Cooperative Preschool Model
Each preschool is a stand-alone, small nonprofit business that is run by a board of directors comprised of parents enrolled in the college class. Pierce College Instructors act as advisors to the board.
Class structure is as follows:
- Lecture: discussion groups about current parenting, child development and education topics.
- Lab: The cooperative preschool classroom is the lab for our courses. The parents are assistant teachers in the preschool. Parents interact with children, other parents, the children's teacher and the Parent Educator. Classroom experience provides opportunity to explore new ideas, practice parenting skills and ECE skills, to observe children and other adult models, to interact and experiment with curriculum, to formulate new patterns of adult/child interaction and to develop new questions and ideas to be carried over to the lecture portion.
- Clinical: all parents participate in the running of the preschool – either through serving on the board of directors or serving on a standing committee. Parents also participate in fundraising efforts, and additional school activities.
