As cooperative members, they are able to determine the quality and cost of programs for their children and decide how fees are spent. Parent cooperatives date back to 1916 when a group of mothers at the University of Chicago organized a cooperative program to provide social and educational experiences for their young children, and to gain child-free time to pursue volunteer activities. Preschool cooperatives offer enrichment activities for children from two to four hours per weekday. Many preschool cooperatives offer additional options that extend the day for children of employed parents. The program is staffed by an expert in early childhood education and parents assist in the classroom.
Parent involvement contributes to the quality of the program and also reduces operating costs.
Because these programs offer minimal duration of care and often include significant parent participation requirements, they tend to attract children with one parent who is at home full time. Child care cooperatives offer quality care for children while their parents work. Sixty-eight percent of the responding cooperatives were established over 29 years ago, and only 3 percent were established during the past decade. Baby-sitting cooperatives are found throughout the west coast. These cooperatives allow parents an equitable exchange of baby-sitting services so that they can enjoy a night out or travel on business trips.