Dear Manitas Early Learning Center Family: Welcome! We are happy you have chosen us as your child’s early learning program. On your child’s first day of ELC, they will receive a tour of the program and meet each or our wonderful staff members. Our priority is to ensure your child has a safe, fun, and enriching experience in our program. We are all very excited to get to know you and your child! As a brief introduction of myself, my name Is Lexie Morris and I am happy to return as the Manitas ELC Program Specailist for the second year. I am proud to say that I will be graduating with a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from ASU this coming May. It has been a wonderful experience to apply what I have learned throughout my course of study in our ELC program and look forward to continuing to grow right alongside your child! Program Basics Our ELC program helps children reach their full potential cognitively, socially, physically and emotionally. Through a hands-on approach, children are encouraged to learn at their own pace through guided play and instruction. Our program follows the child-directed learning model, which allows children to build responsibility, and sense of accomplishment, elicits new ideas and perspectives from children, and honors every child’s interests and developmental capabilities. Each day, we offers a variety of center options including creative expression, active play, science and discovery, dramatic play, games, crafts, construction blocks, puzzles and more. Program Staff We are so happy to have Miss Lubna and Miss Denise returning as our Instructional Assistants and excited to welcome Boone and Mariaha to our fabulous team! Our ELC staff are all background-checked prior to employment and receive at least 24 hours of professional development related to early childhood education and programming each year. All staff receive training on CPR and First Aid as well as the Introduction to Early Learning Standards through the Arizona Department of Education. Snack ELC is continually striving to offer healthy snacks. Each day, children are provided a light morning snack and an afternoon snack with two components (fruit/grain, dairy/vegetable, etc.). Our children learn to serve themselves snack family stye, as his snack framework builds self-reliance, self-confidence and provides choice to our children. Children have the opportunity to sit at snack when they are hungry and assist with clean up, building responsibility skills. Monthly Newsletters Each month you will receive a newsletter with curriculum information and weekly themes for the upcoming month. We work all month on interactive learning through circle time, center activities, guest speakers and more. Within the newsletter you will also find information about upcoming events within the Kyrene community. Important Information On your child’s first day at Manitas, we ask that each child bring a labeled crib sheet, labeled blanket, labeled water bottle, and change of clothes to keep on site. Toys from home will not be permitted with the exception of a stuffed animal for nap time. Children who bring a lunch from home should provide their own ice packs and bring foods that do not require reheating, as we do not offer refridgeration or microwave use. If you plan to purchase school lunch for your child, the cost is $2.50 per day and can be paid via cash, check (made payable to Kyrene School District), or through our online lunch payment system www.myschoolbucks.com. Please see a staff regarding how to set up the online lunch account, as we will need to provide you with your child’s ID number. We understand that the first day of school can be a difficult adjustment for children. We recommend that you say goodbye to your child upon entry into our classroom with a hug, kiss, and positive affirmations, and that you do not linger in the classroom. This will enable our staff to transition your child into the school environment more effectively. We also ask that you park your car in the parking lot (not the loading zone) located on the north side of the school. To the right of the main entrance to the school are a set of double doors marked with a large letter K. Please ring the doorbell and we will be happy to let you in. Please note that all students must be signed in and out every day by a parent or guardian. Did you know? Kids Club offers camps during select school closure days at various locations for additional tuition, find out more at www.kyrene.org/kidsclub Thank you for choosing Manitas ELC!

Sincerely, Lexie Morris Lexie Morris|ELC Program Specialist

phone: 480-541-3630 | email: [email protected]