Families and Children

Cohousing provides families with young children a supportive, safe, and vibrant community where resources are shared, children build meaningful relationships, and parents find practical and emotional support.

Why is Great Oak a great place to raise children?

Opportunities for Play and Growth

  • We have shared Spaces and resources - a playground, a kids' room in the Common House, a recreation playfield, small sledding hill, pickleball court, extensive walking paths through nature and access to a living pond. We have a wide pedestrian walkway, which winds through the neighborhoods which makes biking, skating, and playing safe from cars.
  • Children see other kids playing outside and are naturally drawn to join in.
  • Kids develop friendships, create games together, and foster a sense of extended family within the community.
  • The common house in each cohousing neighborhood boasts a large common dining room, game room and kids’ playroom. These shared spaces are available to host activities such as birthday parties, crafting activities, and movie nights.
  • Families coordinate summer fun including scheduling children’s summer camps together and sharing carpooling efforts; forays to the local lakes and Ann Arbor summer festivals together; and even an annual weekend at former neighbor’s retreat center, strengthening bonds amongst children and adults.
  • Children and adults can participate in fun events throughout the year, including dance parties, talent show, Halloween costume parade and trick-or-treating, and Easter egg hunt traditions.
  • Diverse Role Models and Social Learning - with families from different backgrounds and lifestyles living in close proximity, they're exposed to a variety of experiences and perspectives. Children of different ages interact in rich ways, sharing ideas across age gaps when those interactions might not happen at school.

Shared Resources and Support

  • Kids have an opportunity to form friendships with adults at common meals. They also interact during childcare, carpooling, and community work days. This can reduce the stress and pressure on individual parents.
  • We offer childcare during meetings, and have a Youth Engagement work position to organize events for kids, and build relationships with the rest of the community.
  • Families in cohousing can pass down clothing, toys, bikes, furniture and other kid-related items, saving money and reducing waste.
  • Carpooling to school is easily coordinated, reducing the burden on individual families.
  • Parents benefit from shared advice, emotional support, and practical help dealing with day-to-day effort of raising kids.
  • Common meals reduce the burden of shopping, cooking, and cleaning off the shoulders of busy parents.
  • The closer bond between intentional community parents supports a higher level of trust and eases communications to work through challenges between kids and foster long-term relationships.
  • A meal train helps support families in need such as with a new baby, ensuring they have nourishing food during a busy time.

Child Safety and Freedom

  • Opportunities for Autonomy - with the strong social connections and the physical design of the community to have a peaceful interior, children have more freedom and autonomy to explore, develop independence, and make decisions on their own. This contributes to their confidence and personal growth.
  • Since the parking lot and roads are on the extexterior of the community, the interior is a very safe space for kids to gather and play. Since we have strong relationships with our neighbors, parents feel comfortable letting children have their freedom to range, knowing that other adults will be keeping their eyes open for them.
  • Children can roam freely within the community, with trusted adults around who can keep a watchful eye open and provide assistance.
  • A safe pedestrian pathway provides an ideal space for kids to learn biking and skating.
  • The playground, sandbox, sledding hill, and play field offer spaces for safe, outdoor fun.
  • Foraging from fruit trees allow kids to explore and learn about nature while gathering snacks.
  • Our natural areas including the woods, pond, and creeks invite children to explore, learn, and be connected to nature.

Building Relationships Across Generations

  • We are structured with the intention of building relationships between neighbors. This creates a supportive environment where children can grow up with a "village" feeling, building close and meaningful relationships with adults outside their family. This offers an opportunity for neighbors to share inspiration and provide expertise.
  • Single adults in the community often step in to help with childcare or engage in activities supporting kids.
  • Impromptu gatherings are easier to organize, such as a trip to the lake or shared movie nights, which can bring families and individuals together.

Supportive Parenting Environment

  • Families benefit from an open-door "come and visit" approaches with neighboring family households.
  • Other parents are often available to step in when needed, whether that means watching children or helping them with small tasks.
  • Knowing their kids are cared for by the community, parents have more opportunities to focus on their own chores, engaging in additional pursuits to help make the world a better place, or simply relaxing .
  • Social parenting allows families to work together to navigate challenges and celebrate milestones.

Exposure to New Experiences

  • Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Living - our children see our values put into action by composting, recycling, gardening and even our use of solar panels and rain barrels. This teaches kids environmental responsiblity from an early age.
  • Kids are introduced to diverse foods through our common meals, learning to enjoy foods which are new to them.
  • Living in a vibrant community encourages children to try new activities and engage with different people.
  • On our bi-annual community workdays, kids are often inspired to do cleanup around the grounds. They get to feel a sense of accomplishment and ownership in the care of our community.