A landmark in the community, the Durham Cooperative Nursery School has been serving families in the community for over 50 years. Hundreds of children have been enrolled at the school since it was founded, and many have returned to enroll their own children.
The school's teacher-director, Elaine ''Lainey'' Melvin, has been with DCN since 1970. The school encourages children to "question, discover, evaluate and invent new ideas that enable them to become successful learners."