Why do families keep coming back to Woodland Park Co-op?

Woodland Park Cooperative Preschool (WPC) has many return families who come back year after year, whether they enroll one child or multiple siblings. So what’s the secret sauce, why do families love our co-op so much?

I can’t speak for everyone, but we’re an alumni family returning for a second year at WPC and we adore it. Here are five reasons why:

1. Kids are free to have fun and do messy play. Your child might return home splattered in mud, paint or both – and with a huge smile on their face. On a more serious note, sensory, self-directed messy play supports brain development and also offers emotional self-soothing and resilience. 
   
2. WPC kiddos learn the social-emotional skills we wish someone had taught us as kids. Their emotions are validated and teachers and caregivers are there to help scaffold conflict resolution, boundaries and problem solving. WPC members respect children as whole humans with feelings and needs.
3. Joining the WPC community is a huge opportunity to grow as a nurturing parent or caregiver. There are so many inspiring role models among the teachers and community at co-op. We’re filled with constant admiration for the grounded, playful, fun and heart-centered caregiving we see from other co-op members.
4. We made some of our best friends at WPC. Let’s face it, raising small humans can be a bit, well, lonely at times. We need friends to go on play dates and have adventures with. WPC members can meet up regularly for activities and the school also has legendary camping trips. Some families also carpool and watch each other’s kids for them.
5. You can see the kids growing in confidence in front of your eyes. Part of this is their natural development, but part of it is an environment where they can contribute to tasks such as planting and watering the garden, and helping with setting up and cleanup of daily activities. The pride on the faces of the children that are gaining new skills in the playground speaks for itself – as does the grin of a child who has just uplevelled their ‘risky’ play to climb, slide or swing in ways more thrilling than before.

In short, we love how our child flourished at the co-op and how we also found steadier feet and more joy as parents. It’s not always easy to give children what they need in our low-nurture culture, but WPC feels like a bubble of fun, play and nurture that can support the entire family.