| By definition, a cooperative nursery school demands an ongoing relationship among parents and with the professional staff. Each year we are a new mixture of teachers, new families, and families with one year or perhaps several years of involvement in The Barn. Together we implement the educational program as well as maintain and improve the physical environment. For a cooperative school such as ours to function effectively and successfully, all families must contribute their ideas, time, and effort. “It is our school” is not a platitude but a reality to the children who have seen their parents involved and present in their school.
Specific cooperative responsibilities required of each family include scheduled parent helping days, maintenance days, and fun fundraising events. In addition, each member family has a specific job for which they are responsible – examples of jobs could be the treasurer position, or being part of the committee that organizes one of our fundraisers, or helping with enrollment, or helping purchase supplies...there are many jobs to suit many talents!
More importantly, as members of this cooperative, we are able, as a group, to control our children’s school environment. We the parents, hire the director, aid in hiring the teachers, help set the educational goals, and help run the school. Our involvement at The Barn not only gives us a unique opportunity to be involved with our children’s first years in school, but also it gives us, a relatively small group of parents and teachers, the opportunity to make friends with those who care about each other’s children. To many of us, it is this atmosphere that makes The Barn so special.
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