A Parent-Run School
Parents'
voice is strong
At A Children's Habitat, parents have an incredibly degree
of power to mold our school in the way we see fit. Our
Parents
Association makes all the important decisions about the
school, ranging from what time our school should start in
the morning to what our mission should be to which teachers
we hire, are made my parents.
Volunteering in the classroom is not
required
Parental involvement is a crucial part of the success of A
Children’s Habitat. We welcome and encourage parents to
volunteer in the classroom if they would like to share
their talents and get a first-hand view of what goes on in
our classrooms. Unlike at a cooperative preschool, however,
parents are not expected to participate in the classroom on
a day-to-day basis.
You control how much time you give
At A Children’s Habitat, parents have the opportunity to
choose the amount of time they give and to the school and
which talents they contribute to the school. Parents who
prefer to be deeply involved in the inner workings of the
school may choose to participate on our Board of Directors.
Parents who are very busy may opt to pay a fee to avoid
participating at all in running the school. Most parents
volunteer about 4-6 hours per month by participating in one
of our
committees,
doing anything from editing our newsletter, taking
pictures for our website, or planning a school picnic.
Administration
As a parent-run preschool, operational/administrative
decisions are made not by a paid administrator, but by the
Parents Association, which consists of all of the parents
of the children attending the school. According to
Habitat’s by-laws, attendance by parents of one-third of
the children constitutes a quorum for deciding or
considering any matter. Therefore, in order for the school
to operated efficiently and properly, parents are strongly
encouraged to attend the monthly Parents Association
meetings at the school, as well as occasional meetings that
may be called to discuss specific issues. At the Parents
Association meetings, parents meet to discuss and decide on
school matters, plan events, make other operational
decisions about the school, and support the educational
decisions of our Montessori-certified teachers.
The Parents Association elects the officers (President,
North and South Class Vice Presidents, Secretary,
Treasurer, and two Members at Large) in the spring of the
previous school year at the annual Parents’ Meeting. Their
term runs from July 1 until June 30 of the following year.
Officers and Members-at-large together make up the Board of
Directors at Habitat. The Board is elected by a simple
majority of parents present and voting.
Parents who would like more detailed information on how the
school is run may request a copy of Habitat’s bylaws from
the Board of Directors.
A Children's Habitat is licensed by the Health
and Hospital Corporation
of the Marion County Health Department and meets the fire
regulations
set forth by the Fire Marshal.