About Us

        Hi, I'm Cindy, founder of The Village Co-op and these are my 3 kiddos! I grew up in Irvine where my mom and brother live and I'm still friends with my high school besties. I met my mama tribe in a breastfeeding support group 12 years ago and I'm so grateful for them. I've always loved working with children and I started in 1999 at the Irvine Boys&Girls Club. When I attended college at UCI I volunteered at UCI Medical Center as a Child Life specialist, assisting pediatric patients through play to improve coping skills using developmentally appropriate modalities. After I graduated from UCI, I began teaching in private early childhood programs and I was disappointed by the quality of care children were receiving. The programs were expensive, overcrowded, and the teachers and assistants were underpaid. I knew when I had my first baby that I wanted something better! I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with my babies in their early years but as I was searching for pre-schools, I didn't find what I was looking for until I found a sweet little home-based school. After Covid, the school closed and the family moved away, I was inspired to start my own and The Village Co-op was born.

        Our family loves being in nature and you'll find us outdoors camping and exploring new places. I guess I can be considered a "granola" mama since I have a passion for raising kind humans through gentle parenting, home birth, breastfeeding, and nutrition. I admire old trees and I love working in my garden, sewing, knitting, needle felting, and painting. My children attend a Waldorf school and our family values align with being present and screen free (as much as possible), connection with the world with an active respect and a feeling of responsibility for oneself, one's community and the environment.