Parent Involvement
Snack:
About once a month, each family is in charge of the daily snack – s a simply, healthy snack for the children that follows our nutritional guidelines. That means no sugar or products-containing peanuts, and whole wheat breads, crackers and cereals only. Typical snacks include cut vegetables or fruit, cheese, apple sauce and yogurt, and breads, cereals and crackers. Snack Policy. Snack duty also involves some light cleaning.
Substitutes:
If a parent can't make his or her workday, they must find a substitute. Usually, a substitute would either pay another parent or trade days. A family can use a list of names and phone numbers we provide to find a substitute, or post a message on our email discussion boards.
Standby:
Every month, a teaching parent has a standby date in case a regularly-scheduled family cannot find a substitute. When you are called in as a standby worker, the family you work for is required to do a workday for you in return or pay you the current standby fee.
Family Leave Bank:
Also known as "baby bank," each family is required to work one workday per school year for a family that needs to take maternity/paternity leave or emergency medical leave. This day is in addition to your regularly scheduled day. It's another of the many reasons Playmates is unique – it is the only co-op preschool that provides this support to families with newborns or who have other times of need. Eligible families can take 12 weeks of leave from their workday responsibilities after the arrival of a new baby. We ask that families discuss their leave needs with the director if the situation arises.
Meetings:
Playmates holds one parent education meeting and one business meeting on two Tuesdays evenings each month. A member or representative of each family must attend each meeting, although missing two a semester is permitted. We find these meetings essential to a parents' role as a member of the co-op and as a teaching parent.
Host Duty:
Each family is required to host one meeting per year. Parents take turns providing light refreshments for the Tuesday night meetings, with usually two or three families sharing host duty at a time. Setup and cleanup is also required.
Committee Work:
Each family is responsible for joining and actively working on a committee for a total of two hours per month. Because Playmates families own and operate the school, there is a wide variety of fun and engaging committees to choose from. Most committees meet after the monthly business meetings, in addition to the committee work that individual members do. Some of the committees include: Curriculum, Publicity, Membership, Fundraising, Animal Care, Gardening, Housekeeping, Maintenance and the committee responsible for this website, Technology.
Fundraising:
Families are required to complete 12 hours of fundraising a year. Playmates' affordable tuition covers only the school's operating expenses. Funds for such additional purchases as new play structures, special equipment and scholarships for low-income families all come from our fundraising dollars. There are a number of fundraising events at Playmates each year. The big ones are fall's Harvest Festival in autumn and our formal event, The Auction Dinner and Dance, in the spring. There are a number of smaller events in which Playmates can also participate.
Major Maintenance:
We have several major maintenance days scheduled on weekdays and weekends throughout the year. This allows us to maintain and repair our school buildings and beautiful grounds. Each family is responsible for six hours of maintenance work each year. Generally, these last from 9 00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on pre-scheduled Saturdays. It can include painting the buildings and making repairs, organizing toys … even sorting art supplies. Through Major Maintenance days, families play an integral part in helping with the school's upkeep and operation. If families can't attend a weekend maintenance day, the director may approve an at-home project or something else to be accomplished at another time. The major maintenance chair must make and approve such an assignment.