Parker County Christian Home Educators

Co-op Handbook

Program Emphasis
PCCHE Co-op is an educational program offered by Parker County Christian Home Educators (PCCHE). The purpose of the program is to provide a God-honoring environment for Christian homeschool families to engage in structured weekly classes and social time. All classes offered are supplemental to what is being taught in the home and are meant for enrichment purposes only. The classes offered may vary from term to term and are determined by the willingness of group members to lead. However, we may have people who volunteer their time and talents to teach classes who are not co-op members. Classes/subject matter are monitored, but it is the responsibility of the parents to review course descriptions and decide which classes are right for their child/ren.

Governance
The co-op director is a husband and wife team appointed to the PCCHE board and is responsible for the co-op program. The co-op director is aided by volunteers. If you have any concerns about the program or happenings at co-op, please discuss them with the co-op director. The director may be reached by email at coopdirector@pcche.org.

Co-op Schedule and Calendar
PCCHE Co-op meets Monday mornings at Spring Creek Baptist Church in Weatherford from 9:45 am to 1:30 pm. We have three hours of classes and a thirty-minute lunch period. From time to time we may offer zero hour courses prior to our normal hours as well as aer hours classes. Our co-op operates by semester with both fall and spring semesters lasting approximately twelve weeks, though this is subject to change.

Regarding breaks and holidays, our calendar generally coincides with the WISD school calendar, but please review the dates provided prior to each semester to make sure this is the case

Upon arrival Monday mornings, please do the following:

1. Check in at the front tables. Request name tags for yourself and your children and distribute them. All members must wear a name tag while at co-op.
2. If you are working in the nursery or toddler room, you may proceed to your classroom. Otherwise, all parents and children should go to the gym in time for announcements.
3. After announcements, first-hour teachers will need to make their way toward their classrooms to prepare for class. All students and first-hour helpers will need to remain in the gym until the bell is rung.

Lunch:

1. When the bell rings for lunch, children should make their way to the gym, locate where they will be seated, and begin eating. Parents of younger children will need to pick them up from either the baby nursery or the stage (3-6 year olds).
2. Lunch is divided up into three blocks of time: 15 minutes for eating, 15 minutes for play, and 5-minute clean up. Watch the signs that signal when it’s time to eat, play, or clean. Children must remain in the gym during lunch hour and off of any carpeted areas. The stage is off limits at all times.
3. During clean up, you will need to clean your table and chairs with provided cleaner, sweep under your table, push in your chairs, and take lunch boxes out to your car.

End of Day:

1. At the sound of the last bell, everyone should make their way to the gym. Parents may retrieve babies and toddlers from their rooms and younger children from the stage.
2. Make your way to the front tables to turn in your name tags or to receive instruction about your cleaning duty for the day.
3. Check the lost and found table on your way out. Please watch your children in the parking lot as it gets pretty busy at the end of day

Tuition and Fees
PCCHE membership is required for co-op registration. Membership cost per family/per year is $60. Class fees are set by the teachers and may or may not cover the cost of student materials. Nursery and toddler class fees are $10 per child/per semester. Each child (including babies) of the participating family is required to pay a building fee of $25 per semester. All fees are due in full at the time of registration.

Refunds and Schedule Changes
Because we plan our co‐op per semester, the commitment between the members and the co‐op should be for each semester. Please be aware that we are dependent on each of our members to make the co‐op work. If we have members leave aer classes have been established, it makes it difficult for the co‐op to run smoothly. Class refunds may be made prior to teacher checks being cut and no later.

Behavior and Standards
Please refer to the policies and procedures document on our website for a clear standard of behavior for ALL PCCHE members. PCCHE reserves the right to deny participation in co-op to any member exhibiting behavior which is not in keeping with our constitution or policies and procedures document.

Discipline and Guidance
Every student is expected to behave in a proper and respectful fashion at all times. If a child is disrupting a class session, he or she will be removed from the class and the parent will be notified. If a parent fails to control the child’s disruptive behavior, the co‐op director reserves the right to dismiss the child from that class.

Parent responsibilities:

1. Be on time. Please make sure your family arrives in time for announcements. It is your responsibility to make sure you are kept up to date on all policies and current co-op events that are shared both at co-op and on our Facebook page. Make sure your children are paying attention and behaving appropriately during announcements.
2. Be prepared and please send your children prepared for the day. Make sure they have any/all materials they may need for their classes (clearly labeled) and that their attire is in keeping with our guidelines and appropriate for class activities.
3. Maintain communication with teachers to ensure your child/ren are having a positive experience at co-op. Any issues or concerns may be addressed with the co-op director in person or emailed to coopdirector@pcche.org. Attendance is expected; however, if your family will be absent, please contact us as soon as possible at (682) 730-0668.
4. All co-op parents are required to participate in several ways. First, be aware of your surroundings and help by monitoring halls, bathrooms, and classrooms. Serve by teaching, co-teaching, substituting, or helping in a classroom. All members must also sign up for various volunteer positions throughout the semester, including cleaning duty and Parent Night preparations. In addition to completing your cleaning duties, you are responsible to clean up after your family during lunch hour.
5. Parents are expected to remain on the premises while children are participating in the co‐op. In the event an emergency arises and you find that you must leave for any reason, you must designate another parent to be responsible for your child/ren in your absence. You may do so by filling out a guardianship waiver at the front table. This is available to you one time per semester.
6. Respect and encourage adherence to all guidelines including our constitution and policies and procedures document.

Student responsibilities:

1. Be on time.
2. Be prepared and bring needed supplies (listed online).
3. Walk in the halls between classes.
4. Honor parents and teachers by addressing them as Mr./Mrs. and first name or last name, whichever they prefer.
5. Be respectful of others and their property. Keep hands and feet to yourself.
6. Be respectful of the church property. Failure to respect the host facility can result in discipline from the board and possible dismissal.
7. Complete class requirements and cooperate with teachers at all times. Due to the nature of the “once-a-week” classes, it is imperative that students stay current with their assignments.

Students are also responsible for class material missed in the event of absence. It is the responsibility of the student and/or parent to contact teachers in the event of a sudden absence to find out about any material missed and to catch up with missed material prior to the next meeting date

Teacher responsibilities:

1. Be punctual, be prepared for each class, and perform a job of excellence.
2. Provide course description and materials list in your teacher application for review and approval.
3. Notify us of any absences you may foresee ASAP by filling out the dates you will be missing on our absences sheet at the front table or by calling or texting (682) 730-0668. Please note, multiple absences or frequent tardiness may disqualify you from teaching in the future.
4. In the event of your absence, a substitute teacher will be provided for you. However, it is your responsibility to provide a substitute lesson plan or materials to be kept on file. Your substitute lesson is due when you turn in your teacher application.
5. Please ask students to address you as Mr./Mrs. and first or last name, whichever you prefer.
6. Be willing to communicate with parents regarding their child’s progress and behavior while in your class. Encourage Christ‐like behavior by praising the students when appropriate. As the teacher, please kindly correct disrespectful behavior or inappropriate
   language immediately. Follow up with the parent so they can speak further with their child.
7. If your helper is unavailable for any period of time, please leave your classroom door open until they return.
8. Clean and maintain your classroom. Wipe down tables, door handles, and light switches with provided cleaning materials after each class period. If you notice damage to property of any kind, please notify the co-op director.
9. If desired, provide materials for a table, slideshow, or production for our Parent Night at the end of each semester. 

Class Applications
If you are interested in teaching a class at co-op but need help choosing a class subject, age group, or curriculum, please do not hesitate to ask for suggestions. We have materials for classes available for you to use.

If you know what you would like to teach, the process is as follows:

1. Discuss teaching with the co-op director and request a teacher packet. A packet will be emailed to you using the email address PCCHE has on file. Please read through the entire packet prior to turning in your class application.
2. Either print out and return or reply via email with all pertinent information regarding your class. The acceptance of your application, your class size, and the hour in which it will be placed is solely at the discretion of the co-op director.
3. Determining a class cost can be tricky. Typically PCCHE classes cost an average of $15 per student but range anywhere from free to $50, depending on materials needed.
4. You will be contacted, by email, prior to open registration for pre-registration. All teachers qualify for pre-registration based on how many hours you are teaching. On your assigned date, you will need to provide us with the class choices for your children, and we will hold their places until the registration date. If you do not send us your class choices on the date and during the time you are provided, you run the risk of your class choices not being available.

Safety Measures
We take great care to make sure your child is safe during your time with us. However, we understand the fallen world we live in and we are attempting to be “…wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matt. 10:16

To this end, we promote two-deep leadership, we lock our exterior doors after announcements, we rely on our name tag system for identification, and we use hall monitors during our three main hours. Our system of checks and balances relies heavily upon your full participation and alertness during the entire time you attend co-op. For example, if you see children unattended in the church or in the parking lot, please bring it to the attention of one of the leaders at the info table or talk to the children yourself.

We ensure that at least one leader per hour is available to monitor the front door, observe classes, and to supervise hallways and common areas.

As a parent, you can partner with us to help guard your child’s safety in the following ways:

• Discuss common safety concepts with your child before co-op begins. Explain the areas of the church where the child is and is not permitted and where you expect him to be during each hour and during lunch break.
• Discuss things such as running in the halls, horseplay with friends, and leaving the building without an adult or with someone your child does not know.
• Don’t forget name tags! Explain to your child that he must be wearing his name tag the entire time so he can be easily identified as a member of co-op.

In the event of a fire, a “three-ring” bell will be sounded and teachers are to calmly lead their classes out of the nearest exit.

Visitors
While visitors are generally discouraged for security reasons, from time to time we may have non-member visitors at co-op. These may be guest speakers, touring families, and the like. All visitors must be approved by the director 24 hours prior to their attendance. Visitors must wear a name tag and must stay with the member they came with at all times. The member will be responsible for the visitors’ whereabouts and behavior. Any visitors who wish to have free movement about the premises must have a completed background check on file.

If the visitor is a student, the teachers of each of the classes the visitor will be attending must be notified by the co-op director so appropriate arrangements can be made. If the teacher does not feel comfortable accepting a visiting student, then those wishes will be honored.

Illness
People with the following symptoms should not attend:

1. Fever (must be fever-free for 24-hours with no medication)
2. Diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea
3. Eye drainage
4. Virus or infection (known to be contagious)
5. Rashes
6. Head lice

Should there be any questions, the co-op director will determine if any student fails to meet the health guidelines. Please keep in mind that this policy is essential for the health and protection of all of our children and families.

If one of your children becomes ill and you need to leave the co‐op facility, you may choose to remove all of your children for the remainder of the day or find another parent who agrees to be responsible for your other child/ren while they are on the premises. With that parent’s consent, you must fill out a guardianship waiver at the information table and name the other parent as guardian for the remainder of the day.

Allergy and Medical Notice
It is possible that your child/ren may come into contact with allergens in class or at lunch. Therefore, we ask that you provide us with written notice of any allergies or intolerances by filling out an Allergy/Medical Information form upon registration.

If your child has any other medical issues or special needs his or her teacher may need to be aware of, please let us know about those as well.

Inclement Weather
PCCHE Co-op follows the WISD school closings regarding inclement weather. Notice of co-op closings for any other reason will be made the Sunday before classes on the PCCHE Facebook page. Please check our page regularly. There will be no tuition or schedule adjustment due to inclement weather or other closings.