What does our cooperative model look like?

Families at The Family Cooperative are deeply engaged in the school community.  Because many of our students have parents who work, we offer a flexible cooperative structure to meet the needs of our diverse group of families.  

Aspects of a cooperative that we value:

Modeling for children how we take care of and contribute to our school
  • Building a community through common values, interests, experiences and passion for education
  • Collaboration and dialogue between teachers and parents together in teaching-learning opportunities
  • Families bring in their authentic selves through snack and participation
  • Opportunities for families to connect with other children in the classroom, and be partners and participants in the curriculum
  • Utilizing the expertise from educators in the field that exists within our community

Co-op Participation Policy:

We at The Family Cooperative value our school community immensely. A co-op model focused around engagement, collaboration and connection speaks to us. As a community of “teacher learners”, we believe that each family has a unique set of skills and perspectives which we can all learn and benefit from. Our co-op model strives to encourage and engage an enthusiastic community that believes in a holistic approach to education.
 
We acknowledge that for our community it can be challenging to fulfill the needs of a traditional co-op and as a result we have provided a variety of ways for families to meet their co-op responsibilities. We value these responsibilities as crucial elements of TFC’s health and well-being. Ideally, participation will also be an opportunity to engage with the community and to play an essential role in your child’s school experience.

Co-op Commitments per school year:

  • Join 1 of 4 “co-ops” (“co-op” descriptions below)
  • Participate on the day of 1 fundraising event assigned to classroom
  • Attend all required all-school meetings (typically 2 per year)
  • Sign up for providing snack for your child’s classroom (total 4-6 weeks per year, per teacher request)

*Please note that commitments are per family, not per child (except for snack).

The 4 Co-ops:

A: The Community Co-op
Attend community classroom time once a month after school (4-5:30pm) to complete tasks and projects selected by the classroom teachers (childcare provided).
B: The Fundraising Co-op
Co-chair one of two fundraising events- either winter “Parents Night Out” or spring “Community Fun Run”
C: The Class Parent Co-op
Build classroom community, coordinate events, create family snack schedule, oversee family volunteer calendar, create classroom directory for families, etc.
D: The Volunteer Co-op
Volunteer in the classroom for 3 hours, between 4-8 times in the year. Hours are flexible and based on family schedule. Any member of the family is welcome to volunteer.