Orientation MeetingFall 2011

Agenda• Introduction to FPNS• Staff and Board Introductions• Membership Review• Participation Commitments• Health and Safety Reminders • Break• Financial Obligations• Maintenance Commitments• Publicity• Fundraising• Summary of Commitments• General Reminders• Questions & Answers

Introduction to FPNS: A Cooperative Preschool

Marsha Yarbrough

• 10 years teaching at Fremont Parents’ Nursery School• Started out planning to teach art to adults - Masters

degrees in Art and Teaching• Started my family in 1990 and attended FPNS with my

son in 1995• Decided to teach children - took ECS coursework and

taught children's art• In 2000 hired by FPNS to teach 3 year old class - love

the program• This year I will begin teaching the 4 year old prek class

What is a cooperative preschool?

• Non-profit• Parents work together to provide best possible

preschool experience• Each family has a role in running the school• Each family helps out in the classroom

Why choose a cooperative preschool?

• Maintains a high adult-to-child ratio• Offers opportunity to watch your child grow

and learn• Provides parents a chance to interact and learn

from each other

FPNS Vision

• To nurture and strengthen children and families

• To support children cognitively, physically, socially, emotionally and with language skills

• To let children develop at their own pace• To respect all parents and children as

individuals• To bring families together in our school

community

Teacher and Board Introductions

Pallavi Chowdhary

• 2 years assistant teaching at FPNS• Former parent at FPNS• Worked over 6 years in privately owned

preschool programs• Educational background: University of Mumbai

and Ohlone College

Annette Daniels- AA degree in Early Childhood Education and BA degree in

Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University

- She has worked for many years as both a teacher and a director at parent participation schools

- She is knowledgeable about early child development and has experiences working with children with dyslexia, language delays, hearing impairment, emotional problems, and autism.

- Her former employer and parents of former students describe her as a dedicated and extremely loving teacher.

Board of Directors• President: Urmila Padmanabhan (Group B Parent)• VP of Membership: Masiha Farooq (Group C Parent)• VP of Committees: Ariam Asmerom (Group B & C Parent)• Secretary: Kavitha Viswanathan (Group B Parent)• Treasurer: Joan Puim (Group A & C Parent)• Fundraising Chairperson: OPEN• Maintenance Chairperson: Pallavi Shroff (Group B Parent)• Publicity Chairperson: OPEN

Membership Review

Role of Membership Committee

• Enroll and orient new families to FPNS• Organize members’ paperwork and maintain

current membership files• Manage members’ changes in status• Manage class rosters• Coordinate Open House events

Membership & Admissions Requirements

• Member Financial Requirements– $100 Performance Deposit (per family)– $200 Membership Dues (per family)– Monthly Tuition– Supply Fee

• Health Requirements– Submit physical exam and immunization records for child– Current negative TB test must be submitted for ALL adults working in

classroom (not required for members continuing from last year) - Do not come to class until you have submitted your TB test

Other Forms

• If any families are missing forms or payments, turn them in today or tomorrow at the welcome dinner.

– All paperwork MUST be completed and turned in prior to beginning of classes. YOUR CHILD MAY NOT ATTEND CLASSES until his/her file is complete.

– See your membership welcome letter for a list of required forms.

• All membership forms are confidential and kept in locked files at FPNS

Changes in Status

• Types of changes in status– Add or Drop– Leave of Absence, Maternity Leave– Change of Address, Phone Number

• How do I make a change in status?– Fill out Status Change Form and submit to VP of Membership. Forms

can be found on yahoo chat.

Class Rosters

• Keep your information current!• Rosters are the primary means for you to contact

other parents and for the school/teacher to contact you

• How do I change info on roster?– Fill out Status Change Form and submit to VP of Membership

• Rosters are made for each class and distributed to all families in class, and are available on our Yahoo group, fpns_chat@yahoo.com.

Participation Commitments

FPNS Classes

Day Class Time Age by Sept 1st

Tu/Th A 9:00-11:30 2 yrs – 2 years 11 mos

M/W/F B 9:00-11:30 2 yrs 11 mos – 3 years 10 mos

M/T/W/Th C 12:30-3:30 3 yrs 10 mos – 5 yrs

Performance Requirements Overview

• Class Work Day: Work in classroom 1 day/week • Parent Education: Attend 1 evening meeting/month • Committee Work: Perform committee job, 4

hours/month (hours can roll over)• Maintenance: Perform 4 hours of maintenance per

year during designated maintenance parties• Fundraising: Perform 3 hours per year for various

fundraising activities

What if I can’t work on my work day?

• Contact other members in your group to arrange a trade of work days.

• Contact other members in your group to arrange for someone to sub for you. You must pay $20 to the other parent to substitute for you. (Maximum 2 subs per trimester)

What if I can’t trade work days or find a sub?

• Call the teacher and your class Participation person or VP of Committees to let them know. You must arrange with teacher to make up the work day.

– Name and phone #s are in your organization chart.• If you do not follow these steps, you will be marked as

a no-show. • 1st no-show: $25 fine and you are required to make up the missed workday

within 2 weeks• 2nd no-show: $25 fine and placed on probationary status and you are

required to make up the missed workday within 2 weeks. Member will meet with the executive board to discuss their status and solutions.

• 3rd no-show or failure to make up a missed workday is termination of membership

What if I can’t attend a Parent Education Meeting?

• You are allowed to miss one meeting a year.• If you miss more than 1 meeting, you must make

it up by attending a board meeting or another class’s parent education meeting by the end of the month. Check School Calendar for other meeting dates.

• Consequences of missing a meeting without making it up: You will be charged $25 per missed meeting for up to 4 meetings and will then be placed on probation.

How do I start my committee job?

• You should have already received your assignments and job descriptions. If you have not, please contact the VP of Committees.

• Your job description includes the contact information of the person to whom you report. Please contact her/him if you have questions about how to begin your job.

Health and Safety

Job Cards• Each parent will receive a job card on their

work day• Each job card assigns each parent to a

station i.e. door monitor, snack, building area, bathroom clean up, etc.

• Follow your job card – their purpose is to ensure the health and safety of the children

• Questions on what to do or where to find supplies? – ASK!

Healthy Snack Guide

• When it is your turn to bring snack, please provide 2-3 nutritious, non-sugary snack items. Snack items should be chosen from the following categories( one item from each group):

– Fresh fruits or vegetables– Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, whole-grain crackers– Proteins: yogurt, cheese, beans, legumes, eggs, meats, poultry or

fish– Beverages: water (always offered), low-fat dairy milk, soy or rice milk

Healthy Snack Guide• Be careful about choking hazards, particularly for

our youngest children. • Do not bring sugary or non-nutritious snacks. • Speak to your class teacher regarding exceptions

if you are bringing in a treat for your child’s birthday.

• We are currently a “no peanut zone” !!!!!!**Check the food allergy/restriction list pertinent to

your class and adapt your choices accordingly.**

Healthy Snack Guide• Examples include:• Check ingredients lists !!!!!!

– Fresh Fruits and Fruit Salads: cantaloupe, melon, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes (cut in half for the youngest children), mango, etc.

– Vegetables: carrot sticks, celery, cucumber, etc.– Noodles in chicken or vegetable broth– Cornbread or tortillas– Whole-grain crackers or rice cakes– Chicken or veggie nuggets– Whole-grain waffles– Mini bagels– Whole wheat breads– Condiments can include: hummus, cream cheese, 100% fruit

preserves, salad dressings, sauces, yogurts, etc.

Flu Season Preparedness

• Viruses spread very easily in preschool environments

• Flu virus can be especially severe for young children and pregnant women

• All FPNS families must work together to keep our school healthy

Flu Prevention at FPNS

• Hand wash, hand wash, hand wash– Sanitize children’s and adults’ hands during sign-in– Teach and supervise children in proper hand washing technique at

snack time (20 seconds)– Wash regularly and always before handling food or after wiping kids’

noses, etc.

• Teach children to cough/sneeze into upper sleeve

• Stay home if you or someone in the household has flu

When to Stay Home• Do NOT come to school if you or your child

has flu symptoms– Try to find a parent to cover your work day– Contact your class teacher to let them know– Stay home for at least 7 days or until symptom-free for 24 hours

—whichever is LONGER• If household member has the flu, stay home

for 2 days and monitor yourself and your child for symptoms

• See information about flu symptoms and tips on how to prepare your family in the Parents Handbook section of your folders

Safety – Our Biggest Concern

• Parents and teachers are responsible for keeping our kids safe.

• Keep an eye on ALL the kids and step in to enforce rules when necessary or alert the teacher

• Two VITAL jobs are assigned on a rotating basis: – Staying by and watching the front door all day – Watching the front gate during signout.– Side yard

Safety – Our Biggest Concern

• Fire code requires that the front door be easily opened. Parents’ job is to ensure that:

– Children NEVER open the door– Children NEVER go out the front door without their parent or other

authorized person (photocopies of I.D.’s kept in binder by door)– Children NEVER go through the front gate without a parent or other

authorized adult.

Break

Financial Obligations

Financial Obligations• Tuition

– Purpose - Pays for salaries, supplies, equipment, property insurance, rent, utilities

– Payment due by 7th of each month• Payment considered late if received after 7th of month• Late fees applied thereafter – refer to handbook for late fees

– June tuition is half tuition as we have school only till June 15th.

• Supply Fee– One time fee, spent at teacher’s discretion – Pays for items to benefit class (e.g. admission fees for field trips,

special class projects, class party)

Financial Obligations

• Membership Dues– Annual payment of $200 per family– Pays for operating expenses, emergency funds, maintenance,

reserves– Supplements fundraising

• Performance Deposit– One time payment of $100 per family– Refundable at end of year if performance requirements satisfied– Can be rolled over to next year if family is returning to school– If performance deposit forfeited, money goes to general funds

Publicity

What do we do?

• Our job is to make FPNS visible to the community at large and generate interest in our co-op.

– Reading program at library (organize or show up at events to promote our school)

– FUN Moms Preschool Faire in January– Put ads in local papers, craigslist, event calendars – Pitch the press – Create banners, flyers, t-shirts, website

How can you help?

• Volunteer for the Fremont Library Story Readers Program.

• Purchase FPNS T-shirts and wear them out and about

• Carry FPNS business cards/brochures with you and hand them out when you meet a parent interested in finding a quality preschool.

• Vote for FPNS when Bay Area Parent does their Best of the Bay Issue!

Fundraising

Fundraising• This year's theme “Let's put the FUN back into

FUNDRAISING” • First fundraiser at Pump It Up, Union City, Sept

20th from 4:45 pm to 6:45 pm• October 22 – Halloween Carnival from 5 pm to

9 pm. Bouncy house, face painting, balloon animals, carving pumpkins, costume parade, wagon rides, games, raffles and lots of prizes!

• Everyone has to do 3 hours of fundraising but we are going to make it fun!

• We encourage everyone to sign up for eScrip – Here’s how:

Signing up for eScrip

Help FPNS Raise money by using eScrip. Here's a short tutorial on how to sign up for eScrip.

Maintenance

Maintenance Commitment

• Required four hours of work per family per year• Four hours to be fulfilled during scheduled

maintenance parties, typically held monthly on Saturdays from 10am-2pm: exact dates TBD

• This time is counted toward the return of your participation deposit.

Summary of Commitments

Fees

Performance Deposit $100 refundable if all obligations met

Membership Dues $200 non-refundable

Tuition A Class $125/monthB Class $165/monthC Class $255/month

Supply Fee A Class $30B Class $45C Class $60

ParticipationClassroom Work

Parents work on assigned workday each week.

Parent Education Meetings

Mandatory attendance at monthly evening meeting. Make up missed meetings by attending board meeting or another class’s parent education meeting by end of trimester.

Committee Job Serve in one committee position or board position for year, performing all assigned duties per job description.

Fundraising Three hours of participation in various fundraising events.

Maintenance Four hours of maintenance work over the course of the school year.

General Reminders

Important Upcoming Events• Welcome Potluck Dinner

– Friday Sept. 2, 2010: 5:30 to 8:30 pm – The dinner will be held at school, in the backyard. The whole

family is welcome. Please sign the rsvp list mentioning if you are bringing an appetizer or a dessert.

• Regular classes begin Tuesday, September 6th.– Group A & C will have their first day of classes on the 6th, B will

have their first day of classes on the 7th.• Fundraiser at Pump it Up, Union City on

September 20th Timing from 4:45 pm to 6:45 pm. Please arrive at Pump it Up by

4:30 pm. Jump time is 4:45 pm to 6:20 pm and 6:20 pm to 6:50 pm is pizza time. Please invite friends & family to attend as well. Fee - $9/child not including pizza. We receive fifty percent back!

Parent Evening Meetings• Parent Education Meetings are mandatory and

are held at the school.• Board meetings typically occur on the third

Wednesdays of the month and are held at the school.

• All FPNS members welcome to attend board meetings.

• Only adults may attend evening meetings

September Meetings

• A Group: Tuesday, September 13 at 7pm• B Group: Thursday, September 15 at 7pm• C Group: Wednesday, September 14 at 7pm• Board meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 21 at

7pm

Communication

• If you have a question or a problem, talk to a board member or teacher

• Check your mailbox at school every day that you attend

• Check your email! • Join fpns_chat@yahoogroups.com. Information

and forms are stored there.• Join the chat group for your FPNS class (Group A,

B, or C). • Suggestions Box

Don’t Worry, You Can Do This!

• Don’t let information overload make you nervous• Ask returning parents, board members, and/or

teachers for information and assistance when you need it

• Sometimes the things that seem most like “work” (class days, night meetings) end up being the most fun – enjoy them

• FPNS is as great of a school as you make it

Questions & Answers