The Curriculum
Free choice is the core of the curriculum at Annandale Preschool. Each child is presented with multiple opportunities for activities and projects and is encouraged to exercise independence in deciding which task to pursue within the limits of the classroom setting. Varied choices within the limits of the classroom emphasize our belief that by learning to interact with others, explore new situations and play, children will acquire essential skills for their future and will develop the self-confidence and self-esteem that help make learning a joy. The curriculum is under the supervision of our teacher/director, who is ultimately responsible to the parents on the board of directors.

Parents Duties
In the Classroom:
Annandale Preschool employs experienced, well-trained teachers. We do not employ teacher aides. Parents participate in the classroom by functioning as teacher aides on a rotating schedule. The number of mornings a parent is required to participate in the classroom depends on the size and frequency of the class. For the 2 and 3-day classes, a parent participates approximately once every 4 weeks. For the 4 day classes, a parent participates approximately once every 3 weeks. During the initial weeks of the 2-year-old classes, two parents participate for each class. During this adjustment period, a parent's obligation in the classroom is approximately once every 2 weeks.

Teachers orient parents prior to their first time cooping in the classroom. Teachers clarify with co-oping parents their role and responsibilities when co-oping. Classroom participation begins with arriving 15 to 30 minutes early to help set up the room and greet the children. Parents assist with the preparation and clean up, and should help children use the toilet when needed or change diapers in the 2-year-old classes. Both parents and children wash hands frequently. The participating parent also provides and serves a healthy midmorning snack. Annandale Preschool provides suggestions for USDA-approved snacks.

The State of Virginia considers participating parents to be staff, and by law they must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing as required by the task at hand. For example, parents must be able to communicate with emergency personnel and communicate effectively and appropriately with the age group of children in their classroom. Because the safety of the children is paramount, one of the parent's major duties in the classroom and on the playground is to maintain a safe environment.

Over and above the regular classroom participation, parents also take part in special activities on occasion (scheduled during regular class times). These activities may include field trips and seasonal parties.

School Aide:
School aide duty is rotated among all the Co-op families. The school aide works from 9 a.m. until about 12:10 p.m. The aide opens and closes the playground area, takes attendance, records the snacks for each classroom, and answers the phone in the office. The school aide performs the light cleaning of the classrooms and bathrooms; replenishing bathroom supplies and emptying trash. You generally act as an extra helper around the school and help the teachers in the event of an emergency.

The number of mornings school aide duty is required per year is approximately the same as the number of days a child attends class per week: if a child attends class 3 mornings per week, a family is responsible for school aide duty 3 times during the school year. Arrangements may be made on an individual basis for a paid substitute for school aide participation.

On Committees:
The administration and physical upkeep of the preschool is overseen by the Executive Director. The Executive Director ensures that parents activities are conducted within NAEYC and state licensing standards. The school's board of directors, made up of parents, oversees various committees that carry out this work. Each family is required to participate either as a director/co-director or on one of the various committees. Time requirements involved depend on the specific assignment. Members are given a choice of the duties they would prefer. Every attempt is made to accommodate preferences and skills.

At Meetings:
To carry out school administrative matters, there are four general membership meetings per year, usually held on a weekday evening in September, November, February, and May. There are also meetings for individual class orientation, school aid training, and health and safety training. Attendance by at least one participating parent at all of these meetings is mandatory to meet state licensing mandates. The board of directors also meets monthly and members are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings. Parent education seminars are held throughout the year, which parents are encouraged but not required to attend.

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Classes and Class Size
The adult/child ratio of all classes meets or exceeds the guidelines established by the Virginia Department of Social Services, Licensing Division and the Nation Academy of Early Childhood Programs.

23-month-old Class
There is space for 5 children and their parent in the 23-month-old class. The parent stays with the child in this introduction to preschool. The class meets every Monday from 9.15am-11.15am. There is one teacher in the class and children do not have to be out of diapers.

2-year-old Classes
There is space available for 8 children in each of the 2-year-old classes. The classes meet two days per week. There is one teacher, and for the first 4 to 12 weeks, there are two parents in the classroom with the 2-year-olds. Once the teacher feels the children are familiar with the daily routine, only one parent is needed. Children in the 2-year-old classes do not have to be out of diapers.

3-year-old Classes
There is space available for 12 children in each of two classes. Once class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The other meets Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each class has one teacher and one parent in the classroom. Independent use of the toilet is required for children in this classroom setting.

4-year-old Classes
The 4 year old classes meet Monday through Thursday, and Tuesday through Friday. One of the classes has 16 students and one has 12 students. There is one teacher and one parent in each of the classes.

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Admission
Students are admitted throughout the school year whenever vacancies occur. Classes for the following school year are organized in January. Admission is on a space available basis with preference given to present preschool members, previous preschool members, members of the Little River United Church of Christ and applicants from the previous year's waiting list. Open houses are scheduled in mid-January and in subsequent months (if necessary) when registration is opened to the general public. An attempt is made to maintain an even number of boys and girls in each class. To be admitted to a specific class, the child must be 2, 3, or 4 by September 30th of the school year. Admission may also be affected by the parent's ability to fulfill classroom and school aide participation. Only one parent is required to fulfill these responsibilities but, because the State of Virginia considers a participating parent to be staff, this parent must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing as applicable to job responsibilities. For example, the participating parent must be able to communicate with emergency personnel, and communicate effectively and appropriately with the teacher, school aide, and age group of children in the classroom.

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Licensing and Accreditation
Annandale Preschool operates under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Social Services, Division of Licensing. The facilities are regularly inspected by the State's Northern Regional Office. Compliance with regulations regarding business operations, curriculum, and safety and health matters is required. The program at Annandale Preschool is also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which administers the only voluntary, professionally sponsored, national accreditation system for schools and child care centers. Early childhood programs accredited by the academy have undergone a comprehensive process of internal self-study, invited external professional review to verify compliance with the academy's criteria for high-quality early childhood programs, and have been found to be in compliance with the criteria.

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Policies
Preschool By-laws, Policies and Procedures
Annandale Cooperative Preschool's by-laws, policies and procedures are contained in the Parent's Primer. It is distributed to new members but is available for examination by prospective members upon request. Changes to the preschool's by-laws, policies and procedures are made throughout the year only by vote of the preschool's general membership at general membership meetings.

Discipline Policy
We believe that the teachers must lovingly guide and redirect the children to help them learn to cooperate with their peers. We believe that we can best accomplish this by having a variety of activities for the children, using group management techniques, limiting the number of children in each area to avoid crowding, maintaining an excellent adult-to-child ratio, speaking positively with the children if their behavior is inappropriate, giving praise for appropriate behavior, and redirecting children to other activities. Parents are counseled when a child's inappropriate behavior persists. Ultimately, the child could be dismissed from the program. Any form of hitting, corporal punishment, abusive language, ridicule, harsh or humiliating or frightening treatment is both illegal and contrary to our philosophy. None of these behaviors will be tolerated at Annandale Cooperative Preschool.

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Health Requirements
Children's Health
All children enrolling in the preschool must provide proof of the appropriate immunizations prior to beginning classes. Sick children are expected to remain at home for the protection of the others in the class. If a child becomes ill at school, the parents will be notified to come to the school and take the child home. As a rule, no medication will be administered at school. Parents of children with potentially life-threatening conditions for which a physician has prescribed medication to be kept on hand should contact the membership director before applying for enrollment.

Parent's Health
The Commonwealth of Virginia requires any adult working with children in a preschool to submit an annual statement from a physician stating that he or she appears to be in good health and can work with children. Any adult participating as a teacher's aide or school aide must also provide annual proof of a negative TB test (or a negative chest x-ray).

Universal Precautions
The preschool follows Universal Precautions to prevent accidental exposure to disease and ensure the children's collective health. Primarily, Universal Precautions, as developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are about hygiene - the thorough cleansing of hands and surfaces and the proper disposal of materials that have come into contact with bodily fluids. All Annandale Preschool parents, legal guardians and teachers receive training in Universal Precautions and are expected to follow the series of basic sanitary steps. Handwashing, particularly after using the toilet or changing a diaper, is required of both adults and children. For added protection, latex gloves are worn to prevent skin and mucous membrane exposure when adults come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

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Snacks
No meals are served at the preschool; however, snacks are part of the daily routine. Participating parents are responsible for bringing in food for the class on their assigned days. The preschool provides USDA-approved snack suggestions and encourages parents to provide healthy foods low in fat and sugar, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and yogurt, and 100% fruit juice. As much preparation of the snack as possible should be done at home. Parents should avoid serving foods that may be choking hazards for young children.

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Scholarships
Each year the preschool has one scholarship for a child in a 4-year-old class. The scholarship covers the application fee and the entire tuition amount for a student in the 4's class. Eligibility is based primarily on family income. Contact the membership director for exact income criteria and a scholarship application. Scholarship application information is kept confidential.

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Tuition and Fees
When application is made each year to the preschool, there is a nonrefundable application fee. Currently the application fee and tuition fees for the various classes are as follows:

Tuition Fees: 2009-2010
Class Tuition (per month) Insurance/Activity Fee (1x/per year)
1-day 23-month-olds $85.00 $15.00
2-day 2-year-olds $180.00 $75.00
3-day 3-year-olds $245.00 $110.00
4-day 4-year-olds $285.00 $145.00
5-day 4-year-olds $325.00 $180.00

Tuition is paid from September to May. The May tuition and insurance/activity fee are paid in advance of the school year as a deposit. The tuition portion of this deposit may be considered by the board of directors for refund only upon written notice of withdrawal to the membership director and only if the class is full and another student is immediately enrolled to replace the withdrawal. The insurance/activity fee is refundable only until August 31 preceding the school year. In the event that a student starts in the middle of the school year, the insurance/activity fee is prorated.

We also offer a discount of 10% to families with a second child in the school. The discount is off the monthly tuition only.

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