Co-op embodies a long-standing but dwindling child care approach in San Mateo

The nursery still takes care of about 35 to 40 children, ranging from 2 to 5 years old, and while the classrooms are managed by teachers, the organization is unique in that it relies heavily on volunteers, particularly family members, each of whom spend a few hours each week at the nursery, working with their children and other students, not to mention four to five other parents or family member volunteers.

“We have been able to offer a very low tuition rate because the parents become the volunteers that support the teachers,” said Rachel Kammeyer, the organization’s board president and parent of children who have also attended the nursery. “The teachers and the parents are working together to learn how to support the children, and then the children are learning from other parents, and it turns into this really beautiful community of everyone sharing information and carrying that into the home.” 

Not all parents volunteer, but many choose to do so, not just for the discounted rate but for the chance to get involved in a community that benefits not only their kids but themselves. 

Kammeyer said the volunteer shifts are a hands-on crash course in becoming a better parent, as they are not only caring for their own child but also learning how to communicate and resolve conflict with other children in real time as well.

“You are actively learning how to be a parent who makes children feel safe and who can support them through learning conflict resolution. We all watch videos and read books, but because you are helping support anywhere from six to 15 kids, depending on the activity, you’re actively watching to see which child seems like they’re struggling, or helping other kids,” she said.

But despite the demand for more affordable child care, coupled with the fact that remote work has increased since the pandemic, volunteer involvement has dwindled over the past 10 years, and filling roles — from board member to event coordinator positions — has proven more difficult than in years past. 

“This was more popular in the ’90s and 2000s, and then I think this changed as Silicon Valley became much more like Silicon Valley,” she said. “As the Bay Area became more technologically oriented and more expensive, we’ve noticed that volunteerism is just down, and so I think a lot of this has changed even just in the last 10 years.”

There have been some silver linings, though. The organization has seen exponential growth in the number of fathers who volunteer regularly, and if neither parent is able to make the weekly commitment, grandparents and other extended family members often fill in, making it as flexible as possible for parents to commit. 

Kammeyer said she realizes the three-hour-per-week volunteer shift can initially be challenging, but most families find it to be an invaluable experience in the long run. 

“Supporting each other in this way is a fun endeavor,” she said, “and it shouldn’t be stressful.”