Family Handbook 2017

Family Handbook 2017 Welcome to Pocket of Preschool Academy! We are excited you have joined our preschool family. If you have any questions about our handbook, our classroom, or our policies, please ask. We believe… Children learn best through play and experiences. We firmly believe that children learn by doing, getting messy, investigating their questions, and problem solving with their friends. They learn by playing games, using their imaginations, expressing their emotions, creating, and exploring the world around them. As teachers we set up intentional play activities and explorations that meet the needs of individual students. We question and extend their thinking and play to help them learn and grow. We provide high quality education and care for every student who comes in our classroom. We intentionally plan and organize the classroom so students have the opportunity to develop in the areas of social emotional, language and literacy, math, science, creative arts, fine motor, and gross motor. It is our goal for students to develop the dispositions and skills to become lifelong learners and be successful in kindergarten and life (both socially and academically). Eligibility In order to register for preschool, each child must meet the following criteria: • Be 3 years old by August 1 • Proof of current required immunizations • Complete all forms and pay registration fee Hours of Operation and school Calendar Pocket of Preschool Academy is from 8:15am – noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the school year. Our calendar is similar to Francis Howell. Please see our calendar for exact dates. The following days are paid holidays: Labor Day, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Martin Luther Kind Day, Presidents Day, and Spring Break. There may also be two days each year for teacher professional development. I also receive 4 personal days through out the year. I will provide as much notice as I possibly can. We also follow Francis Howell inclement weather closing and delays. Licensing Pocket of Preschool Academy will be licensed sometime this spring by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Child Care Division. The preschool will continue to have inspections and they will be available online. Jackie, any employees, and her husband all have criminal and child protection services background checks. Jackie and any employees have current First Aid and CPR certifications as well. A copy of the Missouri State Licensing Rules for Family Day Care 1 Home in Missouri is available for your review at any time.

Curriculum Pocket of Preschool Academy implements a theme based curriculum. It is designed to facilitate learning through hands-on activities both teacher-led and student-led. We offer lessons and activities in the areas of language and literacy, math, science, creative arts, gross and fine motor, and social skills (character education). It is based on current research, state and national standards, common core, and aligned with the kindergarten curriculum. Parent Teacher conferences Parent teacher conferences will be held in the fall and spring. It is a time we can talk about your child in all areas of development, review their student portfolio, and set goals for your child. Teacher Training and ongoing education Jackie is the owner and operator of Pocket of Preschool Academy. She earned her Bachelors and Master of Education from Maryville University. She is licensed to teach birth to sixth grade by the state of Missouri. She taught full day preschool in Rockwood for over 11 years. Many of her theme units, games, and lesson plans are utilized by teachers all over the country. She is also a member of NAEYC ( a professional early childhood educator organization) and teaches a variety of professional development trainings to other teachers in the area. As part of licensing, she is required to attend at least 15 hours of teacher training every year. Communication It is important for us to work as a team to ensure your child’s success in preschool. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or other important information that you believe I should know, please do not hesitate to contact me. Family Mailboxes Each day when you pick up/drop off your child, it is important that you check Family Mailbox for important information. In the Family Mailbox there is a file for each child. Please check your mailbox daily. Newsletters Each week, I will publish a newsletter to update you on what new exciting topics we are learning about and other things happening in preschool. The newsletter will include important dates, upcoming activities and events, a summary of previous learning, previewing new centers and studies. I will email the newsletter every Monday to all the families. I will also post the newsletters on the family board. Payment Tuition payments may be paid annually or monthly (10 payments). If paid monthly, payment is due the first Monday of the month (August – May). The registration fee is due upon application. All registration fees are non-refundable. If tuition payments are not received, there will be a ten dollar per day late fee. If your account exceeds one week over due, your child will not be allowed to come to school and will be dismissed from our school.

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Drop-off and pick-up Drop off time is from 8:15 am to 8:30 am. Pick up time is from 11:45-noon. Please respect these times so we can focus our attention on learning during our day. **A late pick-up fee of $2.00 a minutes will be charged for any child in our care after noon. Only custodial parents/guardians and those listed on approved pick up list will be allowed to pick up a student. Identification is required at pick up. It is required that anyone listed on your emergency contact list must be at least 18 years of age. We cannot release your child to anyone under the age of 18. Sign in and Sign out All students must be signed in and out by an adult every day they attend. Items from home Please do not allow your child to bring in items from home unless it is a security item. Pocket of Preschool Academy is not responsible for any lost or broken items. Book Orders Each month I will send home Scholastic Book orders. Please do not feel obligated to buy anything. I will use the points I earn to buy new books for our classroom library. There are two ways you can order books. You can go online, and order the books online or you can also order books using the paper order form. Please make the check payable to "Scholastic". The completed paper orders need to be turned into me. It usually takes about two weeks to receive the books. Photographs & videos As a way to document student learning and share all of the wonderful activities and learning happening in our classroom, I take photos and videos of our learning. On the website (www.pocketofpreschool.com) and various social media we will post ideas, photos, student work, and samples from the classroom. Emergency Preparedness In the event of an emergency Pocket of Preschool has developed an Emergency Response Plan. Please know that Pocket of Preschool Academy will make every attempt to notify you, so it is vital you keep your emergency contact information up to date. I copy will be given to all families at Meet the Teacher. Emergency Drills We strive to make sure our children are safe at school every day. We do this by making sure that our children are prepared for a variety of emergencies. We will practice fire drills (once a month), tornado drills (quarterly), and earthquake drills (quarterly). Emergency Supplies Our classroom is equipped with an emergency backpack. It contains water, prepackaged snacks, gloves, wipes, flashlights, small first aid kit, hand sanitizer, a copy of our Emergency Response Plan, each child’s contact and emergency information, and any life saving medication (epi pens, inhalers). 3

Illness Your child may not be accepted for care if he/she has any of the following symptoms: • Fever of 100 degrees or above • Contagious skin or eye irritation • Unexplained rash or sore • Discharge from eye, nose, or ears • Vomiting • Diarrhea, more than 3 times in two hours • Cough lasting more than 1 week without a doctor’s note • Excessive crying, with the inability to be consoled • Any illness that keeps a child from participating in regular activity If your child displays any of these symptoms while in our care , we will call you and your child will need to be picked up within one hour. Your child will need to be symptom and fever free for 24 hours before returning to school (24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication). At any time Pocket of Preschool Academy has reason to believe that your child has a communicable disease, we can request that he/she be seen by a doctor and that a note be provided from the doctor stating that your child is not contagious, is able to attend, and participate in a group care facility. If your child has been diagnosed with a contagious illness, you need to notify Pocket of Preschool Academy so we can notify other families. Injury In case of a minor injury, we will administer basic first aid. All injuries require immediate parental notification will be documented in the form of an Accident Report and notified via text message, email, or phone call. In case of a minor injury in which an ambulance is not needed but immediate medical attention is required, Jackie will contact the parents. If parents cannot be reached emergency contacts will be notified. Pocket of Preschool Academy staff cannot transport students to a hospital or doctor’s office. Injured students shall be transported for medical attention by parents or calling 911 for an ambulance. Medication Prescribed medication will not be administered at school. This is a half day program so medication can be given before or after school by a parent or guardian. Immunizations Your child must be up-to-date on immunizations as required by the Missouri state regulations. A copy of your child immunizations will be kept in their file.

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Open Door Policy Please know that you are ALWAYS welcome to visit or stay and play in our classroom during our day. Snack Each day we will provide a healthy snack and drink each day. The snack menu is posted in the classroom. Food Allergy or Special Diet If your child has a known food allergy or special diet, please provide us with a doctor's note or plan. Smoke Free Environment Pocket of Preschool Academy has a no smoking policy through our home and the premises (indoor and outdoor) to respect the health and safety of our families and students. Dress and Extra Clothing We request that students wear play clothes that are practical, comfortable, and washable. Please dress children for active play. We will go outside for large muscle activities whenever the weather allows us. Be sure you child is adequately dressed so he/she can enjoy the outdoor activities. We ask that you provide your child an extra set of clothing, appropriate for the season, that can be kept at school (socks too). Be sure to put your child’s name on ALL clothing that is removable. Students will be running and jumping. Students must wear tennis shoes to school. No crocks, flip flops, or sandals. Birthdays A birthday is a very special day for children. To celebrate your child’s birthday, you may bring in commercially made birthday treats. We cannot serve homemade treats. If you decided to invite students from preschool to your child’s birthday party you must invite all the girls/boys or everyone in the class. Parking Please park in the designated parking spaces during drop off and pick up. Enrollment Fee When you enroll, you will need to pay the enrollment fee. This fee covers all classroom supplies your child will need throughout the year. Termination of Enrollment In some circumstances, it may be necessary to discontinue a child’s enrollment at Pocket of Preschool Academy, This decision will be based on the best interest for children and staff. Termination of enrollment may be a result of the following: • Non-payment of tuition. • Abusive, destructive, and/or dangerous behavior to children, staff, or property by a child, parent, or family member. • Failure to follow our Family Handbook polices and procedures. 5

Behavior Management At Pocket of Preschool Academy we are committed to proving a safe environment for learning. Universal support strategies are available to all students to support their social emotional development by teaching expected behaviors (ex: visual supports, reteaching, class meetings, etc.) and teaching various social skills (sharing, taking turns, problem solving) all year long. We try our best to provide a consistent, challenging learning environment with physical activity which will prevent boredom and promote good behavior. If a behavior issue arises, teachers may use a precorrection, verbal redirection, state the expected behavior, give behavior choices, provide a visual support, and/or go to the safe spot. The safe place is a quiet, cozy place in the classroom a child can go when they are feeling upset, sad, or just want to be alone. The safe place also has a Calm Down Kit. It is a bucket with items and visual supports to help a child calm down (sensory bottle, squeeze fidget, deep breath chart). The photo on the right is our Calm Down Kit, brag tags, book, and chart. We use Green and Red Choices to teach students appropriate “green behaviors”. You can see it in action on the website HERE. It is my goal for students to be happy, confident learners who can problem solve and work collaboratively with others. Being able to make good (aka green) choices when they are alone and interacting with others is a big part of that. The photo on the left is of our Green and Red Choices poster, book, shout out notes, and coloring book.

If a students make inappropriate, dangerous, or destructive choices, an Incident Report will be used to document the behavior and given to parents at pick up. Corporal punishment is never used.

Thank you for choosing Pocket of Preschool Academy! We are so excited your are joining our family! We will love and respect your child. We will help them grow and develop emotionally, socially, physically, and academically!

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