Parents fear proposed regulations could jeopardize co

cheap moncler coats Peter Osten, 3, puts away sandbox toys in their assigned bins following playtime cheap moncler jackets at Annandale Cooperative Preschool in Annandale, Va. cheap moncler coats

moncler outlet uk The youngster jumped up and down and couldn’t stop smiling the first time he recognized his “special letter,” the boy’s father recalled. moncler outlet uk

It’s a moncler sale moment Pripeton would have missed if he hadn’t been in his son’s classroom at the Annandale Cooperative Preschool two years ago. It’s the type of up close experience parents say they could lose if proposed regulations to bolster child care center training are applied to parents and other relatives who volunteer at cooperative preschools.

Parents are directly involved in the school experience in cheap moncler coats administration and upkeep and by volunteering as class assistants and teachers. Their efforts moncler outlet lower the cost of running the schools and give parents a front row glimpse of their child’s education.

moncler outlet “Thirty years from now, I’m going to remember this school and remember getting to see him monlcer down jackets grow and change here,” Pripeton said one July morning as his son scampered around with other children on the playground. moncler outlet

Parents, teachers and school directors say the additional hours would prove onerous for parents, cheap moncler many of whom work full time jobs and consider cooperative preschools an affordable option for early childhood education. They say requirements under consideration by the Virginia Department of Social Services cheap moncler outlet could inflate tuition costs, change the dynamic of cooperative preschools and possibly force some to close.

moncler outlet jackets A spokeswoman for the agency said the proposed updates were drawn to align standards in the state with federal requirements for providers receiving money from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. moncler outlet jackets

“Amending the existing regulations to reflect federal health and safety standards will provide additional protections of the health, safety, and welfare of children in care,” the spokeswoman, Cletisha Lovelace, said in an email.

cheap moncler outlet But cooperative preschools don’t receive block grant money, said Nancy Renner, incoming president of the Virginia Cooperative Preschool Council. Lovelace did not respond immediately https://www.hotmoncleroutlet.com to a request for comment about moncler mens jackets Renner’s assertion. cheap moncler outlet

moncler jacket sale If approved, Renner estimated, the updated requirements could mean some 30 hours of training for school staff, a designation that would include moncler outlet online parents who assist teachers at cooperative schools where parents are counted in the school’s staff to children ratio. moncler jacket sale

It’s unclear when the requirements, which must be adopted by the social service agency, would go into effect.

The international organization that represents cooperative preschools moncler outlet sale said Virginia is the only state it knows of that is trying to align training requirements with the federal block grant rules.

cheap moncler jackets sale “It might well be the most regulated or most restrictive regulations, as far as we know. Other states have not reported any problems,” said Natalie Hall, an adviser to Parent Cooperative Preschools International and a past president. cheap moncler jackets sale

moncler factory outlet Parents and school directors say the training commitment would be disproportionate to the amount of time parents spend helping in classrooms, which administrators said equals about three to six hours cheap moncler sale a month. moncler factory outlet

moncler jackets outlet Working families would be hard pressed to find time to complete the training, said Marie Sloane, director of education at the Annandale school. moncler jackets outlet

moncler outlet store Without enough parents, the school would have to hire four assistant teachers for part time slots that Sloane said are already difficult to fill nearly doubling her six teacher staff and probably increasing tuition. Cooperative preschools, she said, generally cost less than comparable schools because of parental participation. Monthly tuition at the Annandale Cooperative Preschool ranges from $233 to $416. moncler outlet store

She and other school directors have urged the Virginia Department of Social Services to set less time consuming requirements.

Under existing guidelines, parents must undergo four hours of training. The proposed buy moncler jackets rules call for parents to complete at least 20 hours of annual training, in addition to orientation training that school administrators say could take upward of 10 hours.

cheap moncler “The difference between four hours and 30 plus is so huge,” Sloane said. “We’re looking for something that respects the way we do things and isn’t going to break Moncler Outlet what’s not broken.” cheap moncler

At the Annandale school, parents serve as classroom assistants about once a month. They’re responsible for mostly low profile duties such as bringing snacks and sweeping floors. Parents also manage administrative responsibilities and tend the school grounds.

Lovelace, the social service agency spokeswoman, said the format of training programs would be flexible, including learning online or in conference calls. Training would cover topics such as health, safety and child development.

Andrew Pennock, a parent of children at Chancellor Street Preschool Co operative in Charlottesville, said he and his wife would not be able to take time off work to fulfill the proposed training hours.

moncler outlet sale Pennock, an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Virginia, said the cooperative school model appealed to him because it provides a view into his children’s school experience. moncler outlet sale

moncler outlet online “We really wanted to moncler sale outlet be a part of our kids’ educations, and we wanted to know them and know their teachers,” he said. moncler outlet online

moncler sale outlet The state has 35 to 40 cooperative preschools, with many in Northern Virginia. They’ve existed in the state for at least 70 years, said Renner, the incoming president of the Virginia Cooperative Preschool Council. moncler sale outlet

cheap moncler jackets Renner said that although parents aren’t held to the same training requirements as professional staff, they undergo background checks and must meet health requirements, including tuberculosis testing. cheap moncler jackets

The first cooperative nursery school was established in 1916 by faculty wives at the University of Chicago, according to Parent Cooperative Preschools International.