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PARENT HANDBOOK Kimberly Larson: Director, Teacher Please let me know if your child will be absent for any reason during the school year. Thank You! ***If for some reason you are unable to continue your enrollment at Brighter Beginnings I will need 1 month’s notice and you will be responsible for tuition payment of the last month in attendance plus one more month’s tuition. This gives me an opportunity to fill your spot. Monthly Schedule will follow Fargo Public School system’s calendar. There may be a few different days and I will notify you of any other changes as they may arise on the monthly calendar. PHILOSOPHY "Creating Brighter Futures" Brighter Beginnings Preschool main focus is to enhance children ages 3-5 academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. My goal is to prepare each student for entering Kindergarten as well as teaching them basic skills. Brighter Beginnings Preschool will provide a learning environment so your child can construct their own knowledge to learn about the world and also prepare them for their next school environment. Children are expected to begin school at a much earlier age and Brighter Beginnings is the spot to help ease your child into the school setting. While providing your child with an academic core, I also want to nurture their growth while taking their enthusiasm for play and exploration and creating a learning environment. At Brighter Beginnings I know that your child needs individual attention. I designed my classroom so each student will get one on one time with myself, as well as learning to work within a group. Preschool is your child’s first step in education. Overall I want preschool to be a fun learning environment where your child can express themselves. Since preschool is the starting point of a child's education, I want every child to walk out of my classroom with the feeling they love going to school. Positive school experiences will only further their education!
STORM DAYS If the public schools cancel school due to weather or I feel the weather may jeopardize the children’s safety preschool will be canceled. You will be called or notified in the event of ANY cancellations, and last minute notices will be broadcast over the local radio and TV stations. One storm day a year is allotted, but if we have more than one storm day I will try to make it up if possible. DAILY SCHEDULE AM SCHEDULE 9:30 – 12:00 Blue & Green
PM SCHEDULE Red & Yellow
*Times and activities may change due to certain circumstances or other activities. Daily Schedule ~ here is a break down in more detail of what our day will consist of. Arrival/Attendance Parents are asked to bring child in and help them put their coats and backpacks in their assigned cubby. I will also have a sign in sheet that a parent/guardian will need to sign every morning when you drop your child off. This ensures everyone that your child arrives safely at preschool. If you have someone else dropping off/picking up your child I ask you inform me ahead of time. Class Meeting Every morning we will have a morning meeting to greet one another and talk about what we will be doing for the day. Free Choice During this time the children are allowed to explore the various centers throughout the room. This is a free choice time and some of the centers that will be available are as follows: computer (on rotations), books, dramatic play, table toys such as puzzles, sorting, lacing, etc., blocks, coloring/drawing, and various age appropriate toys that will be rotated throughout the year. Art/Enrichment Enrichment ~ during the free choice time I will be working one on one or in small groups with students doing enrichment activities. These include numbers, letters, math, science, social skills, and anything "academic" that goes along with our theme for the week. My goal during this time is to prepare the students for Kindergarten. Art ~ after enrichment we will be doing an art project as a class. This is practice using their fine motor skills such as cutting, coloring, gluing, etc. *Both Art and Enrichment will be completed by every child. Story/Rug Time During this time we will talk about the weather, calendar, assign daily jobs and read a story. A large group activity will also be planned for this time to go along with our weekly theme. Bathroom Break Washing hands and using restroom before snack time. Snack/Book Time snack the students will be able to go and read/look at picture books independently while everyone finishes snack. Music/Active Exercise During this period of the day the children will be singing, listening to music and using their large motor skills. Share Time Every week I will be sending home a share bag where one child will be able to bring something special to school and share with everyone. Those whose week it isn’t will get to share something special that happened to them since the last time we met. We all know that little kids love to share!! Hopper’s Adventures will also be shared during this time. Get Ready to Go Parents need to come into the building to pick up their child and help get them ready. We all know what a struggle it is getting a child to leave especially during the winter when we have to get coats, hats, mittens, boots, etc. on. I will do my best to have all the children ready to go when you come to pick them up but extra hands are always needed! Dismissal Children are free to leave for the day! PRICES
TUITION IS DUE ON THE 1ST SCHOOL DAY OF EACH MONTH. A late fee of $10.00 will be charged if payment is not received before the 3rd school day of the month and a $15.00 late fee will be charged if not received before the 5th school day of each month. Consistent non-payment may result in your child’s withdrawal from preschool, if necessary. Tuition & Payments Tuition will be due on the first school day of every month. Regardless of the amounts of days in the month (more or less) there is a standard payment September – May. All checks can be made out to Brighter Beginnings Preschool. Please write your child’s first and last name on the memo line. If paying with cash please put into an envelope and mark with child’s name. REQUIREMENTS Your child must be 3-6 years of age upon entering preschool and must be toilet trained. If your child has an accident at school you will be asked to come to school and change your child. If using the bathroom becomes a problem for your child, I may have to ask you withdraw your child from preschool. A child information form, health records and immunization form must be on file. Each child must have his/her immunizations current, and a physician or health authority must complete the form. In case of an emergency the parent guardian will be notified immediately and appropriate actions will be taken. An information sheet will be signed at the beginning of the year in which policies and procedures will be outlined. ENROLLMENT Enrollment can be done on the website http://www.brighterbeginningsonline.com or sent in by mail. Once the registration fee is paid your spot will be secured.INSURANCE - Brighter Beginnings does not carry insurance for your child, it is understood that your child is covered under your family plan. I do however, have liability insurance. MEDICATION - I do not administer any medication at preschool. If needed please administer medication before or after preschool hours if at all possible. If for any reason that your child must have medication during school hours please have a parent or other qualified personnel administer the medication. If your child is on medication, please inform us so we know of any side effects and can ensure your child’s safety. Also PLEASE inform me of ANY food allergies as we serve snack daily. SICKNESS - Please do not bring your child to preschool if he/she has any illness. If a child reaches a temperature of 100 degrees or more or shows signs of illness or contagious disease, you will be notified to pick up your child. I understand that this may be an inconvenience, but I need to take every precaution. In the case of an Emergency 911 will be notified along with parents/guardians. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CHILD WILL NOT BE ATTENDING PRESCHOOL SO THAT I WILL NOT BE EXPECTING HIM/HER. If your child does not show up for preschool and I did not receive a phone call. I will try to contact the guardian to ensure the child’s safety. ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE - Children should arrive five minutes prior to session starting and be picked up within five minutes of session ending. Since there are two sessions a day, it is important to pick your child up on time so I can set up for the next session. I also ask you to wait to come in no more than ten minutes before session begins. If you need special arrangements or need to pick up your child earlier or later please call and make arrangements. **Please accompany your child into and out of the room each day. There will be a sign up sheet that a parent/guardian needs to sign upon arrival and departure. This is to ensure your child’s safety. ALL REFERENCES TO YOUR CHILDS CLASS WILL BE BY COLOR
SNACKS - At the beginning of the year each child will be asked to bring 2 packages of nonperishable snack items and 1 gallon of juice that will be shared with the whole class. The day that your child’s snack is used they will be the snack helper and help hand it out to the class. If we start to run low a note may be sent home asking the parents to send another snack item and/or juice. PLEASE LABEL THE FOOD YOU SEND WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME TO ENSURE YOUR CHILD GETS TO HAND OUT THE SNACK THEY BROUGHT TO SHARE. PLEASE NO JUICE BOXES AS THEY ARE VERY MESSY AND THEY TEND TO GET WASTED!!! BIRTHDAYS - I will have a special day to celebrate your child’s birthday. If you wish to bring a special treat to help your child celebrate with their classmates, you may do so ( it may be perishable). If your child’s birthday is during a month where they do not have school we will have a half birthday so everyone has a chance to celebrate. I do ask however that you do not send invitations with your child to preschool unless EVERYONE is invited. BOOK ORDERS - I will be sending book order forms home monthly with your child. These book orders have great discount prices on books and software. If you choose to order from any of the companies please send the check with the order form in an envelope and return it in your child’s folder/backpack. Make the checks payable to scholastic NOT TO THE SCHOOL. This will help keep everything organized. BACKPACK - Everyone will need a large backpack to carry information to and from school. CARPOOLING -I do not provide transportation to/from school. If you are able to, I encourage you to be open to helping other parents with transportation to/from school, if possible. I am willing to help you find a solution if transportation is a problem. NEWSLETTER - A monthly newsletter and/or calendar will be given which will include important dates, reminders, and permission slips. Please take time to read and share with your child. PARENT – TEACHER CONFERENCES - I will be conducting assessments twice a year for the three day session. Once in winter and then another in spring. I will have conferences once a year for all sessions in the spring. Conferences will be ten to fifteen minutes in length and would appreciate if BOTH parents attended. You are more than welcome to call any time or schedule a time to meet with the teacher. DRESS - Since the main focus of our preschool day is to be hands on, please dress your child accordingly with clothing that may get "dirty". DRESS UP DAYS - Throughout the year we may have special dress up days where I will ask your child to wear a certain type of dress (ex. beach day or a certain color). These do not require you to go out and purchase new items; this is done to encourage creativity and learning in the home as well as in school. Please watch the newsletter for those days. TOYS FROM HOME - I ask that you do not send any toys from home with your child to preschool. There is a chance that the toy may get lost or broken and to prevent that, I ask that they don’t bring toys from home to play with. However, we will be having SPECIAL DAYS where your child will be able to bring ONE item from home that is special to him/her and will have a chance to share with the class. Please watch newsletter/calendar for more information. DISCIPLINE - Any necessary discipline will be constructive and educational in nature and may include the following: Verbal warnings, diversion, separation from the problem, talking/explanation, praise for appropriate behavior and if need be gentle restraint if we feel the child will harm him/herself or others. No child will be subjected to physical harm or humiliation. I will try to first redirect the child to a positive activity, if that does not work a short "time out" may be used if necessary, where the child is removed from the group but is still supervised. VOLUNTEERS - I may need parent/guardian volunteers throughout the year. If I do need you, a slip will be going home with your child and asking you if you would ever be interested in volunteering. Fill out the form and return it to school. DONATIONS – Throughout the year I will be using stickers and/or treats for rewards and projects. If you would like to donate a bag of treats or a sheet of stickers I would appreciate it. Some examples would be M&M’s, bubble gum, suckers, smiley face stickers, holiday stickers. Toys for our treasure chest, dress up toys or anything that the kids can use their imagination with! I have a treasure chest filled with small toys (from happy meals etc.) If you want to get rid of any old toys in good condition that could go in toy bin to have another child make use of it, which would also be appreciated. Please do not feel that you need to donate something, it is entirely your choice. I will however ask you to bring in an item from the objects needed list if we are doing a special project (Pop bottles, paper towel roll, etc.) I will provide a list of objects that you would throw away at home that we could use in our classroom for art projects. Please watch the newsletters for my objects needed list. Thank you! OBJECTS NEEDED, NOT REQUIRED *Remember you DO NOT need to bring these items to school but donations are appreciated. School Gel (Blue in Color), Paper towel/toilet tubes, Kleenex box, Cotton balls & Q-tips, Stickers, especially holiday stickers, Magazines, Egg Cartons, Paper Bags, Greeting Cards, Pop Bottles, Empty Tin Cans, Old CD’s, Newspapers, Scrap Paper, pom poms, …Basically anything lying around the house that could be used creatively as an art project! SPECIAL NEEDS -If there is anything that your child needs to help make their preschool a better experience please let us know. We will do what we can to accommodate children to their special needs. MY DEDICATION TO CHILDREN - My Preschool respects each child’s cultural/ethnic background and primary language or dialect. Appropriate provisions are attempted to be made for those children who have special needs of any kind. My preschool curriculum is meant to be child centered and age appropriate. Please notify me if there is anything I can do for you and/or your child. Leaving your child at preschool for the first time may be stressful for you and/or your child. Please let me know of ANYTHING that we can do to help ease your child into an enjoyable environment. LAST REMINDER My website is a great resource and updated periodically with news and pictures of your child. Please check often!!! www.brighterbeginningsonline.com |
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