About Us
Benefits
Your child will receive individual attention due to the high ratio of adults to children. Parents are able to have more time with their child and have a say in the operation of the co-op. You will also have the opportunity to meet other parents who are earning a degree.
- Education that supports life-long learning
- Involvement with your child, his or her playmates and the teacher
- Supportive relationships for you and your child with other families
- Opportunities for growth and understanding as a parent
- Acceptance of the individual needs and strengths of each child
Our Philosophy
At the Rhode Island College Cooperative Preschool, we believe that a child's preschool experience should be the foundation of a lifetime of learning through age-appropriate experiences. Our preschool welcomes all children regardless of race, language, gender, culture, or abilities. The Cooperative Preschool offers a safe, nurturing, and interactive environment in order to maximize the potential and individuality of every child. Children learn by understanding the world around them and their relationship to it. The Co-op curriculum recognizes that play is the principle through which children attain developmentally appropriate goals in all the Rhode Island Early Learning Standard domains. The program offers a well-structured curriculum which is aligned to the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards. The curriculum offers a variety of projects and activities aimed at the enhancement of social, cognitive, and motor skills. These activities support and reflect on the importance of the additional three components of a quality curriculum: focusing on how children learn, the environment in which they learn best, and the importance of teaching and facilitating to support children's individual learning styles. The teachers and staff are committed to support all children's individual development and growth. Parents and the Rhode Island College community play an integral part of the program. Our program understands the uniqueness that each family brings to our center, and we strive to involve parents and support them in their child's growth and development through program-level decision-making. The Co-op strongly values collaboration between parents and staff while striving to build a community based team through mutual respect, trust, and understanding of each individual family.
At the Cooperative Preschool we strive to instill these very important skills in all children:
- Recognize that all children have varying degrees of development levels, unique learning styles and interests
- Approach learning with an attitude of active involvement
- Build a positive self-image
- Make good choices
- Recognize and appreciate diverse cultures
- Work well with others
- Support special needs within an inclusive setting
Responsibilities
Cooperation and communication are vital components of the the shared responsibilities at the co-op. During duty hours parents are expected to assist the teacher with the children and to complete various daily, monthly and semester duties. These duties may include housekeeping chores, playground duty or preparing snacks. This helps the co-op run smoothly and efficiently. It also helps to keep the monthly dues reasonable. Other parent responsibilities include a commitment to work a designated number of hours per week determined at the beginning of each semester, attend monthly meetings, pay monthly dues and actively participate in the organization. Each parent is also required to complete (20) hours of staff training per year. The training classes include, reading, self-study or staff development training sessions held during the monthly co-op meetings.
