Preschool Co-op

Included here is all of the information that I have written for running a preschool co-op. Ours meets at our church, but our first year we had a smaller group and rotated among homes, which also worked well. We meet once a week from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the cost per student per year is $30 (for supplies). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. It's a wonderful and inexpensive way to provide a quality preschool experience for your children.

The following information is also available in a zipped PerfectWorks file. Feel free to download it for off line viewing.

Table of contents

• Mission Statement
• Registration Form
• Class Descriptions
• Daily Schedule
• Adult Responsibilities
• Discipline Policy
• Evaluation

The mission for this group is to exalt the Lord in both the teaching given our children and the relationships which exist with the children and amongst ourselves as parents.

Our goal for our preschool-age children is to prepare them for the challenges of beginning school. This includes:

• preparing them socially by giving them a consistent means of interacting with a group of children and teachers,
• teaching them the necessity and blessing of respecting authority,
• instilling in them the character trait of attentiveness,
• giving them the opportunity to do simple group activities and projects, developing their fine motor skills, and
• giving them the opportunity to do simple group activities and projects, developing their fine motor skills, and
• instructing them in the beginning fundamentals of reading by doing various alphabet activities.

Our goal for our toddlers is to give them a school of their own and an opportunity to consistently interact with other children, laying a foundation for the preschool years.

A secondary goal is to provide a supportive environment for us as parents;

• to become comfortable interacting and teaching our young children, especially for those planning to home school
• to enjoy much needed fellowship and encouragement with other mothers of preschool children.

Additional Information

Parents' Name(s)_______________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________

City / State / Zip_______________________________________________

Phone Number___________________ E-mail________________________

Names of children under the age of 2 years who will be attending the nursery:

Questions, Comments or Concerns:

Notes:

• Music will be done as a large group (including moms).
• A simple snack and juice will be served at the end of each class time.

Preschool 2 Schedule (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours)

1. Open in prayer (with all children).
2. Sing several songs (with all children).
3. Review memory verse from previous week.
4. Begin learning new memory verse with new letter.
5. Work in alphabet workbooks on letter for the day.
6. Do art project and clean up.
7. Take prayer requests and close in prayer.
8. Snack.

Preschool 1 Schedule (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours)

1. Open in prayer (with all children).
2. Sing several songs (with all children).
3. Review memory verse from previous week.
4. Begin learning new memory verse with new letter.
5. Work on projects/activities for letter of the day.
6. Clean up.
7. Take prayer requests and close in prayer.
8. Snack.

Toddler Schedule (1/2 - 3/4 hour + play time)

1. Open in prayer (with all children).
2. Sing several songs (with all children).
3. Group story time.
4. Alphabet color time with letter of the day.
5. Snack.
6. Play time (until other classes are done).

Nursery schedule

1. Open in prayer (with all children).
2. Sing several songs (with all children).
3. Play time.
4. Snack (with Toddlers)
5. Play time (until other classes are done).
6. Clean up.

Hostess Responsibilities

1. Provide a small snack and drink for all classes and moms.
2. Separate snacks for each class (P1 and P2 in kitchen; Toddlers, Babies, and moms in the nursery).
3. Pour drinks and place cups on trays with snacks.
4. Supervise any kitchen clean-up.

Music Leader

1. Gather children and moms to begin (on time).
2. Open in prayer (or have a child pray).
3. Select new songs to sing and old songs to review.
4. Dismiss the children to their individual classes.

Nursery Coordinator

1. Maintain order in the nursery.
2. Announce clean-up time (about 11:15).
3. Oversee clean-up. (This does not mean do it yourself.)

   • Toys and equipment are to be disinfected and put away as directed by the church.
   • Tables are to be wiped after snacks.
   • Floor is to be swept if necessary.

4. Turn off the lights.

Overseer

1. Be the person "in charge" for the day.
2. Make sure the church is left like we found it.
3. Empty the garbage.
4. Turn off the lights.
5. Be the last one to leave.

Teachers

1. Plan for class time, reviewing memory verses and preparing for projects/activities.
2. Take your class to your classroom.
3. Follow the class schedule.
4. Dismiss the children.

If a child is not following instructions, being disruptive, or generally causing problems, follow the following steps in order:

1. Quietly correct the child. Do not ostracize or embarrass the child in front of the other children.
   
   
   • e.g. "Johnny, you need to come and sit with the rest of the children and work on our project."
     
     
2. If the behavior continues, make eye contact with your helper and at the next opportunity, have the helper take the child aside or out in the hall and talk to them.
   
   
   • e.g. "Johnny, it is very important that you do what Mrs. ______________ asks you to do. That is part of being in our preschool, so that everyone can have fun. Do you think you can do that?"
     
     
3. If the child continues their behavior, please have the helper bring the child to the mom, if possible. Sometimes a word from mom or a few "time out" minutes will be all that is needed. If the mom is not available, I believe the best option is to either:
   
   
   1. Get through the rest of the class and talk to the mom and/or the administrator after class.
      
      
   2. Bring the child up to the nursery and one of the moms will supervise a "time out" or keep him/her for the remainder of the class time.
      
      
4. Chronic disruptive behavior will be dealt with on a case to case basis with the parent and administrator(s) developing a plan of action.
   
   

Having said all of this, let me give you a few more guidelines:

• Do not allow a child to roam freely. They must stay with the class.
  
  
• Do not let a child who does not participate in an activity go and play alone or do something else.
  
  
  • e.g. If a child doesn't want to listen to a story, say "Okay, you don't have to listen , but you must sit here quietly with the rest of the class."
    
    
  • e.g. If the child does not want to do a project or play a game, say " It's going to be a lot of fun, but if you don't want to do the project, you can sit here quietly and watch."
    
    
  Encourage the child and try to draw them in. They will soon discover that it is more fun to participate than watch.

A couple of closing thoughts:

• As with parenting, it is important to discern a child's motives when considering his actions (and thus ours). Is it willful disobedience or just a child's short attention span? From what I know of preschoolers, most problems will be the latter, rather than the former.
  
  
• Part of the beauty of a co-op setting like ours is that we, as moms, are present most of the time, and can and should be involved if our child is having difficulties.

Please answer the following questions regarding your experience with the preschool/kindergarten co-op this past year. If you are like me, you would probably like to conveniently misplace this form, but please take a minute and fill it out. Your input is very valuable and most appreciated. Thanks!

Please rate each of the following:

Suggestions for next year?

Comments/Questions/Concerns?

Thank-you for investing in the lives of our children!

Name (optional) _______________________________

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