Co-op Member Handbook

H.O.M.E. Co-op Member Handbook
Please read entirely and carefully before the first day of co-op. This will help us all be on the same page, and allow for a smoother start to our co-op year. The following is Important but often overlooked information. Again, please read carefully and thoroughly.

This Member Handbook has the daily schedule for a normal co-op day. All of the other schedules and contact information will be sent to you approximately one week before the semester begins. When that email arrives, please print off the schedules and contact information in it. It will contain the following schedules.

J Teacher-Helper Schedule
J Cleaning Team Schedule
J Phone Tree (with directions on how to implement it)
J Class Locations, Class Lists, etc…

Please do not come to the first co-op in September if you have not turned in your Co-op Registration Form and fee.
Sarah Edwards is the Co-op Director. It is recommended that you put her contact information in your phone for easy reference: 810-923-8801 Sedwards368@yahoo.com
There will be a mandatory parent meeting prior to the first co-op. Exact date and details will come out via email. Please do your best to make sure you can attend.
Please be sure to let Sarah Edwards know of anyone who might be visiting the co-op, such as grandparents, etc. We want to make sure we know who is in the building with us. Please have them wear a nametag.

Registered Children Only at Co-op

Only registered co-op children are permitted on co-op days. Do not bring other children to the co-op. They will not be allowed to attend co-op with your children. Special circumstances are allowed – please contact director if you have a special situation to be considered.

Parental Attendance Required

A co-op is unique in the sense that the participation of all the parents is necessary. We cannot emphasize this enough. This group is designed that all parents are active in numerous ways: teaching, planning, and/or supervising the children.
Parents must attend all co-op sessions and will either teach or clean and help.
Parents are expected to be at co-op for the entire co-op period. If you need to leave early, please inform the Director in advance.
Please do not run errands during the co-op day. We meet only twice a month. Please use your co-op free time to supervise hallways or develop relationships with other co-op moms and dads who are off that hour. If you are really bored, feel free to clean something!
If you miss or are late for 3 or more co-ops in a single semester, your future membership application will be up for review by the H.O.M.E Board to determine whether your application will be approved or denied.

Schedule:
9:00 A.M.                               Arrive and prepare for classes or supervise children in the gym if you are a helper. PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME!
9:30-10:25 A.M.                    Class #1
10:30-11:25 A.M.                    Class #2
11:30-12:00 P.M.                    Lunch
12:05-1:00 P.M.                      Class #3
1:00-1:30 P.M.                        Cleaning Time
Arrival

You will need to arrive at co-op with plenty of time to check announcements on white board in gym, get coats off, and get name tags on.

Co-op starts at 9:30 A.M. Please be on time! You should expect to arrive at co-op between 9:00-9:15 A.M. We will pray as a group at 9:20 A.M. Please be on time to meet with God and ask for His blessing on our day. Co-op will start at 9:30 A.M.
Please have children drop their lunches off in the gym. Children are not allowed to keep lunches or drinks in their book bags. Children should keep their book bags with them at all times. Please check announcements at Welcome Center in gym and make a nametag for yourself and your children.
Children are to be supervised at all times, including teen children. Upon arrival to co-op in the morning, you are responsible for your children until the announcement is made to line up at their first hour class signs. Children will then be escorted to and from their classes each hour.
Nursery, Toddler, and Pre-K Workers – It is so important that you are on time so that moms are free to take care of their responsibilities without the care of their little ones. Please be a blessing to those of us with little ones and be on time!

Lunch

Children and adults will need to bring a lunch for lunch period.
Please no cupcakes or other messy types of snacks that could ruin the floor.
Please no drinks that could stain the carpet.
Please no pop.
Please bring a blanket or table cloth to eat your lunch on and help protect the carpet.
You are responsible for your children during lunch time.
There are no balls or gym equipment out during lunchtime. Please make sure your children know this in advance.
Please make sure your children clean up their area after eating.

Class Supplies

All children will need to bring backpacks to each co-op (labeled with their name on outside of bag.)
Elementary and Teen children will need to bring their own supplies to co-op. Please make sure they have the following:

a book bag / knapsack
a lunch box / bag
markers (If your child prefers colored pencils, feel free to buy them instead of markers, or perhaps they enjoy both)
crayons
folder
pencils (with erasers) OR pens, if your older child prefers them
white glue or a glue stick
scissors, safe for the age of your child

List of optional items that may prove to be useful:

Kleenex
pencil sharpener (only one that contains its shavings)
container to store pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, etc.

Toddler and Pre-K children do not have to bring their own supplies. They will use the co-op supplies, but should bring a backpack to carry any class projects or materials to take home.
Please periodically check your child’s backpack to make sure that they have adequate supplies throughout the year.

Parent Responsibilities
Checking Email

The co-op can only run efficiently if all members work together and stay well-informed of co-op information, activities, and events. It is important that you read the emails that are sent to you and respond promptly. Please be diligent in making sure that you are an asset to the co-op through staying on top all necessary information! Please check your email often since all communication is done by email. All schedules will be sent out by email. Please print off copies if you want them for yourself. Please make sure you check your email the Wednesday night before co-op for any last minute announcements.

Make Own Copies of Schedules

Also, in an attempt to be better stewards of our registration fees, I will not be making copies of schedules, lists, etc. for you. Please print out copies for yourself. At $.08 a copy, it adds up very quickly for 30+ families. In this way, we can use our resources for classroom supplies.

Teacher and Helper Info
Teachers

Teachers are expected to provide a syllabus for the class they are teaching. The syllabus will be posted in the Informational Handbook.
Each teacher will receive a budget for his/her class. Expenses incurred by teachers will be reimbursed provided teacher stays within budget. Teachers can request reimbursement at any time during the semester. Please put receipts in an envelope. Write your name and the total amount to be reimbursed on the envelope. Give to Sarah Edwards.
If you are coming off your off hour, please make sure you get to where you need to be on time.
Please arrive to co-op with plenty of time to make sure that your room is set-up properly. You may have to go and get tables and chairs for your room, so please allow time for this each week.
If you have a second or third hour class, please have all your supplies and material taken to your class room before first hour. This will allow you the time in-between classes to get your classroom set up before your helper brings in the children.
If you have a first hour class, please make sure you give yourself enough time to set up your first hour class and be in the gym by 9:20 for prayer.

Helpers

It is expected that the Helpers in the classes will maintain class discipline so that the teachers can focus on teaching.
You will be assigned to be on the cleaning schedule or help supervise the children in the gym. We will clean from 1:00-1:30 P.M. each week.
Helpers - Please do not leave a teacher alone in a classroom. We want two adults in the rooms at all times. I have found that some helpers have just decided on their own to not help out that hour because they thought the teacher did not need his/her help. Even if there are only a few children in the class, for the parent’s and children’s protection, we need two adults in all classes at all times.

Teacher and Helper Info

If a child needs to use the bathroom during class, an adult will escort them and wait outside the bathroom.

If a child needs his or her parent for any reason, the parent will be notified and brought to the child. Teens may escort themselves after receiving permission from the Teacher.
A parent from each class will see their group of children to the bathrooms and drinking fountains after each class (with the exception of the teens, who may escort themselves) and is also responsible to escort the children to their next class.
A parent must be present in each classroom and one female adult with girls at all times.
The church office staff will be in the building while we are there. Please make children keep the noise level down, especially while traveling the halls. If the children are noisy, please stop and make them get quiet. Please take time to train them in this, even if it means their being late to class for awhile. Children will rise to the level we expect from them – so set a high level of expectation early.
Please wear a watch or have some way of telling the time so that you can keep on schedule and get children to their next class on time.

Attendance and Absences

It is very important for the success of the co-op that you and your children attend co-op regularly. Co-op is a commitment. We depend on our parents and helpers for all of our classes to run smoothly and for children to receive the full benefit from our classes. Please be here for every co-op unless sickness or an emergency prevents it. If you know that you will miss several co-op dates, please reconsider whether co-op is right for your family at this time.
If you or your children are sick, you obviously cannot attend co-op. This is a legitimate excuse. We do not want sick children or parents at co-op. Also, if you have an emergency and cannot attend co-op, this is understandable.
Please make sure you let the Director know ASAP if you are unable to attend co-op.
If you are going to be absent you need to contact Sarah Edwards– 810-923-8801 or sedwards368@yahoo.com. Please plan on calling if you don’t know you will be absent until the morning of. Do not email the Co-op Director on Thursday morning letting her know you will be absent. More than likely she won’t get it until after co-op as she has her own family to get ready and out the door.

Exception for Parent Being Absent and Children Still Attending

Parents are expected to be at co-op when their children are at co-op. However, in instances where a child is sick and siblings are well, the parent may send their well children to co-op in the care of another co-op parent. You should list these parents on your registration form.

If you will be absent as a parent, but your children will be attending:

Children must be assigned to the care of a co-op parent. Non co-op parents are not allowed to take a scheduled parent's place.
Please have another co-op parent (whom you have listed on your registration form) take responsibility for your children while they are there. You can have a relative attend and do this for you instead.
Please Let Sarah Edwards know about your absence and the co-op parent who is in charge of your child(ren) for the day or call.

Facility

Fenton Rd. Baptist Church is allowing us to use their building for the co-op, so please help out by cleaning as-you-go and taking your part in the building clean-up rotation. In the case of any damage to the church building or any property by a co-op child, the parent will be held responsible. Please let me know of any damage that happens right away. We need to be upfront and honest with the church about accidents or negligence, so that they continue to allow us to use their building.

Attitude and Behavior Policy

We desire that this co-op honor God in all that it does. Only through putting God first and by following His direction in our attitudes and activities will this co-op survive and thrive.
Please be Christ-like in all your dealings with the children and with the parents.
Please have an attitude and demeanor of a servant.
When conflicts arise, please pray first, and then confront the person with which you have the conflict. Please refrain from gossiping with others about the situation.

Please pray for the teachers and children often.

Children’s Behavior

H.O.M.E. guidelines for behavior apply for co-op participation. Disobedience, defying the rules and any other ongoing problems will be addressed. Let your children know that being a part of the co-op is a privilege. Children are to address adults as Mr., Mrs., or Ms.
When a child is acting out inappropriately or disobeys the rules,

The Teacher/Helper will have the child sit out in the room for a period of time.
If the child continues to disrupt after this time-out, please notify Sarah Edwards of the situation. At that time, she will have a talk with the parent to try to correct the situation.
If a problem still persists, you will need to get a discipline form the Director and fill it out. She will take the child and form to the parent and discuss the situation.

If misbehavior of the child happens on a regular basis, the Co-op Director will discuss child’s behavior with the board and the board will vote on dismissal of the child from co-op.

Off Hour

During the hour(s) that you are off, you can feel free to visit your children in their classes or spend some time in the Mom’s Room.

Co-op Cancellation

If Grand Blanc schools are closed due to bad weather, co-op activities will be cancelled. If co-op activities must be cancelled for any other reason, you will be called according to the Phone Tree and by email.
When you are called, immediately call the name following yours on the list. This is essential so that everyone is notified within one hour of the first call. If you cannot reach that person, or if you get an answering machine/voice mail, go to the next name on the list, but continue to try to reach the first person as well. Continue on the list until you actually speak to someone in person. Please do not contact the church with questions about the co-op.

Phone Tree

Here is how a phone tree works: I will call the person underneath my name on each leg of the phone tree. Once you receive your phone call, you are to call the person below your name and relay the message. IMPORTANT: If the person you are calling is not home, you need to call the person that is next on your leg of the tree. Even if you leave a message for the first person that you call, the phone tree must continue with the next person on the list, because the person you left the message with may not get that message for hours – and then the rest of the people on your leg will not get the message. You will have to keep calling down the phone tree until you reach someone and leave a message with a person – not a machine. IMPORTANT: The last person on each leg of the tree, please call me to let me know that the phone message made it all the way down your leg – so that I can be assured that the message went through your entire line of the phone tree. IMPORTANT: If you called people and were not able to leave a message, you will need to call back those people until you reach them, otherwise they will never receive the message. Whenever we have the need for the phone tree – I will be putting the message additionally out by email. Even though you received an email, we still want to continue the PHONE tree because many people do not check their email for days – sometimes weeks!

Clean-Up Crew

The Co-op Director will be making a clean-up crew from the list of parents who are not teaching classes. We want to bless the men and women who are taking their time to prepare lessons each week for co-op, so teachers will not be on the clean-up crew, unless we are short non-teaching parents.
Helpers, plan to be there from 1:00-1:30ish to make sure that the building is spotless. We want to leave the church better than how we found it. Please put forth a 110% effort when you are cleaning.
While you are cleaning, your children will be supervised in the nursery and gym. We want all children supervised during this period. Please DO NOT take your children with you while you are cleaning. The only exception would be for young children who are experiencing separation anxiety.
All cleaning jobs should be done by 1:30. Please make sure you are supervising your own children by 1:30. The gym supervisors and nursery workers will no longer be supervising your children after 1:30.

Daily Schedule Detailed Breakdown
ARRIVAL

Please arrive at co-op by 9:00-9:15 A.M. Teachers will want to arrive by 9:00 to be setting up their classrooms.
The Welcome Table is in the gym.

 please fill out a nametag for you and your child.
 Moms – check your name off of the list to show that you are here.
 Read any announcements.
 everyone goes to the gym to start the day. (This includes Pre-K and Toddlers.)

The only exception to this will be nursery workers and babies.

Grab your family name from the wall by the sign up desk and find a empty place along the gym wall for your coats, lunches and other family items. Please make sure you put your family name tag above your space along the way.
If you get to co-op early and have some spare time before classes start, please remember you are responsible for your children until the announcement is made to find their first hour class sign at 9:20 AM.
Take your child to the bathroom before dropping them off to his/her sign.
Every child needs to go and SIT or STAND along the wall by the sign of his/her first class when the announcement is made.

Signs will be posted on the walls in the gym.
No children should be up walking or running. All children should be seated or standing against the wall by in their assigned area.

All helpers should stand and supervise the children for the class that they are assigned to. For example, if the first class that you help in is gym, you should be standing next to the GYM sign, supervising the children sitting there.

Teachers might be in their rooms preparing for their class.
Helpers must supervise the children.

We will have announcements and prayer at 9:20.

FIRST CLASS – 9:30-10:25 A.M.

As soon as announcements and prayer are finished, we will have the helpers take their classes to their rooms.

Helpers can use the gym signs on the wall to take attendance and make sure they have all their children or they can use their own printed copy of class names.

Children should walk in a straight line to class.

If children run or are noisy, please stop the class and have them return to their original place in the gym. Then, try again. It should not take too many times of this for the children to rise to our level of expectation.
Please report any children that will not cooperate to the teacher, who will report to me.

Classes will be held as usual.

If children need to use the bathroom during class, an adult will supervise them and stand OUTSIDE of the bathroom door, with the door open.
Classes will end 5 minutes early to get children back to the gym.

As soon as class is over, helpers will walk all children from all classes back to the gym area. (This includes teens.) Children will again sit or stand by the wall next to the sign for their next class.

It would be best if helpers would walk the class as a line to each sign on the wall and drop off children, rather than just going to the gym and allowing children to run to their assigned areas.
It is nice for all helpers to have a master list of all classes so that you can assist children who do not know where they go next.
Again – supervise children so that all are seated.
Helpers will stand by and supervise their next class that they help in.

SECOND CLASS – 10:30-11:25 A.M.

The same procedure as above will take place to take children to their next class. Helpers will take the children to class once all the children are accounted for.
At the end of the second hour, the following will happen:

All teachers and helpers will come down to the gym with their classes.
Children will sit on the floor with their lunches and eat.
Toddler and Pre-K teachers will walk children to the lunch room and have them sit until parents claim them to eat lunch.
Parents can go and get their nursery children, but make sure that another parent is supervising their older children. Nursery children can stay in the nursery during lunch.

LUNCH TIME - 11:30-12:00 P.M.

Lunch Supervisor will make sure that all children are seated.
Children may eat their lunches and play after finished.

Please do not allow children to eat on the side of the gym that is reserved for play time.
Children should clean up after themselves before being allowed to play.

Children should play on the opposite side of gym after eating.

You are responsible for your children during lunch. Please make sure they know and follow the lunch time rules.
Children should NOT leave the gym for any reason.
Children should go to the bathroom during the lunch period supervised by their own parent using the gym bathrooms.

Moms please make sure you are doing the following during lunch:

Moms need to make sure that no children leave the gym for any reason.
Moms need to monitor the bathrooms and make sure the doors stay open.
Moms need to monitor the play area to make sure that children are safe.

If we find that we cannot work to do this as a team, we will have to assign moms to these jobs during the lunch period, on a rotating schedule.

At 11:50, the announcement will be made to let you know to clean up and find your 3rd hour class signs.

All helpers should go to the signs for the next class that they help in and supervise those children.
Once all children are accounted for, the helper will walk children to their next class, making sure all children walk.

Third CLASS – 12:05--1:00 P.M.

The same procedure as above will take place to take children to their last class. Helpers will take the children to class once all the children are accounted for.

AFTER THIRD CLASS IS OVER – 1:00-1:30 P.M.

When the 3rd class period is over, all children will go to the gym. (Nursery children will stay in the nursery.)
Take as much of your belonging as you can out to your car. This will help us get the gym vacuum and cleaned faster as this tends to be the longest cleaning job.
All parents who are not cleaning will take their children and leave promptly.
Children whose parents are cleaning will be supervised in the gym by a cleaning team member.
As soon as the parent is finished cleaning, he/she may take his/her children and leave.
When you are done teaching, cleaning or supervising, please get your children, belonging and leave promptly. Please do not stay and fellowship after co-op. The building gets cleaned faster with less children and families in the building. Please use before co-op, or during an off hour to fellowship.