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HOW ARE FAMILIES INVOLVED AT LCDS?
LCDS Preschool & Kindergarten (LCDS) is a parent cooperative program where parents and families are a big part of their children’s success. Parents and guardians have the opportunity to be hands-on in their child’s first education experience, supporting their learning in the classroom, experiencing their excitement on a field trip, and watching them make friends with their peers. We know parent support also helps to show children that the adults in their life are interested in what they are doing, and that helping others is important. The extra support from our parent volunteers helps to keep our operational costs low and the quality of education is elevated with the knowledge you bring to the organization. The kids win in a big way, thanks to you!
Who runs LCDS?
Our parents! LCDS originated from a group of parents who wanted a quality education program for their children. They created the Society, bylaws and policies for the program that is still operating with the same values, beliefs, and mission created in 1972. For the program to continue to operate and evolve, we rely on our members to continue the work of its founders.
The school cannot operate without the support of our member families. Each family is asked to fill one volunteer position either on the Board of Directors or on a committee to support our teachers and administrative staff. No experience is necessary! Our staff will help guide you throughout the year.
LCDS is run by a Board of Directors and various committees composed of parent volunteers from our current membership. LCDS hires two paid administrative staff, an Executive Director, and a Business Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations, the teaching staff and to provide continuity for the Board of Directors and the yearly changing membership.
This allows the teaching staff to focus on educating our children and managing the classroom.
Registration Requirements
We know everyone’s lives are busy, but we need your help to ensure the LCDS program continues to offer a quality education program for your children. Every little bit of time you can share helps to support your children and our staff. The LCDS program is only as good as our volunteers who help to make the program as good as it is. The LCDS staff cannot do everything on their own.
When you register your child at LCDS Preschool & Kindergarten each family is expected to fulfill the following commitments.
Volunteer Commitment
All families are expected to volunteer for a position either on the Board of Directors or on a committee. This is a mandatory commitment. (See the list of LCDS Volunteer Positions below).
Parent Helper
Many parents love this most about their LCDS experience. Each child gets to have their adult come to approximately one class per month to bring and prepare the snack and to help as needed in the classroom. Volunteers are also recruited for monthly field trips and activities; the list of helpers tends to fill up fast! We ask that you make alternate arrangements for unregistered siblings as they are not covered by insurance or licensing (the only exception to this rule is nursing babies who are not yet crawling). This is a mandatory commitment.
Classroom Cleaning
Once per school year, one adult from each family will sign up for a two-hour classroom cleaning shift. Classroom cleanings are held on the first Monday evening of each month as part of the Alberta Health regulation to assist us in keeping the classroom clean and safe for our kids. Recruit any adult in your life willing to roll up their sleeves! This is a mandatory commitment.
Fundraising
All families are expected to participate in our yearly fundraising. Each family is asked to pay a one-time Family Fundraising Fee of $350.00 per school year as opposed to running numerous fundraising events each year. The fee is determined by the annual operating budget and enrollment numbers.
Members may still choose to fundraise instead of paying the fundraising fee. Fundraising options will be discussed at the AGM. This is a mandatory commitment.
Bingos and Casinos
Participating in working Bingo and Casino events is an easy way to raise extra funds for our school. All we must do is provide volunteers. All you do is show up, get trained, and have some fun and get to know some of the other parents. No experience required! Each family is asked to complete three bingo shifts and one casino shift (in a casino year). Bingos are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Casino shifts are every other year, usually in the spring. These are mandatory commitments.
General Meetings
Every family that has a child enrolled in LCDS is automatically a member of our non-profit society. This gives you voting rights and the ability to provide input towards the evolution of LCDS. The Societies Act, and our school Bylaws require at least 3 membership meetings per year to maintain our society status and regulation requirements. Each registered family is asked to have one parent attend each of the three required General Membership Meetings which take place in September, January, and May (AGM). These meetings are your chance to be informed, be heard and to meet other parents.
**opt-out policies are available for the above items which equate to sacrificing the required deposit cheque(s) for each item the family is opting out of. Please see the Volunteer Positions and Duties Document below for more details.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
This group of parents determines the direction for changes in policy, fees, fundraising requirements, operations, and social activities. If you want to make a big impact, consider volunteering for one of these positions. The Board is the legal authority for the Society, and they meet once per month either in person or via online meetings, they attend the three membership meetings, open house/registration events and any other event that is initiated by the Board. While considerable authority is appropriately delegated to the Executive Director, Business Manager and Teaching Staff, the source of that authority remains with the LCDS Board. We require a full Board of Directors each year, a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Fundraising Chair and Parent Liaison. This is a great addition to your personal resume.
COMMITTEE POSITIONS
If the board isn’t the right fit for you, volunteer for a committee position. Assisting with everything from classroom parties to yearbooks to laundry and bottle collection, the volunteers on the committees are essential to providing our children with a fantastic preschool experience and supporting our paid staff members. Volunteering is easy and many families enjoy the little extras they can do for the school and their children.
What Positions are Open?
The following positions are important to the operations of LCDS. Without volunteers for these positions, LCDS may be forced to offer reduced activities and events for the program. Elections are held at the Annual General Meeting, the second Tuesday in May. Please consider volunteering for any of the positions below. Please indicate on your registration form the positions you might be interested in assisting with.
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