What is a Cooperative Preschool?
Grant Park Cooperative Preschool is a community of learners comprised of children, parents, and educators. Our school’s identity is framed by a substantive commitment to advocacy for young children’s right to high-quality education and joyful childhood. We foster an atmosphere of mutual respect in an enriched learning environment supported by many forms of parent participation. We believe that the contributions of all members of our learning community enhance each other’s experiences and understanding.
Parent Involvement requirements
As a cooperative school run by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of current and alumni parents, we encourage all our families to be an active part of our school community by volunteering their time in a variety of ways. We understand, however, that committing time can be difficult for some families and do offer opt-out fees in lieu of volunteer time.
*Serving on the GPCP Board of Directors exempts you from all of the above requirements with the exception of Snack Helper.
Committees
One parent/guardian (representing each family enrolled in the preschool) is required to serve on a committee. The seven committees are Auction & Fundraising, Pedagogical Support, Building & Grounds, Communications, Technology, Finance, and Personnel. Every effort will be made to give you your first choice, while we also make sure that each committee is adequately staffed.
The amount of time each parent will spend every month on their committee work will vary depending on the committee. However, we anticipate committee work to be approximately three hours per month.