Starting its 37th year this fall, the Traverse City Co-Op Preschool has become an institution in the area.
After a newspaper ad placed in the fall of 1969 brought 40 people to a meeting, the school opened to an enthusiastic response in January of 1970. Four area mothers — Evelyn Petersen, Marcia Davis, Susan Hammersley and Sue Johnson — spearheaded the preschool and set the tone of family-involved atmosphere that is unique to the area.
The first teacher, Petersen, whose own two daughters attended the facility as preschoolers, is now searching for "her" parents from the 1970-77 era for a reunion. Scheduled for Sunday, August 20, she is reaching out to find these families whose children are now grown and have children of their own.
She is determined to get these parents back together in what may turn out to be an annual tradition.
"They formed such strong bonds, they were all young mothers and now that they're in their 50s and their kids are grown, they're thinking back to those days," said Peterson, who launched a career as an early childhood expert after her years at the school. "I'm working from mimeographed lists trying to find everyone."
With underlying philosophies that play is children's work and parental involvement key, the school has thrived over the years. From an original enrollment of an estimated 35 children ages three and four, the school now has 87 children ages three, four and five. The school also has a waiting list and lottery enrollment to handle the demand for the part-time, low-key environment.
In some cases, enrollment is becoming a tradition across generations.
"I've seen children of children here of Evelyn's group and I'm also seeing children of children I taught when I started here back in the 1980-81 school year," said Nancy Render, the school's teacher.
True to its founding co-operative vision, each parent of a student in the school has a job. They work a shift approximately once every three weeks, on average, performing duties ranging from gardening and making snacks to washing dress-up clothes and helping in the classroom. The school is guided by a parent board as well who set policy and oversee operations.
"It's hard to explain the enthusiasm of the parents involved in this," said Petersen. "It's a very loyal group because they're so involved, some want to come extra, not just once every three weeks."
That level of involvement in a child's schooling spills over into elementary, junior high and high school years, noted Render.
"You'll still find that a good deal of co-op parents are willing volunteers in their children's schools — they stay involved," she said. "We really value the parent involvement, we see how important it is and we convince them through this program how important it is that they stay involved."
The school has had various homes over the years — including a one-room schoolhouse situated on land now occupied by the Grand Traverse Mall — and is located in the former All Faiths Chapel on the grounds of the State Hospital. Much of the original donated toys, clothes, games and furniture have been replaced over the decades, but the co-operative spirit and commitment to children lives on.
"Every year more research bears out that the first five years are important," said Render. "It could be more important than rocket science, we are people making."
The Traverse City Co-Op Preschool will hold a reunion for Evelyn Petersen's parents from 1970-77 on Sunday, August 20, from 1-5 p.m. at the home of Terry Lobdell. For more information, contact Petersen at 943-9257, Liz Price Pomeroy at 943-9279 or Sue Zenner at 947-4822.