schedules and tuition
The school year begins in September and ends at the end of May and follows the Montgomery County Public Schools with respect to holidays and the City of Takoma Park along with other environmental incidents (e.g. air quality, extreme heat/cold) for emergency school closures.
| Age (by September 1st) | Schedule | Class Name | |
| 2s/3s | Th, F | 8:30–11:00 | Seeds |
| 3s/4s | M-W | 8:30–11:00 | Leaves |
| 4s/5s | M-F | noon–3:00 | Tracks |
Nursery School Daily Schedule
What Happens Each Day?
Every age group engages in a whole child, play- and place-based curriculum is unique to our Cooperative School. Over the course of each week, the schedule includes daily story times, circle meetings, and snack (brought from home). Learning in art, science, math, social studies, and literacy is housed in the great outdoors in all weather.
“Journey” days (urban nature exploration) and campfires are regular features of the older class programs.
Monthly Tuition for the 2024-2025 School Year
Note: Please expect a 5% increase for tuition for SY 2025-2026
| Class Name | Monthly Tuition | Annual Program Fee |
| Seeds (2s/3s) | $ 306 | $ 134 |
| Leaves (3s/4s) | $ 480 | $ 191 |
| Tracks (4s/5s) | $ 798 | $ 309 |
Tuition assistance is available through the School’s own Ripple Tuition Assistance Fund, the MSDE Child Care Scholarship, and/or Montgomery County’s Working Parents Assistance Program. Contact Tuition Assistance for more information.
Overview for Member Involvement at The Cooperative School
The Cooperative School’s distinctive brand of progressive education rests on two pillars—attracting creative, innovative, professionally trained educators, and welcoming and guiding engaged adults (co-opers) into the classroom and in administering the school.
Our staff consists of a School Director/Lead Teacher, who also leads the 3-4 and 4-5 year old classes, a lead teacher for the 2-3 year old class. A second teacher assists in all three classes. Our teachers hold years of experience, degrees, and are regularly engaged in enriching and improving their practices.
Families serve on the Board of Directors or committee. This service ensures for lower tuition for all member families. Participation in the classroom ensures a quality program for the children but it is not required and there is no difference in tuition or member experience when choosing that option.
Summer Camp Program (Tink)
Tinkering at the Cooperative School, known as Tink, is scheduled for five week-long sessions in the Summer. It does not require co-oping. Tink is designed for elementary school-age children, current kindergarteners through 5th grade.
Information for Summer 2024 will be shared February 15, 2024.