DCP is a big commitment for a family. We fully expect that what most people witness going on in our classrooms looks fun, engaging and appealing. Equally as important is what goes on outside the classroom: a family’s investment and experience, and the partnership with the staff and school community.
A huge part of our culture is the connection between school and families, which encompasses the play-based philosophy, the cooperative spirit, daily operations and our future growth. We are prepared to give you and your child so much while you are here, but we do expect your enthusiastic involvement in return. This is after all, what has made our school great for over 65 years! All we ask is that you look around our school, ask questions and investigate other preschools to make sure that DCP feels like the best fit for your family.
Every family, educator, and staff member in our community signs a cooperative agreement which outlines areas of responsibility in which each individual or family is required to participate as a member of the DCP. It is our belief that these components of the cooperative agreement embody the core values and spirit of our school community.
1.) Classroom Parent Support Time -We remain steadfast in the belief that connecting with children’s families in the classroom space is critical to holistically supporting the development of young children.
We expect that families who join the cooperative want to participate in the classroom community, and for the 2026-27 school year will require that each family volunteer a set number of times per semester based on the number of days their child attends school. Educators in each class will develop a variety of time slots of varying lengths to accommodate family schedules, some as short as 30 minutes. Please see below for requirements by class schedule:
2 day = 2 volunteer sessions per semester
3 day = 3 volunteer sessions per semester
5 day = 4 volunteer sessions per semester
As a community, we honor a diversity of family structures and welcome parents and caregivers to come in and spend time in our classrooms. Connecting with the adults who are central to your child's life in the classroom setting enriches our community and supports our educators in learning more about your child's experience outside of preschool. We believe that spending time in the classroom is supportive to parents and caregivers understanding our constructivist philosophy and our approach to social-emotional education, and therefore request that at least half of the required volunteer time is fulfilled by a parent or caregiver who takes a central role in raising the child. We welcome other adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) to join for the other required sessions. While we honor the critical role that nannies, au pairs, and babysitters play in our children's lives, and we welcome them to spend time in the classroom, we respectfully request that required parent volunteer time not be fulfilled by an individual who is employed by your family in a caregiving capacity.
Over our sixty-five-year history we have proudly evolved to reflect the families that make up our community. If you would like to discuss our parent volunteer policy please do not hesitate to reach out to the Executive Director or Director of Families and Community.
2.) Committee Work - Each family will participate in an assigned committee by attending any and all necessary meetings and executing all assigned tasks as communicated by the assigned committee chairperson.
3.) Indoor School Clean Up Days - Each family will participate in one School Clean-Up Day or Individual Clean-up Task per child enrolled in the school (up to two children). Enrolled families will sign up for clean-up days or tasks on a first-come, first-served basis at the beginning of the school year.
4.) Community Event Support - As a cooperative community, we look forward to events and traditions throughout the year where we can spend time with one another celebrating the seasons and getting to know families outside of our class.
These events are coordinated by the Family Activities and Fundraising committees but require a whole community effort to ensure their success.
The events that require community support are below (specific event dates will be released with the 2026-27 calendar):
Fall Festival - October, 2026
Celebration of Light - December, 2026
Annual Admissions Open House - January, 2027
Family BINGO - February, 2027
Auction - date TBD (typically spring)
Spring Open House and Art Show - May, 2027
We ask that all families in the cooperative commit to supporting either set-up or clean-up at one event during the course of the year. The link to sign-up for event support will be included with your enrollment packet.
5.) Fundraising - Each year, our fundraising committees work hard to plan events that aid in the important work of raising funds for our school. This is a vital component to how we are able to provide quality programming, take care of indoor and outdoor spaces, and meet 100% of our demonstrated need for families requesting scholarships. There are a variety of ways to participate and all we ask is that each family agree to participate in the events that make sense to their family, and to the best of their ability.
DCP seeks to engage in fundraising activities that do not place an additional burden on our families and are sensitive to the current social and economic climate.
6.) Annual Auction - As the biggest (and one of the most fun!) fundraiser of the year, our annual auction is a very important event for our school. Our goal is for this event to be a fun night out for all friends and family of DCP. We ask that each family contribute to the success of the auction by providing items/donations as requested by the auction committee each year. Additionally, we love seeing as many members of our school community at this event as possible, and we strongly encourage attendance.
7.) All Parent Meetings - At least one parent from each family must attend TWO All Parent Meetings every year. The Fall All Parent Meeting is held in September during the first week of school, and the Spring All Parent Meeting is held in April.
8.) Communication - Communication in a cooperative preschool is a cooperative effort in every way. The classroom educators regularly communicate classroom happenings and future plans with families. The Director will often send updates related to health and safety and school operations. The school’s Weekly Blast is distributed to families via email and contains notices of upcoming meetings and events, summaries of Governing Board meetings, and other school news. All families are expected to keep apprised of both classroom and cooperative events.