What is the history of the parent participation movement?
In 1915, faculty wives at the University of Chicago started the first parent participation nursery school. They wanted to provide a social experience for their children and parent education for themselves. The first parent participation nursery school in California was organized in 1929 in Berkeley and is still in operation today. In order to communicate with similar schools, parent participation nursery schools joined together to form regional councils which, in turn, joined together to form the statewide umbrella group CCPPNS. The organization is financed through dues paid by member schools and is run by parent and teacher volunteers. CCPPNS is affiliated with Parent Cooperative Preschool International (PCPI), whose work supports parent participation nursery schools throughout the world. CCPPNS is also affiliated with the California Association of Cooperatives.
