How We Work with Parents
We believe that adults play an important role in the development of young children, not only in transmitting knowledge and values, but by providing the emotional base from which a secure child can move out into the world as a learner and a “doer”. Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. Our staff provides an opportunity for children to interact with different adults who are trained to facilitate learning and offer care and comfort in the absence of a parent. We see ourselves, however, as partners and never replacements for parents. We know that parents entrust their child to us for but a brief period; it is they who are in there for the long haul. Since parenting is such a complex job, we offer support to parents in each stage of the child’s development.
Teachers, on the other hand, rely on parent for information about their child, their goals, family values and traditions, and to support the Growing Place program. Teachers have the responsibility and the skills to work with children in a group, helping them to learn problem-solving, perspective-taking and multiple ways to communicate their ideas and feelings. Teachers also are critical to creating the “context” for collaborative learning in which children stimulate each other’s development by working together in play and on projects of mutual satisfaction and fun.
The tuition contract requires that all families participate in at least one school maintenance day (“Pitch-In” Day) and that each parent support with time, talents and resources each site’s fundraisers. Parents are also required to contribute ten other volunteer hours to the program annually. Some parents choose to organize hot lunch, others to teach afternoon classes, read books, or serve on the parent association committees. We welcome any special talents you may have.
