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FAQs

How do I know my child is ready for school?

Often, Puddle Jumpers Workshop is a child's first experience away from her parents or in care. Sometimes, a child has been cared for at home, but must adjust to a group situation. Certain skills, such as walking, verbal and nonverbal communication and self-soothing are critical to adjusting to Puddle Jumpers Workshop. Others are learned at school. Ultimately, only you can decide if the environment is a good fit for your child at this time; we encourage you to use pre-admissions visits as an opportunity to gauge that fit and ask any questions you may have.

What is the atmosphere at Puddle Jumpers Workshop really like?

"Joyful", "exciting", "stimulating", "warm", "nurturing", "homey", and "chaotic" have all been used to describe our cooperative. On any given day, the mood of the kids can run the gamut from calm to energized to tearful. The important thing is that we expect constant change and develop techniques for dealing with different situations. As you develop a relationship with the other children, you will begin to view the challenges of cooperative childcare in a new, often anticipatory, light.

Does my child have to be on a "schedule" to attend Puddle Jumpers Workshop?

Because they are being cared together, the kids naturally evolve into a shared schedule. Snack, meal, potty/diapering and nap times are set, so children adapt to them surprisingly quickly. It is helpful if your child has made the transition to one daily nap prior to attending Puddle Jumpers Workshop.

Does my child have to be toilet-trained to attend PJs Workshop?

No, working parents expect to diaper the younger or non-potty-trained kids, and to deal with accidents gracefully as they happen. However, one of the benefits of attending Puddle Jumpers Workshop is the peer and parent caretaker support for potty training, which often results in early development of this skill.

How do I help my child make the transition to attending Puddle Jumpers Workshop?

With your inputs, our Activity Coordinator and current members will help you and your child through the adjustment process. Some kids adjust very quickly; others need more time. Some have a hard time at drop-off; others exhibit their dismay in more subtle ways, or at home with mom and dad. The most useful thing you can do before your child's first day is to spend as much time as they need explaining what will happen and helping build their expectations.

While parents are expected to do what they must to soothe their child if he displays signs of separation anxiety, experience has proven that prolonged goodbyes, chronically late drop-offs and other potentially disruptive steps do not necessarily aid in the adjustment process. Overall, we approach this transition with compassion and concern for every child.

How do kids nap together?

Surprisingly well. Although there is a learning curve for some children with regard to sleeping communally, many take to it right away, and few experience trouble falling asleep after a few days or weeks watching their peers curl up on their mats with their personal bedding and favorite stuffed animals. Some kids continue to nap well throughout their Puddle Jumpers Workshop tenure; others go through troubled stages as they might at home. When this occurs, we work through it, sometimes changing the child's sleeping ritual or moving fussy kids to a separate nap room, walking them to sleep in strollers, etc.

During what age range are children eligible to attend?

Puddle Jumpers admission policy accepts children from the age of 18 months to three years six months, to accomodate September transitions to preschools. From time to time, in accordance with co-op bylaws, PJs Workshop is able to make exemptions to adjust the admissions range according to the needs of its families and the development of the children. Exemptions granting early admission are usually made based on observations during visits, so please discuss those needs with the New Member Coordinator.

Do I have to work on the same days my child attends?

We have designed the program so that you work when your child attends. Occasionally, a parent with alternate childcare may wish to work one or more shifts without their child present. This issue may be discussed with the coop's current members.

Can my child attend half-days?

Puddle Jumpers Workshop is designed as a full-day program for working parents or parents with full-day childcare needs; we do not offer a half-day program. It is not uncommon to pick up your child early from school, but we discourage consistently late drop-offs as a rule because they seem to disrupt the other children (and make it harder for the dropped-off child as well). Keep in mind that daily evening cleanup is conducted by picking-up parents as well as working parents.

Can other family members, friends or caretakers work shifts?

Yes, in some cases. On your application, you are asked to provide names of other family members, such as grandparents, whom you expect to fill shifts. These family members and friends must fulfill all the standard training working parents receive, including CPR training, and working a "shadow shift" as an extra parent without the child in advance of working a real shift. Generally, as a parent-staffed coop, we discourage the use of paid babysitters and nannies to fill shifts, although we have occasionally made exceptions in emergencies.

What is your philosophy on discipline?

At Puddle Jumpers Workshop, we expect all the normal tribulations of toddlerhood to present themselves itself, including pushing, pulling, hitting, material possessiveness and oppositional behavior. When these behaviors threaten to affect other children or hurt the child displaying them, we try to redirect the offending party away from the situation and turn their attention to another activity or object. When children are mature enough, we use brief time-outs in a safe place as a means of giving an upset child space to calm down.

Can I bring my baby or other child to my shifts?

At this time, our policies do not allow working parents to bring a newborn, baby or other child with them to work shifts. Although this decision was a difficult one, experience has shown that it is in the best interests of the toddlers in our care that they be supervised by people with undivided attention. Occasionally, a parent has attended with a newborn to fill an empty or emergency opening, but we try to avoid this. When a family in our community is expecting a baby, we work as a group to cover or swap shifts, train alternate family members and otherwise support them until they have moved through the challenging newborn period.

Siblings are welcome to come with you and your enrolled child at drop-off and pickup times; most kids at PJW are delighted to see babies especially and even come to ask after them when they're not around.

My child has special dietary needs. Can you accommodate her?

We do our best to address the special nutritional needs of our kids. Allergies are incorated into scheduling notices; we also maintain an allergy list, providing parents with a message board for daily instructions and encouraging communication about such matters through a listserv and at meetings. Typically, snacks and lunches include three or four food types, enough to satisfy all palates and supply enough food for kids with restrictions. Please be sure to discuss your child's dietary needs and nature/severity of allergies during the admissions process so we can ensure that it's properly communicated and incorporated into our posted documentation and scheduling.