Siblings at SCP

Snohomish Cooperative Preschool loves that younger siblings are a part of our community! We want members bringing their younger child to class on their workday to be successful and feel supported. Please read through the guidelines below that help keep our kids safe and our classes running smoothly.

Siblings under six months do not incur a sibling fee but still need to be officially enrolled as they do affect our adult to child ratios. Please see the Tuition page for current sibling fees.

A limited number of siblings may attend on each day of class to maintain high adult to child ratios. Bringing a sibling on your workday may limit your flexibility for choosing a preferred workday because siblings need to be spread out across the week.

Siblings Policy

The following policies are per the 2024-2025 SCP Handbook.

A limited number of authorized younger siblings are welcome to attend with their parent on the parent’s weekly workday only. To respect the play of younger children, we ask that only younger siblings attend. All attending children must be recorded on the daily attendance sheets and have required registration paperwork filed with SCP. The presence of a younger sibling will impact the required adult-to-child ratio and must be taken into consideration.
Sibling attendance is limited to 2/day for the 2’s class, 2/day for the 3’s class, and 2/day for the Pre-K class. Only one sibling per family may attend per day.
Infant siblings under six months of age must be registered as students but no sibling fee is assessed until they reach more than six months of age.
Infant siblings under six months of age attendance is determined on a class by class basis.
Infant siblings must be kept safe and in such a manner as to allow the member to participate in class (i.e., in a front pack). Never can an infant seat be left on a table or on the kitchen counter. Once in the classroom, an infant may not be left in an infant seat. Non-walking children must be within arms reach at all times. Caregivers must be able to participate as a working adult in the class.
The safety of a walking sibling is the responsibility of their parent, even if the sibling is moving throughout the classroom. Please be aware the classroom is set up for the students enrolled in the class. The classroom may have things set out that are not developmentally appropriate for younger siblings. Parents with siblings in class should trade centers with other members if that makes it easier to keep their sibling safe. If a sibling leaves the center where their parent is working, the parent may ask another member to watch the sibling, but only if the other member feels comfortable in accepting that responsibility.
Parents are encouraged to communicate with their teacher to make a plan for sibling safety.
Children not enrolled/registered in the class (i.e., siblings, relatives, friends, etc.) may not attend without prior permission from the teacher and the board.
The insurance carrier for SCP requires that each child (students and their younger siblings) who attends the school must be “enrolled.” Enrolled means registered by having filed the appropriate registration paperwork and having paid the registration or monthly sibling fee as applicable. Siblings may only be defined as those who are related to the student, and sibling status will not be extended to children in the care of the members who are not immediate members. Liability and accident insurance is calculated based on the number of enrolled children. There is no coverage for visiting (non-enrolled) siblings except during special activities (family nights, etc).
Younger siblings may not have the patience or ability to sit and participate in class without posing as a distraction. If the regular attendance of a younger sibling becomes problematic for the class, the teacher may request that the sibling no longer attend. Decisions regarding siblings will be reviewed case-by-case with the class teacher, EC parent educator, and the board.
Class teachers will review sibling status quarterly with parents.