The Vision

When we think about creating our own childcare, here are the things we value that we would aim for. For this to work, it is important that other families in the co-op also feel passionately about these things.

* High parental involvement and input
We're calling this theoretical venture a co-op. Not in the traditional sense of childcare co-op, in which parents take turns actually doing childcare themselves (although that could potentially be a part of this), but in the sense that there is no "owner/operator" other than the parents. The parents would make the decisions, do some of the administrative/planning tasks, and be highly involved. We picture something like a board of directors (the parents) meeting monthly.

* Residential setting
One of the things I don't like about institutional daycare is that kids get less chance to participate in residential life. There's no reason why a group of kids can't be cared for in a house in a neighborhood, where they can be part of normal life.

* Participation in city life
One of the reasons we love living in downtown Durham is that we feel part of the city. We walk to things, we make use of public spaces and places. If I stayed home with Ian, I'd be taking him places during the days, and I'd like him to be going places even though he's in childcare. If the number of kids is small enough (6 kids can fit in a bye-bye buggy (big stroller!)), and the location is well-chosen, the kids could walk to public parks, events at the library, museums, etc., instead of being stuck inside one building and yard all day every day.

* Well compensated childcare providers
We don't think childcare workers should be paid so poorly. To get the best people, we should pay reasonably. It seems possible to do this without childcare costing an unusual amount - the co-op would save money because parents would be involved in tasks a center would have to pay an administrator to do.

* Guiding kids in an exploration of their interests
One of the things I remember about my tour of the Lakewood school is that they had a station set up with some medical equipment where kids were playing. They did this because a couple of the children in the class had broken arms, baby siblings born, etc., and they were interested in hospitals. I love this! I think it's great to pick up on kids' own interests and then help guide them in the exploration of these, rather than sticking to a rigid curriculum. In my mind, one of the best things about having input into Ian's care would be that I could suggest activities based on things he's interested in at different times. At our current childcare center, I feel like the curriculum is a little ridiculous, and planned to impress parents rather than to do what's best for the kids. I think a curriculum should provide a framework, to make sure kids get a variety of developmentally appropriate activities, but it should be designed to nurture kids' natural curiosity and creativity rather than to get them to do things in a pre-determined way (I remember my brother's brief time as a child at a daycare he hated, in which they always told him what to draw and exactly how his arts and crafts should look!).

* Sensible health and safety
The center Ian currently goes to has an extreme number of safety measures, but ignores some precautions that I think are important for kids' long-term health -- things like organic food, not spraying anything on the grass, not using carpet cleaning chemicals, etc. I'd like to pack Ian's food so that I can decide what he eats, and arrange to use the safest cleaning products, etc., that are available.

* Consistency over time
Ideally, this co-op would involve a group of kids and parents and childcare givers (probably 2), who would stay constant over a period of years. The group would grow up together, rather than moving to new groups and new teachers each year.