About

SCP has been run by local parents for over 30 years in Snohomish, WA.

What makes a cooperative preschool different from other preschools?

  • Co-op preschools are parent-run, non-profit organizations.
  • Parents are in the classroom once per week working as teacher assistants. Studies show that parent involvement in education is the factor most highly correlated with children‘s school success.
  • Parents are students too. A parent education course is incorporated into each monthly member meeting.
  • While working together to run the preschool, parents create friendships that help sustain and support them through the joys and challenges of parenting preschoolers. See all member responsibilities.
  • High adult-to-child ratios allow for more child-directed learning, more opportunities to interact with each child, and increased supervision.
  • Children do not need to be potty-trained at co-op preschool.
Edmonds Community College Logo

The Family Life Education Department at EC partners with many of the local co-op preschools. Family Life instructors mentor teachers, teach parent education courses and help with the administrative runnings of the preschool.

SCP members are students of Edmonds College. The benefits of this partnership are:

  • Members earn college credits.
  • Family Life instructors are in the classroom once per week showing parents best practices for working with children.
  • During monthly parent education classes, members learn new parenting skills, discuss early childhood education topics, and share parenting challenges, goals and successes.
  • Members are able to reach out to their Family Life instructor for help with parenting challenges.
  • Members are eligible for an EdPass, student ID#, and student email which they can use for student discounts.

“It’s amazing that the decision of where to send our kids to preschool had such a profound impact on my life and the direction it’s taking. But it did. It might take a village to raise a child but I had spent the better part of three years wondering where the heck my village was. I found it in Snohomish, in a basement classroom. I found it in the women who continuously supported and lifted each other up and allowed themselves to also be lifted.”

Kara K., May 2018