I think we would love to do something like this. What do you guys think?

By Erin Kelley-Gedischk
Oak Bay News
Jun 14 2006

Preschool Can be Expensive and Confusing.

The marketplace is flooded with a bewildering assortment of preschool philosophies: Montessori, intensive academics or play-centred programs organized by for-profits, not-for-profits, businesses or churches.

At cooperative preschools, parents don't drop their children off at the door. Parents help run the school - but more importantly, they participate in their child's education.

Gonzales preschool embraces the village approach to raising a child.

"It can be a hard time raising preschool age kids. It can also be isolating," Angela Morrow said. "The school is a real community of families that share resources and information."

She didn't know co-operative education existed as an option when she started searching for preschools.

"I had never considered it before. We had just heard about it through word of mouth," she said.

Morrow's experience is typical because co-op preschools run on a limited advertising budget. Furthermore, Gonzales preschool has a waitlist every year.

The significant parental time commitment means the school is not for everyone. Parents must take 10 hours of training before they can volunteer in the classroom, working one or two days every month for the length of the 2.5-hour class.

Furthermore, parents are assigned jobs such as gardening, cleaning, making modeling dough, event coordinating, school orienteering and fundraising.

"It helps keep the tuition lower and so a wider demographic of people can have access to quality education," Morrow said.

Fees range between $70 and $100 per month for two or three classes a week.

The non-profit organization has operated for 50 years in Oak Bay and is located in the lower half of St. Philip's Church.

In addition to the co-operative aspects of the school, Morrow was also drawn to the preschool's educational philosophy.

The school promotes learning through play, by providing a stimulating environment with hands-on activities that encourage children to explore and understand their world.

The learning however is not limited to the kids.

Parents participate in workshops on topics such as discipline and child development.

"The school has supportive and non-judgmental feel," Morrow said. "You have a group of people that are working through the same issues as you are with your kids. It's a real resource of information."

Furthermore, parents also learn from early childhood educator Frances Deas.

"You have someone with 25 years of experience with children working side-by-side with you," she said.

Morrow's eldest child graduates to kindergarten this year. Like many other parents, she enrolled her youngest child without hesitation.

"It's just nice to be involved," she said.