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Joining a cooperative preschool is a great way to be involved in your child's early education experience. As you spend time in the classroom and working with other families on school projects, you'll get to know them -- and you'll gain a sense of community that is often missing in other types of schools. The children benefit when you bring your gifts and talents to the classroom. When parents visit, our children cook, sew, dance, sing, play musical instruments, paint scenery, and learn about the kind of work that they can do when they grow up. You benefit from the first-hand experience you gain in your child's education: it's a window into their life and their growing independence. Parents often leave the classroom amazed at what their children are capable of doing.
As a cooperative, the quality of our program depends on the participation of all families. We ask for about four hours a month of work outside the classroom, and occasional participation in the classroom. How does this work? Each family serves on the Board, on a committee, or holds an individual job to support the classroom experience. You can choose to help out with a wide range of jobs from fundraising to classroom maintainance, from working on the yearbook to classroom cleaning. We have one or two parent meetings per year. Families participate in one of our seasonal maintenance and cleaning days. Like other area preschools, we do ask that all of our families assist with minimal fundraising.
In the classroom, your participation is also important. Parents at the Nest provide a healthy snack about twice a month and serve as substitute teachers as needed. CNS families participate in a small number of “special days” per year where they are responsible for providing snack, they do some basic classroom clean-up, and they are encouraged to participate in the classroom with their child for all or part of the day.
In both classrooms, parent participation is always welcome!