Leader: Trena Younglove

A cooperative preschool is one in which you the parent participate actively in your child's preschool experience. Our co-op is a unique family program which combines a morning preschool with a parent education program.

Mom or Dad works together with another parent partner to teach a small preschool class one morning each week. You are scheduled on the same morning each week and may choose the age group you wish to teach. Many (but not all) parents will choose to work with the age group to which their child is assigned. On other mornings when you are not teaching at co-op, you may leave your child in the care of other parent teachers. You are always welcome to stay and play with your child but you can leave knowing that he or she will be loved and well cared for while you are gone.

The children enrolled in co-op range in age from 18 months to 5 years. They are assigned to small groups depending on their age. Younger groups usually have a maximum of 10 children while older groups usually have a maximum of 12 children. Consequently, the parent-child ratio in the younger groups is 1:5 and in the older groups 1:6.

Our co-op promotes positive parenting and offers role models for mothers as they learn to parent their children more effectively. Co-op provides a support system for the families who are involved. Parents who participate often form lasting friendships with others as they share the joys of watching their children grow.

CO-OP provides an enriching variety of activities with a "hands-on-discovery" approach. Our lesson plans include activities in math, science, language arts, pretend play, and gross and fine motor development. Children have an opportunity to develop social skills such as cooperation, sharing, taking turns, respect, and consideration of other children and adults. Through our curriculum and our positive parenting techniques our children develop positive self-esteem.

CO-OP holds night time meetings approximately twice a month. These meetings include time to discuss CO-OP business, speakers on parenting and education topics, and time to group with other moms to plan your co-op workdays. Attending meetings is a required part of the program. They are held on Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Babysitting is available for a small fee.

Tuition and fees per quarter are as follows: $65 Registration Fee (one time per year) Tuition for 1 child $230 per quarter Tuition for 2 Children $345 per quarter Each additional child is half price adding $115 per child per quarter Families may enroll in CO-OP any time during the school year if space is available. The cost of the program will be pro-rated.

Trena Younglove, Director - 407-903-0810   email: yloveflorida@aol.com