On behalf of Hunters Woods Cooperative Preschool, I am requesting changes to the Proposed Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers, specifically in regard to the requirements for staff orientation and ongoing training.  Parent cooperative preschools, which have existed for over 100 years, are placed in jeopardy in Virginia by the Proposed Amended Standards.  I have included a snipet of my personal experience at the end of this message.

Current Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers recognize the critical role of parent volunteers in the parent cooperative preschool model by including for cooperative parents an exception requiring 4 hours of training annually.  This exception recognizes the unique role that parents hold in a cooperative preschool, as well as the intrinsic value of an early childhood education model premised on parent involvement.

The Proposed Amended Standards as drafted, however, undermine rather than support the cooperative preschool model by requiring cooperative parents to either:

(1) Complete the 36 training hours (16 orientation, 20 ongoing) required of professional staff, or 
(2) Remain in constant sight and sound supervision of a staff member.   

These two alternatives fail to recognize that:

1. Cooperative parents undergo the same background checks as staff;
2. Cooperative parents assist professional staff in the classroom 18-22 days/year, for a total of 45-55 hours/year (thus required training hours could be more than half of the number of hours in class for the entire year);
3. Cooperative parents serve a unique position in the classroom, where they remain under the guidance and supervision of professional staff but may at times not be in sight and sound supervision of staff.

These changes are unduly burdensome both to the cooperative parents who seek meaningful engagement in their children's educations and to the small cooperative preschools that rely on parent engagement to survive.

To preserve the parent cooperative preschool in Virginia, the Proposed Amended Standards should be revised to allow cooperative preschool parents to work in the classroom without sight and sound supervision of a staff member provided that the parent:

(1) Satisfactorily completes the same background checks required of professional staff; and
(2) Completes a total of 4 hours of orientation and ongoing training annually.
 

Two of my 3 children went to Hunters Woods Cooperative Preschool and we are all better for it. My last child "graduated" 3 years ago and I am still in touch with members of the staff who regularly ask about my children. Relationships amongst families are formed that last long beyond the school year. As a parent who volunteered with the cooperative preschool for 5+ years and was very involved, I am concerned that this legislation will require cooperative schools to shutter their doors. 36 hours of required training would not have worked in my schedule. That may not sound onerous to all, but as a single mom of 3 kids, working a part time job and trying to juggle schedules this would have been too much. Not to mention who would pay for all of that training. I chose a cooperative not only because I wanted to be involved, but also because it was an affordable option. The teachers were always on top of things and making sure that we were all on the same page. But there were times when the volunteers (always more than 1) were out at the playground, while the teacher was dealing with something in the classroom and would join us all asap. Please consider allowing the exception that has worked so well for years. Thank you.