Dear CNS Families,

I hope this email finds you well. We are truly grateful for your enthusiasm and dedication to our cooperative model. The level of parent participation this year has been extraordinary, and it speaks volumes about the commitment of our community. However, this positive engagement has highlighted a few areas we need to address to ensure the process remains equitable and supportive for all families and children.

Participation Equity

As outlined in our Co-Op Member Requirements, each family is asked to participate in the classroom twice from October to January and twice from February to June. Some families have already signed up for more than the required two days this fall, which has created a few unexpected challenges:

Equity Among Families: Extra sign-ups can limit availability for other families to select dates, potentially causing frustration or missed opportunities.
Equity for Children: Seeing some parents more frequently in the classroom may lead to questions or concerns from children whose parents participate less often.
Developmental Impact: Increased participation by a single parent can sometimes lead to separation challenges, limiting a child's opportunity to develop independence.
Legal Considerations: Volunteers who exceed 12 visits in a school year could be subject to regulatory requirements that treat them as staff members, leading to additional administrative processes.

Updated Guidelines for Participation

To ensure fairness and address the concerns mentioned, we are implementing slight adjustments to the participation process moving forward:

Initial Sign-Ups: Each family may sign up for a maximum of two classroom days from October to January and two days from February to June, meeting the required four total days for the school year.
Additional Opportunities: Once all families have fulfilled their initial two-day requirement for each period, additional slots will open for those wishing to participate more. At that time, families may sign up for up to two additional classroom days from October to January and two additional classroom days from February to June. This would total four days per period and a maximum of eight participation days for the entire school year.
Monthly Limit: To ensure balanced opportunities, family participation is limited to one day per month (per child), regardless of the number of classes or programs your child is enrolled in or the number or family members participating.

We will continue to monitor the participation list to ensure availability is equitable and aligned with the Co-Op Member Requirements.

Evolving Model

This is our second school year using our new participation model. We appreciate your feedback and cooperation as we strive to improve this process moving forward. Being a cooperative is an integral part of our mission, and our goal is to execute this model fairly, equitably, and in the best interests of the children.

Next Steps

If you have already signed up for more than the required two days for this period, we kindly ask you to review the schedule and adjust your sign-ups to align with the updated guidelines. For any questions or assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to racheldanielscns@gmail.com.

Thank you for your understanding and for continuing to make CNS such a special place. Your participation not only enriches your own child’s experience but also strengthens our entire community.

Warm regards,
CNS Board