Your child must be at least 2 years old by September 30th of the enrollment year.

If your child is five before September 30th is not eligible for admission except through a teacher’s recommendation and approval by the Board of Directors.

In a cooperative preschool, families are an integral part of the school’s daily functions. At Alpha-Bet, family members can co-op in their child’s classroom, serving as a teacher assistant and volunteer on the Board of Directors or on committees that support school operations throughout the year.

There are great benefits that cooperatives offer:

To children:

• Children participate in a supervised play and learning experience with children around their age.
• An opportunity is provided to interact with adults other than their own parents.
• The children are able to find security and a feeling of belonging in a world which is non-threatening and interested in them.
• Learning to respect and accept the rights and differences of others is emphasized.
• Children have hands-on experiences in creative arts, music, science, literature, and language geared to their needs and developmental level.

To parents:

• Parents gain insight into child behavior by observing other children.
• They observe how other parents and teachers handle various situations and gain greater understanding and enjoyment of their own children through active participation in their education.
• They have the opportunity to share their experiences and expertise with others while working together in a cooperative setting.
• Through serving on the Board, parents learn about administration, running meetings and other skills useful to them in other areas and states of their lives.
• They also learn useful ideas for helping their children at home and in the world around them.

To both:

• Parents and children develop an extended family with friendships they carry through their lives.
• Parents gain a strong sense of responsibility and develop positive self worth which carries over into every aspect of community life.
• Tuition is significantly lower than other area preschools because of the work that families do to support the school.

It would be ideal if your child is potty trained before starting school. Children develop at different rates, and they will all eventually learn to use the bathroom. However, at Alpha-Bet Preschool we are only able to change diapers or pull-ups for children enrolled in the 2’s Class. Contact us if you have concerns or questions about it.

​All co-oping members attend a Co-Op Orientation in early September, giving them a good understanding of how the class operates and what you will need to do when you are in the classroom. The teacher plans and prepares for all of the lessons. You are a helper in the classroom, and the teacher will direct you.

​You will be asked to provide your availability each month so that a co-op/snack schedule can be put together. We make every effort to accommodate your particular scheduling needs. Once complete, the schedule is then shared with all families.

Note: All members are required to provide a snack regardless if they’re co-oping or not.

Snacks have to be nut free.

Please, check labels to ensure they do not contain nuts or traces of nuts.

We suggest 2 items from different food groups, one item must be fresh (i.e. cheese and apples, pretzel and grapes, etc).

Each child should also bring in a personal water bottle every day (labeled with their name) to use during snack and throughout the school day.

You can make last-minute switches with other families in cases of emergency. You will have contact information for all of the other families in class. This is a supportive community and the chances are that someone will be willing to step in to help you out.

Note: It is your responsibility to coordinate a replacement for yourself should you be unable to be in class on a scheduled day and inform the Director/Board of Directors.

Yes, we do! However, families must provide transportation for their child(ren) – siblings are welcome! Parents are also required to be present for the entire length of the field trip and to be responsible for their child(ren) at all times. We choose the destinations that are of interest to our students and parents, so they change from year to year.

Since 2017, our school has been a hybrid model that allows those families unable to assist in the classroom to still benefit from the small class sizes and community environment that Alpha-Bet provides by opting out of co-oping in the classroom. You still have an opportunity to act as Board Members or participate in one of the available committees. Any designated adult (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, cousin, au pair, neighbor, friend) can help in the classroom as long as they complete the required training and paperwork. If you would like to arrange for another person to cover all of your in-class duties, contact us.