Lafayette Nursery School is a parent participation nursery school, also known as a co-op. Unlike other forms of preschool, a co-op requires more than tuition - it requires a commitment of your time and energy. Participating parents must assist in the classroom, clean and maintain the school, and attend parent education evenings. 

In return, a co-op becomes your school as much as it is your child’s school.  You work in it.  You give your energy and your ideas.  You put yourself into the school.  You help to shape it and to make it whatever it becomes.  

LNS provides the opportunity to be directly involved with your child’s education, to gain tools to be the best parent you can be, to create lasting friendships (for your child and your family), and to be part of a community that cares and supports one another.

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Assisting in the Classroom

The role of the participating parent is that of encouraging a warm, relaxed and creative atmosphere with the children and to assist the Director in setting up and presenting the children's program. There is a minimum of one adult to every five children. You will have expert guidance and lots of back up. 
 
Each school day, one parent will be responsible for 
a healthy snack for all children, participating parents, and instructors. 

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Parent Education

As a school, we are committed to providing guidance to our parent members. After each class, the participating parents sit down with the Director for a learning moment. These cover topics such as how to approach separation anxiety, sharing, and word choice with preschoolers. We host multiple parent education meetings and opportunities (such as CPR certification) at our school each year. In addition, the school has a Parent Education Library located in the office. This consists of books, pamphlets and videos on child development, safety and guidance. ​

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​Community Building

​A co-op school naturally provides ongoing opportunities for members to get to know each other. In support of the value of creating a community, we also host many social events throughout the year. Some events are for the entire family and some events focus on developing our parent bonds. Social events range from park playdates and coordinated pumpkin patch trips to our annual Spring Auction that is led by our Ways and Means Chair with support from our Social Committee.

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Classroom Housekeeping

Each family contributes their time to between two and three housekeeping assignments per year. This includes one group housekeeping session where multiple families work together on some of the larger cleaning tasks, and one to two individual housekeeping sessions. Housekeeping involves cleaning the school interior during non-school hours; the schedule is created annually by the Housekeeping Chair. 

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School Maintenance

There is one group maintenance assignment during the year for each family. On maintenance days, multiple families will work together repairing, building, cleaning, and/or completing whatever needs to be done to keep the school in good shape. The schedule and task list is created annually by the Maintenance Chair and our Directors. 
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Includes excerpts from "But Why A Co-Op?", an essay by James L. Hymes