General Rules

• Be on time.  Nursery begins at 8:30am.  Announcements are at 8:45am.  Parents are expected to be present for announcements unless they are working in the nursery.
• Do not bring sick children (fever or vomiting in the last 24 hours).
• If you need a substitute, look in the schedule and find someone who is not scheduled to work that day or someone with which you can switch. It is your responsibility to find a substitute. (best to seek this person in advance – not on Friday morning!)  Contact at least 5 people privately before sending a group email.
• No children are to be in the building or on the playground unsupervised.
• When children are outside, they should stay in the playground area unless they have been given permission by the parent to be elsewhere. Parents are responsible for their children once they have been picked up from class.
• No running or horseplay in the building (this includes the throwing of balls). P.E. class in the Activity Room or Narthex is an exception.
• No gum.
• Your child is allowed to bring a small, non-distracting snack that may only be eaten at the teachers’ discretion.
• Discipline – We expect the children to be respectful and obedient. In the best interest of the children, the teachers need to notify the parents if there is a problem. If the problem persists, the child will not be allowed to participate in the class.  Please refer to the CKC Code of Conduct.
• Please leave the rooms as you found them or better and ready for the next use. (Most rooms should have a set-up map.)

Pre-K 3 Policy

• All children entering the Pre-K 3 year old class are required to have turned 3 years old by September 30th of that year and also be reliably potty trained.

Concerning the Nursery

• If you are scheduled to work in the nursery, please plan to arrive by 8:30am so that parents can drop off their little ones before the morning assembly.
• The nursery is only available for children whose parents are teaching in one of the classes that day. These younger children should NOT go to the classes with their parents.
• Parents – Please bring a diaper bag that is labeled with your child’s name. Make sure that nursery workers are aware of any allergies your child may have.
• Parents – If you want your child to have a snack during the morning, please bring that snack (nut free) with you and make sure the workers are aware of it by making a note on the nursery check in/out form.
• Children that have been sick with a fever or any other signs of infection in the last 24 hours should not be brought to the nursery.
• Children 3rd grade and under will only be released to parents, NOT to older siblings unless prior arrangements have been made with that week’s nursery team. Please make a note on the nursery check in/out form.
• Nursery workers should clean up the nursery and leave it in the same (or better!) condition than they found it.

Winter Weather Policy

In case of inclement weather, we will err on the side of safety for everyone! A decision will be made by 7 am and an e-mail will be sent to all members.

Medical Release Form

Every child must have a current, completed Co-op Information and Medical Release Form on file before they can be left at co-op. This form includes information about the child (allergies, medical conditions, medications, family physician) as well as emergency contact phone numbers. If a child gets sick or is complaining of being sick we will remove him/her from class and call to have the child picked up. We CANNOT keep a sick child at co-op.

Cell Phone / Electronics Policy

We have a “no tolerance” policy for electronics.  All student electronic devices, including cell phones, will not be permitted at co-op or on the playground.   They must be kept in backpacks, on silence. The only exception for this will be for classwork (for certain classes) at the discretion of the teacher.

Spending Money on Class Materials

We realize that you may need some materials for the classes you teach, however, please try to keep spending to a minimum. Always check the supply closet and the closet upstairs before making a purchase. If you need to spend over $20 for a class please check with a board member first.

Making Copies

CKC has a printer for it’s members to use.  The email address for copies can be found in the handbook.

Visitors

• Children of co-op families that would normally be elsewhere (like school): Definitely bring them when needed. Notify the teachers in advance and work out any issues an extra child might cause including offering to stay in class if possible. Try to do this before Thursday night as many teachers prepare supplies for a specific number of students.
• Arrange a tour of Creative Kids Co-op by emailing ckc.harrisonburg.info@gmail.com.Children are welcome to come on the tour with you.

We ask all adult visitors to get a name tag from the point person. Even a dad who is just dropping off a forgotten backpack or a guest speaker for a class.. Please let your family members know about this policy and that we welcome them to come! It is not unusual to have strangers come into the building looking for a pastor or a person with whom to talk. You are encouraged to kindly approach any adult you don’t recognize to find out why they are in the building. Being proactive will help keep our children safe.

Cleaning

Each cleaning team will clean for several consecutive weeks. Teams working longer weeks have an extra person to make cleaning go faster. One person on the team should be assigned to watch all children of the cleaning team in one location so that other parents can concentrate on cleaning. The team leader will divide responsibilities and ensure that all the work is completed. The team should continue working together until all jobs are finished, then leave together.  We want to leave it in a better-than-we-found-it, ready-for-Sunday condition.

Enrollment and Class Size

Creative Kids Co-op is an educational cooperative for children age 3 through eighth grade. Class sizes have been chosen in order to provide the best learning experience for each grade level. From year to year some age groups may be combined based on the number of students for that year. Our classes fill up quickly and we often have a waiting list. We will usually not add new families during the year due to scheduling issues. In the spring we will collect registration forms from current members before opening spots to families on the waiting list.

Homework Guidelines

Homework is work that needs to be returned to a co-op teacher. Anything else is just extra paper, sent home for parents to use or discard. Kindergarten through 2nd grade generally should not need to bring any work back to co-op. Check the requested supply list to see what your child should bring each week. For 3rd through 4th grades, assignments should be short and easy to complete. Teachers, don’t expect children to write much because we don’t want to burden moms. An example of appropriate homework at this level would be coloring and drawing, perhaps labeling a picture. One larger creative project might also be appropriate at this level, but if parts of it need to be completed at home make sure you leave some class time to provide guidance. Don’t expect this age level to complete a project on their own. 5th through 7th grades may have some independent projects to work on at home, something to memorize, or short paragraphs to write. It’s up to the parent and child to decide how much time and energy to devote. Consider setting aside a block of time each week for co-op preparation. Teachers, consider the homework load the kids might have from other classes. Lastly, please send an email reminder of assignments early in the week. Include any instructions that students and parents might need. Apologia Science and IEW are in a different category, with expectations laid out by the teacher.