When Robert Haberman first walked into North Hills Cooperative Preschool in Granada Hills with his daughter about two years ago, he wasn’t sure if it was the right time for her to make the transition to school – mostly because he wasn’t quite ready, he chuckled.
But the welcoming “co-op” community soon won them both over.
Co-op parents commit to volunteering in the classroom, fostering a sense of family. They volunteer on a rotating schedule, which allows them to get to know each other, observe the learning environment and create an atmosphere “that feels like a second home” for their kids.
“Most of our friends are [parents] from this school, and they’re basically like my kids’ aunts and uncles,” said Haberman. His younger daughter is now a student and she looks forward to every school day. “She says, ‘I miss Miss Crystal, I miss my friends,’ She absolutely loves it here.”
The school is an ideal fit for parents who have flexible work schedules affording them time to be an active part of the co-op.
Co-op pre-schools, like this one, value “play-based learning.” Rather than pushing repetitive class work and traditional academic learning on the tots, they embrace “play” as the child’s language, sparking their imagination and encouraging them to explore, learn and socially develop.
“There can be a perception that play-based learning is just letting the kids play all day, but there’s intention in whatever [they’re playing],” explained school director and teacher Crystal McGinnis. She said their goal is to routinely incorporate play in their daily lessons.
“This morning we did a car wash … [and] there’s obviously science with the soap and water,” continued McGinnis. She noted that while the students were having fun washing the Little Tikes cars and other riding toys, they were also learning about how to “work together as a team.”
School at Risk for Closing
Despite all of the benefits of the co-op, Haberman, who serves as president of the school, said their small but dedicated school community is facing an unclear future. Student enrollment has been declining in recent years, negatively impacting the school’s financial stability.
“We’re really pushing for the school to stay afloat … to be there for the children, to be there for the community. … That is our priority,” said teacher and former preschool director Nancy Solares. But to achieve that, they need more students, she said. The school is licensed for up to 24 kids on site at once, but their current enrollment is only 30% of their total student capacity.
North Hills Cooperative was established in 1963, when preschool co-ops were at their height. They started taking off in the 1940s, sparked by World War II and the early Baby Boom, and peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. They started declining around the mid-1970s, as more women joined the workforce. And as dual-income households grew, fewer parents had time to volunteer.
Parents and students during circle time at North Hills Cooperative Preschool in Granada Hills, which hopes to increase student enrollment and secure more revenue for the school. (SFVS/el Sol Photo/Maria Luisa Torres) 
Children on the playground at North Hills Cooperative, which has served the valley for more than 60 years. (Photo courtesy of North Hills Cooperative Preschool) 
Kids engaged in outdoor play-based learning at the Granada Hills preschool. (Photo courtesy of North Hills Cooperative Preschool) 
Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee (right) chats with Alejandra Cadenas (center) and another parent volunteer while visiting the preschool Oct. 8. He has pledged to donate $25,000 for the school. (SFVS/el Sol Photo/Maria Luisa Torres)
Today the Granada Hills co-op is an independent 501(c) nonprofit for children 2½ to 5 years of age that offers an affordable alternative to private preschools, according to McGinnis. Their co-op model helps keep their operating costs down and their tuition prices low, she said.
Parents volunteer in whatever capacity is needed – organizing books, cleaning toys and equipment, assisting kids during snack time, supervising outdoor play or singing along during circle time – reducing the need to hire extra paid staff. Parents of full-time students volunteer once a week for four hours a day, and part-time parents volunteer once every other week.
And to help ensure safety, all parents have Live Scan fingerprinting and background checks.
Adam McLeod said volunteering has eased his daughter’s separation anxiety and apprehension about going to school. Knowing her dad is there “is like school with training wheels,” he said.
“And being here I get to see her play, the habits she builds and how her confidence grows,” said McLeod.
North Hills Cooperative offers four hours of morning preschool instruction Tuesday through Friday. On Mondays they offer two-hour “parent-and-me” classes for children 15 months to 2½ years old. The classes provide additional revenue, separate from preschool tuition.
Currently the revenue from tuition and classes isn’t enough. The preschool has been facing financial difficulties dating back to COVID, when they were forced to shut down for six months because they were not considered “essential,” recounted Solares. In the years since the school reopened, enrollment hasn’t returned to previous numbers, partly, she noted, because some parents are enrolling their kids in free state-funded universal pre-K or opting to homeschool.
The preschool – which does not qualify for government funding – receives some additional funds from occasional grants and donations, but it hasn’t been enough to keep the co-op financially stable, said McGinnis. They are now exploring possibly adding more parent-and-me classes, and hope to increase donations via stronger outreach to alumni families and the greater community.
One upcoming donation will be a huge boon: Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee pledged to donate $25,000. Lee was at the school last week to share the good news. While it’s not a long-term solution, and the funding will be limited for use on tangible items, including classroom supplies and playground equipment, McGinnis said they’re grateful for the contribution.
Haberman is keeping his fingers crossed that North Hills Cooperative will not only survive, but thrive. He wishes more parents knew about the school, which Haberman discovered during frantic late-night Googling back when they were looking for a preschool for his first daughter.
“Finding the right social environment for my daughter in a big city like LA was a challenge. We had moved to the valley to have a yard, to have space, but we didn’t know the area,” he said, recalling that they visited several preschools that just weren’t the right fit. And others were too expensive – “so far beyond what we could conceivably afford, that we felt lost,” he added.
Tara Tosten of Van Nuys had a similar experience – one of the preschools she toured cost $1,600 a month. When friends invited her to join them at parent-and-me classes at North Hills Cooperative, she immediately liked the teacher, the other parents and the camaraderie they shared. The co-op preschool felt like the natural choice for her daughter, she said.
“What’s really so nice about the school is that it’s very community driven,” said Tosten. “We all understand that you might wake up on your volunteer day with a [sick child], but someone will cover for you, or help your child at school when you’re not there. We all help each other out.”
Tosten, whose daughter is nearly 3, also has a 1½-year-old son. She hopes the preschool will overcome its financial struggles and continue to be there for her family and keep serving the surrounding community for future generations, as they have for the last six decades.
“I envision my daughter [continuing] here and my son also going through here,” said Tosten, adding she and her husband plan to have a third child. “I imagine them coming [here] as well.”
“We’re in a transition period right now,” described McGinnis. “The families that are here are really dedicated to keeping the school open.”
While they are concerned about the future, the parents and teachers are embracing the philosophy of their co-op – working together to seek solutions and “looking toward the positive.”
For more information about North Hills Cooperative Preschool in Granada Hills, go to: www.northhillscoop.com. To make a donation, go to: www.northhillscoop.com/donate.
