FAQs

A cooperative preschool (or co-op) is a non-profit organization run by the parents and caregivers who make up that community. A co-op is what "working together" looks like all grown up, and co-oping days are what make our school special. They are also an integral and important part in making our school run the way we feel it needs to. We are looking for committed parents who want to be part of a community, a co-op and an incredible school. At The Shining Stars School, a "Special Day" is gold in the mind of a child. When you co-op, your child gets to have their "Special Day." Not only do they get to have their parent with them at school, but they also get to do "special" things throughout the day. When you co-op in the classroom, you get to engage with your child's teacher, interact with your child's classmates, and become part of the day's activities and curriculum. What does it really look like for parents? Co-op days are VERY fun and sweet. The co-op parent is essentially in the classroom as an assistant to the teacher. You’ll be playing with the students, opening snack bags, watching Morning Meeting, taking pictures for the private parent shared photo album, playing with the children on the playground, cleaning off tables, and helping with after school classroom cleanup. You’ll get to know the entire classroom of children in a unique way as well as get see your child interacting in their school environment. Co-oping is a gift!

Some benefits include: ​ - Assisting in the classroom gives parents unparalleled visibility into their child's classroom and learning experiences - Comparatively low tuition - The opportunity to work directly with children (including your own) in an environment geared to their needs - Discovering positive ways to interact within our families - Meeting new families and developing friendships

- One parent of each Shining Stars School student is expected to work in the classroom as teacher's assistant roughly once a month - Attend the mandatory parent community meetings (1 per year, evening) - Attend one classroom cleanup (either Fall or Spring) - Attend parent-teacher conferences (2 per year, usually after your co-op day) - Participate in a chosen volunteer position (parent job)

We've designed our parent job list to ensure that all parents can find a position that works with their schedule as well as their skills/expertise and desired level of involvement. The available parent job positions are listed below (please note positions are subject to updates/change): Extra-Curricular Events Coordinator: - Organizes Back to School playdate/Cake Walk - Organizes and works with teachers to plan April Easter Egg Hunt Clean Up Crew Coordinator (Fall and Spring): - Creates signup for volunteers and organizes August clean-up date (August 24, 2024) - Creates signup for volunteers and organizes last day of school clean-up date Fall Scarecrow Coordinator: - Coordinator is responsible for registering (September), building and setting up (October) the Shining Stars School scarecrow. - Scarecrow can be built alone or with the help of other Shining Stars families. Community Service Coordinator: - Leads two school community service projects (one in winter, one in spring) - Examples from past years include a holiday toy drive and a food drive. Deer Valley After School Skiing Coordinator: - Coordinates Deer Valley after-school skiing program on Mondays and Thursdays - Typically takes place in the first two weeks of December on Mondays and Thursdays after school. Fall and Spring After School/Extra Curricular Activity Coordinator: - Coordinates additional after school programs, such as karate, ice skating, yoga, etc. on Mondays and/or Thursdays - Activities are planned as to not conflict with Deer Valley ski program Historians/Yearbook (one Red Star parent, one Blue Star parent): - Gathers photos and creates Shutterfly (or similar) yearbook by June. - One yearbook for Red Stars, one yearbook for Blue Stars. Fall/Spring Book Orders Coordinator: - Prepares Scholastic (or similar) take-home order forms (suggested timing is 2x/year) Blue Star Party Coordinators (one M/W parent, one T/Th parent): - Work together with other class coordinator to plan class parties - Recruits parent volunteers to help in party execution - Examples include: Trunk or Treat (Halloween), Winter/Holiday and Valentine's Day Red Star Party Coordinators (two Red Star parents): - Work together with other class coordinator to plan class parties - Recruits parent volunteers to help in party execution - Examples include: Trunk or Treat (Halloween), Winter/Holiday and Valentine's Day Teacher's Aide (Blue Star): - Organizes books and assists with other needs as requested by teachers (e.g., makes play doh, photocopies, cutting projects, etc.) Teacher's Aide (Red Star): - Organizes books and assists with other needs as requested by teachers (e.g., makes play doh, photocopies, cutting projects, etc.) - Replaces water cooler jug weekly/as needed Social Media Coordinator: - Manages social media posts (Instagram, Facebook) for school as needed - e.g., advertising upcoming registration key dates, open house dates, etc. - Helps with minor website updates as needed Fundraising Committee (1 chair + 6 committee members): - Responsible for working on a committee under the leadership of the fundraising chair. General responsibilities listed below, but you will meet with the fundraising chair for more specifics regarding planning and execution of the Annual Fundraiser. - Anticipate being involved in fall fundraising preparation and execution. - The majority of this time commitment is from August to mid November. Silent auction leader: leads the donations committee members in brainstorming, organizing and soliciting donations; leads design, set-up, and take-down of silent auction during the event Donations Committee Member: Cold call new businesses for auction items and/or sponsorships, and contact past donors for auction items and/or sponsorships Donations Committee Member: Cold call new businesses for auction items and/or sponsorships, and contact past donors for auction items and/or sponsorships Donations Committee Member: Cold call new businesses for auction items and/or sponsorships, and contact past donors for auction items and/or sponsorships Decor/Food Coordinator: Decor is already purchased and stored at Shining Stars. This person inventories and sees what is needed, and executes on day of Hoedown. Also, organizes the catering for the evening. Media Coordinator/Owns ‘checkout’ process: Create media related to the promotion of the event, including social media posts, invitations, hard copy flyers, and any other media (e.g., descriptions on Give Lively, QR codes, etc) Manages ‘checkout’ process for silent auction and donations collection Act as the records keeper for fundraising committee meetings, keep minutes, and create any organizational spreadsheets necessary for the team Update the mailing addresses/contact information from the donor info sheets for the Thank You note chair to use. Collect video and photos of students for the slideshow (must be completed by September 30th) Thank You Note Writer: - Writes “Thank you” notes for all Hoedown donations. - Bulk of time commitment will be required in October/November coinciding with the Hoedown fundraiser. - Light touch effort throughout the rest of the year to write “Thank You's" from the classrooms when needed (e.g., to Recycle Utah, Swaner, other field trips or classroom visitors)

There are lots of options for parent jobs. Pick something that excites you and fits your personality! If you love party planning and want even more time in the classroom, be the class party planner. If you would enjoy working with a team of parents, look into assisting with our fundraising team who organizes a big fundraising event in the Fall. Do you love helping with craft projects? Sign up to be the teacher's assistant so that you can help prepare the classroom craft activities each week. Do you enjoy skiing and spending time outside? Be our school's Deer Valley Ski School coordinator. The jobs are designed to be diverse enough so that there is really something for everyone.

For birthdays or a school party, treats are often brought into the classrooms. Parents should share any concerns about their child's food allergies/sensitivities with the teacher, and we will always accommodate. We are a very tight knit group! We often hear things like “I brought a special gluten free cupcake for my friend James!” We are a community and want to make everyone in our community comfortable and excited to participate.

You know your child best, and every child is different, but we are often astounded how much our Blue Stars grow and change during the nine month school year! They mature socially, make friends, and slowly prepare to become the “big kid” Red Stars the following year. We've specifically designed our 3-4 year old program to be very limited in duration (ie: 2 days per week, 9:00am-12:45pm) so that young children can start gaining some organized classroom experience without being at school for a full school day/week. If you'd like to talk to our current parents about how they made the decision to enroll in The Shining Stars School, please reach out and we can help coordinate a conversation.

Yes, all of our teachers are CPR and First Aid certified.

In both classrooms, students sit at the lunch tables with the teacher and co-op parents and eat only their own lunches. For Extended Day we provide a snack such as crackers or granola bars. Parents are encouraged to share any concerns about food allergies/sensitivities/preferences with all of our teachers so that we can accommodate any special requests.

We recognize that every child is unique and has different social and emotional needs. If you have a concern about your child's behavior, please request a conversation with their future teacher to talk through your concerns at any stage of their journey at The Shining Stars School. Even if you aren’t yet enrolled, our teachers would be happy to speak with you. We are a welcoming community and want to work with you to help your child and your family thrive!