Before Bug was born, I taught preschool for nearly a decade. I loved working with children and I can truly say I looked forward to going to work each day (except maybe near the end of my pregnancy when it was over 100 degrees in our outdoor classroom). The school I worked at had wonderful, attentive staff, a beautiful outdoor space, very little academics and no pressure in that arena. To me, it was ideal. Throughout my pregnancy I looked forward to sending my son there, to running around with all of my little students and playing with my former co-workers. During the first year of his life we visited often, attended music class every week and popped in whenever we could. I started thinking about when he should start classes. As soon as he was walking, which was the earliest the school allowed? Or maybe we would wait until he was two and talking a bit? Then, after many months of conversations weighing the pros and cons, my husband and I decided to move our little family out of state, away from my beloved preschool and into the world of unknowns. It was the right choice for us, but I still get a bit teary when I think about how Bug won’t be able to attend the school that I taught at for so long!

outdoorclassGardening in the outdoor classroom with a former student

Once we settled down into our new home in the desert, I started to explore the preschool options nearby. Bug started walking at 14 months, and most of the local schools start at 16 months if your child is a steady walker. I wasn’t sure about how waiting lists worked in my new area, so I wanted to get an early start. I knew that I wanted a non-academic school, with a lot of outdoor space and plenty of free time to explore and grow. I wanted the teachers to have at least a few years of experience, but not be burnt out, which unfortunately happens often in the preschool world, where teachers can commonly be over-worked and underpaid for what is a really hard job. I wasn’t looking for a certain philosophy, but I would “know” it when I saw it. Oh, and as a one income household trying to save money for the down payment on a house while also paying off a large chunk of debt, it needed to be on the lower end cost wise. So basically, I wanted a unicorn. And of course, I didn’t find it.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are definitely some beautiful schools out here in the sandy suburbs of Phoenix, but each one had one or two issues that became deal breakers for my family. My favorite school, a private Waldorf that feeds into a Waldorf charter, was too far, a 30-minute drive each way without morning traffic factored in. I left LA to get away from the commute, and I knew I would start to dread it if I added a long drive back into my day. The Montessori school with an outdoor classroom was beautiful, but out of our price range and located on an extremely busy street. Since we live in an area where summer temperatures often top out at 120 degrees F, many schools here are primarily indoors, and that just isn’t going to work for my wild child. Bug needs space to roam; there is zero chance of him sitting at a desk. A large portion of the preschools near us are highly academic, which also won’t work for our family right now. I was feeling limited and stuck. Nothing felt right.

After exhausting the local preschool list, I tapped the brains of some of my mom friends from LA, who suggested I look around for a co-op preschool instead. There are so many benefits to a co-op in our situation. Lower tuition, because the parents are required to “work” for various hours each week. Less of a transition, because I would be there with Bug for a large portion of time. Less structure, since co-ops generally aren’t very academic, and some don’t even hire teachers. I hadn’t seen any co-ops in my initial search, so I posted on my local Facebook mom’s group to find out what my options might be.

It didn’t take long to realize, there weren’t any public co-ops in my area! I’m not sure if it is the laws in Arizona or the fact that many people here home school and do their own private home school co-ops, but I could not find a single established co-op preschool location with open enrollment. Dozens of other moms chimed in that they too were looking for an alternative to the traditional preschools that were found in our neighborhoods. After some discussion, I noticed that there were a few moms who seemed to be on the same exact page as I am when it comes to early childhood education. We all wanted outdoor space and free time for our kids to explore on their own and with friends. People were throwing around terms like “desert kindy” and “child led learning” and I was starting to get excited! So I took a leap of faith, started a new group, and invited those moms to join me in a new adventure: we started our own preschool co-op!

Is your child in a co-op preschool? I love hearing from other co-op moms about how the cooperative system is working for them.