Detroit Parent Collective Offers a Co-Working Space for Parents and Kids

A new resource is aiming to help working Detroit parents who need it most. Detroit Parent Collective opened on Oct. 16 and gives the inner city its first co-working space with onsite childcare. Unlike traditional daycare, this space caters as much to grown folk as kids, offering internet access, yoga and various classes.

Nestled in a row of nondescript storefronts across from Marygrove College, it’s admittedly in need of a little TLC. But inside, it’s all warmth and minimalist charm. “The idea is that it’s supposed to remind you of home, with a very organic feel to it,” says founder and director Krista McClure.

From natural wood and essential oils to a no-shoes policy, it succeeds. While parents work, kids enjoy a part-play, part-classroom area led by a Ph.D. master teacher and skilled volunteer parents. The Montessori-like curriculum emphasizes sensory-based, self-directed learning.

DPC also works with outside arts and literacy and music/movement programs. “Detroit Parent Collective is just that – it’s a collective, a co-op,” McClure says. “We lean on organizations or entities that already exist, while also supporting other minority-owned businesses that don’t have a brick-and-mortar.”

McClure is especially focused on young mothers (she was a teen mom herself), multi-generational households and entrepreneurs who don’t necessarily require full-time child care. Monthly membership fees are $160, but McClure urges those interested to just pop in, hang out and get to know her and her team.

Because of rapid growth potential and possible safety concerns, some wonder why McClure chose McNichols over Midtown or downtown. To that, she says, “I refuse to be that new business owner who has presumptions of what the community is. I feel comfortable here,” adding, “there are certain demographics that I want to reach.”

8418 W. McNichols Road, Detroit