There are many decisions that will need to be made to set policies for your school. For example:
- What is the maximum number of students to work together on a business? (most schools seem to choose 3)
- Safety: Are students permitted to offer services to be performed after the Marketplace (mother’s helper, snow shoveling) or only at the Marketplace (face-painting, balloon animal making)? [Note: Offering a service after the Marketplace isn’t as much fun as selling a product or offering a service at the Marketplace. If offering a service to be provided at a future date, parents will need to decide the best way to ensure student safety]
- Will the ‘treps have access to electricity at their tables? (many schools do permit lighting in table displays)
- Are parents permitted behind tables? (most schools try very hard to encourage the students to be independent for the Marketplace)
- Will the ‘treps be required to give some of their profits to charity? You can leave the percent and the organization choice to them. Once suggested, most kids like the idea.
- Will students be permitted to sell edible products (foods)? This is your decision to make for your school, but realize that if you permit food the first year, changing that policy is not easy. Many schools ask for our input to help them make this decision, so we have this to share:
TREP$ strongly recommends that schools permit only non-edible items as products. This suggestion is made for many reasons.
- When the Marketplace is remembered as more of a ‘bake sale’, it hurts its reputation. We’ve seen this lead to less adults as consumers which is very limiting for products- in a cyclical way.
- There is less innovation when food products are an option.
- The lesson of time management and working ahead are lost since most food products need to be prepared at the last minute.
- Allergic reactions are a concern for schools.
- Unknown conditions of kitchen space and of process safety are also a concern.
- Local and state health code requirements need to be met.
You can have students write school policies on “TREP$ at Your School” page at the beginning of the student workbook.
We understand that we will see many different versions of TREP$ as we attend Marketplaces. We respect your understanding of your school and the decisions you make.
