What is a Cooperative?
A cooperative (or parent participation) nursery school provides a healthful and varied environment in which your child can develop socially as well as physically, emotionally, and mentally. You will see and work with other children of the same age, become aware of some of the common behavior patterns, and work with other fathers and mothers, sharing the problems and joys each parent has with his/her own preschooler.
A cooperative nursery school is a growing and changing organization. No two years are exactly the same. New ideas are advanced; some are retained, and some are discarded. The organization depends upon new ideas and all members are encouraged to make suggestions for changes to improve the school. You, as a participating parent, can help share in shaping the program that helps develop your school. We feel that these are some of the greatest advantages of a cooperative nursery school.
A cooperative nursery school is one in which the parents assume the many responsibilities of the administration of the nursery school. This means that all activities pertaining to the functioning depend on you. These activities are many and varied. The active participation of every parent is needed to accomplish this. Therefore, each family chooses certain duties in addition to the parent participation work as a parent-teacher at school.
The ideas of cooperation go farther than the means by which the school is operated. A school such as ours could not function without thoughtful consideration of each for the other. We help each other by switching work-days with another parent, by working out transportation problems, by volunteering for necessary duties and by being considerate of others. The working together and the give-and-take is what most of us particularly enjoy in our school.
One of the basic tenets of co-op philosophy is the concept of shared leadership whereby each participant feels a responsibility to make the group work. There is not only acceptance of individual differences, but a faith that the real strength of the group can only be realized when each individual feels free to make his/her own unique contribution in an atmosphere of real acceptance.
