Francine Touliatos Maione, President of the Parent Board at Intercommunity Nursery School in Lynbrook, talks about her experience and reasons behind choosing a Co-Operative Preschool for her children.
Choosing a preschool suitable for my precious little boy was probably one of the most daunting tasks to date. I can recall the time I spent worrying about him and his development in class. I wished I could be a fly on the wall to discover what my son was like at school. Does he play with the other students, does he like his teacher and does he participate in all of the activities? Most importantly, is he comfortable and happy there? I remember asking my two year old “baby” questions about school and wishing he would recite a soliloquy of his day’s events. Reasonably, I knew my wishes were unattainable. But were they? I decided it was in my family’s best interest to find an educational experience which allowed for parent participation.
It was then that I stumbled upon a preschool in my community whose format was that of a Co-operative*. We as parents, within the school community, come together and donate our time and expertise in running the facility. The Co-Op my son attended is a not-for-profit organization, operated by a dedicated parent board that employs an Educational Director and NYS Certified Teachers. Each class has a Teacher, an Assistant Teacher and a “Parent of the Day”. YES, I get to be the fly on the wall! There’s no more wondering or guessing what my child is like at school. We at co-operative based preschools are fortunate enough to be able to participate in our children’s education by supporting our teachers and the school itself. We’re able to observe firsthand the social and intellectual development of our children in relation to the class. This format also affords both the parents and the teachers the opportunity to get to know each other better. Parent participation at this level effectively boosts the self-esteem and emotional well being of our children and in effect enhances our parent-child relationship.
In addition to the social and educational benefits I have obtains through a co-operative preschool, there are also financial benefits. Fundraising events are run by the parents and monies raised supplement the school’s budget, keeping the cost of tuition down. It’s here that positive relationships are built among members of our school community.
It was five years ago that my first son attended this amazing school and I’m ever so proud to say that I’ve returned with my new little 2 year old, as President of the Parent Board. I know, once again, our time here will be well spent investing in his educational and social development.
Intercommunity Nursery School is located at 20 Thompson Place in Lynbrook. For more information on Co-Operative preschools and Intercommunity, contact the school at 516.593.3443 or visit them online at www.intercommunitynurseryschool.com.
* From The International Co-operative Alliance, a co-operative is defined as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.” Co-operatives “are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equitysolidarity. In the tradition of co-operative founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. and
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.
You must be logged in to post a comment.