Parent Information
Fishers Pointe Cooperative Preschool is one in which the parents assume the responsibilities of the administration of the school. Children, parents, and teachers go to school together, each learning from one another. Parent participation is unique to our preschool. Parents act as teaching assistants under the guidance of a paid, professional teacher. Training is provided to the parent for their teacher's aide role. In addition, parents have the opportunity to receive ongoing parent education and serve on committees that help run the school.
Moreover, our preschool gives you the opportunity to see, be with and participate with your own child in a school setting. You will also see and work with other children the same age as yours, which will increase your awareness of the common needs and behavior patterns of children in those age groups. We provide ongoing parent education workshops that provide information about early childhood development, positive parenting, etc.
Participation
The amount of participation required will depend on class size / ratios. Depending on which class your child is in, you will have the opportunity to participate 1 to 3 times each month. Everyone has busy schedules and we understand this and work hard to make sure that participation fits into parents' schedules. Members may request specific dates to participate. Many of our members are stay-at-home parents but we do have some who work part-time and even full-time. Moms and Dads can share in the classroom participation responsibility. You may even have a relative or other caregiver participate. The details of who will be the primary classroom participation person need to be discussed with your teacher and class representative. Class representatives create each month's calendar a month or two in advance and will work with you on scheduling. We make every effort to give our parents plenty of time to make arrangements.
Parent Education
Cooperative preschools place great emphasis on parental involvement, and hope that parents take advantage of opportunities to learn along with their children. Parent Education programs give members a chance to increase their knowledge of several different topics, from CPR and First Aid to "the birds and the bees." We plan several Parent Education meetings throughout the school year. Our members consider these events a fun night out among friends. Each member will receive one Parent Ed credit for each event attended. You can also earn Parent Ed credits by attending a class coffee, attending a non-mandatory Board meeting (if you are not a Board member), attending Classroom Participation Training, contributing articles to our newsletter, by attending educational events outside the preschool, and by reading child development or parenting books. We ask that our members earn at least four credits per year.
Service Hours
In addition to their school job, each family is required to provide four (4) hours of service to the school during the school year. Accepted service hours can be earned by participating in fundraising events, classroom cleanup, setting up props for the major units scheduled for the classes, etc.
Committees
Every member of our preschool must serve on at least one committee. Each committee has a specific purpose and contributes to the successful operation of our school. A list of committee's and committee descriptions will be provided to all members at the beginning of the school year. After reviewing the committee descriptions, you can sign up for the committee(s) that will make the best use of your strengths. Here's a list of some of the committee's: slating committee, budget/tuition and fees committee, scheduling and class size committee, equipment/maintenance committee, document review committee, long range planning committee, teacher contract/salary/hiring committee.
New Member CPT (Classroom Participation Training)
Any adult that will be participating more than 3 times in the classroom and is either new to the cooperative preschool or has never been through CPT is required to complete this 6 hour training to become oriented with the co-op philosophy of preschool. This important training is led by an instructor from ICPC. The program will include observation of currently enrolled children during a normal school day, as well as discussion of developmental stages of young children and how we can best respond to the needs of each stage. It is a wonderful learning experience! Families needing CPT will be notified in advance with all of the details (date, time and location). We try to host this event in October each year.
Class Coffees
Class coffees are held usually every other month in the evening, away from school. Meeting places vary. Class coffees give the teachers the opportunity to give out important information. They also provide a chance for members to get to know each other and their teacher outside of the classroom. They are also a time to discuss how the class is going, and to sign up for classroom participation. Attendance is important. You can think of these as a fun parent night out.