Gain a sense of belonging by connecting with other adults and families in similar life situations, to share experiences and expertise in child caretaking.
Share the value of the educational experience with their child, first-hand. This shared experience often translates into a lifelong, positive, relationship with schooling for their preschooler.
Community
Cooperative preschools recreate the sense of connected child rearing. Raising youth is a difficult task in general, but doubly so when taken on alone. The community offered through a co-op lessens the challenge by offering the support, resources and relationships families often need to navigate successfully through the haze of raising a child, thus leading to more well-informed and open-minded members of the broader community.
Active participation in cooperative preschools often aid in developing stronger, more connected communities outside of the co-op. Friendships made at participation schools often extend beyond the preschool years, generating an extended web of commonality, pride, and shared experiences that radiate the positive tenets established early on in a child’s life.
The intimate bond established within a cooperative preschool often translates into a sense of obligation and responsibility for the betterment of the greater community. Families of co-ops become unified in their visions of the future for their children and in order to obtain these goals it becomes paramount to extend that duty to the surrounding community, so as to establish a positive environment for all children to grow within.