On behalf of FB Meekins 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. 

Since 1964, Meekins has been a place for parents to actively participate in their children’s education by working directly in our classrooms as teachers’ aides.  The new requirements for staff orientation (22VAC40-185-240) and ongoing training (22VAC40-185-245) would impose an undue burden on our parents by expecting them to complete 16 hours of orientation and 20 hours per year of ongoing training.  Parents who are volunteering their time are simply not going to be willing or able to complete the same orientation and training requirements as our paid classroom teachers.  Meekins is a part time preschool program which operates 3 hours a day for 9 months a year.  Holding parent volunteers in cooperative preschools to the same training standards as full-time day care providers is unrealistic. 

We request that the total number of training hours (both orientation and ongoing, collectively) for cooperative preschool parents be limited to the current 4 hours. Please remove the language "who are not considered staff" from section 22VAC40-185-245C describing the required annual training for cooperative preschool parents. Please include an exception for cooperative preschool parents in the new orientation training section 22VAC40-185-240. 

Parents working in classrooms at Meekins Cooperative Preschool complete all of the background checks required by the Commonwealth.  They work under the direct supervision of well qualified classroom teachers. 

If the orientation and ongoing training sections of the proposed standards are not changed, cooperative preschools like ours will be forced to hire additional staff, making it cost prohibitive for many of our families.  Cooperative schools may have to close as parents are unwilling to enroll their children in programs which put unreasonable burdens on them.  Either outcome robs children of the high quality, affordable early education that cooperative preschools provide.

I believe Meekins offers a high quality program to families in an affordable way.  We offer families a chance to be part of the early childhood process and to learn more about it along the way.  Please help us continue to be able to offer this effective approach to early childhood education.

About Meekins: Meekins is a non-profit corporation started in 1964 and is run by the parent membership as a cooperative preschool. The school belongs to its members, and parents assume an active part in the management of the school’s affairs. The Board of Directors is made up of the Director (who also is a teacher) and parents elected annually by the membership. The Board hires the Director, formulates the budget, and generally supervises the business of the school. The Director hires the teaching staff and establishes the educational policy.  Every family is assigned a job to help run the school, making us a tight community that works together to ensure the success of the school.  As part of a cooperative school, parents have a unique opportunity to work closely with the teachers in the classroom, to help create the kind of learning environment they would like for their children, and to participate in an active parent-education program.