Fishers Preschool Looking For New Home

We’ve all heard the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But in this age where families are spread across the country, where economic hardships force parents to spend more time at work, and a sense of community is rapidly declining, where can a village be found? Since 1996, Hamilton County families have been able to rely on a welcoming village at Fishers Pointe Cooperative Preschool (FPCP).

FPCP was started by eight families whose shared goal was to form a play-based preschool where they could become active participants in their children’s education. Carla Bidwell led the effort, drawing on her own experiences as a “co-op” mom and former co-op president. In its first year, the school had two teachers, three classes, and 28 families. More than 14 years later, Bidwell is still with FPCP, teaching the Koalas class for 3- and 4-year-olds. The preschool has grown along with the Fishers population, now offering four teachers and five classes for nearly 60 families. “The membership of a cooperative preschool is like a family of families, like a village,” Bidwell says. “The parents own the co-op and they participate in the operation of the school, so it really is a cooperative effort.”

Cooperatives offer a safe, secure, and gradual transition from home to school for children. Co-ops offer to parents a sense of community, camaraderie and parent/teacher partnerships unlike any other preschool experience. At FPCP, members develop close relationships with other families when working together at the school, baby-sitting one another’s children, or attending school events. “We try to make opportunities for our members to spend time together, so the parents get to know each other as well as the kids do,” says FPCP co-president Lisa Switzer. “We have special events for getting all the families together, class coffees that are just for the parents, and the occasional Mom’s Night Out too.” When everyone spends so much time together, the lines between families tend to blur. It’s not unusual to watch a preschooler curl up in the lap of a participating parent to listen to a story, or to see one mother feeding, or comforting another person’s child. “Our families are learning the habit of participating in their children’s education, and some of them are also building life-long friendships,” says Carla Bidwell.

Cooperative preschools have a positive impact on their communities. Research indicates that parent participation is a major factor in a student’s success. Parents who get involved early usually stay involved. “For a lot of co-op families, the preschool experience is just the first step on the path of involvement in their child’s school and the greater community,” Bidwell says. Co-op parents often gain a stronger sense of responsibility and feel empowered to make a difference, not just in their child’s life but in their community as well.

The Fishers Pointe community has drawn together recently as the school prepares to face a challenge. “Our landlord church is expanding its own programs,” explains co-president Courtney Floyd, “and they have not renewed our lease. As of June 1, we won’t have a location for our preschool.” FPCP’s board of directors was informed of the church’s decision, and immediately launched a relocation committee to begin the search for a new home. FPCP had experienced this situation in 2006, when the church whose classrooms it rented suddenly went out of business. “Back then we contacted literally every church in Fishers, and there just wasn’t any space available for rent,” Floyd says. “We expanded our search this time to include commercial spaces. But we’re just not finding anything that we can afford.” The preschool, a 501(c)( 3) not-for-profit organization, turned to its membership for suggestions. Steve Klipsch, whose son Zachary attends Fishers Pointe, had some advice to offer.

“I looked at the school’s current operating budget to get an idea of the possibilities, and it became clear that this move wasn’t going to work without additional funds,” says Klipsch, who is the Senior Vice President of Operational Development for Klipsch Group, Inc. “As I see it, the problem is not so much where we’re moving, but how to make the school more financially efficient.” The preschool’s income derives from the tuition its members pay, along with several fund raising events throughout the year. This simply isn’t sufficient to keep the school operating anymore. Klipsch advised the preschool’s board of directors to consider adding an alumni foundation, initiating a capital campaign, and pursuing grants. He explains, “The reality is, we’ve got to raise some money here, not only this year but going forward too.” Klipsch has applied his business acumen while serving on the board of directors of local non-profit organizations, including the Salvation Army, but he says that his motivation to assist Fishers Pointe Cooperative Preschool derives from his experiences as a parent. His younger son Leo will attend the preschool next year. “I want to make sure the school is there for Leo,” Klipsch says. In show of his support, The Klipsch Group, Inc. has pledged $5,000 to the preschool’s capital campaign.

FPCP has already begun to act on Klipsch’s advice. A letter has gone out to the school’s alumni, announcing the formation of the Fishers Pointe Alumni Association and asking for assistance. The board of directors is scrutinizing the budget, looking for cuts that will minimize operating expenses. But the one thing the school is most anxious to do is to connect with the community. “Cooperative preschools tend to be the best kept secrets in many communities,” says Courtney Floyd. “We want to get the word out about Fishers Pointe Cooperative Preschool. We need to let the people of Fishers know how important this preschool has been in the lives of our families. We also need to find a long term home in the Fishers area by June 1st”

E-mail: info@fisherspointecoop.org
Web address: http://www.fisherspointecoop.org
Phone: (317) 721-3727