Preschool cooperatives date back to the 1940s. Cambridge, in fact, is home to some of the oldest co-ops. Today, cooperative preschools are enjoying a renaissance thanks to changing attitudes towards work and family, and by parents' desire to play a larger role in their child's development and education.

What do parents do? At Agassiz, co-op members serve on the board of directors and on committees. They make budget decisions, hire staff, and set policy. Members also help out in day-to-day ways. Parents rotate certain daily responsibilities. For example, parent-helpers assist in the classrooms and rotate the responsibility of bringing a daily snack. Agassiz families also participate in an annual work day and put time into projects such as fund-raisers, admissions activities, and field trips.

For parents the time commitment is significant, but not all onerous. Most parents report that they enjoy their parent jobs - they make a meaningful contribution to their child's education, they form lasting friendships with other families, and they learn new skills. Co-op members can expect to be asked to contribute, on average, about one day per month to the school, plus a few hours every two or three weeks to their parent jobs.

The strength and quality of a co-op is a reflection of what member families bring to it, and Agassiz has enjoyed the contributions of many members over the years. Our families come from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds. They include artists, cooks, scholars, teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, scientists, musicians, constructions workers, homemakers, and managers - white collar, blue collar, and no collar. What they share is a deep belief in the importance of the family-school partnership and in the idea that communities as well as families play a vital role in a child's development.