PETC Co-op Classes
Parents ETC Co-op location:
Boys and Girls Club-Westside Complex
3361 S Jenkins Rd, Fort Pierce
September 6th-November 15th (Fall)
January 10th-April 24th (Spring)
Potentially no co-op on September 13th and February 28th.
Cooperative Learning classes, referred to as "Co-ops", are classes that are organized and scheduled by PETC. These classes are open to our members only and are taught by volunteer parents from our group and held at a facility in Fort Pierce. If you're interested in participating in these classes, your memberhip registration needs to be completed prior to the class registration window.
Class Schedule:
The schedule with all the classes being offered each semester will be on the members' side of our website. Our members will have access to all details of the classes a few weeks prior to the registration day.
All participants will have to volunteer in some way. We will be meeting every Wednesday from 9:30am-12:30pm (9:00 am-12:30 for high school classes). A total of 11 weeks in the fall from Sep. 6th-Nov.15th and 15 weeks in the spring from Jan.10th-April 24th (no co-op Mar 20th).
Registration:
It's done online via our website and the registration day and time will be posted on our private calendar. Co-op registration day is August 21st starting at 9:00 a.m.
There is a one-time fee for each class and this cost will be decided by the teacher. Since we are a non-profit organization, and we like to keep the cost of our co-op classes low, teachers cannot profit from these classes, and they can only cover the cost of their supplies. There's also a small fee added to cover PayPal and facility expenses and fees, typically $8 for the fall semester and $10 for the spring semester ($18 for yearlong classes). Payment for the classes is expected at the time of registration via PayPal.
Teachers:
You don't need to have a teaching degree to teach a co-op class. Each volunteer member can choose whatever subject and age group they'd like to teach. Those interested in teaching a class are asked to fill out a Teachers' Form and submit it by the requested day. This form can be found on the sidebar menu of our website at the beginning of each co-op session. We also encourage you to find a friend that would be willing to help you as a teacher assistant. *With the teacher's permission, teenagers (16 or older) are permitted to volunteer their time as assistants, for which they can acquire community service hours, leadership development skills, or even an internship, as the parent sees fit. However, this will not allow the family early access to registration for co-ops. Only the parent as an assistant can gain access to early registration for co-ops.
Benefit:
Because the teachers/parents dedicate their time and resources to the group, they will be given the opportunity to register their children prior to all other members during co-op registration. Teacher assistants will have sign-ups available in the next block of time following the teachers. Permanent cleaners are an important part of the co-op. Each permanent cleaner is given a specific area in the facility to be responsible for during the co-op day. Following co-op, the permanent cleaner will take approximately ten to fifteen minutes to make sure their area is clean. Permanent cleaners will have the same window of time to register for co-op as assistants. Coordinators contribute their time during the year by planning events, group activities, and other fun programs. Because of the time involved they are given the next block of time to register for co-op. The last window of time to register for co-op is for general members. Considering all members contribute to the co-op, general members will be on a rotating to schedule to fill in during classes as assistants with either an assistant or teacher will be out of class. This may be a planned opportunity or could be a last-minute fill-in depending on the reason for the absence by the teacher or assistant. We all have important roles during co-op.
Classes:
Classes can be split into any range of age levels. Try to imagine what age or grade will work best together when planning a class. We want to keep one class available each hour for parents of 18-month-olds. This class will be for teachers and assistants teaching during that specific hour. During other hours, this age group of children will stay with their parent(s) in the main room. There is plenty of room to play. Pre-school (2-3 year olds) and pre-k (4 year) can also work well together. It's not uncommon to group pre-k with kindergarten and maybe even include 1st grade. Use good judgment and consider the class you are teaching and any curriculum you may be using.
High school classes are for 9th-12th grade. These classes are set up with a slightly different time schedule. The first hour is 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m., allowing for a thirty minute break before the next hour from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. All other classes run from as follows: 1st hour/9:30-10:25 a.m., 2nd hour/10:30-11:25 a.m., and 3rd hour/11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Please keep in mind that it is the responsibility of the co-op coordinator to decide:
- What classes will be accepted
- What classroom the classes will be held in
- What hour the classes will be assigned to
- The number of kids in each classroom
After completing a teacher form, please send an email to the co-op director. This will help ensure everyones teacher form is reviewed and processed.
Co-op Rules Agreement (link)
Members that choose to participate will be asked to carefully read and abide by certain rules. Please read them prior to signing up to participate. Your agreement to these rules will have to be electronically submitted prior to the first day of classes. Students will not be permitted into their classes until a copy of this form is on file for each family.
Clean Up:
Everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings when at the co-op. Snacks are allowed during co-op, but snacks should be easy to open for a child, easy to eat without making a mess, and not contain anything that could be a threat to someone with severe food allergies. Children need to be reminded to have snacks during class when the teacher allows for it. Snacks shouldn't be eaten as a child is going from one class to another or at the end of the co-op as they leave their room or the facility. Anyone eating while in the big room needs to check their area for trash or food debris. A vacuum will be available in the big room to clean up any messes that occur. Permanent cleaners are available at the end of the day to confirm that the facility is clean at the end of the day. They have approximately fifteen minutes to maintain their area before leaving for the day. We should all do our part to keep their work as quick as possible by being responsible with our own areas duirng the day.
Any questions please email us: