If you have a special situation that needs consideration, please let me know. (Examples: You work on Tuesdays/Thursdays and need to assist another day of the week or you have a physical limitation that prevents you from serving in a particular area.) I CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR SITUATION. We will do our best to work with you, but, ultimately, it is your responsibility to come up with a way to fulfill your service requirements.

For Current Families:

There are a limited number of partial opt-outs available for current members that will be discussed further at enrollment.

For New Families:

There is no option to “opt-out” of parent assistant duties. If you are unable to make it to your scheduled days, you may use the substitute list to employ another parent to sub for you. You are responsible for compensating that person. Substitutes are normally compensated at least $50/day, but you may negotiate the fee. Once you have arranged for someone to take your place, please email the parent assistant coordinator immediately, so we can change the calendar and alert administration.

If you have a nursery age child (3 and under), they are permitted to stay in the nursery on the days that you are assisting for a nursery fee. If you have children that are school age (4 and up) and who are not enrolled in co-op, please find alternative child care for them on the days that you are scheduled to assist. This is one reason we hold parent assistant service hours sign ups prior to the start of co-op in order to provide ample time for you to make other arrangements.

There is a $12/child/day fee for use of the nursery on days you are working as a parent assistant. The fee is capped at $20 per family. This fee applies to individuals fulfilling their parent assistant hours or subbing for another parent. It will be collected at the parent assistant check-in table, and can be paid via check or cash. If you are subbing for another parent, it is recommended that you negotiate your nursery fee into your sub payment. The nursery fee does NOT apply to individuals working as a UHC hired sub.

If you cannot make it to your scheduled day for any reason (sickness, out-of-town, etc…), it is YOUR responsibility to swap with someone or call a substitute. To find your replacement by switching, you can refer to the parent assistant schedule on the website. A list of substitutes is located on the website under “Parent Assistant Service Hours Information.” If you employ a substitute, you will be responsible for compensating that person. Substitutes are normally compensated at least $50/day, but you may negotiate the fee. Once you have arranged for someone to take your place, please email the parent assistant coordinator immediately, so we can change the calendar and alert administration. In the event that a substitute is not able to be secured due to the substitute list being exhausted, the substitute fee will need to be remitted to UHC for that day.

We count on our assistants to be part of our team of adults each day. Without your help, our triangle of parents/teachers/students falls apart. We wish we could say this had never happened, but it has. In fact, it is so important that there is a $10 late charge for arriving late for your duties, and a $100 “No-Show” fee for not coming at all or not arranging for someone to take your place. If you are late more than once, the late charge might change to an incremental late fee ($10 for the first day, and $20 for each consecutive day). This will be on a case by case basis. If a true emergency has happened at the last minute, please contact Tara Dilella as soon as possible. We do understand that when little humans are involved there will always be things that arise. The important thing to remember when it comes to last minute emergencies is COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION. We expect you to do your part, and we will definitely do ours to help when the need arises. If you owe a “Late Fee” or a “No-Show Fee”, you must pay it before your child’s next co-op class. 

A full family mid year withdrawal will cause all parent assistant responsibilities to be prorated based on the number of days attended. If no days have been served, then a parent assistant opt-out fee will be invoiced appropriately.

The UHC Handbook states, “Regular access to email is REQUIRED since it is the primary method of communication.” The assistants will be listed on the website on the schedule and will also receive a weekly email reminder. To avoid miscommunication and unnecessary delays, please check and respond to all emails in a timely manner. You may refer to the UHC Handbook located on the website if you have any questions.

The goal for our parent assistant program is to use the gifts and skills of our community of parents to serve the greater good of the entire co-op. There is a general list of assistant opportunities on the website. If you are assigned to a classroom, each position (except for nursery) will be given a folder with detailed instructions for the day. Please note that by assisting in the classroom, you are significantly impacting the success of the school day for the teacher and for the students. Your focus should be to help the students and teacher. You do need to bring your own lunch on those days.