Hi Everyone,

For those of you who don't know me yet, I'm Eva and Jack Pronovost's dad. As part of our own family's co-op, I've been keeping track of the Biokids co-op balances for the last few years. There are a lot of new kids and parents at Biokids recently, so it seems that a general co-op how-to guide might be useful.

·      Co-op obligations are 3 hours per family per month part-time, and 4 hours per family per month full-time. If not fulfilled monthly, the remaining balance will be billed at 10 dollars per hour. Dollar amount balances will be billed by the 15th of the following month and are due by the 30th. Banked, or extra hours earned, are carried over month to month and will automatically be applied toward a negative balance.

·      Robin maintains a co-op calendar on the bulletin board. Please sign up for hours in advance on the calendar. After completing co-op time, please enter the date, co-op duty performed and your completed hours on the co-op record sheet. Please note: there is no set time for many of the tasks. You must enter the amount of time it took you to complete the co-op to be properly credited. We are on the honor system, so please report your time spent accurately.

·      Co-op records are collected the first week of the month. Please enter your time promptly so it may be credited.

·      Because staff meetings are especially critical to have covered, these co-op hours count double! This is a great way to fulfill your hours and meet the other parents here at Biokids. Please be sure to enter in the log that you worked a staff meeting to ensure that you get double credit.

·      If you need more hours, please talk to Robin. There is almost always something extra to be done (cleaning, extra classroom help, resource creation etc) that can go towards co-op obligations.

·      In some circumstances, donations of materials to Biokids may also be credited for co-op time. Please talk to Robin in advance regarding what might be needed and proper compensation.

·      As a general rule, 15 hours is the maximum hours to be credited in a single month. If you expect to perform more hours in this time frame, please clear it with Robin in advance.

·      E-mails get lost and conversations get forgotten, so please report all hours on the written log. A hard copy makes record-keeping much more reliable for all concerned.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. My e-mail is steve.pronovost@hci.utah.edu

Thanks,

Steve Pronovost

Parent Co-op Activity List (Jan. 2005)

Calendared Events - sign up on the posted calendar

1.    Playdough:     Make two batches and bring them in on Monday morning. Earn 1 hour.

2.         Laundry: Wash sheets, blankets, etc.  Take them home on Friday and return them on Monday. Earn 2 hours.

3.         Grocery shopping: We’ll give you a list and a purchase order for Smiths. Shop and deliver the food over the weekend. Earn between 2-4 hours.

4.         Cleaning the classroom:  Come in over the weekend and clean the kitchen, wipe down the toy shelves, wash toys, the windows, etc.  Do part or all of this and it will be greatly appreciated.  Check with a teacher or the director for specifics and a key.  Earn whatever time you are willing go give.

5.         Staff Meeting coverage: Stay with the children during rest time while the teachers have a staff meeting.  Earn double co-op time for this job - 3 hours.

Non-Calendared Events

1.   General help: Lend a hand in any of our classroom areas at almost any time.  Earn whatever time you are willing to volunteer.

2.   Miscellaneous donations: Occasionally we post items that we would like to have donated, like infant swings and seats, art or other classroom supplies.  Let the director know if you have an item you think we might be able to use. The hours earned are negotiable.

3.   Do you see something that needs to be done?  We are open to suggestions.

4.   Occasionally there are “parent work days” when you can help by painting, working on the playground, helping with a re-model, etc.

5.   Miscellaneous things come up: Parents have recently helped with the state immunization report, the BioKid Directory, and the emergency contact list.

On Going Activities

1.       *Library:  Visit the public library and select books for us. 

2.            *Scholastic Book Orders: Organize and promote book orders.  The school “earns” new books through parents’ purchases.

3.            *Co-op Log: Keep track of co-op hours

4.            *Bookkeeping:  Keep track of checks deposited into BioKids account and generate receipts for parents.

5.            Steering Committee:  BioKids is governed by a group of parents who make many decisions that have an impact on the program and BioKid families.  These decisions relate to tuition rates, staffing, fund raising, and general finances.  The Steering Committee meets once a month for about 1.5-2 hours.

*These activities are all currently assigned to a BioKids parent.