Family Work Hours

Parent support has a very literal meaning at McGuffey. Tuition costs are kept relatively low partially because parents do some of the work we would pay others to do. In a sense, parents are paying themselves to do many of the tasks required in order to maintain a quality school environment. The primary purpose of the program and the deciding factor of whether a job qualifies for the program is that it accomplishes a task we would otherwise have to pay someone to do. By supporting the school in this manner, parents also directly impact their child’s experience and get to know a little bit more about the school.

Families are responsible for a total of 30 hours per year; families whose children attend part-time have prorated hours.

Family Work Hours Sign Up and Log.

If you have more specific questions, please email or call the office

What kind of work qualifies as Family Hours?
There are many options for work that qualifies as Family Work Hours. Our students, staff, and families benefit from the variety of help offered by our diverse group of parents. Here are a few examples of activities that qualify as Family Work Hours, and some examples of activities that do not qualify.

Activities that qualify:

  • Weeding garden beds, spreading playground mulch, and planting flowers
  • Doing a presentation for students that has been arranged beforehand with a staff member
  • Chaperoning field trips
  • Volunteering in the classroom on a regular basis or for special events
  • Setting up and/or cleaning up for picnics and similar events
  • Helping with annual events like SOAR and Trivia Night
  • Participating in the production of the school musical
  • Coordinating the submission of Box Tops
  • Adopt-a-Room cleaning or one time arranged cleaning

Activities that do NOT qualify:

  • Attending school functions such as picnics, performances, or conferences.
  • Projects you do as a surprise, without prior discussion with staff.
  • Time spent on TADS.
  • Reading this web page.
  • Subscribing to, and reading our blog although careful readers will occasionally find “blue light specials” embedded in blog posts.

How does the school keep track of how many hours I have done so far?
We rely on parents to report the hours they have worked by sending an e-mail to the office (the hours reported in email will be transferred to the Family Hours Log by staff)

Half of each family’s work hours must be completed by February 5th each year. At that time, any balance will be billed through TADS at $20 an hour.

Please sign up only for jobs to which you can fully commit. If something comes up and you are no longer able to fulfill that job, remove your name and let us know that job is open again. Jobs may be reassigned if they are not completed on the needed timeframe.

You might even come up with an idea on your own to propose to us. Be sure your time spent will qualify for Family Work Hours before you spend that time.

Are all Family Work Hours equal?
In general, an hour is an hour. However, some jobs can be more grueling or require a harder-to-find skill than others. When this situation arises, we have been known to give bonus hours. For example, if you are willing to come to school once a month and really scrub down a bathroom used by 20-30 students several times a day, you get double hours (with triple appreciation from staff). If you cut out card stock squares for a teacher while sitting on your couch watching Downton Abby, you get regular hours (and we still really appreciate you!).

Is there anything else I should know about Family Work Hours?
The opportunities can become limited at the end of the school year. It might just come down to scrubbing bathrooms. Family Work Hours fulfill real needs of the school so jobs depend on what we need at the time. The responsibility to fulfill hours ultimately rests with the parents.

Who can do Work Hours?
Anyone can complete hours on your behalf! Friends, grandparents, etc. Just make sure you email the office to record your hours.

Contact the office if you have any additional questions about McGuffey’s Family Work Hours Program.

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