A Parent Cooperative
A Parent Cooperative
Explore and Discover is a Parent Cooperative or “Co-Op”. A cooperative is “a farm, business, or other organization which is owned and run jointly by its members, who share the benefits.” In the case of Explore and Discover, the benefit is a diverse community of families and staff members who care for our children.
Co-op Responsibilities
We want to be as transparent as possible about these requirements as each family has approximately 4-6 hours of Co Op support and responsibility each month. We work together to help Explore and Discover run smoothly!
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Co-op Support
At Explore and Discover, cooperative duties are essential for our center to function. Each family is required to spend 2 hours per month as a Teacher Assistant (TA) on site with duties that include: snack preparation, kitchen cleaning, classroom setup, and supporting teachers in the classrooms.
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After a few months at E&D, each family is assigned a “Family Job”. A few examples of family jobs are: serving on our advisory board, grocery shopping, deep cleaning and playground spiffing.
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Weekly laundry is assigned on a rotating basis, and a shared responsibility among all cooperative members. Your family will be assigned a weekend for laundry 3-4 times per year. On your weekend, you will be responsible for laundering, drying and folding washcloths, sheets and stuffed animals.
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Finally, we have a “Work Day” on a Saturday twice a year that provides large project support to the center such as preparing the playground for summer, planting our garden, or building a fence. The parents work together to beautify our environment inside and out for the children's benefit.
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Meetings
As a non-profit and a Co-Op, we have a volunteer Board of Directors from within the community that supports the organization and leadership team.
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As a member of the Co-Op, you are required to attend a quarterly parent meeting. You'll be informed of what's been happening at the school and where the school is headed. Parent meetings are at 6:00 on the 2nd Monday of the month in February, May, August, and November. Families are asked to all attend 4 meetings a year.
Advisory Board meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. All meetings are optional and open to any members of the community.
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Optional Events
The Co-Op also offers optional monthly social events for the community. Some events that we love are “Trunk or Treat”, Movie Night, and Park Picnics.
