Why Schools Are Stronger When Families Build Them Together
Walk into most schools and you'll find parents supporting from the sidelines—volunteering for classroom parties, attending conferences, helping with fundraisers, or cheering from the audience at performances.
Those contributions matter.
But what if families weren't simply supporters of a school? What if they helped build it?
That idea isn't new.
More than a century ago, groups of parents began creating cooperative schools where families, educators, and children learned together. The first parent cooperative preschool in the United States was founded in 1915 by a small group of university families who wanted something different for their children. These schools weren't just places to drop children off—they were communities built around a shared vision of childhood and education.
In a parent cooperative, families didn't simply enroll their children. They served on boards, helped guide the school's direction, worked alongside teachers, and shared responsibility for the school's success. As Parent Cooperative Preschools International describes it, "Parents, preschool children and their teachers all go to school together and learn together."
That philosophy has inspired us.
The Children's Collective isn't a cooperative preschool, but it was founded in much the same spirit.
It began because two parents believed children deserved something different. They imagined a school where relationships mattered as much as academics, where curiosity was valued over compliance, and where families weren't customers—they were partners.
That belief still shapes everything we do.
Our Board of Directors is made up entirely of parents. Every family serves on a committee or in a leadership role that helps strengthen our community. Some organize events. Others support admissions, fundraising, campus improvements, communications, or family engagement. Each contribution is different, but every contribution matters.
We don't ask families to participate because we need free labor.
We ask because schools are stronger when the people who care most about children help shape the community those children grow up in.
Research on parent cooperative schools found that parents who actively participate become stronger advocates for children, develop leadership skills, build lasting relationships with other families, and gain a deeper understanding of education. Perhaps most importantly, children see that the adults in their lives value education enough to invest their own time and talents in it.
That lesson can't be taught from a textbook.
Children notice when their parents know their teachers. They notice when families work together to solve problems, celebrate successes, and build traditions. They learn that community isn't something someone else creates—it's something everyone helps build.
At The Children's Collective, we often say we're small by design.
That isn't just about class size.
It's about creating a community where families know one another, where everyone's voice matters, and where children grow up surrounded by adults who share a common purpose.
Our name was chosen intentionally.
A collective is more than a group of people in the same place. It's a community united by shared responsibility and a shared vision.
That's the kind of school we're building.
Not one that belongs to a founder.
Not one that belongs to a board.
Not even one that belongs only to the teachers.
A school that belongs to the community that builds it—one family at a time.
Further Reading
If you're interested in learning more about the history and impact of parent cooperative schools, we recommend:
- Parent Cooperative Early Childhood Settings: Empowering Family Strengths and Family Engagement for All Young Children by Kathleen I. Harris. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350020152_Parent_Cooperative_Early_Childhood_Settings_Empowering_Family_Strengths_and_Family_Engagement_for_All_Young_Children
- Parent Cooperative Preschools International: Why Choose a Cooperative Preschool? https://www.preschools.coop/resources/#publications