Duvall parents found preschool co-op

When Jennifer Tan moved to Redmond from Malaysia in 2006, she had to find a preschool for her then-3-year-old daughter, but being unfamiliar with America's education system, she didn't know where to start.

"I was looking for an affordable preschool and one where I could also learn together with my daughter," she said. "I had no idea how it works here. In Malaysia, parent participation is kept to a minimum."

She found a preschool co-op in Redmond, a parent-teacher cooperative affiliated with Lake Washington Technical College that allowed her to take early-childhood-education classes and stay in the classroom with her daughter, Raeven, as much as she wanted.

Now that she lives in Duvall, Tan wants to bring the co-op concept closer to home for her younger daughter, Skyler. So Tan and two other Duvall moms are starting a co-op that will open in the fall.

The co-op plans to offer classes for 2- to 4-year-olds and would enroll a maximum of 18 students per class.

The Duvall mothers plan to rent space from a church, and they say parents have committed to enroll seven children.

To start a co-op affiliated with the college, a parent group has to create a board of directors, find a site for the class, raise money and recruit students and parents.

Children share and learn through play, story time and music, similar to other preschool programs.

What is different about these preschools is that parents are required to stay in the classroom at least one day a week and act as instructional assistants.

Also, the co-ops are less expensive than private preschools because of the parental involvement.

Monthly tuition for a child attending class three days a week, 2.5 hours a day, is about $90 at a co-op affiliated with Lake Washington Technical College. The price is about $115-$135 for similar co-ops at Bellevue Community College.

Parents also have to take early-childhood-parenting classes once a month, which may be taught by the same certified teacher who teaches in the co-op classroom.

Although co-ops have been operating in Seattle since 1935, the trend is to start new co-ops, said Marion Holland, parent-education coordinator for Lake Washington Technical College.

"There are more mothers willing to do the work to start a new co-op because there are so many young families buying homes in the Duvall area," Holland said.

About 10 percent of Duvall's population is younger than 5, which is about 3 percent higher than the national average, according to the 2000 census.

The greater Seattle area has 62 preschool co-ops, including the new one in Duvall, Holland said.

The Duvall moms said they appreciate the co-ops because they are learning how to become better parents.

"What you learn is every kid is a good kid, and with the right approach every kid can have a good experience in school," said Sara Davis, one of the Duvall moms.

Taya Flores: 206-464-3825 or tflores@seattletimes.com