Communication Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines
With the guidance of the Council of Parent Participation Preschools and the
approval of the Executive, the following policies and procedures will be in place
for respectful communication and appropriate adult behaviour in the preschool.
It is expected that community members will act using the TRIPP model.
It is expected that community members will act with:
Transparent, Respectful, Inclusive, Productive, and Positive behaviours.
Following the guidelines below will help insure this outcome.
The mission of Parent Participation Preschools is to create a safe and
enriched play-based learning environment through the cooperative efforts of
families, educators and community leaders.*
The mission of the Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC is to
provide a high standard of service through guidance, advocacy and support to
our member schools while helping build a strong, diverse and inclusive preschool
community.*
*CPPPBC Policy Book
Being part of a Parent Cooperative Preschool is being part of a community, and
as such members should be acting in a cooperative spirit. Resources and time,
which are limited, are to be used productively.
Policy for Acceptable Member and Staff Behaviour
The purpose of this document is:
To help maintain a parent, teacher and volunteer culture in which each member
of our community feels treated fairly and that she/he can have an active and
constructive voice within our preschool environment.
To educate parents, teachers, and volunteers about ways to interact that inspire
positive behavior.
To provide principles to guide interactions such that all parents, teachers, and
volunteers experience a friendly, hospitable environment.
Basic Principles
Asking the questions below of each thing we think, say, or do will help one decide
if a certain behaviour is acceptable or appropriate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER RELATIONSHIPS?
Will it BENEFIT OTHERS?
By using this simple test, we create the foundation for positive communications
across the school.
In addition, unacceptable behaviours include:
Using styles of communications that generate hostility such as:
Apathy, brush-off, coldness, condescension, or giving the “run-around”
Belittling someone, or making them feel foolish
Harshly criticizing or acting impatiently towards an individual
Destructive accusations (founded or unfounded)
Inability to relate respectfully with others
Not taking turns and allowing others to ask questions or make comments
Raising one’s voice or shouting
Invading someone’s personal space
Pointing fingers or rolling your eyes when discussing an issue with someone
Using profanity in a negative response to someone else’s actions
Other Aggressive behaviours
Other Abusive behaviours
All parents, teachers, and volunteers are expected to communicate and act within
these guidelines.
General and Executive Meeting Guidelines
• If you would like an item addressed at the meeting, contact the Secretary (email
can be found on the website) to add your item to the Agenda. As each meeting
typically has a time allotment for New Business items, it is in good faith that all
agenda items will be addressed. However, due to time constraints and other
existing agenda items, unfinished business may need to be tabled and
addressed at the next meeting.
• Come prepared for the meeting. Please review all agenda items. If you have
questions regarding items on the agenda, please contact the appropriate person,
your teacher, and/ or Personnel. If need be, they will direct your question to
the relevant person. Be sensitive to the fact that if you wait until a meeting to ask
questions, it may not be possible to provide answers right away. Some questions
require additional time to research complete answers, thus delaying the process.
• At all meetings, we will respect and recognize the opinions of others. The
objective of communication at General and Executive meetings is to present
information, productively discuss ideas or concerns, and to form decisions. All
members should have a voice at meetings. The preschool Personnel officer
and Chairperson will moderate meetings and will ask any members to leave the
meeting if they participate in the following unproductive, unacceptable, and
disrespectful behaviour.
Unacceptable behaviour includes:
Using styles of communications that generate hostility such as:
Apathy, brush-off, coldness, condescension, or giving the “run-around”
Belittling someone, or making them feel foolish
Harshly criticizing or acting impatiently towards an individual
Destructive accusations (founded or unfounded)
Inability to relate respectfully with others
Not taking turns and allowing others to ask questions or make comments
Raising one’s voice or shouting
Invading someone’s personal space
Pointing fingers or rolling your eyes when discussing an issue with someone
Using profanity in a negative response to someone else’s actions
Other Aggressive behaviours
Other Abusive behaviours
General Communication Policy
In all written and in-person communication, respect and recognition is to be
upheld. The purpose of Parent Participation Preschools is to work together in a
cooperative effort and, as such, the same guidelines as Executive and General
Meetings will be recognized.
The following guidelines are related to electronic communication:
• Emails are to be used for preschool purposes
• Emails will be upheld to the same standard of respect and recognition
as expected at meetings.
The following is not acceptable:
• Aggressive behaviours
• Destructive accusations (founded or unfounded)
• Inability to relate respectfully with others
• Abusive behaviours
• Foul language
• Using email passages out of context without the authorized consent of the
author
• Using email passages without the authorized consent of the author
• The preschool email list will not be given out to other organizations or used by
parents for personal or commercial purposes (e.g. invitations to Tupperware,
Stella Dot, Usborne parties).
• All emails to your specific class, including social or party invitations, should be
sent through your class representative.
• Unendorsed mass emails sent out to the entire membership will not be
responded to by any Supervisor or Executive Member. Personnel will respond,
asking the mass emailer to discontinue the behaviour. These emails can be time-
consuming and ultimately damaging to the preschool goodwill and culture.
• Anonymous emails and anonymous mass emails will not be responded to by
any Supervisor or Executive Member. Personnel will respond asking the
anonymous emailer to discontinue the behaviour. These emails can be timeconsuming and ultimately damaging to the preschool goodwill and culture.
• Members will not blog about the preschool or other members using any specific
names or descriptions.
• The Preschool Facebook site is an information platform only, to be administered
by the website coordinator. No comments or pictures will be posted to this site.
Actions taken for violation of the above guidelines:
If you are asked to leave a meeting or are in violation of the general
communication guidelines, you will be issued a written warning by the Executive.
The document will be kept on file with Personnel. You will also be asked to
present your concerns with Personnel for discussion and possible conflict
resolution.
If you are asked to leave a meeting or are in violation of the general
communication guidelines for a second time, you will be issued a second written
warning by the Executive. The document will be kept on file with Personnel. You
will again be asked to present your concerns with Personnel for discussion and
possible conflict resolution.
If you are issued a third warning, your family will be put on probation as per page
60 in the Council of Parent Participation Preschools Policy Book: “What to do
with Irresolvable Conflicts Concerning Volunteer Assistants.”
Conflict Resolution:
The Preschool has a Personnel representative, Personnel committee, and
procedures in place to assist members with conflict resolution. If you have an
issue with preschool policies, procedures, philosophy, individual members and/or
teachers, the following guidelines should be adhered to.
How to Resolve Conflicts
From the CPPPBC Policy Book (Page 58)
Every group experiences conflicts. With diverse opinions and values,
disagreements may arise. It is important to address problems in a timely manner
or the situation may escalate. Unfortunately, there's no foolproof method for
solving conflicts and all parties involved must want a resolution. Remember that
confidentiality is essential in all personnel matters, although anonymous
complaints will not be accepted.
Conflicts may involve parents, Teachers, or the CPPPBC. The following
process is suggested for grievances:
1.) First, talk to the person with whom you have the issue. This may be another
parent or the Teacher. Concerns about the program should be raised with the
Teacher.
Note: If the grievance concerns the preschool program, observing another PPP
school may help you clarify thoughts.
2.) If conversation doesn't resolve the issue, seek assistance from the Personnel
representative. This representative takes the matter to the Personnel Chair, who
decides whether investigation is warranted.
Note: To avoid any conflict of interest, the complainant must not be involved in
the investigation. If this person is on the Personnel Committee, it is imperative to
be excused from the investigation.
3.) If the Chair decides to investigate an issue, the committee should gather
information. All facts must be verified. It is crucial to remain as objective as
possible.
If a Teacher is the subject of investigation, a PPPTA representative must be
included in the process. This person is chosen by the Teacher and should not be
a current member of the school. Another Teacher is appropriate and can give
professional support.
If the Personnel Committee is dealing with a Teacher-related issue, the Teacher
should not be present. However, the Teacher's personnel representative should
be present. To ensure the correct process, give the Teacher advance notification
in writing.
4.) If the issue is not resolved, a professional consultant must be brought in from
outside the preschool to evaluate the program as part of the investigation.
5.) Once an issue is resolved, all records should be sealed in an envelope and
kept on file in the Personnel Portfolio for a minimum of five years.