Classroom Roles for Parents & Kids
The Parent’s Role
Being a co-op member requires an extra bit of time and commitment. In
return, families reap a whole lot of rewards: a high-quality preschool,
lower tuition rates, parenting support and lasting friendships.
Co-op
parents are required to:
- Work one day a week in the classroom (2-2.5 hrs/wk)
- Perform an
administrative job (approximately 3 hrs/mo)
- Attend once-a-month
evening meetings for co-op business & parent education (2 hrs/mo.)
- Provide a nutritious snack for the class on a rotating basis
- Support fundraising efforts (approximately 1-3 hr/yr)
- Take part in beginning-of-year and end-of-year classroom cleanings (4 hrs/yr)
Can parents working outside the home manage this time commitment?
Absolutely. Many co-op members hold full- or part-time jobs outside the
home. Many have more than one child in the co-op system. These parents
get creative with their schedules and often share co-op duties with
their partners, parents, siblings and close family friends. The whole
community benefits.
Working in the Classroom
Parents work one day a week in the classroom. A
rotating schedule is created and posted so each parent knows in advance
when and where he/she will work that week: for example, staffing an
activity station (sensory table, blocks, library, etc.), preparing snack
or cleaning the classroom. School manuals outline the “hows” of each
job. Parents who can’t make their work day are expected to line up a
substitute.
Taking on an Administrative Job
Each new class elects a leadership
“Board” (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, etc.) and divvies up a standing
list of administrative jobs (class photographer, supply manager,
teacher’s assistant, etc.). Incoming parents are trained by outgoing
parents, the teacher and parent educator. Board members receive even
more training at a special NSCC-sponsored “Board Training” seminar.
Fundraising
A tuition scholarship fund exists to ensure that the co-op
program remains open to all families. Each co-op contributes to the
fund, and most co-ops fundraise to meet their obligation. Most co-ops
also conduct fundraising to support their own projects, such as
purchasing new play equipment. Co-op members are expected to support
co-op fundraising efforts.
Parents Are Students Too
Co-op parents are automatically enrolled as
students in the NSCC Parent Education Program. The parent educator is
the parent’s “professor,” a once-a-month parent ed meeting is the
“class” and the preschool is the “class lab.” Parents are issued a NSCC
student ID card (good for discounts and access to NSCC student services)
and receive 3 college credits per quarter.
The Child's Role
For children, co-op is a safe and nurturing place in which to
explore, engage and have fun. A skilled preschool teacher
designs the curriculum, using cooperative and creative play to
enhance social, emotional and intellectual development. Class
time is divided into carefully designed, age-appropriate
learning periods such as:
- Circle Time
- Free Play
- Small Group
- Outdoor Time
During Free Play times
children are free to move about the classroom, exploring and
experimenting. “Stations” are supervised by parents, who work as
assistant teachers to encourage and support the children in play areas such
as sensory table, art center, play-kitchen, blocks and table top projects.
At Circle Time,
the teacher leads the class in singing songs, dancing, playing musical
instruments and reading stories while Parent-led Small Group
sessions provide more structured learning experiences.
Pre-K and Fives children are
introduced to Kindergarten-readiness activities such as the natural
sciences, math, pre-reading and writing.
Next...... The Enrollment Process
