8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Fours class
Garden room
A parent co-op preschool for ages 3 and 4
A small preschool where families work beside the teachers
Spelt is a parent co-op. A teacher leads each of our three classes, and a parent helps in the room on every class day, on a rotation.
The week
Three classes, by the day
Fall session
Monday
Tuesday
8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Threes class
Sun room
12:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Afternoon class
Sun room
Wednesday
8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Fours class
Garden room
Thursday
8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Threes class
Sun room
12:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Afternoon class
Sun room
Friday
8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Fours class
Garden room
Sample classes.
A duty morning
What a parent does on a duty morning
Every family helps in the classroom on a rotation.
- 01
Arrive a little early
You wash your hands, put your things in the helper cubby and hear the plan for the morning from the teacher.
- 02
Set up snack
You wash and slice the fruit, pour water and set the low tables with the teacher.
- 03
Work in the room
You go where the teacher points you: the easel, the block corner, the door to the yard. You help and you watch; the teacher leads.
- 04
Clean up and hand over
You wipe the tables with the children, reset the room and leave a note in the helper notebook for the next family.
Programs
A class for each age, on the days that suit your family
Threes
3-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 7 childrenGroup size: 14A teacher and a parent helper in the room
- Two mornings8:45 am to 12:00 pm · Tuesday and ThursdayOffered
- Two afternoons12:45 pm to 3:15 pm · Tuesday and ThursdayMixed with the foursOffered
Fours
4-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 8 childrenGroup size: 14A teacher and a parent helper in the room
- Three mornings8:45 am to 12:00 pm · Monday, Wednesday and FridayWaitlist
- Two afternoons12:45 pm to 3:15 pm · Tuesday and ThursdayMixed with the threesOffered
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place and covers the enrollment file.
- Materials
- Covers the year's art and snack supplies.
- Field trips
- Covers transport on the few outings the classes take.
Sample programs.
Membership
Co-op membership
Membership belongs to the family. Families meet it with duty mornings and one job for the year.
One child
A family with one child in a class.
- A duty morning in the classroom on a rotation
- One family job for the year
- An evening meeting with the teachers each month
- Two work days on the yard and rooms
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month before your child leaves.
- Refunds:
- What happens to the month in progress is explained in writing when you enroll.
More than one child
Co-op work is by family, not by child.
- The same family job and monthly meeting for every child
- Duty mornings arranged with the teachers
- Tuition for a second child explained in writing
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month before your child leaves.
- Refunds:
- What happens to the month in progress is explained in writing when you enroll.
A family that cannot do a duty morning
Tell us when you apply, and we talk through what is possible.
- A family job that can be done from home
- Extra work days on the yard
- A talk with the teaching director before you enroll
- Term:
- One school year, September to June
- Cancellation:
- Written notice a month before your child leaves.
- Refunds:
- What happens to the month in progress is explained in writing when you enroll.
The year
Enrollment and the year's dates
This school year
Most mornings
TourTours by appointment
Come while a class is meeting. You can bring your child.
January
Applications openEnrollment opens
We write first to families on the waitlist.
February
Open houseInformation evening
The teachers explain the duty mornings and answer questions.
March
DecisionsAnswers to families
August
EventHelper orientation
New parents learn the room's routines before a first duty morning.
Early September
First dayFirst day of school
October
EventFall work day
Families spend a Saturday morning on the yard and the rooms.
Late December
ClosedWinter break
Sample dates.
License and safety
License, adults and daily routines
License
Licensed by OCFS
Child day care center license · NY License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 7 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 14
1 adult to 8 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 14
Group size
Up to 14 children
with 2 adults
Ages 3 to 4 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
Safety routines
Helper orientation
Before a first duty morning, a teacher walks each parent through the room's routines, and the parent reads the helper notebook.
Headcount
We count the children at arrival, before and after the yard, and at pickup. A teacher counts and a second adult confirms.
Pickup
Children go home only with an adult on the family's list, and we check ID at the door.
Snack and allergies
Parent helpers prepare snack from the room's list. Families tell us about allergies at the tour and give the details privately once they enroll.
Helpers beside a teacher
A parent helper works beside a teacher. Helpers don't lead the group or take a child out of the room alone.
Outdoor time
Children go out most days. A teacher stays where they can see the whole yard, and everyone comes in together.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Our teachers
The teachers who lead the classes
Raffaela Leone
Teaching director
Raffaela leads the Fours class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and the afternoon class on Tuesday and Thursday. She keeps the waitlist and gives most of the tours.
Faris Adib
Teacher
Faris leads the Threes class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. He walks each new parent through a first duty morning and keeps the helper notebook.
Questions
Questions about the co-op
What do parents do at a co-op?
Each family takes a duty morning on a rotation, helping the teacher in the classroom, and one job for the year, like the supply closet or the field trips. Families meet with the teachers one evening a month.
What if we can't do a duty morning?
Tell us when you apply. We talk through what is possible, such as a bigger family job that can be done from home or a swap with another family. For some families, a school without duty mornings is a better fit, and we say so.
Who is with the children?
A teacher leads every class, and a parent helper works beside them on each class day. The teachers stay with the children all year; the parent changes with the rotation.
What happens on a hard morning?
A teacher stays close, says what is happening in plain words and gives the child time and a quiet place. We tell you at pickup what happened and ask what works at home.
Come and see a morning at Spelt
Tours are in the morning, while a class is meeting. You can bring your child.