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The Family Cooperative was a dream that started over 7 years ago. One day in the BB&N lunchroom, teachers overheard other teachers frustrated about their children’s daycare centers. They could not coordinate the late hours with their early teacher schedules. The cost of daycare also seemed difficult to meet with a teacher’s salary, especially those that offered higher quality care. Hearing about their problems, some teachers realized that BB&N would greatly benefit from starting their own daycare to meet the needs of the faculty and staff. They began a campaign to get the project approved by the administration and the board. After many years of discussions and logistics, the daycare plans became finalized and approved! The decision was made to make the center into a parent cooperative, where teachers as parents could be involved in all aspects of the planning and run the day-to-day operations by function of a board of directors. Early in 2012, teachers at BB&N began collaborating to establish committees and complete tasks that needed to be done. Consultants were hired to assist in the process and soon the project hit full steam. In December 2012, the name “The Family Cooperative” was voted on by members of the board and TFC was officially incorporated by the state of Massachusetts. By March 2013 construction at 46 Belmont had begun. Committees of teachers worked on all aspects of the daycare, including classroom design, curriculum, hiring, and by-laws. In July 2013, The Family Cooperative was officially licensed and all set to open. Teachers collaborated for meetings and discussions about curriculum and community. On August 19, 2013, the children arrived and the doors to The Family Cooperative were officially opened! We opened our doors to a community of educators, from BB&N, as well as several other schools in our area. TFC is now a vibrant community of teacher learners, including children, educators, families, alumni and friends of the school. Quickly evolving beyond the traditional daycare model, The Family Cooperative has become a true Reggio-inspired early childhood center offering high quality care and education to the children of educators.
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