The PUNS Co-Op Model

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WHAT IS A CO-OP?

A cooperative preschool is one in which the parents (or grandparents, aunt/uncle, nanny, babysitter, etc.) take an active role in the school. This includes working in the classroom, as well as work task units that all help our school function and keep our tuition low. 

While we would love to see every family participate in the co-op, we realize that this may not be possible due to time restraints or busy schedules. Therefore, the classroom work days and the work task units all have optional buy outs. 

CLASSROOM WORK DAYS

Classroom work days are days when a designated parent or caregiver is scheduled to help out in the classroom. These days are always scheduled in advance and can be swapped with another parent’s work day in the event of illness, personal emergencies, etc. 

Each family is required to work four (4) classroom work days per child over the course of a school year in our Half Pints and 3s Classrooms. Please note the required work days may change year after year.

For the 2025-26 school year, parents may choose not to participate in cooperative classroom days for a fee of $400. You have the option to buy out of half of the cooperative classroom days for a fee of $200.

WORK UNITS

Each family at PUNS is required to complete 10 work units (or 13 work units if you have two or more children enrolled at PUNS.) These work units include tasks such as cleaning nights, weeding the garden, playground maintenance, helping with fundraisers, and more. Prior to the school year, you will have the opportunity to sign up for work unit tasks, which each have an assigned value. Once you have earned all 10 (or 13) units over the course of the school year, your work unit requirement has been fulfilled. Please note the required work task units may change year after year.

For the 2025-26 school year, parents with one child may choose not to participate in work assignments for a fee of $300. Parents with more than one child attending PUNS may choose not to participate in work assignments for a fee of $400.