“One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun.”

– Jane Goodall

Why a co-op? This is the million-dollar question and one we get asked all the time. And there isn’t just one answer.

As any parent can tell you, childhood is fleeting. There’s no time in a child’s life like the preschool time and the gift you, as a parent, can receive by spending it with them.

Kids are constantly learning and growing and changing. At a co-op you get to experience this magic every day, both in your own child and in others. If you only ever drop off your kid you don’t know exactly what they’re like at school…

Give a child some stretchy attachable tubes and see what they do!

At MCPC, you get to experience your child in a different environment, to get a little peek into their world. How do they interact with other kids and adults? How do they behave in a group? Where do they choose to spend their time?

You might never know that your kid is the first to push to the front of the line. or come up with the idea in the game, or spend 30 minutes on a single piece of art. Kids bring a different self to school than they do to their home environment.

What else, you wonder? Because of the working parent role we do A LOT of parent education. This is a great resource for parents but it also creates a shared language about how to respond when difficulties come up.

Having this common ground smooths the path for the whole family during this time, when kids are learning, growing, playing, full of energy — and need lots of redirection. If you have the same language that your child has their learning happens faster, their behavior is easier and it becomes a more enjoyable time to spend with your imaginative, crazy, wild preschooler.

At a co-op the kids also become comfortable with other parents in a completely different way. We are truly a community raising our kids together and our children learn to really trust all the parents at school. They say it takes a village to raise a child — and MCPC is its own little village of connected families.

But isn’t it a lot of work, you ask? YES! It is. But your family gets as much or more out of it than you put in. A co-op is not for everyone but once you try it you might never turn back.

Making play dough at school — always a hit!

So what is so special about MCPC specifically?

Here’s what Teacher/Director Jolie had to say:

“I think it’s the magic of the parents who want to be here. Consistently, regularly, we get parents who want to be here and be a part of this environment. There’s a self-selection that takes place where families who join want to own their own space at this school, want to be a part of a bigger whole. And I think we’ve also been truly lucky to have teachers who have stayed for so long. Teacher Susana has been here over 25 years, myself (Jolie) 12, Jamie and Nick over 6. We all get to really know each other and understand how each of us responds to parents and kids.”

If you ask a kid it’s a lot simpler! They love their school, their teachers and their friends. What more could you ask for?

Waiting for a turn on the swing in our nature area.

So Why Join A Co-op Anyway?

© 2024 MCPC

parents and alumni