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CNS was founded on the belief that parents are a child’s first teacher and should be genuine partners in the educational process at school. Not only do we work to make a smooth transition from home to school, but we also aim to keep the connection ongoing through cooperation and communication. Parents are welcome in the classroom, on field trips, and to help in improving the facilities at school, especially the garden and library. We also encourage parents to become involved in the decision-making of the school, by attending board meetings and serving on committees. Parents are welcome to volunteer in any area where they have a particular interest or expertise.
PARENT COOPERATIVE
The educational aim of CNS is to ensure the ideal link between home and school. Reggio Emilia recognizes that parents are a child’s first teachers. Research shows that the more involved parents can be in education, the more success children enjoy. We know that this includes creating a bridge between a child’s academic life in school and intellectual life outside of school. Our goal is to create a place where parents are not only welcome, but are connected and appreciated.
At CNS, we strive to find the right balance between professional expertise and parent involvement. We ask each parent to:
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Support learning by making connections between home and school. In daily emails, teachers provide suggestions for home extensions. Weekly updates and website also provide resources to enrich the experience at home.
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For many years, we followed a traditional cooperative model where parents rotated visiting the classrooms. Today, we continue to have an open door policy and flexible options for parents who'd like to see a day in the life. This time in the classroom allows parents to make deeper connections to home.
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Participate in workdays during the school year, fundraising, and committee work. The parents ultimately agree upon the extent of the cooperative. However, we would like parents to serve on the board of directors or committees. As in many cooperatives, we ask parents to help us in such ways as developing and maintaining the website, offering legal counsel, coordinating admissions, acting as a neighborhood liaison, fundraising, and contributing in any way they can. To get CNS started, we asked parents to help us secure continued start-up costs. Today, parents may consider an initial purchase for the space (such as blocks, tables and chairs, books, art supplies, and educational toys) or to share relevant materials (resources you might have at home to support our studies).
Most schools require some parent assistance besides tuition, such as fundraising, cleanups, and community events. At CNS, we also believe that parents should be involved in academic decision-making. Parents are part of ongoing discussions about how the curriculum is evolving and how to support it.