Perinton Nursery School has thrived in our community for over 60 years! Our success is due in large part to the active participation of parents in our school. Family members are an integral part of the classroom experience and we believe that teachers and parents together can create the best learning environment for young children. By participating in the classroom, parents can watch their children enjoy their early education experiences and best learn how to continue the learning experience outside of the classroom.
What is a Cooperative Preschool?
As a cooperative, PNS is run by a Board of Directors made up of the parents of our current students. All families enrolled in the school are required to participate in the administrative running of the school, whether it’s as a member of the Board, a Committee Coordinator, or fulfilling monthly jobs. Additionally, all families will assist teachers in the classroom throughout the year 6-8 times per school year. Parents get the opportunity to shape the school by serving on the Board or in other various ways. Upon enrollment, each family is considered to be a part of the PNS Membership and gets to vote on school decisions. Additionally, parental assistance in the running of the school allows for a higher quality experience at a lower tuition cost.
What is the Cooperative Commitment?
All families enrolled at PNS are expected to fulfill:
- Helping Parent days in the classroom
- A Membership Role (Board, Committee, or General)
Helping Parent Days:
Parents will participate in the classroom 4-8 times a year depending on class size. On your scheduled helping days, one parent is expected to arrive 5 minutes prior to the start of drop off to assist with set up, stay after class to assist with clean up, and bring a snack for the entire class, as well as interact with the children during class time. Each Helping Day is about a 3 hour time commitment.
Membership Roles:
As a member of the Co-op, a family member will be required to serve in one of the following three ways:
- Board Membership
The PNS Board is made up of the following positions: Chairperson(s), Secretary, Registrar Team, Treasurer, Financial Assistant, Fundraising Coordinator, Publicity/Communications, Health Secretary, Web/Tech Support, and a Room Parent for each class that year. Board Members attend a monthly meeting to help run the school. Board Members are not assigned any monthly classroom jobs. - Committee Coordinator Role
Our Committee Coordinator roles include: the Monthly Jobs Organizer, Librarian, Playground Coordinator, Hospitality Coordinator. Committee Coordinators fulfill their jobs and also will occasionally be required to complete take–home or monthly classroom jobs. - General Membership
The General Membership will perform monthly jobs such as regular classroom cleaning, playground maintenance, washing play clothes, and making play dough. Families will rotate through these jobs and each month you will be expected to complete at least one of these tasks. Over the school year you can expect to be assigned 2-4 classroom cleaning sessions and/or playground maintenance sessions, and several take-home jobs.
Can another family member fulfill our Cooperative duties?
Yes! We love to have other family members, such as grandparents, of our students help in the classroom. Any helping family members will just need to attend a Training Meeting at the beginning of the school year for school approval to help in the classroom during the year.
Do you have a Cooperative Opt-Out Option?
Only for our 4/5s class do we allow a small percentage of enrolled families to opt-out of the majority of co-op responsibilities at a higher tuition rate. For families who opt-out, parents are not required to help in the classroom but are always welcome to join the class for special events. They will still be required to provide assistance with monthly classroom cleaning as well as take-home jobs.