Cabbagetown Co-operative Nursery School
Parents who want to enroll their children in the school will be placed on a waiting list. Here is the priority on the waiting list:
You must make a deposit to keep your spot on the waiting list. A child already enrolled in the school has priority to switch from one session to another should a vacancy arise. A waiting list is kept if there are more children wishing to transfer than vacancies.
The school accepts children on the basis that they will attend for the full school year. Because the school is a co-operative, the fee payment schedule is structured to be flexible. Therefore, the annual tuition is divided into ten equal monthly payments. However, the fees are not based on the actual number of school days in any particular month. Tuition is based on full attendance for the full school year.
When parents receive notice that their child is accepted in the program, they must pay:
The deposit will go toward the last month's fees (i.e. June). Therefore, September through May fees are due on the first day of each month. All parents must provide post-dated cheques at the beginning of the school year (the cheques are made payable to Cabbagetown Co-operative Nursery School). If you withdraw your child early, the school requires 60 days notice. From the date you notify us, we will keep 2 full month's fees (the deposit as well as one extra full month fee.) Please see the fees page for complete information.
Any family whose cheque has come back NSF and does not make the cheque good before the 15th of the month is considered to be in arrears. Any bank charges because of a NSF cheque will be charged to the family. The treasurer will meet with the family to resolve the problem. If necessary, the treasurer will offer the alternative payment date of the 20th of each month. There are no other exceptions. The treasure cannot be expected to make more than two trips to the bank a month. If the family does not follow the payment schedule, and the family continues to be in arrears for more than two months, the family may lose its place at the school. If two cheques return NSF within the school year, the bank must certify all following cheques.
The school's board of Directors has five positions. Parents of children currently attending the school fill these positions. Two members of the same family may not sit on the board at the same time. A Community Member may hold one position on the Board. Community Members do not have a child attending the school but are elected to offer advice and support. Community members may be on the board for no more than two years in a row.
The Board conducts all business related to the school, from administering the school's finances to ensuring that equipment is properly maintained. Elections to the board are held in May. However, two positions are left open until the Autumn General Meeting to elect parents of new students.
The Board of Directors at the beginning of the year elects from amongst themselves a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Registrar. In addition, one position is held for the Immediate Past President. For a listing of current Board of Directors please see the class list.
Each family is asked to assume an extra job within the school, whether it be as a Board Member (serving as President, Secretary or Registrar), a snack provider, a field trip coordinator, an assistant with general maintenance, or play dough coordinator, etc. Job descriptions are detailed in the parent handbook.
A typical duty-day routine includes arriving on time to start your shift, assisting with clean-up and snack preparation.
Your family will be scheduled to provide snack for one week at a time on a rotating basis during the school year. Snacks follow the Canadian Dietary Guidelines and must include a protein, a grain and a fruit or vegetable. Each day the children are provided with nutritious snack bought by a co-op member. The task of bringing snack is divided between all parents according to a weekly rotating schedule. Enough food should be prepared for all 16 children and 3 adults, as well as to allow for minor accidents.
It is important that the snack be purchased with food allergies in mind. Snack must be prepackaged or whole (as in fruit) to comply with health guidelines. Information on the specific food allergies is posted on the office door as well as on the refrigerator and on the monthly schedule.
Parent fees do not fully cover all the school's expenses. Fees contribute to salaries, rent and supplies, but many capital expenses - new equipment, for example - are met through fundraising. Fundraising activities are an opportunity for you as a parent to become involved and a chance for your neighbours and friends to contribute to a community-based school.