Canton Community Nursery School
Canton Community Nursery School
Cooperative Education
We are a cooperative school. The success of our programs depend upon you, the families and friends of our students. We need your time, talents, and enthusiasm to make our school a happy and rewarding experience for your child.
Parents are asked to drive on field-trips, bring in snacks, help with fund-raisers, and assist in the classroom on a scheduled, rotating basis. Your participation enhances the quality of our programs and gives you an opportunity to play an active role in your child's early learning experiences.
What is Cooperative Education?
A co-op, short for cooperative, is an organization that is owned and managed by the members of the group.
The first co-op preschool in the United States was founded in 1916 at the University of Chicago. The founding mothers' goal was to pool their resources to create a child care program that would allow them to participate in the war effort.
What are the benefits of a Cooperative Preschool experience?
For Your Child:
- Social interactions and play with other children their age
- The shared experience of parent and child participating in school activities
- Supportive and interractive relationships with adults other than their own family and teachers
- A safe and nurturing environment designed and equipped for young children that encourages curiosity and creativity
For You:
How Do Parents Help Out?
Classroom Participation
When it is your day to assist in the classroom, your child gets to have his/her "Special Day", on which they get to do certain special activities such as being line leader, helping serve the snack, and helping with the weather report. Your child will really look forward to having their special days, both to introduce you to their friends, and also to show you their classroom..jpg?0.4711705822462503)
Over the course of the school year, we ask that parents assist in the classroom a minimum of 3 days, preferably once each season. Parents act as teacher's aides - supervising, reading, writing, interacting, and playing with the children as is needed during the course of each school day. Parent helpers arrive 5-10 minutes early. In the 4s class, the parent helper has the option of staying for lunch, or leaving after snack (at approximately 10:45 am). In the 3s class, the parent helper stays to the end of the day at 11:30 am.
Special Helpers don't always have to be the child's parent. We have had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and special friends spend the day in the classroom too.
The Special Helper calendar is set in advance by the Parent Liason, but we work with you to scheduling conflicts. Most parents are willing to swap days if something comes up. The calendar is posted in the classroom above the mailboxes.
Providing Snacks
The Special Helper is responsible for providing the snacks and drinks on that day. Your child will love to bring snacks for their classmates! If you choose to not stay on your assigned day (since you are assigned more than 3 days per year) you must still provide snack that day.
The State of Connecticut Department of Health provides specific guidelines regarding nursery school snacks:
Two of the following four food groups need to be included in the snack:
- Dairy - milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.
- Bread & Cereal - rice cakes, crackers, chex mix, muffins, etc.
- Fruits - fresh or dried, 100% fruit juice, etc.
- Vegetables - cut up, with or without dip, etc.
*If you are baking something at home, enriched flour must be the major ingredient! *For birthdays, MINI CUPCAKES are fine as long as they are accompanied by two of the four food groups. Board Meetings There are many parents who volunteer their time to serve on the Board of Directors. All currently enrolled families are invited to attend the monthly Board meeting. Please see the large calendar in the classroom for exact dates, times, and locations. The Board meetings are important vehicles for setting school policies, planning special school activities and events, and for communicating about the current classroom climate. Work Days If you are a contractor, landscaper, painter or have another special talent, please let us know and we will be happy to put your talents to use! If families are unable to attend Work Days, we require that they contribute $75 to be used throughout the year to help defray the cost of maintenance at the school. .jpg?0.37778364955763233)
Each family is required to volunteer once a year for a "Work Day." The jobs include ground maintenance, cleaning school equipment, painting, etc. The jobs are varied and change from year to year depending upon what is needed, but may include grounds maintenance, cleaning school equipment, painting, etc. We are required to maintain the the Grange Building, in which our school is located, and its grounds.