How many times am I required to assist in the classroom each semester?

It depends on Glacier Way’s current enrollment, as the responsibility is divided equally between the families in attendance. Usually, the math works out to 7-10 times or less per semester, or 2-3 times per month. The Glacier Way Secretary will specify the assist quota before the start of each semester.

Can my spouse/partner both help in the classroom, or do we need to designate one of us? What about grandparents or other family members?

Families often have multiple caregivers helping out. Each caregiver needs to get fingerprinted and pass a background check.

Note that while assisting in the classroom is a lot of fun, there are also some specific responsibilities and routines that require a bit of orientation the first time or two (e.g. health code dictates how we sanitize our snack tables). So, any family member who wants to help out needs to get briefed ahead of time and review some written instructions.

When do we sign up for classroom assist dates? Am I guaranteed the dates I want?

The Glacier Way Secretary will send out a sign-up calendar (a Google spreadsheet) to all enrolled families about a month before the start of each semester. Upon receiving that email, families may begin signing up for certain dates. Each class date has two spots for a caregiver to sign up (Assist Parent A, and Assist Parent B).

While no dates are guaranteed, families are often very cooperative with each other to accommodate specific requests (e.g. “my child’s birthday is X, can I assist in the classroom that day”?). Parents are welcome to stay and participate in class on any given day even if they aren’t signed up as one of the two official helpers.

How easy is the fingerprinting process?

It’s quite straightforward. You’ll fill out a form, then Glacier Way will send you a link to schedule the fingerprinting with a reputable 3rd party vendor at a time and location convenient for you. The appointment usually takes about 10 minutes (you’ll press your fingers onto a screen a few times), and then it takes several days to weeks for the background check to run.

I have a big conflict or life event that makes it harder to serve in the classroom for an upcoming period of time… can you accommodate a gap in my volunteering?

Usually, yes. If you’re having a baby or getting married or taking some sort of extended trip, it’s usually pretty easy to not sign up for those dates and instead assist more frequently the rest of the semester to make up for it. In tricky circumstances, you can speak with the Glacier Way Secretary and come up with a strategy to meet your assist quota while working around your conflict.

What if I get sick right before I’m supposed to assist in the classroom?

Glacier Way has a communication protocol to find last-minute swaps and substitutions. Usually there are other families willing to help out in case of a last minute conflict or illness.

Tell me more about this ‘parent job’ in addition to assisting in the classroom… how big is the commitment?

All parents play a small-to-medium-sized role or two behind the scenes to help keep the school running smoothly, and help keep costs (and tuition) lower. For some families, this is an hour or less per week. For others, it might be several hours a week, or several hours at once every few weeks. The Glacier Way Secretary will work with families to find a role that fits their strengths and commitment level upon enrollment.

To give you a sense of the types of jobs, they range from helping keep classroom supplies stocked, taking home classroom laundry (cleaning rags, smocks, parent aprons…), deep cleaning toy bins, planning field trips, organizing fundraisers, making homemade play dough, and serving on the board of directors. The latter requires a greater time commitment and is often reserved for families who are eager to play a more active role in the school’s operation, financial health, membership relations, and social media/marketing.

Can I simply pay a higher tuition instead of assisting in the classroom and doing a parent job?

No, every family must participate in helping in the classroom and in running the school outside of the classroom. While each parent job may be different, Glacier Way is founded on the spirit of ‘we’re all in this together.’ Plus, we think the parent community that organically grows out of volunteering together and caring for each others’ children makes our school a more special place for everyone.

You said that every family is expected to participate in fundraisers…will I have a fundraising quota/target I need to meet?

Nope. We ask families to consider participating in fundraisers to the extent they are able, but do not set any specific per-family fundraising quota that must be met. Glacier Way tries to organize fundraisers that add value to enrolled families and our easily shareable with friends and family (e.g. holiday wreath sales; pizza night at a local restaurant).

I’m nervous about the commitment level and whether it fits with my schedule…

For families’ whose schedules are already flexible enough to accommodate mornings-only preschool, these responsibilities are meant to be a small add-on each week or month, not a ‘part-time job.’ This is similar to most other co-op preschools.

With that said, co-op preschool isn’t for everyone. Families where all parents/caregivers work 9-to-5 weekday jobs, while not excluded from enrolling, will probably have a difficult time meeting the commitment required (plus, they usually need full-day preschool/daycare.)

If you’re reading this website because you’re excited to get more hands-on with your child’s development in a fun, supportive community of local families, then you’re in the right place and we’d love to chat more about your situation!