Board of Directors

Our Organization

Non-Profit – A non-profit organization (NPO) is dedicated to furthering a particular social cause or advocating for a shared point of view. In economic terms, it is an organization that uses its surplus of the revenues to further achieve its ultimate objective, rather than distributing its income to the organization’s shareholders, leaders, or members. Non-profits are tax exempt or charitable, meaning they do not pay income tax on the money that they receive for their organization.

The key aspects of non-profits are accountability, trustworthiness, honesty, and openness to every person who has invested time, money, and faith into the organization. Non-profit organizations are accountable to the donors, funders, volunteers, program recipients, and the public community.

Cooperative – A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise” Cooperatives may include:

non-profit community organizations; or,
businesses owned and managed by the people who use their services.
Benefits of a Cooperative:
High culture of parent engagement in daycare community.
Our parents tend to be present at the daycare more than the typical centre and therefore develop a keen interest in daily operations, programming and the welfare of all children.
Opportunity for parents to become part of a community and share talents and knowledge to assist in operations.
A cooperative works to meet the needs of all children through consultation and participation of its members.

Membership – By joining the Cathedral Daycare you automatically become a member of the cooperative. Cooperatives are structured to meet the common needs and expectations of their members, in addition to being controlled by members. A board of directors is made up of representatives from the membership and works to ensure that the best interest of the cooperative is maintained.

Daycare Structure

The Board of Directors is comprised of parent volunteers with a keen interest in how the Daycare is run. The board is elected each year by the membership at the AGM. The Board of Directors is responsible for making policy decisions, hiring an Executive Director and dealing with parent concerns if necessary.
The Executive Director manages the daily operation of the daycare including hiring and supervising staff, meeting all regulations and handling parent inquiries.
The Daycare is licensed and monitored by an Early Learning and Child Care consultant on behalf of the Ministry of Education. We are also governed by various pieces of provincial legislation.

Role of the Board of Directors

To be responsible to the membership for ensuring that the goals of the child daycare centre are achieved and that the cooperative is effectively managed.
To ensure that the cooperative is able to carry out the needed responsibilities.
To develop and approve the budget, monitor expenditures and assume fiscal accountability for the cooperative.
To review the financial statements monthly.
To ensure appropriate and responsible utilization of parent fees, government grants and other revenue.
To develop fundraising objectives and strategies and ensure the implementation of the strategies.
To provide information to members.
To organize general meetings.

Role of Board Members

To support and participate in fundraising activities.
To actively participate and provide leadership on committees of the Daycare board.
To be aware of the roles and responsibilities of Board of Directors and centre staff.
To acquire a clear understanding of the Daycare and participate in decision making relating to the finances of the Daycare.
To be informed about the background issues in order to discuss them responsibly at Board meetings and when representing the Daycare in the community.

Requirements of Board Members

A person is not eligible to be a director where he/she:
- Is less than 18 years of age.
- Is of unsound mind and has been found so by a court in Saskatchewan or elsewhere.
- Is not an individual.
- Is not a member of the cooperative.
- Has the status of bankrupt.
- Is an employee of the cooperative.

What is not the work of the Daycare Board Membership?

Manage daycare operations.
Discuss personal, confidential information regarding children, staff or other parents/families.
Matters involving personnel or pertaining to specific children or families.
Matters which are the responsibilities of the Daycare Director as outlined in the job description.

Six Basic Guiding Principles for Board Members

The duty of diligence – to act reasonable, prudently and in good faith and with the best interests of the organization and its members.
The duty of loyalty – to place the interests of the organization first, and to not use one’s position as board member to further private interests. Conflict of Interest – A board member may occasionally find him/herself in conflict of interest position in terms of some issue under consideration by the board. When this happens, the Member should declare that he/she is in conflict of interest situation and leave the room for the portion of the meeting, thus refraining from participating in the discussion. The Member should not vote on any decision made on the issue.
The duty of obedience – to act within the scope of other laws, rules and regulations that apply to the organization.
The duty of maintaining proper balance – The board needs to ensure that they do not over manage or under manage the organization.
The duty of ensuring family friendly practices – The goal should be that parents feel comfortable entrusting their children in the care of the centre. The centre policies and procedures should be reflective of a family friendly environment.
Confidentiality – The Board members need to ensure that discussion and decision making, unless otherwise decided upon, stays confidential.

Board of Director/Member Terms

President – 2 year term
Vice President – 1 year term
Treasurer – 2 year term
Board Members – 2 year term (no more than 3 consecutive terms unless there is a need)

After a term has ended, individuals have the right to let their name stand again for another term at the Annual General Meeting or may step down at that time. In the case of multiple individuals expressing interest in board positions a formal vote will occur with membership to determine winner.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

One parent or guardian representative from each family is required to attend the AGM. Attendance at the yearly AGM will count towards the families monthly volunteer hours.

The AGM is held once a year and it is an important opportunity to direct Board policy, give essential input into the daycare’s operation and be informed of new policies and procedures. Notice of meetings is posted at the daycare and childcare is provided for all meetings.