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

At Shining Stars cooperative preschool, we offer a cozy environment for all of our students. Our Blue Star classroom (3-4 year olds) has a maximum of 11 students per day, and our Red Star classroom has a maximum of 16 students per day. We have one credentialed teacher in each classroom every day and we also have a teacher's aide in the room at least 50% of the time. We also have a co-op parent working as an aide in the classroom alongside the teacher each day, which keeps our student to teacher ratio at an average of 6:1.

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

- 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 here, please note these are subject to change.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!