Parent Involvement & Participation
“I remember the first time my son’s classmate yelled, ‘Mister Jason! Wait for us!’ from the parking lot on our way to class … It warms my heart that my son’s classmates recognize my name, and being involved with the school has given our family our first group of family friends!” - Jason C, current HRNS parent
Family participation and involvement is a cornerstone of Hastings Ranch Nursery School and promotes a community atmosphere while keeping tuition costs down.
As a Cooperative Preschool, HRNS offers both parents and children the opportunity to interact with our diverse community, and we nurture the whole family by providing support, partnership, and resources that enable parents to meet the challenges of parenting. We believe each hour you put in volunteering with HRNS yields abundantly more development and growth for not only your family, but the HRNS community as a whole.
Volunteer Requirements at HRNS
Parent Classroom Participation (3 hours/day, between 5 - 25 days/year): parents (or other guardians and family members) are required to volunteer in class, which helps mitigate tuition costs while creating an intimate adult-to-child ratio. While these requirements may seem burdensome, parents and family members enjoy and even looking forward to playing with children and connecting with classmates. [Buyout Available]
Lower School (ages 2 - 3)
2-Day Program: 1 - 2 days per 6 week session (5 - 10 days / year)
3-Day Program: 3 days per 6 week session (15 days / year)
5-Day Program: 5 days per 6 week session (25 days / year)
Upper School (ages 3 - 5)
2-Day Program: 1 - 2 day per 6 week session (5 - 10 days / year)
3-Day Program: 2 - 3 days per 6 week session (10 - 15 days / year)
5-Day Program: 3 - 4 days per 6 week session (15 - 20 days / year)
Volunteer Committee (10 hours/year): HRNS harnesses the skills and capabilities of parents by assigned a volunteer committee or role to each family. An example committee is the docent committee, in which parents or outside educators visit classrooms and teach students supplemental curriculum such as learning about a historical figure, music, yoga and movement, and more. Other examples include digital marketing, fundraising, family events, hospitality and more. Each committee is led by a board member, and each family is required to complete 10 volunteer hours/year. Families select their preferred committees, and the HRNS director assigns families based on need and match. Various committees allow you to fulfill hours at your convenience (e.g. during school, after school, or on your own time). We’re deeply fortunate that many families choose to volunteer more to help the HRNS community and their children! [Buyout Available]
Maintenance Day (5 hours/year): while the school is regularly cleaned by professionals, families must complete one full maintenance day on a Saturday morning to help maintain and clean the school. Maintenance days occur on Saturdays from 8 am - 1 pm. 5 Saturdays are available throughout the year. [Buyout Available]
Annual Fundraiser Volunteering (2 hours/year): every year, HRNS hosts an annual auction and fundraiser to raise money for the school’s long-term needs such as new play equipment or long-term building maintenance. All families are required to volunteer 2-hours to help run the event. [Buyout Available]
Mandatory Events and Meetings
Orientation (2 hours, evening): Orientation is a mandatory event for all families (at least one member of each family must attend). The Director and teachers discuss guidelines for work days, snacks, and the parent’s role in classroom volunteering.
Visiting Day Training (1.5 hours, morning): Visiting day is the first day parents and children come to school for the school year! Childcare is provided, and parents are provided classroom-specific training and supplies for the year (e.g. box for child’s extra clothes, etc)
Annual Corporation Meeting (1 hour, evening): HRNS is required to have an annual corporation meeting with its members. As a parent cooperative, parents are the school’s members, and the meeting allows parents to vote on key decisions such as the next year’s Board of Directors [Buyout Available]
Parent Education Event (1 per year, 1 - 2 hours, evenings): parents are required to attend at least one education event per year, which is hosted by the school typically once/month throughout the year [Buyout Available]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a buyout?
A: A “buyout” is where families pay to exempt themselves from volunteer requirements. For example, families may choose to not attend a maintanance day for a fixed dollar amount. Each buyout amount can be found in the parent handbook.
Q: We’d love to send our child to HRNS, but both parents work. How would we be able to meet the parent participation requirements?
A: First, your family should make whatever childcare decision is best for your family. Having said that, many HRNS families are made up of families with two working parents. Our school offers flexibility with volunteering and event requirements that differ from other co-ops. Examples include -
All volunteer requirements and mandatory meetings can be “bought out”
Classroom volunteers can be grandparents, guardians, aunts, uncles, or even nannies
Alternatives to maintenance days such as weekly laundry duties and other special projects
Q: Why do different programs have different classroom volunteer requirements?
A: Different programs have different volunteer requirements due to mandated adult-to-child ratios. Typically, younger students require more adult attention and intervention, therefore requiring more adults present.