April 6, 2010
Families: Look to the Kings Beach Coop for multi-age classroom

Submitted to the Sierra Sun

The King's Beach Parents' Cooperative (Co-op) is actively recruiting families to share their vision for the first multi-age classroom, kindergarten through fifth grade, in the Lake Tahoe area. Board members are meeting with families in the community holding round table discussions about the future of the Co-op.

Originally, the Co-op was placed into action by a group of energetic, enthusiastic and teacher-educated parents looking for more salient learning experiences for their pre-school age children. In the past five years, the Co-op has grown to serve the needs of children from pre-school to first grade. The 2010-2011 school year will mark the onset of a single, multi-age classroom for families seeking alternatives to mainstream education.

Board members and parents share their successes with the Co-op style approach for education, dispelling myths surrounding the Co-op and offering families an active role in their child's education The Co-op embraces the multi-age classroom, allowing children ownership for their learning, by placing them in leadership roles.

This is not to assume older students will always teach the younger, rather, it allows for each student to be a leader and a learner at varying times during the school year. Such a process is called a student-driven curriculum, where the teacher is the guide who fosters salient explorative opportunities to develop concepts and language across the curriculum. Such an approach utilizes Lake Tahoe to explore local industry, sustainability and preservation needs. While the curriculum emphasizes immediate surroundings, connecting self with community, it further develops concepts to promote broader objectives addressed as students grow to understand their community, nation and eventually the world.

Successes of the program are clearly stated by families, all of whom are board members. Rebecca Roxburgh speaks about the needs of her son Kai, a first grader at the Co-op: “Because the classroom is small, it gives my son the chance to think longer about what he's learning. Where in the public school, everything seemed so rushed for him and he spent a lot of time frustrated.” Essentially, individualized student education is realized at the Co-op. Coralee Walther, president states: “I feel empowered because I can take part in my daughter's education since I can be in the classroom as a teacher, not just a helper or an aide.” Like many parents at the Co-op, Walther is active in providing lessons, embracing the idea “it takes a village to raise a child.”

The Co-op will continue to hold community talks to share a viable, cost effective option for educating children. Please call Lorelei VanPeborgh or Sabrina Albrecht at (530) 546-7519 or www.kingsbeachparentscoop.org. Community vision talks are posted on-line and in the community calendars with the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza and the Sierra Sun.

photo by Seth Lightcap

My daughter looks out the window longingly as a big yellow school bus rolls to a stop at the end of our street letting off a flock of backpack-laden kids. “When I get bigger, I will go on school bus too,” she exclaims hopefully. Maya is only 2 and a half but already I am feeling the pressure of preparing her for her first experiences of school. I want her to arrive on that doorstep confident, prepared and happy. And I am not alone. Some of my peers have thought about this next step since before their kids were born, putting their children through extensive application processes with interviews and observations. Feeling behind the curve, I hurriedly looked into local preschools around Truckee, and found long waiting lists, very expensive tuition costs, and student-teacher ratios that felt too high for my young toddler.

Serendipitously, I stumbled upon a flyer written by a Truckee mother offering solutions to the dilemmas we were facing. The flyer talked about an intriguing co-op concept for preschools, where parents share the responsibility of creating curriculum and providing care for the children. I met with the mother, Julie Kincheloe, and a handful of other parents who were also looking for preschool alternatives. Over pizza and salads, we found common desires; we want to be a part of our children’s education, and for our children to belong to a caring community that is flexible to their changing needs and interests. We would also like it to be affordable. Simple agreement on these basic principles has brought four families together to create our own preschool co-op.

For guidance, we’ve looked at a variety of childcare and preschool cooperatives. Some are as simple as organized play dates, while others are very large and complex organizations complete with by-laws, mission statements, and hired professionals, but all co-ops have a simple implicit and fundamental social objective: for parents and children to support and learn from each other.

The Kings Beach Parents’ Co-op is a well-structured example of a functioning preschool co-op. It opened in 2006 and enrolls up to 10 students, ages 2 to 5. Parents work along with Director Lorelei Peborgh to provide the kids with a caring and educative environment, sharing responsibilities like buying and preparing snacks, working at the co-op and attending meetings. They also make important decisions about how the co-op will run, including discipline policies and procedures. Children feel secure knowing that their parents are involved and also form meaningful relationships with a variety of adults who have come to know and care for them.

Peborgh started this program with her husband and seven other families who were feeling frustrated with the local preschools. “These families had a drive and passion to create the best education for their kids,” she says. With little funding, these families created a lasting school environment that has grown to two preschool programs and a kindergarten class. “Now that parents can see what we are doing, many want to join, but it took those dedicated few to get things started when it was unclear what the outcome would be,” says Peborgh.

Denise Springsteel is a mother of two boys who attend the Kings Beach Parents’ Co-op. Her oldest son, age 4, is enrolled and her 18-month-old accompanies her on assigned work days. When asked what she likes about this co-op she pauses and smiles. “Everything, but mostly I love just being here with him (her oldest son). I love seeing him thrive here. The program just works for him in a way that no others did.”

Over Brockway Summit, our Truckee Parents Co-op is beginning to take on its own form and structure. Four families, with seven children between us, meet twice every week as we accumulate the necessary supplies and curricula, to create an inspiring learning space. The children’s reactions to activities guides our choices as we institute circle time, music, art, outside play time and more structured Montessori activities. We each have taken on roles to ensure the success of our co-op, including researching early childhood development, visiting other preschools, leading various activities and providing snacks. All of this work has added to the strong sense of community inherent to preschool cooperatives.

As Kincheloe reflects on the Truckee co-op, she says, “There is a need in the area for mother-support groups. Also, most preschools in this area are focused on daycare instead of education and learning. Children learn better in a comfortable home-like environment where they can focus on learning and activities without the stress of being away from mother and siblings interfering with their participation. Children learn by teaching younger children, an opportunity not often available in traditional preschool settings where children are divided by age.”

“What I’ve learned so far from this process of starting a co-op,” explains Bridgett Depaoli, one of the other Truckee moms involved, “is that you just got to go for it and things will come about naturally as long as we pay attention to the children’s needs rather than our goals for them.”

For info on the Kings Beach Parents’ Co-op, contact Lorelei van Peborgh, Director, at 530-546-7519 or visit kingsbeachparentscoop.org. For info on the Truckee Parents’ Co-op, contact Julie Kincheloe, 530-582-5409 or kincheloes@sbcglobal.net.

Press Release
February 25, 2009

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

Kings Beach Parents’ Co-op Celebrates Snow Festival with the Community

Kings Beach, CA, February 25, 2009; Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative (KBPC) celebrates Snow Festival by extending an invitation to the community to join them for a BBQ this past Wednesday. 

Families, teachers and community members celebrate Snow Festival at the KBPC, who extended an invitation to the community to join them for a fun filled afternoon and BBQ.  Community members had the opportunity to meet KBPC families and teachers as well as take a peek at the programs offered to preschool and kindergarten children at the school. KBPC members continued the fun by preparing their float for the upcoming Snow Festival Parade.  Dress the Party made a generous donation of decorations and Fortress Construction offered a large flatbed trailer for their float.

“This was a chance for our families to unite in a common goal beyond educating our children. We were able to work together to create our float for the parade and had the added opportunity to meet and greet community members interested in our programs.” KBPC families are excited to know the interest in their programs and Snow Festival festivities are strong and bring the community together.

The KBPC is thankful to the community who has supported their programs through various fundraising events in the past and this was an opportunity for families to give back to the community.  The event was successful with a huge turn out of families and their children.
 
The Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative is a non-profit, educational alternative, exempt from licensure, and offers preschool to kindergarten age programs for children. If you would like more information regarding their programs, please visit www.kingsbeachparentscoop.org or call Sabrina Albrecht at 530.546.7519. 

November 28, 2008
A big thank you from the Kings Beach Co-op

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

The Kings Beach Parents’ Co-operative would like to extend a very special thank you to all who helped make our First Annual Fall Into Fashion Fundraiser a great success. Saturday night’s event held in the Trepp Room at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center raised more than $6,000. A special thanks and hats off to Linda Offerdahl with Dress the Part(y), Kristi Snyder with the Hyatt, and Eric and Danielle Halstead with Village Meats. We appreciate your support and generosity and all contributions made to this fabulous event by Robin Hart, Jim and Gina Poulos with Crosby’s, Jonathan Nichols with Seasons, local vendors As You Wish, Yoga Spa Tahoe, Jai Yen, Hub Brothers Jewelry, Art’s Coffee Shop & Raley’s. Also, thank you to all who attended and enjoyed an evening of great fashion and fun with us. With all this support, the Co-op will continue to offer programs for children.

Denise Springsteel
Kings Beach Parent’s Cooperative

Click here to read on North Lake Tahoe Bonanza website

By Sabrina Albrecht, Special to the Bonanza

I write in response to Claire Fortier’s Nov. 14 article “Shop locally and save our communities.” I am co-founder and director of the Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative, serving families in North Lake Tahoe, and we are grounded in the philosophy to “keep it green,” priding ourselves on the fact that we exist because of our local community; that extends far beyond the families directly involved with the KBPC.

The KBPC was built by local contractors, we are supported by our family memberships, local vendor donations, and partnerships with local nonprofit and entrepreneur foundations.

We are the epitome of Ms. Fortier’s words by supporting our locals “…(we) improve our local economy, create local jobs and support the functions that make ours a real community.”

Education is the work-horse of our society and the KBPC has no qualms with taking the reins and leading collaborative efforts to realize our dreams for children.

First, the KBPC was built by local contractors and our list of support is a hefty one including: Fortress Construction, Village Painting, Spitsen Lumber, Mark Henry HVAC, Lyons Electric, Simonian Flooring, Junior’s Excavation, TNT Concrete, Mandeville Construction and KR Gentner Construction.

Spanning the North Tahoe area from Truckee to Incline Village, these contractors continue to give their time, materials and themselves to create a safe environment by building classrooms for children over the past three years.

Second, KBPC is funded by our memberships and local vendors. Our summer fundraiser included a huge collaborative effort from more than 30 local vendors where Crosby’s, in Incline Village, graciously hosted more than 120 attendees for an auction and dinner event; i.e., those vendors included Mountain Kids, Urban Angel, All About Nails, Hub Brothers Jewelers, Skin Rejuvenation, Rainbow Printing, Silver State Distributors, Yoga Spa Tahoe, Mt. Rose, Blue Boutique, Big Water Grille, Village Square Family, The Soule Domaine, C-Bliss Salon, Kings Beach Wellness Center, Le Petite Salon, Chris Talbot Photography, Jai Yen, Dress the Part(y), New Leaf Acupuncture, Magic Carpet Golf, Jason’s Restaurant, Austin’s Restaurant, Diamond Peak, Incline Tennis Center, Tahoe Cross Country, Village Ski Loft, T’s Rotisserie and Tahoe Chiropractic.

All locals.

Finally, the KBPC’s most recent fundraiser yielded 90 attendees at the First Fall Into Fashion Affair held at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center this past Saturday night.

Local residents and parents of children attending the school took to the runway featuring fabulous fashions from neighborhood shops Dress the Part(y), As You Wish, Yoga Spa Tahoe, Jai Yen, Hub Brothers Jewelers, Rainbow Doorways Jewelry and Fab Jewelry. The highlight of the clothing was a display of “Dads In Drag” fun fashion coordinated by Linda Offerdahl of Dress the Part(y).

The crowd enjoyed decorations from Seasons, beer from Crosby’s, coffee from Art’s Coffee Shop, a beautiful spread of food provided by Village Meats, and featured our local Sommelier from the Lone Eagle, Kristy Snyder, who provided the wine. Every dollar was donated to support programs for children and yielded more than $6,000; all local vendors extremely generous with their donations.

The KBPC’s collaborative efforts reach even further to partnerships formed with the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, the Parasol Foundation and Linda Offerdahl, our local charitable volunteer, who continue to support our programs for children in the North Lake Tahoe community. With this kind of strong local support, the KBPC will take the reigns and lead collaborative efforts to realize our dreams for children, while embracing our community along the way.

Sabrina Albrecht is a Kings Beach resident and Director of the Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative.

Click here to read on North Lake Tahoe Bonanza website

Press Release
July 27, 2008

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

Fortress Construction & Community Builders Recognized for Generous Support

Incline Village, NV, July 27, 2008; Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative (KBPC) is honoring Fortress Construction and community builders this August. Their generous donations support the KBPC’s programs for children and offers choices to families in the North Tahoe community. 

Families and teachers at the KBPC extend recognition to community builders for their generous donations. Fortress Construction, Mark Henry HVAC, KRGentner Construction, Lyons Electric, Spitsen Lumber, TNT Concrete, Simonian Flooring, and Junior’s Excavation combine efforts to build classroom space for children. Because of their support, KBPC is able to offer more programs for children in the North Tahoe community. This Fall 2008, marks the opening of KBPC Kindergarten Program.
 
“We are family run and dependent on our members and the community. It’s amazing how everyone pulled their resources for the kids. Fortress Construction coordinated and supported the need for a kindergarten this year and we are proud to offer another viable, educational alternative to more families in our community,” said Sabrina Albrecht, Director of the KBPC.

The KBPC recognizes partnerships with the community by celebrating at Crosby’s and Kindergarten Fundraiser August 6, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. at Crosby’s in Incline Village, Nevada. The family event will recognize Fortress Construction and community builders for their generosity and will continue to grow families with care and education. 
 
The Kings Beach Parents’ Cooperative is a non-profit, educational alternative, exempt from licensure, and offers preschool to kindergarten age programs for children. If you would like more information regarding their programs, please visit www.kingsbeachparentscoop.org or call Sabrina Albrecht at 530.546.7519. 

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.

Click here to read on North Lake Tahoe Bonanza website

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.

Click here to read on Sierra Sun website

September 22, 2006

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.

Click here to read on North Lake Tahoe Bonanza website