Cooperative preschool offers alternative learning for children and parents
Author: Lori Rypka

The Circle of Life Cooperative preschool offers a unique educational concept for children and parents.
At the private school in Jefferson, Md., parents play important leadership and practical roles every day.
The school is associated with the Unitarian Universalist Church and offers nondenominational spiritual teaching. While there is no formal instruction of the UU Church teachings, the principles of the church are interwoven in the lessons and instruction.
The lesson plans resemble one found in a traditional preschool, but on any given day, they could take a variety of turns. The lessons will still be taught, but will be done so more in accordance with the children’s interests and at their own pace, said CLC Director and teacher Sue Singley.
For example, during a math lesson, the children might turn their attention to ants crawling on the floor. Through guided investigations, and the ability to think quickly, Singley can craft a lesson from counting the ants, talking about their body structure, what they eat, how they live, and more.
“I’ve put together beautifully crafted lessons that fell flat,” Singley says, adding that any change in plans can lead to other teachable moments.
Singley is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, which is where she learned about the opportunity to lead the school effort. She used her educational background, as well as her beliefs in the Unitarian Universalist principles, to teach a mixed classroom of 3- to 5-year-olds.
Since many of the children are attending school for the first time, Singley counts among her goals to guide them toward a love for exploration and learning, words and books, and an interest in the world around them.
The school offers traditional preschool lessons on the alphabet, numbers and fire safety, but teaches them in a way that meets the kids where their interests are, Singley says. The goal at craft time, she says, is not for children to produce the same final outcomes but to let them create works of interest to them.
A task force is considering expanding the school to offer a kindergarten class, Singley says. The school is in session Monday through Wednesday for half-day class, and the expansion would add a class on Thursday and Friday, or perhaps in the afternoons, she says.

Parent involvement

Parents play an active role in the school in a different way than they would in a traditional preschool.
They belong to a parent council, or what would traditionally be called a PTA, for which there are two chairpersons. The group develops a schedule of parent aides to volunteer in the classroom, and plans healthful organic snacks, fundraisers and more.
Parents are responsible for cleaning the school on a regular basis, participating in improvements, such as readying the playground, and preparing materials for the classroom.
This intensive parent involvement is one reason the school can keep its tuition down - $150 per month for the three half-day program.
Singley says having parents there is helpful for children in their learning, as well as their transition to school life.
“When the children see the parents stay, I believe the message they get is that school is a good place because mom or dad want to stay with me here at school,” she says.
Since a different parent is in the classroom each day, Singley believes children become more comfortable with other grown-ups helping them.
When it comes to doing crafts, eating snacks or other activities, no child is ever forced to participate, Singley says. They are certainly encouraged to try, however.
Candace Unger of Knoxville, Md., admits she started looking for a school for her son, Ty, a little late in the game. Because of his October birthday, he was on the border of being accepted because of age. Unger said CLC “opened its doors” to them and believes they “lucked into it.”
The first year Ty attended CLC, Unger took more of a volunteer role in the classroom. Now, she is one of the co-chairs at the school.
What Unger appreciates about the school is being able to be in the classroom and know what her son is learning. Although hers is not an organic family, Unger likes the fact that Ty is exposed to a variety of healthful, organic foods. She says he has taken a liking to hummus, although it always seems better at school (she has tried giving it to him at home).
Tina Jones came to CLC with an interest in having a more hands-on approach to her daughter Kaya’s education. She says Kaya has blossomed in an environment that allows the growth of her learning style.
“A cooperative school requires a lot of parent involvement. All of the parents rely on each other. If a parent volunteer cannot for whatever reason attend class on his or her day, there is always someone available to step in,” Jones says.
“When you enroll into a cooperative, you are not just in a parent/student/teacher relationship, you become part of a big family,” Jones adds.

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