What is a Co-Op?
As a cooperative, Child’s Play parents and teachers work together to create a positive early educational experience for our children. Parents share the fun, work and responsibility of organizing the school and acting as its administration. Parents also contribute in the classroom, acting as teacher assistants on a rotating basis. This allows us all to contribute to the program content, see and share as our children play, learn, grow and form relationships with others. As parents, we also have the chance to grow ourselves, in our parenting skills, as we learn from the teachers and from each other.
Parent Responsibilities
To keep the school running, many jobs must be done by parents including: scheduling of on-duty parents, purchasing snacks, planning and organizing field trips and parties, providing transportation for field trips, repairing and building equipment, maintaining our play yard and classrooms, shoveling sidewalks, publicizing the school, processing applications, orienting prospective parents and giving tours, financial planning and management, fundraising, creating a monthly newsletter, and serving on ad hoc committees as necessary.
Each family is required to participate on one committee. Committee assignments are selected on a yearly sign-up sheet. Other jobs are volunteered for at parents meetings or as needed within the classroom.
All School Meetings
"All School Meetings" are held five times during the year and all parents are required to attend. There are two parts to these meetings: a classroom meeting where parents and teachers share ideas and information concerning their particular class, and an all-school meeting to receive and share information, and often, to vote on important school issues and learn more about school activities.
Duty Days
Approximately once a month, one parent is expected to participate in the classroom as a "duty parent." Duty parents act as teacher assistants in the classroom, preparing the snacks, helping to guide the day's activities, and participating in the play centers as needed. By far, many parents consider this the most rewarding experience within the co-op.
Within the cooperative, every family is needed to fully participate in the school in order for our children to have the highest quality experience. It's worth the work!
