melissel Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Do you drop your kids off and leave, or do you stay? Does your co-op expect a certain amount of work from your family, and if they do, do your older kids do the work or do the parents? I'm part of the board of a small enrichment co-op, and we're just starting to face some of these issues. Until now, it's been geared toward younger kids, but we have a bunch of olders coming on board now, and we need to make some decisions about this. It's only once a week for four hours, but some people have asked about dropping off, and we're not sure how we want to handle that. Anyway, if you could talk to me about how your co-op handled it and whether you think whatever they did worked, I'd appreciate it. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Our co-op allows you to leave your teen student on a regular basis if you complete and sign a form. This form indicates that you have an agreement with another parent who has agreed to stay on site and be the parent responsible for her own teens and your teen(s). You need to give a medical release form to that other parent in case a medical emergency arises while you are off site. You are allowed to share responsiblities with only one other family. This seems to work out well because we still have a large parental presence at the co-op. If I was a leader, I don't think I would want to have several parents dropping their teens off every week even if they are great kids. I think the tone of the co-op would change and there are things that come up that you may feel a parent needs to handle. If many of the parents are gone, you'll have handle that student until the parent returns while still needing to run the co-op. You may not foresee this with the current family participants but what if your co-op starts to grow or families come and go? Does your co-op expect a certain amount of work from your family, and if they do, do your older kids do the work or do the parents? Depending on the job the older kids may do the work but with the oversight of the parent. You are assigned a job and have a job partner which helps serve as a type of checks & balances to make sure the work is being done properly. However, it is a large co-op so that may not be possible in a smaller one. Ultimately, it is the parent who is responsible for the work being done and being done correctly. If they have a teen or older child who can do that, it is acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 When we were in co-op each parent had to teach or help for a semester. So for the semester that you were off, you could just drop your kids off and pick them up afterward. Co-op was 3 hours long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) If I wasn't working in the program, what would I do for four hours? I supposed knit or read, but what if I had younger kids that needed to move and make some noise? What if I had to listen to other parents gossip? I would think my four hours would be better spent getting things done that need to get done. My youngest dd dances 15-20+ hours/ week. There is no way I could sit in the waiting area for that many hours. It's not easy listening to some of the parental chatter as it is. Edited July 1, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Because of liability issues at the building we use, a parent has to be present. For me that being there from 9-3... ugh! Teens are not allowed to be anywhere on the premise unsupervised, which I find irritating. It's one of the reasons we're not doing co-op this fall. And yes, parents were expected to offer up classes or volunteer, based on how many classes your children were taking-- someone who's children were in 5 different classes would be expected to volunteer more than someone who was only taking a few. That seemed fair to me. I always expected my kids to help, especially when I was on clean up duty. DS and a friend also "taught" a couple of peer-led classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 (edited) Because of liability issues at the building we use, a parent has to be present. For me that being there from 9-3... ugh! Teens are not allowed to be anywhere on the premise unsupervised, which I find irritating. It's one of the reasons we're not doing co-op this fall. Oh hail! No way. I can understand why you would not do it again. Sounds like school, but with a parent being tortured in the lobby all day. Blerg. Edited July 2, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 The co-op we did last year required: 1. On-site parent (responsibility could be given to another family) for lunch/recess if dc's were under 10. 2. A parent to work (teach a class, be an aide, or other job) 1 hour per week per kid. My dd was over 10, so I would stay the first hour to fulfill my volunteer requirement, then return at the end of the day to pick her up. There was a group of parents, though, that hung out there all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I would not be part of a co-op that required me to be on-site for four hours a day (unless I was also teaching). Probably that's why co-ops don't appeal to me in the least. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 We are in a well established co-op that has as a primary goal to provide encouragement, Bible Study to the moms. In order to accomplish this, they had to have something for the kids to do, so the kids classes were formed. Brcause it is a co-op, everyone must work, so there are no drop-offs. I think sometimes a senior in a dual enrollment situation may leave the campus to go to class elsewhere, but the parent stays and fulfills her service requirement. The only way it works is if everybody works and that makes drop off situations unworkable for us. Our morning runs like this: 9:00 - 9:30 opening assembly: worship team leads praise songs, devotions from a church pastor, administrative announcements from Co-op Director. 9:30 - 9:45 students are dismissed to their classrooms: mothers must escort their own preschool age children to the nursery; middle and high schoolers go to their classrooms independently. All elementary students must be escorted, so they move to groups for their first class and a volunteer mom takes them to the class. All classes, no matter what age, are taught by parents of students in the co-op. 9:45 to 10:45 first hour classes occur. If you are not teaching in this first hour, you either attend a Bible Study or take an on-campus personal hour. 10:45 - 11:00 classes change: preschool classes remain the the same room but get new teachers. Elementary students are escorted to their second class; middle & high school students change classes without being escorted. 11:00 - 12:00 All students are in their second hour class; if the parent taught during the first hour, then they go to a Bible Study or take a personal hour on campus. If they had Bible Study or personal hour the first hour, then they teach a class the second hour. Upon dismissal, preschool children are picked up from their rooms, lower elementary from one waiting area, upper elementary from a second waiting area. Parents have the discretion to meet mid/high students at a place of their own choosing. Between teaching, assistant teaching (every class has at least one); .escorting students, substitute teaching and acting as a floater to run various errands, everyone has a job to do. The ladies who have been working on the leadership committee have always done a great job, but it would be an entirely different ball game if we allowed drop offs as it would reduce the number of volunteers we have working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Do you drop your kids off and leave, or do you stay? Does your co-op expect a certain amount of work from your family, and if they do, do your older kids do the work or do the parents? I'm part of the board of a small enrichment co-op, and we're just starting to face some of these issues. Until now, it's been geared toward younger kids, but we have a bunch of olders coming on board now, and we need to make some decisions about this. It's only once a week for four hours, but some people have asked about dropping off, and we're not sure how we want to handle that. Anyway, if you could talk to me about how your co-op handled it and whether you think whatever they did worked, I'd appreciate it. TIA! I have been recently involved in two different co-ops/enrichment groups. Each is pretty much the opposite way of doing things... and each attracts different types of families. There is a smaller/more expensive group that is drop-off. Teachers are paid. Parents help on occasion- supervising lunch, driving for a field trip. Cleaners are "paid" with a discount on classes. There are separate groups for different ages (K-8th grade) and students stay with the same group- all day/all year, 11-4. Associated with that is a high school program- also drop-off with paid teachers. Students pick and choose which classes they take. Most are year-long, some are 1/2 year-1/2 credit. Our other group is a co-op. 5 different hour-long classes for Nursery-12th grade. A parent is required to be on-site, either teaching, assisting a teacher, or in the nursery (or performing administrative duties.) Non-teachers clean after 5th hour. Costs vary by class- from free to $50+ for a high-school lab class. Teens can have one study hall, but must be in class or helping. I believe that a teen may leave, but a parent must stay to do their job and clean. Teachers are volunteer parents/older teens. Class fees go to supplies only, registration fees go to pay for insurance and a donation to the facility. My suggestion? Have your board decide what you want to do, not necessarily what parents want you to do. No matter what, someone will be unhappy. Try not to make that be the people running the group. :D I think high-school age students should be free to pick and choose their classes. I also think they need to have very clear guidelines on what is acceptable- where they can & cannot be if not in class, for example. And with no parent present to work, I think it is completely reasonable that they pay more for their classes. I really like my drop-off high school enrichment classes. Diamond got to take only the classes she needed, and I didn't have to do anything besides write a check and drive her. I also like my co-op class, but we're there more for my younger children. It isn't the best fit for my high-schooler, and she actually did not attend with us for Spring semester last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Co-ops are meant to work with everyone who participates giving a hand. The only way I would allow drop offs is if there is money given and a code of conduct signed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Oh hail! No way. I can understand why you would not do it again. Sounds like school, but with a parent being tortured in the lobby all day. Blerg. Tell me about it! Kids have co-op, and somehow *I* ended up with detention. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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