Co-op preschool relies on local parents to teach children
Morgan Hill – Preschool advocates have long touted its benefits for shaping the minds of young children before they enter our nations school systems, but Morgan Hill’s oldest preschool uses a unique approach to reach its kids – their own parents.
The Parent Child Nursery School, known informally as the preschool co-op, is located on the grounds of the Advent Lutheran Church on Murphy Avenue. It opened in 1969 to provide a supportive learning environment while utilizing parents as helpers and educators.
“While in many preschools, you may have one teacher for 12 kids, here, we have 18 kids but six working parents,” said Co-Director Robin Gish, who is also a teacher. “We could not do what we do here, run things the way they are run, without our parents.”
The school charges considerably less for its preschool program than other programs in the area, which average $400-600 per month for half-day and three-day per week classes. At the co-op, families pay $160 per month for the two-day per week classes; for the three-day per week classes, it is $210 per month.
Tuition is low due to fundraising, the fact that the school is nonprofit and the way parents are brought into the classroom to supplement what the teachers do. Parents must volunteer to be in the classroom for one class per week.
When the parents are working, Gish said, the children are very pleased to have their parent in the group, but, particularly in the pre-k group, the parents aren’t always with their children.
“During ‘free choice,’ they can be with their parent, but they know their parent is working that day,” Gish said. “Usually, they stay by their side for a little while, then run off to another activity.”
Though the cost is considerably less expensive than other childcare facilities, parents say that’s not why they choose the school for their kids.
“But even if the cost per tuition was doubled, I don’t think you’d see many, if any, families leaving,” parent Elizabeth Gordon said. “I know I wouldn’t. I can’t think of anyone who chose it because of budget considerations. What’s important to us is the hands-on time with our children. We made a decision to invest the time with our children.”
Parent involvement allows Gish and fellow Co-Director and teacher Tracy Farstad to offer a more challenging curriculum, Gish said.
“When I came nine years ago, we set up a curriculum for pre-K, upping our standards a little,” she said. “Standards have changed. Pre-K is like kindergarten used to be, and kindergarten is like first grade.”
Students who graduate from the co-op can write their name, they know all their phonics sounds and have been exposed to a variety of books to help their parents encourage a love of reading in them.
Parent Lajette England, who also serves as vice president of the governing board, said her second child, Will, has thrived under the school’s curriculum as did his older sister before him.
“He is so excited to go,” she said. “He always watched his sister go off to school, and he is so happy it is his turn now. The things they do, how quickly they learn their routines and look forward to them, like the share bag, it’s just really special.”
Parent Elizabeth Gordon said her son Ross, who is in the class for 2-year-olds, enthusiastically brings home experiences from his school day.
“He sings the songs he learns when they have music, he claps the beat for us, he talks about the books they’ve had read to them,” Gordon said. “He loves all aspects of it.”
Students have a routine that they learn to follow, Gish said.
The first hour of the two-and-a-half hour school day is “free choice” time, with a variety of activities for students to pick from, including playing outside, working on art projects or playing in the block room. After the hour is up, the entire class comes together for large group time.
“These kids sit for half an hour,” parent Brigette Foehr said, a note of disbelief creeping into her tone. “Can you believe it, at their age? But that’s one of the reasons it’s so important. It prepares them for what’s coming with kindergarten.”
Foehr, who is also president of the school’s governing board, has had two children prior to daughter Elle “graduate” from the school. Their introduction to the K-12 system, she believes, has been more pleasant and much less traumatic as a result.
“They were so ready, they walked in with confidence,” she said. “They were ready to read, they loved books, they already knew about circle time.”
During the circle time at the co-op, Gish said, the students participate in “teacher-initiated activities, getting them ready for kindergarten.”
Students talk about the calendar each day, they use a phonics-teaching system, the same system used by the district, and they listen to a book read by the teacher and talk about it.
Students take turns taking home the “share bag,” bringing it back filled with something they want to show-and-tell with their classmates.
But the sharing among students also rubs off on their families.
“After nine years at this school, I am amazed at how many families carry on relationships with one another that were forged here years ago, when their children first started school,” Gish said. “That’s one of the things that makes us special. That and the fact that we are foremost a developmental school: If these students aren’t having fun, I’m not doing my job. The learning is good, but we want them to have fun while they’re at it. They have plenty of time to be serious later.”
Interested?
The school will offer registration for the 06-07 school year in February, beginning with returning families the first week, alumni the second week, and open registration on Feb. 27. Interested parents are invited to come see the school during classtime, weekdays 8:30am until 2:30pm.
Currently, the pre-K class is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class, from noon to 2:30pm; the 2-year-old class is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am until 11am; and this year, there are two classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2:30pm and Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 8:30am until 11am.Costs for the two day per week classes is $160 per month; for the three day per week classes, it is $210 per month.
Upcoming Preschool Fair Gives Parents Options
If shopping for a preschool or daycare, the place to be Jan. 19 is the Las Madres annual preschool fair at the Morgan Hill Community Center where at least 25 schools will be represented.
Coordinator Jennifer Evans said there will be preschools and preschools that offer daycare from Morgan Hill, south San Jose and Gilroy with representatives at the event to talk with families. Although families cannot formally register their child during the event, Evans said, they can pick up everything they need to register their child later.
“There will be a principal or director there from the schools that can answer any questions, tell families about their school and let them know what they need to do to register,” she said.
Children are welcome at the event, which will be held from 7pm-9pm. The event is free and will be held in a convention-like atmosphere, Evans said, with booths set up by the participating schools, and attendees free to wander around and visit the booths of the schools they are interested in.
One of the more valuable pieces of information attendees will receive, Evans said, is a spreadsheet listing all the participating schools and pertinent information about them, such as hours and location.
For more information about the event or about Las Madres, visit their website at www.mhlasmadres.org
