Earthseed Village is a Los Angeles parent co-op that provides affordable enrichment and community support. Founded by Jade Smith, the organization has nearly tripled in size over one year and is now an official non-profit.
From Inglewood to Blair Hills Park: The Growth of Earthseed Village
Operating across Inglewood and South LA, Earthseed Village has evolved from a small gathering of families into a structured non-profit. the group's activities often center on community spaces, such as the Friday programming held at Blair Hills Park in Culver City. These sessions include a mix of child-centric activities and adult support, such as the "Hot Mama Dance" led by Koquis Moore, which allows mothers like Ekene Anene to find community and purpose while their children are supervised.
The organization functions as a hybrid of parent-led enrichment classes, a homeschool collective for older children, and a shared parenting network. According to the report, this model allows families to navigate the high cost of living in Los Angeles by relying on a trusted circle of adults rather than expensive, corporate childcare providers.
Jade Smith’s WhatsApp callout and the fight against childcare costs
The initiative began when Jade Smith, a single mother, used a WhatsApp group to connect with other parents she had met through local libraries and yoga classes. Smith sought to create a space where families could access childcare without "breaking the bank," specifically targeting a need for trusted environments for children of Black and brown families. This need was echoed by parents like Cy Merriex-Isaacs and Justice Isaacs,who joined the co-op after Merriex-Isaacs was laid off and became a stay-at-home father.
As reported, the co-op serves as a vital lifeline for those in "survival mode ." For Jade Smith, the value lies in the redistribution of labor; by sharing the responsibility of care, single parents and stay-at-home parents can avoid the isolation and financial strain typically associated with raising children in an urban environment.
California's 300 parent co-ops and the autonomy of care
While Earthseed Village is a recent success story, it is part of a larger movement across the state. E. kim Coontz, the executive director of the California Center for Cooperative Development, notes that there are approximately 300 parent co-ops currently operating in California. These organizations are defined by their autonomy, allowing caregivers to design programs that fit their specific cultural or educational needs without adhhering to a rigid corporate curriculum.
These co-ops vary significantly in structure, ranging from informal babysitting circles to fully administered educational programs.. However, the common thread is a cost structure that is generally lower than traditional private childcare, making them an attractive alternative for low-to-middle-income families who are priced out of the standard market.
The divide between the co-op and the new tuition-based nature school
A critical distinction exists in how Earthseed Village delivers its services. The core co-op is not a traditional drop-off service; parents or guardians must remain present during the gatherings. However, the organization has recently expanded by opening a tuition-based nature school that does allow for drop-offs. This creates a two-tiered system: a free or low-cost community-led support network and a formal, paid educational institution.
This expansion raises questions about the long-term financial sustainability of the non-profit and how it will balance its mission of accessibility with the costs of running a formal school. It remains unclear how the tuition from the nature school is redistributed to support the broader co-op, or if the nature school will eventually become the primary focus of the organization's growth.
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