In September 2013, a group of faithful moms decided to work together to start a family-friendly community to support mothers/families/children. Mission Statement: Our Lady's Good Helpers Preschool Co-op seeks to support mothers/families in the early faith-formation of their preschool aged children with the primary objective being exposure to Catholic teaching, tradition, and prayer along with intr
oducing pre-reading skills, number skills and fine motor advancement in a classroom environment. We honor the parents as primary educators of their children in our cooperative style of teaching where every mother/father is encouraged to lead lessons for their child's class and participate in the execution/fulfillment of our mission. Vision Statement: The Preschool Co-op exists as an answer to the Catholic Church’s mission to support family life; bringing the light of Christ to her youngest members, fostering a sense of belonging in the Family of God, as well as providing parents the opportunity to experience Christian fraternity, and support for one another as we fulfill our call to love and serve our family. Goals of the Preschool Co-op:
This program is designed to foster strong, loving relationships between parents and their children. Recognizing that raising faith-filled and faithful Catholics is a difficult duty/task, the co-op aims at supporting parents and equipping them with tools to be actively engaged in the religious education of their child(ren) both inside the classroom and at home. The co-op reaches out to families that might not seek out or be in a position to participate in other parish activities due to the demands of having very small children. It can help families develop their capacity to be happy, healthy, and holy communities called to faith and service in their home, their parish, and society. Through frequent participation in the co-op, both child and parent start to feel at home in their parish, taking ownership of their Faith, thus establishing a foundation of life-long fellowship in God’s Family, opening themselves to a deeper relationship with the Lord. This in turn can lead to participation in other parish activities for themselves and their children and make their relationship with Christ a priority. As it is currently led by mothers, leaders of the co-op are able not only to support the growth of children in their faith but also one another as women and mothers. The co-op offers faith-filled friendships among mothers, where they are able to fortify one another in their vocations, even in the face of growing pressures of society seeking to inhibit the growth of a new generation of faithful Catholics. Through the “Toddler Time” group, the co-op provides mothers/fathers the opportunity to develop friendships in a Christian setting – even before their children might be of preschool age - laying the foundation for deeper relationships among Catholic families to walk alongside one another, to support one another and to pray together, as their families grow together. Taking seriously the obligation that parents have to form their children by word and example, while at the same time recognizing that some parents themselves feel unqualified to teach the faith, the co-op helps to break down the barriers of that fear through simple, well-thought out lesson plans and the witness of other parents. This allows the children not only to witness the reality of their parent’s taking the time to be actively involved in their education and faith formation, but also for them to enjoy a formation that is socially uplifting as well as decidedly orthodox. By way of fulfilling duties, the preschool co-op assists both parents and the pastor in fulfilling their respective catechetical roles as laid out in Canon Law:
Parents above others are obliged to form their children by word and example in faith and in the practice of Christian life… (Can. 774, §2)
The pastor is to promote and foster the function of parents in the family catechesis mentioned in 774, §2.
