October 15, 2025 Vol. 55, No. 11

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

And the Winner is... | PCPI Grants | Grant Recipient Recap

Grant Evaluators | Join Us! | FREE Board Training Session

Regional Co-op Collectives | The Value of Play

Member Profile: Crown Preschool | Welcome, New Members!

Happy Cooperative Month! In the last issue of Cooperatively Speaking, PCPI President Dianne Rose reflected on the many ways that co-ops build a better world. We hope that you'll take some time this month to celebrate the great work we're doing together.

In honor of National Co-op Month, we're offering a special BOGO deal for new PCPI members (see below). Join now to take advantage of several upcoming opportunities to connect with us and gain support this fall, including FREE board training sessions and regional huddles. We hope you'll plan on attending these informative virtual sessions and sharing them widely within your co-op community!

Consider allowing PCPI to be a part of your cooperative efforts by applying for one of our many grant opportunities--applications open today through December 15! See below for more information.

Finally, throughout Co-op Month, increase visibility for your school and the larger cooperative community by using #CoopMonth for your social media posts in October in addition to our usual #pcpischools and #pcpiteachers.

Cooperatively yours,

Melissa Ranck

Editor, Cooperatively Speaking

pcpinews@preschools.coop

Your member benefits include the opportunity to apply for various PCPI Grants. Several grant applications are now open! Requests must be submitted by December 15, 2025, with determinations made for recipients by January 15, 2026.

The total grant amount for Anne Eddowes Grants is up to $1,500 to fund two or three programs. Each school may request from $100 to $1,000. 

Apply using the online application. For questions or further information, contact us at: CooperativeSpiritGrant@preschools.coop.

The Co-op Support Grant was created to provide financial assistance for co-ops that have a plan for long-term success to overcome unforeseen barriers. Application requests will be considered from established schools that have come upon financial challenges or from a newly forming school that needs an extra boost to get opened.

Two Co-op Support Grants of up to $850 each are available. Our intent is to support schools with short-term financial assistance to help with unexpected immediate needs. Apply using the online application. Send questions via email to: CoopSupportGrant@preschools.coop.

Parent education is at the foundation of cooperative education. To help fund parent education projects, PCPI members in U.S. based schools and councils can apply for a mini-grant from the Becky Allen Fund. Canadian members may apply for the Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant to support a parent education program in the spring of 2026.

Over the years, many cooperative preschools have benefited from a range of parent education programs supported by these grants. Topics have included various aspects of child development such as dealing with challenging behaviors, speech and language, techniques to support play-based learning, nutrition, and more. Schools have invited a variety of speakers including a psychologist, college teacher, occupational therapist, authors, as well as their own expert staff to provide these programs. Last year’s Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant was awarded to Baker's Corner Preschool of British Columbia for the addition of online resources to their parent education library.

Your school could be the next recipient of funds to support a parent education program that is just right for your school! The total grant amount for each is $500 to fund programs in one or more schools. PCPI member schools are invited to submit grant requests using the following links:

• Becky Allen Fund (U.S.)

• Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant (Canada)

Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to enhance parent education at your school. Send questions via email to BeckyAllenGrant@preschools.coop or KWTGrant@preschools.coop.

As you think about how your school community might be able to utilize a PCPI grant, check out this update from 2025 Becky Allen Fund recipient Village Roots Collective, a co-op located in Indiana.

This past January, our Village Roots Collective families gathered for a special Parent Education night made possible through a PCPI grant. We were so lucky to welcome Page Park from Soul Sanctuary, who led us in a heartfelt session on self-regulation, child regulation, mindfulness, and stress management.

Page shared simple yet powerful breathing exercises and mindfulness practices we could carry into our everyday lives. Parents left feeling refreshed, supported, and inspired—with new tools for both themselves and their kiddos. One parent shared that it was “exactly the pause I didn’t know I needed.”

It was a beautiful reminder that learning never stops—for kids or parents—and that when we come together as a community, we grow stronger.

We are so grateful to PCPI for making this evening possible and for supporting our village in caring for both our children and the adults who love them.

Thank you to Executive President and Co-Founder Whitney Rainbolt with Village Roots Collective for sharing an update with us! 2026 PCPI grants are now open, and we can't wait to hear your ideas.

Want to support the mission of PCPI and the broader co-op community in honor of National Co-op Month? Consider making a donation toward one of our grant funds!

Love the co-op community and looking for a way to get involved and have a broader impact? Consider joining our committee of grant evaluators! This group meets in the winter to review applications for the grants available through PCPI. This role is perfect for anyone who only has a little time to give but wants to be inspired by the amazing projects happening within cooperative schools. Curious to learn more? Contact us!

Thinking about becoming a member of PCPI? Membership is open to schools, councils, libraries, and individuals who recognize the value of parents as teachers and the necessity of educating parents to meet the developmental needs of their children. Cooperative Month is the perfect time to join us! During the month of October, new members joining PCPI are eligible for a special, buy one-get one offer!

Current members: PCPI has gone digital! If you have not received an invitation to renew your membership via email, please check your spam folders and email us at treasurer@preschools.coop with your preferred email address. Additionally, memberships can be renewed at any time on our website. Thank you for your continued partnership with PCPI!

Let PCPI help get your board members up to speed! This virtual training will cover topics like duties as a board member, best practices for governance, financial responsibility, and more. Training is expected to last two hours to allow for Q&A, and attendees will receive a certificate.

Two opportunities to attend!

Monday, October 20

10 am PST/1 pm EST

Sunday, October 26

4 pm PST/7 pm EST

Offered via Zoom and will be recorded for future PCPI use

This training is FREE for PCPI members. If you are a staff member or caregiver at a member school, this means you! Please share this opportunity with others within your community that may benefit from attending.

Last spring we held our first ever "huddles" to give schools an opportunity to gather together within regions. We were so excited to build connections within the Northeast, Southeast, and East Central regions. Announcing three additional huddles happening for co-op schools and interested parties in the following provinces and states:

West Central

Huddle

October 29

7 pm CST

Manitoba, Saskatchewan

Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas

Mountain West Huddle

November 11

(note the date change)

4 pm MST

Alberta

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Pacific West

Huddle

November 19

4 pm PST

British Columbia

Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington

Huddles will take place virtually and are open to PCPI members and non-members. Know someone who may be interested in attending? Please share! Topics on the agenda may include: operations with/without a local council, common challenges, boosting enrollment, legislative issues, co-op success stories.

Live in one of these regions and want to contribute by facilitating a huddle alongside a PCPI board member? Reach out!

Play-based learning has long been a hallmark of cooperative education, and while trends in education may come and go, PCPI's commitment to play remains. With a growing emphasis on academics in early education spaces, it never hurts to have a reminder of the gift we give our students in continuing the emphasize the importance of play. Research from Edutopia affirms the value we place on play and is summarized nicely in this article.

A few key takeaways:

• "[Children's] life expectancies are longer and their social-emotional capabilities are more robust when they have a chance to learn through play and deep relationships, and when their developing brains are given the chance to grow in a nurturing, language-rich, and relatively unhurried environment,” according to early childhood educator and author Erika Christakis.
• According to a study from the University of Cambridge, guided play (also known as play-based learning) "can have a 'greater positive effect' on the acquisition of skills like math, shape knowledge, and task switching than more traditional approaches that prioritize seat time and explicit instruction."
• Freedom and choice, thoughtfully prepared spaces, and knowing when to step in and promote deeper thinking all work together to create an optimal play-based learning environment.

Thank you to PCPI Advisor Natalie Hall for directing us to this resource! Check out more from PCPI about the value of play here and here.

Over the next few issues, we're happy to be able to give you a glimpse of the school communities that hosted us during PCPI's Annual Meeting this spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. This month we'd like to introduce you to our friends at Crown Preschool.

What is special about Crown Preschool?

Crown Preschool has been operating in the Dunbar neighbourhood of Vancouver for over 75 years. Although it is in the middle of a family-oriented residential neighbourhood, it's a part of Vancouver that has seen a lot of change, both physically and demographically. At the same time, it has always been a place where families want to live. Its proximity to the University of British Columbia means that many people come for a few years and then go, and it is also a popular area for newcomers. Because it's such a wonderful place to grow up though, a lot of families have found ways to keep the generations living close by. What's amazing about Crown is the way it brings all these different people together, working together and forming strong bonds. We have had many former Crown students enroll their children, but it's also not uncommon for three or more home languages to be spoken in the class. Even coming from many different backgrounds, children and parents alike find so much in common, and every year strong friendships are made. The very best of our diverse, inclusive, interesting neighbourhood is represented at Crown Preschool.

What are one or two events your school holds that are a highlight each year?

For many, many years, Crown Preschool has held an evening singalong with all our families just before the winter break. What used to be a program of traditional Christmas carols has evolved into a more inclusive list of winter songs, but the spirit of togetherness, joy, and celebration has stayed the same! During the peak years of the Covid pandemic, we held the singalong outdoors in the playground, with Christmas lights strung on our beautiful maple tree and hot chocolate to keep everyone warm.

Towards the end of the year, a week or two before the school year ends in June, we have our annual beach day. Long-term teacher Miss Caroline used to plan an elaborate pirate adventure, directing duty parents in preparing a tightly planned program that included hiding treasure around the park and providing a pet lizard on a string and a pirate hat for every child! These days Miss Nina and Miss Dawn take a bit more of an emergent approach, but what hasn't changed is how much we all love spending a whole morning at Vancouver's beautiful Jericho beach, playing in the sand and water and sharing snack time on the grass under a huge, shady tree.

What else is unique about Crown Preschool?

Something that makes Crown Preschool very special, if not unique, is its connection to the local community and the long-lasting network of relationships between families that have kept its spirit and culture strong for so long. Crown was first opened in 1948 as a kindergarten for local children, and from its founding until now, there have been several teachers who stayed for over ten years. Meek Jones, the first Crown teacher, served for almost 25 years, and more recently, Pat Breen and Caroline Crowe each taught for nearly 20 years. Current teachers Nina Monahan and Dawn Campbell are in their 11th and 7th years at Crown and have no plans to leave any time soon. Families also stay connected to Crown for many years afterwards, with former students sometimes enrolling their own children when their turn comes. Teacher Nina was herself a Crown student and can be spotted in the collection of photo albums that are still kept at the preschool.

We are so grateful to Crown teacher (and former student!) Nina Monahan for taking the time to share your school with us this month, and thanks again for hosting us last spring!

Is there something special about your school community that you just can't help but share? Interested in being highlighted in Cooperatively Speaking? Reach out and tell us more!

We want to offer a warm welcome to our newest members. We're glad you're here and we look forward to getting to know you better!

Lawrence Community Nursery School

Lawrence, Kansas

Libertyville Cooperative Nursery School

Libertyville, Illinois

Reston Children's Center

Reston, Virginia

Reminder: Become a PCPI member by October 31, 2025, and annual membership will be extended through December 2028! Offer available for new members only.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Jovial

Resources For Parenting

Wild Med

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact PCPI to learn more!