9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Three-morning class
Community hall
Parent co-op preschool in Newark, Delaware
Parents and teachers run this room together
Cork is a co-op preschool for children ages 3 and 4, in a community hall. Three teachers lead the room, and a parent from one of our families works beside them every class morning.
The co-op year
Info sessions, tours and work days
A co-op keeps a calendar everyone shares. These are the months, and we give exact dates at the tour.
This school year
Info sessions for new families
Evenings in October and January · Meet the teachers and current members, and ask how the co-op works.
Tours
Weekday mornings, October to May · See the room while class is on.
Registration opens
February · Families on the waitlist hear first.
Work days
A Saturday in October and one in April · Families and teachers repair, clean and plant around the hall.
First day of class
Early September
Winter break
The last two weeks of December
Sample dates.
The parent roles
Every family takes a job
A co-op runs on its families. Roles change each year, and each family picks one it can do.
Classroom helper
On your class morning you work beside a teacher: set out the room, join snack, read a story, walk with the group.
Snack planner
Plan the week's snack with the other families and set it out with the children.
Treasurer
Keeps the co-op's books with the board and reports at the monthly meeting.
Secretary
Takes notes at meetings and sends the families' newsletter.
Hall and garden
Looks after the yard, the shared shelves and the two Saturday work days.
Materials
Keeps paper, paint and loose parts stocked, and mends what needs mending.
The week
Class mornings and the duty parent
Children come two or three mornings a week. A parent from the co-op is in the room every class morning.
Fall and spring
Monday
8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Parent on duty
Community hall
One parent from the co-op each morning
Tuesday
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Two-morning class
Community hall
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch bunch
Community hall
8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Parent on duty
Community hall
One parent from the co-op each morning
Wednesday
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Three-morning class
Community hall
8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Parent on duty
Community hall
One parent from the co-op each morning
Thursday
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Two-morning class
Community hall
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch bunch
Community hall
8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Parent on duty
Community hall
One parent from the co-op each morning
Friday
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Three-morning class
Community hall
8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Parent on duty
Community hall
One parent from the co-op each morning
Sample classes.
Our programs
Programs by age and schedule
Two age groups, three ways to attend. Every class morning is three and a half hours.
Threes
3-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 10 childrenGroup size: 20- Two mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. · Tuesday and ThursdayOffered
- Three mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. · Monday, Wednesday and FridayWaitlist
- Lunch bunch12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. · Tuesday and ThursdayOffered
Fours
4-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 12 childrenGroup size: 20- Two mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. · Tuesday and ThursdayOffered
- Three mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. · Monday, Wednesday and FridayOffered
- Lunch bunch12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. · Tuesday and ThursdayOffered
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Opens your family's file and covers the forms and the first set of materials. It is due when you enroll.
- Monthly tuition
- Set by your child's age and the schedule you choose. Our figures are on the enrollment page, and we go through them at the tour.
- Co-op membership
- Met with your family's duty hours. The membership plans say how.
- Lunch bunch
- The hour after class on Tuesday and Thursday, priced separately on the enrollment page.
- Materials
- Paper, paint, clay and the loose parts the teachers set out.
- Snack share
- Families take turns sending in the morning snack.
Sample programs.
Membership
Three ways to be a member
Membership belongs to the family and is renewed each school year. Pick the one that fits how your family can help.
Classroom duty
The most common way to belong: a class morning in the room about every third week.
- A morning beside the teachers about every third week
- One family job for the year
- The monthly family meeting
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month ahead.
- Refunds:
- What happens with a month in progress is explained in the membership agreement.
Work-day duty
For a family that cannot be in the room on class mornings.
- Both Saturday work days at the hall
- A job done outside class hours, such as the newsletter or the books
- The monthly family meeting
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month ahead.
- Refunds:
- What happens with a month in progress is explained in the membership agreement.
Board family
Four families each year take the board roles that keep the co-op running.
- A board role for the year
- The monthly board meeting
- A rota in the room agreed with the board
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month ahead.
- Refunds:
- What happens with a month in progress is explained in the membership agreement.
If a family cannot do a duty, tell us. The board looks for another way to help.
License and safety
License, adults per child and daily routines
The state license, the adults for each group of children, and what we do at the door, in the room and in the yard.
License
Licensed by Office of Child Care Licensing
Child care license · DE License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 10 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 20
1 adult to 12 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 20
Group size
Up to 20 children
with 2 adults
Ages 3 years to 4 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Parents on duty
A parent on duty works beside a teacher all morning. They help with snack and stories, and they are never alone with the group.
Arrival and pickup
A teacher greets each child at the door. Children go home only with the adults on the pickup list, and we ask for ID until we know you.
Headcount
We count the children at arrival, before and after outdoor time and at pickup. One adult counts and another confirms.
First aid
A teacher trained in CPR and first aid is in the room on every class morning, and the first aid kit goes outdoors with the group.
Allergies
Tell us about allergies at the tour. We ask for details privately once you enroll, and the snack plan follows what we know.
The hall and the yard
Other groups use the hall on other days. Before class, a teacher and the parent on duty walk through the room and the yard.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Families
What families say
4.8
24 reviews
5★20
4★3
3★1
2★0
1★0
“I was nervous about duty mornings. By my second one I knew where everything was, and the teachers made it easy to be useful.”
Hyerin K.“We see how the day works from the inside. The monthly meeting is where we all decide things together.”
Tyesha M.“The teachers treat the parent on duty as part of the team, and they explain why they do things the way they do.”
Rafif H.
Sample reviews.
Come and see a class morning
A tour is a working morning. You see the room, meet the teachers and talk with a parent on duty.