May 9, 2008

Co-op plans to start
kindergarten in fall

By Kyle Magin, Bonanza Staff Writer

The Kings Beach Parent’s Co-op serves a variety of functions — it is a preschool, kindergarten preparation school and a school for parents of little ones, too.

This fall, the private school will add another function as it opens a kindergarten at its Kings Beach facility.
The school, of which one-half is students from Incline Village, was formed two years ago when parents looking for involvement in a preschool took an interest having a facility.

Co-founder Sabrina Albrecht said the school’s status as a co-operative was appealing to some parents.
“Parents get to come in and work at the school one day a week, which is nice because it keeps us involved in our kid’s education,” Albrecht said. She has a 4-year-old son, Otto, in the program.

The school currently has a credentialed preschool teacher in director Lorelei van Pebourgh, who coordinates activities and lessons for the preschoolers and for the kindergarten readiness program.

“It’s been found that children with no preschool experience come to kindergarten underprepared,” van Pebourgh said. “Kindergarten readiness gives them a head start, it teaches them fine motor skills and how to take care of themselves, like pulling on jackets and tying shoes.”

She said the kindergarten readiness program teaches the students very basic skills in literacy as well, so they are ahead of the game once they start kindergarten.
The school is already interviewing kindergarten teachers for next fall, and Albrecht said she is hoping to have a teacher in place by early June.

She said the school decided to start the kindergarten because parents weren’t ready to have their children stop going to the school.

“The growth of our school has mirrored the growth of our kids,” Albrecht, a former Washoe County School District teacher, said. “A lot of our parents weren’t ready to move on from here, so we thought we’d start a kindergarten program.”

She said the kindergarten will focus on a place-based curriculum, using the scenery of Lake Tahoe to teach the students language arts, math and science. The school is fully accredited, Albrecht said, and matches California state curriculum requirements.

Bob McNelly and Andrew Stager are two Incline fathers who have sons in the program, and each spends one day a week helping out at the co-op.

“We love the style of the program,” McNelly, father of 4-year-old Jamie, said. “It helps us parents see the environment our kids are learning in and be a part of that.”

McNelly said one appealing part of the co-op is education classes offered for young parents. He said the dialogue between the parents helps them learn tips for reacting to situations with their little ones.
Stager, father of 4-year-old Dakota, said parent involvement was one of his main reasons for enrolling his son in the co-op.
“
The families connect really well here, it’s really a family environment,” Stager said. “The kids are a great networking source, and it helps to talk to the parents because we are all going through the same sort of things.”

Albrecht said the parenting classes are helpful because it teaches the parents to respond to situations in a uniform way, using the same language and consequences to respond to their children in disciplinary situations.

The kindergarten is not yet full, Albrecht said. There will be a meeting for parents interested in signing their children up for the 10-student class. The meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at 8082 Steelhead Ave. in Kings Beach. For information, visit the Web site at www.kingsbeachparentscoop.org.

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Press Release
March 2008

Contact: 
Sabrina Gentner-Albrecht, Director
Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative
530.546.7519
775.750.2503
sabrina@sbcglobal.net

Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation is Recognized for Generous Support

Kings Beach, California, March 17, 2008; Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative (KBPC) is honoring Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation (TTCF) during March, a Month of Appreciation.  The TTCF’s $2,000 contribution supports the KBPC’s certified teacher and the growth of their programs for the community. 

Families and teachers at the KBPC want to recognize their partnership with TTCF and combined efforts to offer strong programs for children between two (2) and five (5) years old.  Thanks to TTCF, the KBPC is able to retain their certified teacher, while extending programs to the community and offering full day options to their members.

“As a newly established, non-profit cooperative, our family run school gleans support from its members and the community to build appropriate programs for our children.  TTCF’s generous support has provided us the opportunity to extend our program to full days and we can now offer a viable preschool alternative to more families in our community,” said Sabrina Gentner-Albrecht, Director at the KBPC.

The KBPC builds recognition for partnerships with their children by dedicating March as a Month of Appreciation.  Children participate in various venues including music, art and literature, to build an understanding of appreciation for the support of others.  The children are currently creating their own song in dedication of appreciation. 

The Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative is a non-profit, preschool alternative, exempt from licensure, and offers children between the ages of two (2) and five (5) both morning and afternoon programs.  If you would like more information regarding their programs, please visit www.kingsbeachparentscoop.org or call Sabrina Gentner-Albrecht at 530.546.7519. 

November 28, 2006

Parents head back to school, as teachers

By Christine Stanley

A handful of North Shore parents have become proactive in their children's education by enrolling toddlers and preschool-aged children in a new cooperative program for both parents and tots.

The Kings Beach Parents' Cooperative, which opened in September, offers early childhood programming for youngsters ages 2 to 5, in addition to weekend parenting classes for adults.

"We wanted a different approach to how we were going to teach our children, and we also wanted to see something spring up in Kings Beach, as there isn't much available," said co-op co-founder Lorelei van Peborgh. "We wanted a co-op with parents teaching in the classroom. Parents are involved 100 percent — they make up the board of directors and they are in charge of making policies."

Children who attend the co-op are exposed to math, science, music, health and creative play, and, to keep things fresh and understandable to little minds, are linked to monthly themes.

"Every month has a theme which lessons are set around, such as being thankful in November and winter wonder in December," said parent Sam Loudon.
Loudon got involved with the co-op because the larger group settings of other preschools seemed to be too much for her 4-year-old son Nigel.

"My son is a little more of a quiet kid and some larger groups we tried didn't work out," Loudon said. "This is more intimate and all the kids know all the parents."
Kings Beach co-op parents are required to give at least three hours of their time, one day each week, said co-founding director Amy Kelley of Crystal Bay. In that way, parents are able to help run the program in exchange for a few hours a week away from their child.
"Part of the co-op model is supporting the development of the child, but its also supporting their families," Kelley said. "Tahoe can be an isolated place for parents, and when you have smaller children up here, there just isn't much available."

By accepting toddlers that are still too young to attend traditional preschools, Kelley said that co-op parents are provided with educational childcare that is more affordable than baby-sitters.

"Having a 2-year-old is a busy time and sometimes we need a little space. We are really making an effort to be on the same page as parents," Kelley said.

For more information on the Kings Beach Parents' Co-op, call the co-op at (530) 546-7519 or Sabrina Gentner-Albrecht at (775) 750-2503.

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New alternative preschool benefits Incline youth

Lucy Redoglia, Bonanza staff writer

It's a typical Wednesday morning for the 3-year-olds at the newly opened Kings Beach Parents' Co-op preschool. Laughing, singing and a little crying resound from behind a wooden fence where the toddlers play.

The preschool, which opened its doors Sept. 5, is run by parents from Incline Village, Crystal Bay and Kings Beach.

The school is unique from other facilities because it directly involves parents in their children's education, said Kings Beach resident Lorelei VanPeborgh, director of the co-op. She and Amy Kelley, of Crystal Bay, co-founded the preschool because they wanted a different approach to their children's care, they said.

VanPeborgh, the mother of 2-and-a-half-year-old preschooler, Adagio, said that parents are 100 percent involved in the policies, decisions, funding and lesson plans of the nonprofit organization.

Incline resident Lisa Sussman, teaches at the preschool once a week. Her 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Brody, has learned to be more independent since he started at the school, she said.

"I've been at home with him full-time, and it's been great, but I felt that he needed more social interaction," Sussman said. "(When he starts kindergarten), Brody will be a lot more prepared than students that have been home and those who went to normal day care. He gets more social interaction, more independence and more structure here."

Every month has a theme, co-op director VanPeborgh said. This month is family and friends. Each day of the week has a focus that explores the monthly theme in a different way - math, science, music, health and creative play encourage well-roundedness in the kids, she said.

"Every day, we read, we sing songs and we have outside time," VanPeborgh said. "That is one unique thing about us, we take the kids outside, even in the winter. It's realisitic because they live here, they will learn to get used to the snow and to enjoy it."

Although the Kings Beach Parents Co-op just recently opened its doors, it's already begun planning for future improvements.

"We hope to offer scholarships in the future for families that can't afford to pay the fees," said Sabrina Albrecht, an Incline resident and president of the preschool. Albrecht, previously a high school teacher for 10 years, also said that someday the school hopes for a bilingual parent who can teach the children.

"We really want this to be here for the community - even when our kids grow up, we want it to still provide its services for other families," Van Peborgh said.

The Kings Beach Parents Co-op currently has eight children enrolled and is accepting new students with interested parents. For more information, call the preschool at (530) 546-7519 or Sabrina Gentner-Albrecht at (775) 750-2503.

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