Lincoln Cooperative Preschool is a parent-run cooperative. That means that member families own and operate the school, carrying out maintenance, cleaning, classroom helping, fundraising, hiring of staff, and anything else the school may require to run smoothly. At the Annual Meeting each Spring, current and newly enrolled members elect a three to five-member board of directors to carry out the administration of the preschool for the coming year. They also serve as the scholarship committee. All board members are parents of children enrolled in the school for the year during which they are to serve. Families with a parent serving on the Board as one of the three main officer positions listed below will not be assigned an additional job, and tuition for one session will be waived for their child.
The board consists of three main officers—President, Treasurer and Job Coordinator. Two additional at-large members may serve on the board per the 2016 by-laws. Responsibilities may be delegated to at-large members based on skills, experience and interest of the members. The board conducts monthly meetings to discuss all necessary business. Parents are always welcome to attend. Board position duties are as follows:
President: Presides over meetings and oversees all preschool business. Assists staff and families with ongoing day-to- day operations. Assists teacher with enrollment process. The president is the primary contact to the preschool teachers. The president keeps all preschool materials and records organized and current. Works with treasurer to grant tuition assistance and to prepare annual budget and projected budget. President represents the preschool at town meeting and prepares documents for town meeting. President manages any personnel issues that may arise.
Treasurer: Liaison between preschool and accountant and has access to QuickBooks. Responsible for communicating with families when past due tuition is owed to the preschool. Sends all State checks and fundraiser money to the bookkeeper. Pays the bookkeeper. Treasurer works with the President to prepare the annual preschool budget. Treasurer is responsible for keeping a record of each family’s fundraising throughout the year. Treasurer will communicate with each family about fundraising progress two times a year, in the mailbox and/or via email.
Job Coordinator: Oversees the preschool job system (Building and Grounds, Fundraising, Operations: website, snack schedules, grants) and reports back to Board about their activities. The Job Coordinator creates the calendar for all workdays at the beginning of each year. The Job Coordinator ensures and communicates with families to ensure that all jobs are completed to the satisfaction of the preschool community.