Welcome to Pierce College Cooperative Preschools!
Parenthood may be natural but, more than any other occupation, it requires full time dedication, energy, concern and creativity. Fortunately, parenting skills, like any other skills, can be learned. Pierce College's Parent Education Program specializes in imparting and enhancing those skills.
Children are enrolled in the preschool, parents are enrolled in the College. While the children do their work of growing and learning, the parents learn and grow through involvement with and observation of the children's classroom, as well as through guided discussion and support in the college classroom.
Enrollment in the Pre–Threes segment of the program involves parent participation with their one and two year old children in once–a–week classes led by a Pierce College Parent Education Instructor. Three to five year olds can enroll in a cooperative preschool coordinated through the college and organized, operated and governed by the parents themselves. The parents rent a school facility, hire teachers for their children, set fees for the school, serve on committees or executive boards, assist the teacher in the classroom on a scheduled basis, and participate in parent education opportunities.
Children's activities include creative free play, creative art, literacy activities, book corner, science, sensory exploration, large and small motor skill development, music and language development, field trips, snack time emphasizing good nutrition, and a host of other enriching and exciting opportunities for learning how the world is organized. Parent discussions and meetings center on children's needs, stages of development, appropriate activities, child rearing, and support resources.
