Our History

The Family Cooperative (TFC) was a dream that started long ago when a group of teachers in the Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N) lunchroom were discussing the challenges they were encountering in finding care for their own young children.  This group realized that BB&N faculty and staff would greatly benefit from starting their own early childhood center that matched the quality of education and care they were providing in their own work.  The group moved forward in planning and development, seeking support from BB&N’s administration and board to get the project off the ground.

In December of 2012, the name The Family Cooperative was voted in by the founding board members and TFC was officially incorporated by the state of Massachusetts.  Construction began at TFC’s original location, 46 Belmont Street, in early 2013.  Committees of teachers worked on all aspects of the new program including classroom design, curriculum, hiring, and by-laws.  Teachers collaborated for meetings and discussions about learning and the community they wanted to build together with families.  Quickly evolving the intentions beyond the traditional daycare model, the founding family members and teacher worked to create their vision of a true Reggio-inspired early childhood center offering high quality care and education to children.  On August 19, 2013, the children arrived and the doors to The Family Cooperative were officially opened!

In our first years our family community consisted of BB&N faculty and staff as well as faculty and staff from other local public and private schools.  Our community quickly grew in the subsequent years, bringing in many local families from outside of the education field as well.  We have moved away from our early connections with BB&N, expanded from our original three classrooms to five, and have added in extended day and summer programming to help support the needs of a broader family community.

TFC is a vibrant community of what we call teacher learners.  Children, teachers, family members, alumni, and friends of the school are all seen as capable and dynamic members of our community who are inspired to be both teacher and learner each and every day.  
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With this growth and the evolution of our relationship with BB&N, TFC embarked upon finding a new location and began renovating 51 Kondazian Street in March of 2023.  In our designs for our new home we focused on bringing the “feel” of TFC with us.  It is important to us to create spaces where children can feel like they are in a home away from home.  We also put particular emphasis on cross classroom connection and relationships, a strength of our community.  Each room has child height interior windows and were all created around a central community space, The Family Room, where children can spend time with teachers and children from other rooms.  

Inspired by the Reggio approach, our spaces are designed to be beautiful, inviting, and inspiring for all.  Our teachers are seen as educators, valued for the love, joy and knowledge they bring to their work each day.  Our children are seen as capable, valued for the perspectives and creativity they bring to the work of play.  Our families are seen as partners, valued for their expertise of their own children as well as their vulnerability on their own parenting journeys.  Together, we all make TFC the beautiful and unique place that it is.

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