We are thrilled that you have chosen to be a part of the LAF Co-op. In order to run our Co-op efficiently and serve the needs of all our families, we need everyone to serve cooperatively.
The LAF Cooperative Requirement is based on a point system. Each Co-op family is required to serve a minimum of 12 points per semester or pay the opt-out fee (see below).
If you are the parent of a Junior Co-op student, you are already required to remain on campus for the duration of the Co-op day. That fulfills your cooperative requirement. No additional points are needed for any family with Junior Co-op registration.
In addition, facilitators, classroom assistants, and members of the Board of Directors and Leadership Team also automatically fulfill their requirements by serving in those roles.
Anytime you agree to fulfill a cooperative job and cannot make it for any reason, you are required to find a substitute who will fulfill your duties. The Co-op cannot run if our families do not follow through on their commitments.
Any family who chooses to OPT OUT of Cooperative Requirements can do so by emailing the President on or before August 1st expressing your desire to pay the Opt Out Fee. When your email is received, the $500 Opt Out Fee will be added to your account. You must login to your Parent Portal and pay the full fee no later than August 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
Anyone who does not opt out or pay the full opt out fee will be expected to fulfill the 12 Cooperative Requirement Points. On August 16, 2024, a $300 fee will be added to the accounts of families registered in the LAF Middle and High School Co-op (except those who are exempt as explained above). At the end of the semester, when all 12 points have been fulfilled and verified, the $300 fee will be removed from your account. If 12 cooperative requirement points are not fulfilled in the first semester, you understand that your account will be charged $300 for that semester, which is not refundable.
At the start of the second semester, another $300 fee will be placed on all accounts who did not pay the $500 fee up front. This will be removed at the end of the second semester once your cooperative commitment has been fulfilled and verified. If 12 cooperative requirement points are not fulfilled in the second semester, you understand that your account will be charged $300 for that semester, which is not refundable.
On August 1st, you will receive an email with a complete description of each service job available along with a request for information that will allow us to onboard you to the Homebase app that we use to track Cooperative Requirement Points. At the end of the first semester, you will be removed from the app, and everyone who has to complete points for the second semester will be newly onboarded to Homebase for the second semester.
We will send you instructions for how to download the app onto your phone. You can then log into the app and sign up for open shifts. Once you arrive at Co-op, you must sign into the Homebase app on a tablet at the Support Table. When the shift is complete, you must sign out on the tablet. Each completed shift equals one point. You will be able to track your points in Homebase by tracking how many shifts you worked. If you are assisting with an activity or special event, you will check in with the Special Events Director, who will then track your points for that event/activity.
It is vital that once you sign up for a cooperative slot, you fulfill it. If you cannot fulfill a shift, you must send a PERSONAL message Jody Hagaman directly in the Homebase app before the start of the shift with the date, time, and the job that you are unable to fulfill. Full details on how to manage a change in shifts will be emailed in August.
For each non-fulfilled time slot that you signed up for and for which you did not clear in advance with Jody Hagaman, your account will be charged $50. You will not be able to remove that fee without paying it. In other words, you won’t be able to resolve the fee by working another shift; it will have to be paid. Arriving late for a shift is equivalent to missing a shift. Please plan to arrive early so that you can be fully ready to start your shift when the time comes.
If you do not complete your 12 cooperative requirement points by the end of each semester, your account will be charged a $300 fee, which will not be removed, and we will push the payment through to the card on file. Please note that you are not permitted to fulfill all 24 points in one semester. Points must be divided into 12 points per semester. Any additional points accrued beyond the 12 required in a semester will not count toward the next semester.
We ask that each family also track their points served (dates and jobs), so that we can compare if there is a discrepancy. The Homebase app makes it easy to do that.
If you have any questions along the way, feel free to email president@learningandfamilies.
We understand that there are extenuating circumstances that could prevent a family from being able to fulfill Cooperative Requirements. At LAF, we treat every case carefully and prayerfully. If you have a genuine hardship or truly unique situation that would prevent you from fulling your Cooperative Requirement, please send a letter of hardship explaining the situation to president@learningandfamilies.org.
We will treat every request with the strictest confidence, and we will do our best to work with your family to either help you fulfill the requirement in an alternative way or to waive it all together.
