Getting into preschool in NYC can be complicated process with its lottery system, zoning rules and competition – making it very difficult to get in. And now that the public schools have sent their acceptance letters, if your child doesn’t get into a public preschool program you will have to wait another year – meaning you will need a nanny or babysitter or have them enrolled in a private preschool or a daycare. Any of those options are great but they can also be very expensive! One way to get around this is to band together with some parents in your neighborhood and form a preschool co-op.
Here are some tips for how you can form your own co-op.
- Connect with the right people. Obviously you will want to form a group with people that share your values as well as people that you get along – for both you and your family. You also want to form a group with people whose children are the same age (or around the same age) as your child. You will also want to form a group with families that live nearby since you will likely be having the co-op at various locations and many people won’t want to travel that far. If you are short on enrollees, ask the other parents’ to search among their groups of friends. You don’t want your group to be too big – six is a good amount of kids (five children if they are under two) – for legal reasons (more on that below) and also so that the teacher can give all the kids enough attention and focus. If you are having difficulty finding other families to join consider posting an ad on your neighborhood’s listserv.
- Have a discussion. After your group forms, have a discussion about everything from food allergies to establishing a policy for sick kids to your groups stance on time-out’s, etc. Make a list of any issues as well as some basic school guidelines, including where the school will be held, how much you will be paying a teacher and a schedule of when the parents will work at the school. You should also figure out who will be responsible for collecting money and buying supplies such as diapers, art supplies, books, etc. In our group, we have a treasurer/secretary who breaks down the payment cycle into 7 weeks and emails us when payment is due. She also pays the teacher on behalf of the group and sets up a Google Calendar so that all the parents can see which family member is working with the teacher on a given day.
- Find a teacher. After you figure out the structure of the school you will need to locate a teacher. This will be your group’s biggest expense so you want to make sure that you find one that is experienced, professional and one that understands this unique school setting. We found our amazing teacher from a neighborhood recommendation. Other places to find a good teacher are listserv’s and/or Craigslist, a university career center like at Brooklyn College or the Teacher’s College at Columbia. Know what your group wants – whether that is a licensed teacher or an experienced childcare provider. Interview several teachers and involve as many parents in the group as possible during this process. Make sure that your teacher understands the idea of this unique structure such as that a parent will be always be in the class as a helper and that the co-op will rotate at different homes (unless you have other arrangements.) You should also ask your potential teacher about whether they need any time off such as for vacation. This is also a good time to figure out sick days and whether you will pay them for holidays, etc. Meet with your top two candidates again and arrange a playdate where your candidates, kids and parents can interact. This is a great way to see how your potential teacher acts with your kids and vice versa. After the playdate, make your decision with the other parents.
- Set up a class structure. Once you hired your teacher, decide where the co-op will be held and establish a time line for your school. In general, three hours for about two-three days a week is ideal. We have a structure from 9:00 to noon that started out with two days a week and later went on to three days when the kids got older.
- Know the laws. The New York State law requires that you have to register with the Department of Health if you have more than two children (that are not related) in a home for more than three hours a day. The best bet for your co-op is to stick with six kids (five for schools with kids under two years old) at three hours a day. This is actually is an ideal amount of time for younger kids as they adapt to this new structure. If you want to add on more time or more kids, be sure to register.
- Adjust the structure. During the year you may have to adjust your structure in case families leave the group or you need money for more supplies or trips. Having this time of school structure makes it easy to be flexible as long as all the parents involved are on board.
Other things to consider:
- Drop-off may be tricky in the beginning – especially for children where this is the first time they are separated from their parents. Don’t just leave in the beginning, but rather, have a gradual drop-off where you stay for 30 minutes, then 15 minutes until they are finally ready for a quicker goodbye.
- Make a list with everyone’s address and phone numbers.
- Make a snack schedule based on what parent is working the school.
- Bring an extra pair of clothes with your child.
- Make a list of all supplies needed – and assign someone to pick them up (or order the items online).
- Make a payment schedule – including money for petty cash.
- Ask your teacher to send you a monthly schedule of what they will be doing.
- If you don’t want to have your school rotate at different families homes, consider renting a space like a church for a few hours a week. This can also be factored into your payment structure.