About
Youngset
For the past 40 years, Youngset Cooperative Preschool has provided parents
and children with a safe and nurturing preschool learning environment.
Youngset serves families with children ages three and four years old,
with a September 1st birthday cut-off date. Both the three’s and
the four’s classes are offered Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.
to 11:45 a.m. There is a maximum of 16 children in the three’s class
and 18 children in the four’s class. Children attend two, three
or four days per week. Most school day holidays, vacations, late openings
and emergency closures coincide with Portland Public Schools.
Our Philosophy
At Youngset we believe that young children learn best through play in
an environment where they move freely and learn by doing. A variety of
developmental stations in each classroom give children the opportunity
to observe, make choices, share materials with others, use language and
experience their world through play. Our goals of emotional, social and
cognitive development, as well as the enhancement of large and small motor
skills, are achieved through a well-planned physical setting and supervised
by attentive adults. A low child/adult ratio allows for individual attention
as needed and the curriculum materials are planned to meet the needs of
each child as well as the needs of the group.
What is a Cooperative Preschool?
A cooperative preschool is a group of families who hire trained teachers
and work with them to provide a quality preschool experience for their
children. Cooperative preschools are owned, maintained and administered
by the families on a non-profit, non-sectarian basis. Committees
are formed each year and officers elected to administer school affairs.
Each family is required to serve on the Board or on a committee.
Cooperative preschools provide a developmentally appropriate learning environment that meets the social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs of young children. Under the guidance of the teacher, the parents assist in the classroom and participate in all aspects of the children’s activities. The direct involvement of parents in the preschool education of their children is unique to the cooperative preschool.
Parental
Involvement
As parents participating in a cooperative preschool, we are responsible
for the policies and operation of Youngset as well as assisting in the
classroom as parent helpers. These responsibilities include:
Parent helping in class room (2 to 3 times a month, depends on number of days students attend per week.)
Attending two General Membership evening meetings per year
Serving on one Standing Committee of choice or serving on a 15-member elected Board
Participating in membership approved fund raisers
Our
Affiliations
We have a school membership in Parent Child Preschools of Oregon (PCPO).
A Parent Child Preschool is defined as a program providing a multi-faceted
curriculum consistent with the needs of young children, having parents
in the classroom on a daily basis, providing education and involving parents
in decision-making. Our PCPO Representative attends monthly meetings,
acts as liaison between PCPO and our Executive Board, and exchanges ideas
and materials that benefit our school and other cooperative schools. We
achieved NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)
accreditation in July of 2001.