The Extraordinary Education program has always been designed to operate as a Cooperative Organization or Co-op. A cooperative is an association formed and operated for the benefit of those using it. As a co-op, we rely heavily on members giving of their time to make the organization work. All members benefit from the organization, and all members are expected to contribute to help the organization run smoothly.
Co-op positions will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Specific co-op details will be discussed at PARENT ORIENTATION which is offered several time each fall and spring semester.
Co-op: shortened form of cooperative - a cooperative society, business or enterprise
Cooperative: an association formed and operated for the benefit of those using it; An enterprise or organization that is owned or managed jointly by those who use its facilities or services; involving mutual assistance in working toward a common goal (from Latin cooperationem "a working together"; from Latin com- "with" + operari "to work")
Community: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location; the state of being joined together by shared interests; sharing, participation, and fellowship; joint ownership; similarity or identity (from Latin communitatem - "community, fellowship"; from Latin communis - "common, public, general, shared by all or many")
Commitment: a promise to give your loyalty, time or money to a particular principle, person or plan of action; a pledge; obligation; a promise or agreement to do something in the future (from Latin committere "to bring together," from com- "together" + mittere "to put, send")
Based on these definitions we have created the following EE Co-op Mission Statement:
We work together in a cooperative community of parents and teachers who have choosen to educate our children both at home and within this co-op. In order to function at our optimal level we agree to fulfill a co-op commitment within our cooperative community in order to better the quality of education for our children.
As a cooperative community, we ask that all families commit to fulfill a minimum volunteer commitment and also contribute a minimum registration fee to help cover our general program expenses. We do not want to make participation difficult for any family, but we need all families to contribute a fair share so that the program can operate without anyone being overburdened.
For those families who are unable to co-op their time, we do have a buy-out option. Financial support is a valued way of supporting the organization. As a 501c3 organization, donations above and beyond your minimum commitment are tax-deductible. As we increase our donation base we will actually be able to lower our other fees to familes.
We realize that our co-op requirements may cause some families to leave the program or choose not to join our organization. This is unfortunate, but our program has always been designed to operate as a co-operative organization. All families share in operating the program - and all families share in the benefits of the program as well. Many of the benefits are intangible - like time with friends, getting to know other parents, educational support from experienced parents and teachers, or access to classes and curriculum you could not provide at home. We believe that our many benefits are well worth the time and effort it takes for our co-op members to provide them. We hope you will feel the same way too.
Parents will be given the opportunity to select a co-op job during Orientation. If you fail to attend Orientation, you get the last choice of co-op jobs. If you are unable to fulfill any of the remaining co-op jobs, you will need to "buy-out" you co-op commitment at the current buy-out rate.
A current Co-op Job List is available on the First Day information page to give you an idea of the types of volunteers needed. This list is constantly changing, however, so the names of volunteers may be different than what is on the posted list. Our Co-op Coordinator will assist parents in finding a position that is suitable to their gifts, training and interest.
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