Parent Cooperative: Building Community

At TCNS we embrace the whole family.  We are a cooperative school, run by parents and volunteers.  The atmosphere of TCNS reflects this constant concern and input from families, and the children greatly benefit from being part of a cooperative community.  Parents assist teachers in the classroom, reading to and playing with children, helping with projects and providing healthy snacks.  Families also provide feedback on the program, help maintain the facility, oversee the budget, and coordinate fundraising activities.

Each TCNS family receives a monthly newsletter with the participation schedule, current news and activities.   Parents receive feedback about their child’s day through projects, informal conversations, regular observations, and spring parent-teacher conferences.

TCNS also schedules regular child-friendly parent committee meetings which offer the opportunity to learn about school activities, see other families and speak with teachers.  Social events are planned throughout the year so families can meet, develop friendships and build community.

It was very emotional for us being the first time my son was away from me for an extended time. The teachers were very supportive and reassuring.

Classroom participation

Each family is scheduled on a monthly basis to provide snack and assist in the classroom.  Parents, grandparent, and family friends are all welcome as classroom volunteers.  During classroom time, volunteers read to children, help with puzzles, games, and activities, and clean the classrooms.  Having additional adults in the classroom allows children to receive individual attention from teachers and other caring adults.  There is always an adult available to read books when a child asks.

The relationships that are formed between children and other adults because of this parent cooperative model are very strong. Many long lasting family friendships have their beginning at TCNS.

Parent Responsibilities

Each family is asked to work on extra projects for the school such as playground and building maintenance, project preparation and organizing fundraising events.  We have a variety of opportunities to meet the interests and schedules of our families.

TCNS was a great place to meet and connect with other families. Our kids are now ages 11 and 8 and we are still good friends with several of the families we met through TCNS.

Fundraising

Fundraising is an important part of our effort to keep tuition low for all our families.  We rely on a variety of on-going efforts and special events to provide for scholarships and additional program expenses.  During the school year, families are expected to help with fundraising by securing donations for our silent auction, providing baked goods for the cake wheel and rummage sale and helping at one of our events.

You can view our complete parent handbook to learn more details about every aspect of being a TCNS parent.