About Us

What is a parent cooperative preschool?

It is a place where families and young children learn and grow together in a safe and comfortable environment with activities that are developmentally appropriate for every stage of your child's development. Co-op also provides parents a place to learn about child development and child rearing in an environment supported by other parents and the Community Colleges of Spokane.

At co-op your child will have many opportunities to try new activities, develop independence, basic academic concepts and skills, make new friends, learn to share, listen and follow directions and group routines, enjoy themselves, and learn that school is fun.

As a parent, you will have the opportunity to be an active part in your child's first learning experience, enhance your parenting skills, share ideas, interests and resources with other parents, make new family friendships, and use and develop leadership skills by helping run a non-profit organization.

Why Family Involvement?

"The quality of the program is determined by the quality of adult/child interactions."

Parents are the most important teachers to their children. A parent co-op preschool gives families a chance to participate in their child's education at a very early age. Working with the facilitator, families are involved in creating stimulating and fun experiences for the children, as well as having a say in the decisions that are made in the school.

Commitment to the program includes involvement in the following:

Attending a monthly business meeting and parent education seminar (typically held Monday evenings).
Accepting responsibility for various tasks involved in running the program (small and large jobs available).
Assist in the classroom at least once a week.
Family nights are held in September, December, and May as a way to get to know each other and celebrate our children together. We encourage everyone to bring all their children, and we plan great activities for all ages.

College Affiliation

Northwest Parent Cooperative Preschool is a parent education program affiliated with the Community Colleges of Spokane.
As a member of the co-op your are an enrolled student in the non-graded parent education program.
Parents may enroll at any time during the quarter and pay only for the months that they attend.
Northwest Parent Cooperative Preschool rents space from Emmanuel Presbyterian Church but are not affiliated with any religious organization.

Co-op is a great place to meet other parents so you can "compare notes" on parenting issues and learn more. Time is set aside to discuss issues and learn about parenting topics through seminars, meetings and daily co-op classes. We all can learn from each other!

Call or come by and see if cooperative preschool is for your family!

MEET MISS LAURA

Hi, I’m Laura West (Miss Laura in the classroom).

I’m excited to return to the role of classroom facilitator for our Pre-K students. This will mark my fifth year as part of our awesome Co-Op family (first as a parent, then as the facilitator).

I graduated from Walla Walla University with a Master’s Degree in Teaching with secondary certifications. Following a year teaching at an international school in Thailand, I returned to WA to marry and start a family while working as a substitute teacher. Since the start of my parenting journey, I have primarily stayed home my own kids, with occasional district substitute work. My children are Elaina (10), Christopher(8), and Robin (6). With the advent of motherhood, my teaching style has shifted to play-based learning and integrating music and movement into the classroom experience.

I found co-op when searching for a budget-friendly preschool for my son. Friends recommended NW and I loved it. My son absolutely thrived in the classroom and I realized that “cheap” didn’t mean low-quality. I’ve been honored to step into the facilitator role these past two years.

At co-op we believe that you as a parent, are your child’s first and most influential teacher. We seek to support you in that role while sharing the joy of watching your little ones learn and grow.

I look forward to sharing this year with you!

Meet MISS VANESSA

Hi, my name is Miss Vanessa. I am a CO-OP alumni, as well as the Toddler, Family Day, and Preschool facilitator. I can’t wait to celebrate the year with all of you!

I first discovered CO-OP when my oldest son started at the age of two. Since then, I've learned how every year at CO-OP is truly a new and exciting opportunity to meet different families and create lasting experiences and memories.

My journey to our CO-OP family started when I was little, growing up with a pretty amazing mom, who always encouraged play, continuously surprised me with fun activities, like after school tea parties, and let me spend hours outdoors with a bucket full of worms in my mud kitchen.

During college I taught at numerous early learning centers and graduated with my Elementary Education degree, specializing in reading, writing, and science. After completing school, I worked as a mentor facilitator for a middle school youth program. Then I stayed home with my 3 kiddos and have been homeschooling for seven years.

While at home, I was continuously drawn to community groups, like mom's clubs, neighborhood dinners, Campfire, Boy Scouts, and even my own community school group that focused on garden and culinary education, which is probably why I gravitated back towards CO-OP after all this time.

From my experience CO-OP families come together to create a rich learning community for our kids to grow and learn as their own unique selves, and during this time we also come to support and inspire one another as parents. I can't wait to build our year together full of exploration, imagination, play, creativity, connectedness, and some sensory messes too! And, I'm looking forward to learning all of your children’s interests and meeting everyone. It is really all of us that make CO-OP what it is.