Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/lessons-in-parent-communication-insights-from-the-parent-co-op-model/5006625/
The annual chicken pox epidemic has just hit! Three of the children in the four year old room are out for the duration, and the others are subjected to a daily spot check. But the parents of the victims have arranged an informal child care arrangement so that each family takes care of all three children every third day. Mom and Dad are losing less work time, and the crayon art includes lots of red spots.It's the night before the NAEYC validators are due to arrive. A team of parents is hard at work washing windows, realigning the books in the resource room, and raking leaves in the dark. When they leave, four weary hours later, there isn't a fingerprint to behold (until 6:31 the next morning).
Marcus looks mighty proud as his classmates follow him into his mother's office in the mapping department of the US Geological Survey Office. She lets all the children look through big magnifying glasses, try on her lab coat, and take a turn on her swivel chair. Each child goes back to school with a bright new mapping pencil.
These are stories of enthusiastic cooperation, so it's not surprising that ...