Participation:
Getting Involved (or Not)

Are you interested in becoming more involved in the preschool? Click here to view the Board of Directors Role Summaries!

What does it mean to be a co-op?

Waterloo Co-operative Preschool is a parent co-operative where families work together to manage the successful operation of our school. Being part of a parent co-op is a very rewarding experience. Our preschool provides the opportunity to be involved with your child’s early education in a way that works with your schedule, budget and lifestyle. All of the members pool their resources to create a successful program. We, as the parents, are the assistant teachers, the administrators, the fundraisers, the maintenance crew, and the organizers. Together, the families of Waterloo Co-operative Preschool have been running successful programs for over 45 years!

Waterloo Co-operative Preschool is funded in part by the Region of Waterloo.

 
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Classroom participation

At our preschool, you can choose to be an in-class participating family. These members are referred to as classroom volunteers. Classroom volunteers help out in the classroom once a month during their child’s class time. Families who chose not to be in-class participating families do not help out in the classroom.

In-class participating families (classroom volunteers)

In-class participating families (classroom volunteers) assist with snack preparation, set up, and clean up, while also interacting with children in the class during the program. Volunteers can expect to be scheduled for classroom volunteering once a month, plus one backup volunteer day.

As part of Ministry regulations, classroom volunteers cannot bring other children to school on their volunteer day.

Committees / (Co-op Roles)

Whether you choose to be an in-class participating or not, you must serve on either a committee or the Board of Directors. Committee work or taking on a Board role are both great ways to get involved and make a difference in your child’s school!

If you have more than one child attending the preschool, you are only asked to participate in one committee or Board of Director role.

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School improvement

  • Keep the classroom and playground clean and safe

  • Undertake building projects

  • Complete minor repairs

Special events

  • Help with fundraising initiatives (e.g., Scholastic orders)

  • Assist in the organization of preschool family events

Snack

  • Purchase snack items (fees reimbursed) (must be dropped off by Monday at 9 am)

IT and web support

  • Maintain the preschool website, update and manage content

  • Provide IT support for the classroom laptop and printer

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Newsletter

  • Create and distribute the monthly newsletter

Financial

  • Ensure all fees are deposited and appropriately accounted for

  • Issue tax receipts

  • Prepare grant applications

Classroom admin assistant

  • Photocopy documents

  • Compile binders

  • Type up written notes

Board of Directors

Are you interested in being more involved with the preschool? Maybe looking to supplement your resume? Consider sitting on our Board of Directors!

Board of Director positions include:

President*

  • Provides oversight for all governing activities of the Preschool

  • Organizes and chairs meetings from agenda (template sent out by Administrator); works with Administrator to prepare Welcome Meeting and AGM agendas and presentations

  • Ensures that all Board members are performing their duties adequately and reliably and in good attendance of meetings

  • Works with Administrator, Treasurer, Bookkeeper, Director and/or Supervisor to complete funding applications

  • Point of contact for complaints against members of the Administrative or Supervisory teams (Director, Supervisor, Administrator, Bookkeeper) or Preschool

  • Has bank signing authority

  • Has signing authority for CHS, CWELCC

Vice President*

  • Head of personnel

  • Signs off on educators’ timesheets

  • Leads contract renewals

  • Leads in hiring of new staff, working with Director; creates full time staff contracts

  • Surveys staff for feedback prior to meeting with staff twice per year: December and May

Treasurer*

  • Has care and custody of all funds, including management of bank and credit card access

  • Corresponds with families about financial matters (late payment, NSF, etc)

  • Signs off on expenses and sends e-transfers

  • Pre-approves spending and purchases

  • Coordination of renewals (insurance, AVG for staff, etc.)

  • Approval of documentation for Regional funding and compliance

  • Receive monthly financial statements from Bookkeeper and present to BOD at meetings

  • Collaborates with Bookkeeper to create draft budget annually for the planning meeting (Dec)

  • Collaborates with Bookkeeper to create and present budget annually for the AGM

  • Manages and provides guidance and assistance to the Assistant Treasurers (Deposits and Tax Receipts)

  • Works with Administrator, President, Bookkeeper, Director and/or Supervisor to complete funding applications

  • Has signing authority for CHS, CWELCC

*President, VP and Treasurer are all on the Executive committee (makes decisions on urgent matters that cannot wait for full board review) and Personnel committee (hiring, contract renewals)

Communications Officer

  • Creates and maintains main Preschool accounts email lists

  • Responsible for sending communications to Preschool membership

  • Responds to (or redirects appropriately) web enquiries

  • Creates the monthly newsletter and calendar with input from the educators, Supervisor and Director

  • Is contact for Social Media Co-op role

  • Maintains Squarespace account and makes any requested changes to the Preschool’s website. 

  • Uploads new policies to website

Membership Officer

  • Composes Membership surveys and compiles the responses

  • Assist Administrator/Membership Coordinator to provide monthly tuition to Bookkeeper (update Billing spreadsheet)

  • Works with Administrator to organize Open Houses (3 per year - May, Aug, Nov)

  • Ensures all members are assigned a co-op role unless opted out

  • Follows up with Bookkeeper/Treasurer if co-op role has not been completed by Dec and June

  • Ensures each co-op role/committee has a responsible Board member

  • Assists Administrator and Supervisor as needed, particularly with OneList cleanups, co-op roles

  • Is contact for Social committee

Board Officer

  • Assists the educators and other Board Members with administrative duties as needed (classroom prep, special projects, laminating, photocopying etc) 

  • Reviews updated policies from staff, brings to board for approval

  • Takes immunization records to Public Health twice a year

  • Edit forms and letters as requested

  • Take minutes of meetings if the Secretary is unable to attend

  • Assist the other Board of Director roles on an as-needed basis

Secretary

  • Takes minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and General Meetings

  • Distributes minutes 

  • Provides hardcopies of the Policies, Procedures, and Bylaws to families upon request

Operations Officer

  • Board representative liaising with church, alongside Director

  • Manages funding/grant applications for special projects, in collaboration with Director, Supervisor, and Administrator, e.g. playground improvement (with assistance of committee member)

  • Is contact for Sponsorship committee, Fundraising committee

School Improvement Officer

  • Prepares and monitors a schedule for school cleaning by the School Improvement Committee (Cleaning crew)

  • Responsible for purchasing all supplies required for cleaning and building maintenance (contact for Supplies/purchasing committee/co-op roles)

  • Responsible for overseeing supplies and equipment repairs for cleaning and building maintenance 

  • Works with Director to maintain monthly inventory and check lists

  • Contacts the church to confirm our snow removal needs each year, and ensures a company is scheduled to clear the playground gates

  • Coordinates, attends and manages the Fall, Spring, and year end clean ups each school year

  • Follows up with Bookkeeper/Treasurer if yard cleanup has not been completed by May

  • Is contact for School Improvement committee (cleaning crew)

  • Cleans carpet (or contracts it out) before the start of school each September, schedules floor cleaning with custodian of church

  • Works with Administrator to organize the floors being cleaned in both rooms. Church should be cleaning the Celery room (room 2), but we are responsible for room 1. David usually mops and seals the hard floor during the summer, and carpets need to be deep cleaned.

Member at Large

  • Assists with special project, grants or committee where help is needed

  • Often filled later in the year by a current preschool member who will be on the BoD next school year

Community Advisor

  • Advises Board on procedure (via email or at meetings)

  • Informs Board of any long-running projects or old projects that had to be put on hold or of previous WCP activities that were notable (success or failure)

  • Draws on previous experience of WCP to recommend successful approach to challenges

  • Should be a previous Board member and familiar with workings of WCP 

  • Not required to have children at WCPor be a member of the preschool (in this case does not vote at meetings)

  • Expected to attend Board meetings at start of school year with attendance reducing as new Board becomes comfortable

All members of the Board of Directors are required to participate in monthly Board meetings that are typically held at the preschool.

For additional information, please see the link below to our Board of Directors Handbook:

Board of Directors Handbook

Special skills and community helpers

If you have a special skill or job that would help the preschool (e.g., painter, electrician) or might be of interest to the children (e.g., police officer, musician), we’d love to talk with you to see if we can work together. Arrangements can often be made in exchange for committee duty or fundraising.