November 21, 2023 Vol. 53, No.9 |
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
And the Winner is... | PCPI Grants | Grant Recipient Recap
Member Profile: FB Meekins | Welcome, New Members!
Join Us! | 2024 Annual Meeting Reminder
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Earlier this month, the PCPI Board gathered for our monthly meeting, and it was exciting to note that of the three large goals set for the organization at our Annual Meeting last spring, ALL have been achieved! So far in 2023 we have:
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Developed Board Member Training: We offered not one but two virtual board training sessions for our members in October. Our aim was to help strengthen school operations, facilitate consistency among schools, and offer an opportunity to connect with your counterparts in other schools. Look for additional opportunities to take part in this training in the future!
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Streamlined PCPI's Membership Process: A small group worked together to refine the process of renewing your PCPI membership as well as simplifying the process to onboard new members. Increasing our efficiency here will free up time and energy to serve you, our members, in new and creative ways.
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Identified Outreach Opportunities: PCPI strengthened our network and increased opportunities for schools to connect with one another by continuing to offer virtual forums, utilizing our Google Groups, and bolstering our social media presence (We're on Instagram!). We've also developed an easy-to-navigate Member Directory, allowing schools and councils to quickly find each other and build connections. Additionally, we engaged in outreach to hundreds of co-ops throughout the US and Canada, resulting in many new PCPI members!
We are ready to set new goals that will allow us to support your schools even more effectively as we head into 2024.
We know you're setting goals for your schools too, and we hope PCPI can play a role in helping you achieve them. We are halfway through the window to submit PCPI grant applications. We hope you are thinking about how your community might benefit from this funding, whether to put toward something you've been dreaming about, a speaker you'd love to learn from, or some extra dollars to help move through a tough financial period. There are so many creative ways PCPI grants can be put to use, and we can't wait to read your applications!
Cooperatively yours,
Melissa Ranck
Editor, Cooperatively Speaking
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Last month we played a game of "this or that" to learn some of your fall favorites, and the results are in! The majority of us prefer pumpkin carving over painting, watching the big game at home versus tailgating, homemade costumes over store-bought, apple cider donuts rather than caramel apples, and haunted houses instead of scary movies.
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As we put away our costumes and get out our turkey platters, we just need to know one thing:
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Now Available: PCPI Grants |
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Time is running out to submit grant applications! Requests must be submitted by December 15, 2023, with determinations made for recipients by January 15, 2024. We can't wait to receive your applications! |
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- Apply for the Anne Eddowes Cooperative Spirit Grant to help build spaces that create a legacy for the future of your school, while strengthening bonds and encouraging community within your current membership.
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- Established schools or newly forming schools can apply for the Co-op Support Grant for short-term financial assistance to help with unexpected immediate needs.
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- To help fund parent education projects, PCPI members in U.S. based schools and councils can apply for a mini-grant from the Becky Allen Fund.
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- Canadian members may apply for the Katharine Whiteside Taylor Grant to support a parent education program in the spring of 2024.
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Need a little inspiration? We asked some of last year's recipients to share an update on projects funded by PCPI grants, and we're happy to share the results with you! |
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Becky Allen Grant winner
"Thanks to PCPI, we were awarded the Becky Allen Parent Education Grant and were able to offer a virtual family education workshop to our member school families. The workshop, Talk to Me! Communicating for Justice, was led by Jamie Cho, an Assistant Teaching Professor of Justice in Early Learning at the University of Washington, and Ninderjit Gill, a tenured faculty at North Seattle College, teaching in the Early Childhood Education program. The workshop included a presentation, breakout sessions, and time for Q and A. Over 70 people from 26 different schools registered for the workshop, which covered the barriers to effective cross-cultural communication and invited participants recognize these barriers and communicate in ways that promote justice and understanding.
"Thank you so much for your support of PCPO and for the opportunity to offer this workshop to our member school families."
- Alison Warren, Member Services Coordinator
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Thank you, PCPO, for sharing an update with us! Applications for several PCPI grants are now open, and we can't wait to hear your creative ideas!
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Member Profile:
FB Meekins Cooperative Preschool
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This month we're happy to spotlight FB Meekins, a play-based cooperative preschool which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024! Located in Vienna, Virginia, Meekins was another of our host schools from PCPI's 2023 Annual Meeting. We can't wait to introduce you!
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What is special about FB Meekins Cooperative Preschool?
Meekins is unique because with play-based learning, the kids engage in the environment in different ways every day. It's amazing to see what the kids come up with using the same materials. One day milk crates can be stacked into a spaceship, and the next they are used for a pathway because the mulch is lava! The staff are incredibly skilled at observing their play and creating a supportive environment for growth and learning.
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What are one or two events your school holds that are a highlight each year?
We love field trips at Meekins and a highlight for our community is a trip on the City Bus to the public library. We also march in the Town of Vienna Halloween parade every year.
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What else is unique about FB Meekins Cooperative Preschool?
At Meekins, the outdoor-focused program allows for interaction with nature and inspires conversations about our environment. The kids are invested in the playground ecosystem, interacting with chickens, osage orange trees, mulberry bushes, and caterpillars. The surroundings are rich with lessons within which the children can immerse themselves.
Meekins also boasts a rich history of parent involvement. All of our staff is either a current parent or has been a parent at Meekins. Four of the staff members started as parents in the mid 90s and loved it so much they didn't want to leave!
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We are so grateful to FB Meekins parent Kelly Schneider and Director Tara Bloch for taking the time to share your school with us this month, and thanks again for hosting us last spring!
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Is there something special about your school community that you just can't help but share? Interested in being highlighted in Cooperatively Speaking? Reach out and tell us more!
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We want to offer a warm welcome to our newest members. We're glad you're here, and we look forward to getting to know you better! |
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Charlottesville, Virginia
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Santa Barbara, California
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Thinking about becoming a member of PCPI? Membership is open to schools, councils, libraries, and individuals who recognize the value of parents as teachers and the necessity of educating parents to meet the developmental needs of their children. Click here to check out the many benefits PCPI has to offer!
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The date has been set for PCPI's next Annual Meeting, and we'd love to see you there! Please save the date for April 18-21 and plan to join us in Indianapolis, Indiana.
More details to come!
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A PCPI Members Google Group has been created to give us another avenue to share ideas and information. This has replaced the Yahoo Group which is no longer active.
Joining is easy!
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Click the button below to send an email to PCPINews@preschools.coop.
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Use the subject line: Add to Google Group.
- Include your first and last name, your school and/or council name, and the email address you'd like to have added. (If there are multiple people in your school who should be added to the group, you are welcome to include all of their information in one email.)
Group members will receive a daily digest of messages exchanged. Message threads will be grouped by topic for easy searching later. Spread the word!
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Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact PCPI to learn more!
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