Inside this issue:
It's Grant Season!  | New Member Shout Out

October 2019
Vol. 49 No.8

Cooperatively Speaking
The Latest News from PCPI
Hello!

There are lots of great reasons to be a member of PCPI.  Among them are the many funding opportunities made available to member schools and councils, including grants to support parent education programs and for travel to the annual meeting.  The Cooperative Spirit Grant  can provide up to $1,000 to support a parent involvement project that creates a lasting benefit for your school or community.  Applications were included in the fall mailing and are available on the PCPI Website, as well as through a link in this newsletter.  We are all excited to see your proposals!

On another note, we all want to get to know your school better!  A great way to do that is through publication of a school profile in Cooperatively Speaking. It's as easy as answering a few questions and finding a few photos to share.  If you'd like to see your school highlighted in an upcoming issue, please let me know by emailing me at the address below.

If you'd like to take a look at previously published school profiles, there are plenty to choose from. Links to past newsletters are available on the Resources page of the PCPI Website.

Cooperatively yours,


Dianne Rose, M.Ed.
Editor, Cooperatively Speaking



Cooperative Spirit Grant - Apply Soon!
 



PCPI supports and encourages parent involvement, parent participation and parent education in early childhood education programs.   The Cooperative Spirit Grant was designed to provide financial support for schools who have an idea for increasing parent involvement and participation by initiating a project that will make their school a better place for their children and leave a legacy for future classes. 
 
The Grant guidelines are open to allow for creative ways to involve parents working together to improve your school or community.  The Grant is designed to assist in the cost of purchasing needed items and supplies for your project.   Ideally, your project could be replicated at other schools.  By accepting funds, recipients agree to provide photos and a written report at the end of the school year.
 
U.S. and Canadian preschools with direct membership in PCPI are eligible. Member councils may apply for a grant to fund a council cooperative project.  The grant will fund one or more  programs, with a maximum of $1,000 per program. 
 
Grant requests are due by  December 15, 2019.  The grant award decisions will be made in early January 2020.

 


We are looking forward to reading your creative ideas and awarding these funds.


At the Core of Co-ops: Parent Education
by Lisa Meyer 
 
Parent education is at the foundation of cooperative education. To help fund parent education projects, PCPI members in US based schools and councils may apply for the  Becky Allen Fund Grant . Canadian schools and councils may apply for the  Katherine Whiteside Taylor Grant to support a parent education program.
 
Over the years many cooperative preschools have benefited from a range of parent education programs supported by the grants. Topics have included various aspects of child development such as the social/emotional and dealing with challenging behaviors, speech and language, techniques to support play-based learning, nutrition and more.  Schools have invited a variety of speakers including a psychologist, college teacher, occupational therapist, authors as well as their own expert staff to provide these programs.

Your school or council could be the next recipient of funds to support a parent education program that is just right for the parents in your area.  Each grant can award up to $500 to fund programs in one or more schools or councils.  Details for each grant can be found below.



Becky Allen Fund 
(United States)



Questions? 
Contact Lisa Meyer, Becky Allen Fund Chairperson at beckyallenfund@preschools.coop



Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant
(Canada)


Questions?  
Contact Vaughn Hatch, Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant Chairperson at  KWTgrant@preschools.coop


Requests for grants are due by midnight on December 15, 2019.   The grant award decision will be made by January 15, 2020.   Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to enhance parent education at your school or in your area.


The Becky Allen Fund at Work
The 2018/19 Becky Allen Fund was divided between two schools, each of which was awarded $250. Mayfair Co-Op Preschool in Farmington Hills, MI received funds to support a program discussing the benefits of play given by local university ECE faculty. Athens Forest Kindergarten in Athens, GA was able to offer a seminar with a Play Therapist to learn Child-Parent Relationship Training (CPRT). Congratulations!


To learn more about the women for whom these grants are named, there's a history lesson available on the PCPI Website.



New Member Shout Out!
 


We'd like to offer a warm welcome to our newest member school.  We look forward to getting to know you better!







Riverview, MI


Save the Date!

PCPI Annual Meeting
April 16-19, 2020
Portland, Oregon


Share  Cooperatively Speaking with Friends
We'd like to reach as many readers as we can.  PCPI welcomes parents and staff of member schools, councils, and libraries. There are lots of ways to share  Cooperatively Speaking :
  • Forward this message to your school or council network email list
  • Send a list of email addresses for contacts at your school or council to pcpinewsletter@gmail.com to have them added directly to the distribution list
  • Click the Send to a Colleague button below



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