Parent Participation

Parents make it work! Redmond Parent Cooperative Preschool is a cooperative parent education program affiliated with the Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech). The participating care giver will earn 6 credits from Lake Washington Institute of Technology for the school year. Our goal is to supply you with relevant and useful parenting information, while at the same time providing a nurturing environment for your child to grow and learn.

One caregiver (parent, au pair, nanny, grandparent, etc) per family is required to work one (1) day each week during the child's class time in one of seven rooms: Block, Woodworking, Dramatic Play, Story/Science, Art, Kitchen and Sand. Room assignments are posted on the class bulletin board and rotate every 2 weeks. Duties are posted in each room. Story room parent can bring a book or 2 from home, use preschool books, play a game, conduct a science experiment, etc. Kitchen parent brings a snack for the children to prepare and one for the parents to share.
One member must attend the monthly parent education meeting, however both parents are encouraged to attend. These classes include discussions of the developmental stages of preschoolers, and they often provide an opportunity to brainstorm solutions for current parenting issues. They also serve as a time when your whole class can make decisions and prepare for the upcoming month. Each year there are three all-school parent meetings, which replace the regular monthly meeting, and for which an outside parent education expert is usually brought in to speak.
Co-op members must participate in the official, annual all-school fundraiser. The preschool is a nonprofit organization and holds one or more fundraisers each year. Proceeds raised cover toy replacement, new toy purchases, site improvements, and other miscellaneous expenditures.
Each member must serve on either the Safety/Admin Committee or as a Board Member. All families will be required to participate with maintenance/upkeep of the class area and outdoor spaces.
Each member completes one weekend cleaning with another member, which takes approximately 3 hours, and one bi-yearly clean-up with their whole class.

Note: For twins and families with a child in each class, most of the above responsibilities are per family. The only exceptions are a) the parents must complete an additional weekend cleaning, and b) if there are multiple sets of multiples in a class, those families may be asked to share additional work days, at the teachers' discretion. Contact the registrar for special requirements for multiples greater than two.