Advantages and Benefits of the Virginia Preschool Initiative Volunteer Program

Advantages and Benefits of the Virginia Preschool Initiative Volunteer Program

The Virginia Preschool Initiative Program considers parents and family members part of the educational team, along with the teachers and instructional assistants. This team provides a professional environment where everything revolves around providing what is best for its preschoolers. As volunteers, you become an integral part of the program as you add your priceless services to the educational enrichment experiences that our students have in VPI. We appreciate you and your invaluable assistance tremendously.

We have created this volunteer handbook to give you some guidelines about your participation. We want to help you make the most of your time, energies, love and commitment as you become an effective, satisfied, and successful VPI volunteer. There are practices that must be followed and we want to ensure that you properly understand them so that you will fulfill the responsibilities of your important role. We hope that these guidelines will enhance your confidence about volunteering and provide you with some direction as you begin a new role in your child’s life – a volunteer in her / his preschool experience.

What the VPI Volunteer Program Is Likely to Do According to Educational Research

Enhance the achievement andperformance of students.

Enrich the curriculum.

Allow students to receive more individual attention.

Improve student behavior.

Enhance student self-esteem.

Improve student attendance.

Increase student motivation and positive attitude about school.

Enhance teacher appreciation.

Improve teacher morale and parent – teacher relationships.

Enhance VPI’s image in the community.

Provide the parent volunteer with transferable work skills.

How Your Child Will Benefit When You Volunteer

When children see their parents or other family members getting involved in their classroom or school, it:

shows them that you are interested in what the VPI Program is doing;

lets them see that you value education and what they are learning;

gives them an added sense of security; and

helps them learn firsthand about good citizenship from your example.

How You, the Volunteer, Will Benefit

You will get to know the teachers and other VPI parents better.

The partnership between you and the VPI staff will be enhanced.

You will gain a much better understanding of how the VPI Program works and how your involvement will enhance your child’s development.

You will see how your child relates to other children and other adults (teacher and instructional assistants).

You will have the satisfaction of knowingthat you are making a valuable contribution to the VPI Program, to the classroom, to the teachers, and to your child’s learning, as well as that of the other students in the class.

You will be setting a good example to preschoolers and to other VPI parents.

How the VPI Class Will Benefit

It gives the class a wider range of experiences, talents, and skills to tap.

The class will develop a better understanding of the value of parent volunteers.

VPI teachers will be grateful for the extra help.