Co-op Preschools - any downsides?

[Anonymous]

I loved the parent involvement and access. There were two 'downsides'f or us, and as we all know each child/situation/family is different. One was, my son did not like me in the classroom. For him, school was 'his' thing, and I was kind of invading his space. He did not go for the 'let's learn together' philosophy, although I liked it. At our co-op, we had to be in the classroom one day every week. That one day for me, my son, the class was stressful because we knew that my son would not be at his best on that one day. Other days were fine, and if I were in the classroom every day it would have probably been fine.

The other 'downside' is funding. At least at our school, because coops do keep their tuition relatively low, there is not a lot of access to supplies, snacks, etc., so parents are responsible for a lot of this.
But in a way, it promoted the good community, we're all in this together, atmosphere.

Oh, and one more--not an issue for us, but was for other families: Remember that other moms/dads know ALL of your kids' business, as far as whether or not he/she is struggling academically or socially or whatever. It's the parents who are the co-teachers, and sometimes the admins. They'll also know your financial situation, if you need assistance or unable to pay tuition on time or are late. Consider it a big family, with no secrets at school.

Good luck. It's a good philosophy overall, and a good kind of 'bargain'.

[Anonymous]

To follow-up on the "bargain" element that the PP mentioned... be careful to examine all costs carefully. A lot of schools -- not just co-ops -- have other costs levied throughout the year. My kids have been in different preschools over the years, including a co-op. I initially thought that the co-op was a lot cheaper. However, the school did a lot of fundraising and other "nickel and dime-ing". Many schools -- both co-op and traditional -- have "auctions" where the families are REQUIRED to contribute a certain amount of goods and services ($200 - $500) and then are also expected to purchase a certain amount at the auction. When I worked out the expenses as between the co-op and the traditional school, taking all of the "extras" into account, the co-op turned out to be slightly MORE expensive, which was a big surprise. So... investigate all costs beforehand. The co-op is still the way to go if you want to be an active participant in your child's school.

[Anonymous]

DD will be starting in a co-op this fall, so I can't really say yet how I will rate the experience, but I am very excited that we will be part of a small community of what seem to be like-minded parents, who all want to be actively engaged in their kids' early education, and the caregiver-child ratio is really great. Our co-op is extremely well-established and organized, but I have gotten the sense from this forum that there are some co-ops that are perhaps looser on qualifications than more traditional pre-schools, so just be sure to screen carefully (as you would at any pre-school). For example, I have heard that some co-ops don't require all caregivers (including parents) to complete CPR/First-Aid training and to submit to criminal background checks, which would NOT be OK with me.

[Anonymous]

A co-op isn't for everyone. It was absolutely the right choice for me! But I used to tell people that a co-op shouldn't be your back-up plan if you don't get in anywhere else. You have to enter the co-op with the mindset of WANTING to know your children's friends, teachers, and other parents. You can't sign up for a co-op, sign an enrollment agreement outlining your duties (classroom participation, committees, etc.), then complain that it takes too much time.

Make sure you ask lots of questions. A good co-op will welcome your inquiries and concerns, and it's more than likely that a fellow parent will be the one giving you information. Do ask about background checks, training, etc. Some co-ops don't regulate this at all; good ones do. Ask to speak to other families in the co-op to get their take on things.

Bottom line: Like any preschool experience, you'll find things to love about a co-op, and things you'll wish were different. It's all about finding the right fit for you and your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To follow-up on the "bargain" element that the PP mentioned... be careful to examine all costs carefully. A lot of schools -- not just co-ops -- have other costs levied throughout the year. My kids have been in different preschools over the years, including a co-op. I initially thought that the co-op was a lot cheaper. However, the school did a lot of fundraising and other "nickel and dime-ing". Many schools -- both co-op and traditional -- have "auctions" where the families are REQUIRED to contribute a certain amount of goods and services ($200 - $500) and then are also expected to purchase a certain amount at the auction. When I worked out the expenses as between the co-op and the traditional school, taking all of the "extras" into account, the co-op turned out to be slightly MORE expensive, which was a big surprise. So... investigate all costs beforehand. The co-op is still the way to go if you want to be an active participant in your child's school.

A PP here - I could not agree more! Every single time I turned around, I was asked to donate to this or give to that or X amount was required of the parents. And I can't tell you how much of my own money went toward cleaning supplies b/c they were always out of products.

We switched to a traditional preschool and then entered a montessori and were delighted with the changes. My son will be attending the montessori in a few years, and although it's pricey, I'm sure that with all of the nickle and diming our former co-op did, the tuition comes out to be the same.

good riddance to co-ops! at least to the one we were at b/c it was so poorly run and cliquey

[Anonymous]

We're very happy in our co-op, and I think this thread raises a lot of questions that interested parents should ask when they're researching preschools.

On the point about extra expenses, for example, I don't feel nickel-and-dimed. Our co-op has a small application fee, like any school, then an optional cleaning fee of $120 (otherwise parents can choose to help clean the school--maybe once or twice during the year). Field trips and supply costs are rolled are included in the tuition, and I've never had to buy and cleaning supplies or the like out of pocket. We do have two fundraisers, but in my experience parents aren't pressured to contribute. In the case of our school, the fundraisers go to the scholarship fund, so I'm happy to contribute. Most parents also contribute to voluntary gifts for the teachers (twice a year?)--our teachers are fantastic, and I'm glad to participate.

From other people's experiences, it sounds like we may be lucky with our particular co-op--but I'd hate for people to think that all co-ops are bad news!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To follow-up on the "bargain" element that the PP mentioned... be careful to examine all costs carefully. A lot of schools -- not just co-ops -- have other costs levied throughout the year. My kids have been in different preschools over the years, including a co-op. I initially thought that the co-op was a lot cheaper. However, the school did a lot of fundraising and other "nickel and dime-ing". Many schools -- both co-op and traditional -- have "auctions" where the families are REQUIRED to contribute a certain amount of goods and services ($200 - $500) and then are also expected to purchase a certain amount at the auction. When I worked out the expenses as between the co-op and the traditional school, taking all of the "extras" into account, the co-op turned out to be slightly MORE expensive, which was a big surprise. So... investigate all costs beforehand. The co-op is still the way to go if you want to be an active participant in your child's school.

A PP here - I could not agree more! Every single time I turned around, I was asked to donate to this or give to that or X amount was required of the parents. And I can't tell you how much of my own money went toward cleaning supplies b/c they were always out of products.

We switched to a traditional preschool and then entered a montessori and were delighted with the changes. My son will be attending the montessori in a few years, and although it's pricey, I'm sure that with all of the nickle and diming our former co-op did, the tuition comes out to be the same.

good riddance to co-ops! at least to the one we were at b/c it was so poorly run and cliquey

I've got news for you: Nickel-and-diming isn't exclusive to co-ops. Or preschool! Sending your kid to public school in the future? Be prepared to be harassed by your child's class parent for donations for teacher gifts, raffle baskets, and volunteers. Be prepared to sell wrapping paper and buy $30 pillowcases emblazoned with your child's artwork. Private school? You'll LOVE the book fees and the auction donation that will be expected of you. And at either kind of school you'll get requests for hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and Xerox paper as these things run out. Yeah, I know your taxes or tuition are supposed to cover these things, but they don't. Cliques? You don't know cliques until you've been to a few PTA meetings. 8)

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting discussion to me, as I sit on the board of my daughter's co-op.

I agree with previous respondants that you should ask good questions when touring a co-operative preschool. I never feel "nickel-and-dimed', we have no cleaning costs, etc, but I can see how that could easily happen. One should ask specifically about the financial obligations beyond tuition.

To me, the greatest benefit of a co-op is the community. I found a terrific network of parents, grandaprents, etc., all coming together to augment their child's school experience. To most, cooperative invovement is not about saving money (although that is nice!), it is about involvement, community and knowledge.

By working in the classroom, I not only know my child's friends well, I know his parents and get tips from them! I can see how she acts in different situations. I know what areas she need to work on.

I think it is a delight.

[Anonymous]

To respond to the "nickel and dime-ing" thread, I was the first poster on that point, and I tried to make clear that one should consider all costs associated with BOTH co-ops and traditional preschools, and that both types were known to have auctions. I am not "naive" about general school costs... in making my comment, I didn't even consider the contributions of things like kleenex, hand wipes, etc. because I think that every school will ask for those. I was mostly talking about how I felt when I showed up at school, and was hit with another request for money. Of course, I would expect to contribute towards teacher's gifts. I might note, however, that even those contributions differed as between my co-op and my traditional preschool. At the traditional preschool, a central person organized the gift and requested $10 from each family, twice a year. Now, I thought that $10 was pretty low, so I actually got the teachers a small gift certificate in addition to that, for $20 each.

At the co-op, there was no organized gift at the typical times (holidays, teacher appreciation week), so I purchased $20 gift certs at those times. For the teacher's birthday, I was asked to contribute whatever I felt was appropriate, but then told that three families had already contributed $100 each, and one family had contributed well above that. While there was no *requirement* that I contribute a certain amount, I certainly felt a lot of pressure to contribute at least $100, which I felt was pretty high, especially for a place where my son only spent 4 hours/week. I know that preschool teachers aren't well paid, so maybe that's part of it. However, if a family is looking at the relative costs between two programs, all amounts must be taken into account. Auctions, fundraising, etc. - that is all part of the tuition payment on top of whatever "monthly" amount the school is charging.

In addition, my post wasn't meant to bash co-ops. In this economy, many people are watching their pocketbooks, and I just thought that it was important that they know to consider the overall cost of a school. Frankly, I was unaware of the auction and other fundraising requirements imposed by my preschool until several months after we had joined. The paperwork was silent on those matters, so a family would have to know to ask the right questions upfront. I still think that it's a great way to see your child in the classroom. I enjoyed seeing how my son behaved with his classmates, and it helped me to know areas where he was weak (sharing, etc.). As one PP mentioned, there was a clique element to it that I didn't like. I'm sure that depends on the school, and there's no real way to know in advance. But I do agree with the PP that it is probably difficult to escape that, no matter where you are. At least at a traditional preschool, however, you are not as actively involved with the other families, so you might not feel the effects of a clique as much.

[Anonymous]

My problem with our co-op was the parents sent their nannies. I wanted to meet other parents and was disappointed. If you choose a co-op be sure to check who comes to help. That's just a thought.

[Anonymous]

I am repsonding to the cliques. Boy did I get that. I never really liked my co-op and felt uncomfortble, an outsider. ugh

[Anonymous]

Just to add one more point that I didn't see mentioned, one thing to consider if you start a 2 year old in a co-op and plan for them to be there until K...

If you have another child within the next couple years you then have to find childcare for said child while you do your co-op hours. I have had many friends complain about this or pull their children in favor of a traditional preschool environment to avoid this complication.

Or, if you have two kids in the school your hours become so high that you have little time for yourself. This is why I opted not to do a co-op even though I really loved the highly regarded school in our area we toured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can work out participating in a coop preschool, is there any downside? It seems like a nice way to transition kids to FT school. But I never see coop preschools mentioned among the best preschools in the DC area. Am I missing anything?

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

I did a coop and would never do it again. It was with a very harsh director and I never felt comfortable with the parents. I would rather pay more for a very good preschool.