St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement

St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement Handbook and Operational Policies 2017-2018 School Year

Operating Hours August-June (per FWISD Traditional School AM Extended Care, 7:45-8:15AM Calendar) Pre-School Hours, 8:30AM-12:30PM Monday-Friday, 7:45AM until 6:00PM Stay and Play, 12:30-6:00PM

St. Christopher School is an Episcopal Parish Day School serving the children of St. Christopher Church and the community, regardless of race, color, or religious affiliation. The school’s objective is to present a Christian education, which enables each child to develop spiritually, socially, emotionally, physically, as well as intellectually. The program is designed to correspond with the chronological and mental capabilities of each child. Some scholarships are available to those who qualify. Scholarship applications are available in the preschool office.

Program Goals…Our program is based on these principles: 1. Children need to understand that school is another place besides home where they can feel secure. 2. Each child was made by God and is thus a wonderful and competent individual who can use his body and mind with growing skill. He needs to be aware of himself, his body, and what he can do with it; his feelings and how he can express them and act on them in socially acceptable ways. 3. Children can learn to enjoy interacting in a group, form friendships and accept the need to adapt their behavior to the requirements of the group. 4. Learning is one of the most exciting elements in a child’s world. We encourage his developing curiosity and creativity. 5. Play is the work of childhood and the foundation of future growth and academic success.

Curriculum and Development Much of what your child learns during the preschool years is discovered in free creative play and exploration. Our daily schedule allows time for both individual and supervised group activities. The children have access to a variety of materials and manipulatives which provide fun, yet educational experiences.

Spiritual Development Regular chapel services are conducted by the priest and the preschool director. The Bible Stories from the Old and New Testament and songs children hear during chapel each day help them understand the following basic Christian principles:  The Bible is God’s Word, a special book, filled with stories that God wants us to know in our minds and hearts so we can know Him better and grow to be more like Him.  God made each and every one of us unique and wonderful. He loves everyone.  God gives us prayer so we can talk to him.  God helps us learn new things and thus share God’s love with others.  We can care for ourselves and others just as God cares for us.  God helps us to be friends and helpers to others.  We can worship God through reading or listening to the Bible, through singing songs about Him, attending church/chapel together, helping one another, praying, and telling others about Jesus.  We can forgive one another just as Jesus forgives us.  God lives in each of us by the Holy Spirit.

Revised 02/2017 Page 1 Units of Study Each month all classes will study two or more units. These include, but are not limited to: School, Friends, Holidays, Seasons, Community Helpers, Health and Safety, Five Senses, Self, Animals, Plants, Insects and Bugs. Teachers combine curriculum resources from Scholastic, Frog Street Press, MailBox, and various on-line preschool resources to supplement each unit with activities that foster the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development typical to each age group.

Language Development and Reading/Writing Readiness Language development occurs throughout the day as children interact with classmates while engaged in a variety of activities which include: 1. Pre-writing coordination activities-fine motor activities, eye-hand coordination, pencil holding skills, and basic strokes. 2. Pre-reading concept building activities-auditory, tactile and visual discrimination 3. Pre-reading thinking skills-sorting, classifying, recall, rhyming, problem solving, creating sentences, re-telling stories 4. Vocabulary building activities-oral expression, rhymes, naming objects, and creating stories 5. Alphabet recognition activities-letter recognition activities as well as phonemic awareness activities

Math Readiness Thinking skill activities include problem solving, number recognition, sorting, counting skills, classifying, sequencing and recall. These skills are used when playing with specific manipulatives and discovering through Learning Center play such as art, books and pictures, block play, home living, and even music.

Science Science is a process of inquiry and investigation. It is a way of thinking and acting-not just a body of knowledge to be acquired by memorizing facts and principles. As apprenticing scientists, the children will learn about their world by observing, describing, questioning, and searching for answers. Familiar, everyday phenomena provide a rich focus for scientific study. Children will discover science through listening and responding to children’s literature, interacting with “My Great Big World” classroom magazine by Scholastic, and through other hands-on activities that support weekly units. The Science Learning Center is also an area where children can spend time observing and using their 5 senses to explore various science concepts.

Revised 02/2017 Page 2 Procedures for Checking Children In and Out Daily

Parents (or other authorized adult) must sign children IN and OUT each day on the appropriate class clipboard (AM Extended Care, Individual Classrooms, or PM Extended Care). A child will be released ONLY to persons designated on the registration forms. Identity of authorized pick-up persons will be verified by presentation of driver’s license. In the event of the need to release a child to a person not authorized on the registration forms, the parent or guardian must call the school office and identify themselves by the code number listed on the St. Christopher registration form. A written and signed note may also be sent to the teacher advising SCS of the change in plans.

St. Christopher Preschool hours are 8:30AM-12:30PM. If you are not utilizing our PM Extended Care Hours, children should be picked up by 12:30PM so that our teachers have time to transition Extended Care Children before leaving for lunch breaks. Only children utilizing PM Extended Care (Stay and Play) should remain after 12:30. Charges will begin incurring for children remaining at 12:30pm. However, a grace period of 15 minutes will be allowed. Those running late will not be charged for Stay and Play if picked up by 12:45pm. If you normally do not use the PM extended care and are running late, please call the School office so teachers and children can be informed.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school office of any changes in contact information for parents or other authorized adults. This includes address information, work numbers, home numbers, and cell phone numbers.

Meals and Food Service Practices

Parents are responsible for providing a balanced, nutritionally complete lunch and a drink for their child each day. This should include a sandwich, or some type of protein, fruit, and/or vegetable. Chips and desserts are acceptable treats but will be eaten only after the more nutritious foods have been eaten. We do not refrigerate lunches, so please make sure to use an insulated container and perhaps a “blue” ice to keep the lunch cool.

A snack is provided for AM and PM Extended Care. Monthly schedules are posted in room 1.

Special Occasion Snacks: We love to celebrate birthdays and holidays with classroom parties at St. Christopher School. If you bring a snack for the class to celebrate, please remember that our state licensing and health departments require only using goods purchased from the store with ingredient labeling information on the packaging. When you bring a snack for the class, you must give your classroom teacher 48 hours notice and talk with him or her about any special diet needs/allergies of the children in your class.

Rule 746.3309d “You must ensure meals and snacks provided by a parent and shared with other children meet the needs of children who require special diets.” According to TDFPS and the City of Fort Worth Health Department, the only way to “ensure” that these meals and snacks meet the needs of our children with food allergies is to use snacks commercially prepared and labeled with ingredient information.

Revised 02/2017 Page 3 Health Procedures

Dispensing Medications: The only medication administered will be for periodic and recurrent asthma attacks or allergic reactions. A “Medication Authorization Form” signed by the child’s parent or physician must be on file in the school office. This must include information on symptoms to watch for. The specific medication must be in original containers with the doctor’s prescribing information. Parents will be notified immediately after the medication is given. Each incident will be documented on the medication authorization form.

Minor Accidents: SCS staff will respond to minor accidents using basic first aid procedures. We will maintain written records of minor accidents using SCS accident forms. Parents will be notified about these minor accidents either verbally or through a copy of the written form that will be kept in the SCS office. All of our teachers are certified in adult and child CPR and first aid procedures.

Accidents and Incidents that require medical attention: SCS will maintain written records of accidents and incidents as required by Licensing using the State’s Incidents/Illness Report Form. This includes injuries that require medical attention, or any other situation which places a child at risk. If such a situation occurs, a copy of the Report Form will be shared with the parents within 48 hours of when the incident occurred. Parents will be required to review and sign the report to verify that they were informed of the situation.

Medical Emergencies: SCS will call 911, Basic first aid treatment or CPR will be administered (if needed), the child’s parent(s) will be contacted, the child's physician will be contacted, and Staff members will ensure the supervision of other children who will be moved to another area of the school.

Protecting Children from vaccine-preventable disease: Each child must meet applicable immunization requirements specified by the Texas Department of Health Immunization Requirements in Texas. A copy of each child’s immunization record must be on file, along with the Doctor’s Health Statement, before the first day of school. Doctor’s Health Statements must be renewed every school year. Children may not be admitted to preschool without these immunization records on file. Children who must be exempt from immunizations due to medical reasons or specific religious beliefs must obtain a signed and notarized affi- davit from the Department of State Health Services in Austin, Texas.

In addition, St. Christopher Preschool teachers are required to provide documentation from a heath care provider of a current DTaP vaccine. These documents will be kept in each teacher’s files in the school office. In the case that a doctor exempts a teacher from this vaccine, a statement from the health care provider must be on file in the school office stating the reasons for the exemption and include instructions on what procedures must be followed to protect children from exposure to the diseases that the exempted vaccine would have protected against. Any teacher who fails to comply with this policy will be subject to the employee disciplinary guidelines outlined in the St. Christopher Episcopal School Employee Handbook. Teachers are also encouraged (but not required) to receive a flu shot every school year. St. Christopher School will bear the expense of these teacher vaccinations.

Hearing and Vision Screening: The Vision and Hearing Screening Program, Chapter 36 of Texas Health and Safety Code, requires that all four and five year old children enrolled in a licensed child care center in Texas have a yearly vision and hearing screening. This should be done at your child’s annual well check-ups and can be documented on the State Health Form along with the Health Statement, or on your child’s immunization record. If you have trouble getting this done, please see the school office for more information.

Revised 02/2017 Page 4 TB Testing for Children: Not Required. Teachers receive annual TB Tests as required by The City of Fort Worth Consumer Health Division.

Sunscreen: Sunscreen should be applied to children before arriving at school each day. We do play outside every morning and the Texas UV Index stays moderate to high even in early fall. We would like permission to reapply sunscreen, provided by St. Christopher School (30 SPF), for those staying for PM Extended Care (Stay and Play). Please see the St. Christopher Permission Form.

Pets: Pets are not allowed on school property without first meeting licensing criteria. In order for a pet to be allowed on school property: (1) All parents of children enrolled, must be notified in writing about when the pet/s will be present. (2) Documentation must be received and kept on file at the school showing the pets have been vaccinated as required by Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 826.

Health Checks: Teachers will conduct a health check on your child each morning. This will be done through observation during the general morning greeting. Morning greetings take place upon arrival and during the first group meeting at circle time. Teachers will look for basic signs and symptoms that a child may be feeling ill. These may include: breathing difficulties, severe coughing, discharge from the nose or eyes, changes in skin color, bruising or swelling, cuts, sores, or rashes, cheeks/neck or forehead that feel unusually warm or clammy, lethargy, and or behavior that is not typical for each individual child. Signs and Symptoms of illness will be closely monitored and documented in the Director’s desk log. Parents will be contacted to pick up the child if the signs and symptoms require exclusion per the illness and exclusion criteria below. If a child returns to school after being ill, teachers may ask parents about their signs and symptoms at home. This is to help ensure that we are fully aware of all communicable diseases that need to be communicated to each parent in our program. It will also help us be sure a child has been fever free, without fever reducing medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

Illness and exclusion criteria: Children who become ill during school hours will be isolated in the school office or classroom and supervised until picked up. Parents should pick sick children up within 30 minutes of notification that the child is sick. Children sent home with fever must be fever free, without fever reducing medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

Children must be excluded from school under the following circumstances:

1. The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in child-care center activities including outdoor play.

2. The illness results in a greater need for care than caregivers can provide without compromising the health, safety, and supervision of the other children in care.

3. The child has one of the following (unless medical evaluation by a health-care professional indicates that you can include the child in the child care center’s activities…documentation must be provided) (a) oral or forehead scan temperature of 100.4 degrees or above and accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness (b) armpit temperature of 99.4 degrees or above and accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness

Revised 02/2017 Page 5 4. Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness such as lethargy, abnormal breathing, 2 or more episodes of diarrhea during the school day, two or more vomiting episodes during the school day, rash with fever, mouth sores or drooling, behavior changes, or other signs that a child may be severely ill.

5. A health care professional has diagnosed the child with a communicable disease, and the child does not have medical documentation to indicate that the child is no longer contagious.

Water Activities, if applicable SCS may have a supervised “Sprinkler Day” (weather permitting) during the end of the school activities. Notes will be sent home concerning the details of this activity in advance.

Field Trips SCS will not participate in field trips due to transportation and safety issues. We will, however, invite various community helpers to visit our school so that children will not miss out on these additional educational opportunities.

Weather Policy In case of snow or ice, St. Christopher School will follow the same schedule as Fort Worth ISD. Check with local television stations, the Fort Worth ISD website, FWISD facebook page, or FWISD Twitter post to monitor closing and delay decisions. In the case of delayed start, we will start at the same time as Fort Worth ISD. AM Care will start one hour before the delayed start time.

Clothing and Personal Items Please mark all clothing and belongings clearly with your child’s first name and last initial (state requirement). Jackets, hats, mittens, lunch boxes, etc. can all look similar and can easily get taken home by another child. Please send a change of clothing in your child’s back pack for the occasional accident.

The children work and play hard every day. Please dress your child in durable play clothes and shoes. Flip Flops are not safe for running and playing. Sandals with straps or tennis shoes are most safe!

We play outside each day weather permitting (above 32 degrees and below 100 degrees). Please dress children accordingly. On days of extreme cold or extreme hot, outside time may simply be a short 5 minute time to run around for a bit.

Parent Communication and Involvement

Enrollment: In order to hold a place in the appropriate class, the following must be turned into the preschool director: a non-refundable $75.00 registration fee and a St. Christopher School registration form, a copy of the child’s most recent vaccination record (all children must be current on all required vaccinations), and a signed health statement from a health care provider. All remaining fees and paperwork must be on file before the first day of school. A parent meeting and meet the teacher night will be held sometime in early August each year. Parents will be notified by email when these meetings will occur.

Revised 02/2017 Page 6 Notifications: Parents will be notified of daily activities through notes sent home in the child’s plastic folder, notes posted in each classroom and public areas, e-mails and text messages from the director, as well as, through telephone calls when necessary.

Director Communication: The SCS director, Mrs. Perkins, is available Monday through Friday to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the preschool program and its policies. Please feel free to drop by the director’s office, call 817-923-2040, or e-mail [email protected]. If Mrs. Perkins is unavailable for any reason, parents may contact Ms. Harwell in the three year old classroom. Ms. Harwell is the “director in charge”, when Mrs. Perkins is unavailable.

Daily Communication: While it is very important to us to communicate with you about your child’s day, please be sensitive to the fact that teachers must maintain quality supervision of all children at all times. Teachers may need to interrupt a conversation in order to tend to a situation in the classroom. Please keep conversations brief and relevant. Parents may also write notes to the teacher and send them to school in the child’s plastic folder. If needed a teacher can place a telephone call to you at a convenient time for discussions that may need more attention. If you feel you need to discuss something more at length, please contact your child’s teacher or the director to schedule an appointment for a conference.

Policy changes: Notices of any policy changes will be sent home immediately in the child’s folder and will require a signature stating the parent has reviewed the changed policies. Copies of the statement will be kept in the child’s file in the school office.

Parent Visits: Parents are welcome to visit SCS at any time during operating hours to observe their child, the school’s operation, and program activities without having to secure prior approval. However, for safety reasons, please check-in with the school office upon arrival and before entering the child’s classroom.

Parent Participation: SCS is delighted for parents to participate in special activities that teachers have planned in the classroom. If you have special talents you would like to share or you just want to join your child for lunch occasionally, please discuss this with your child’s teacher.

Discipline and Guidance Practices

Discipline must be: 1. Individualized and consistent for each child; 2. Appropriate to the child’s level of understanding; and 3. Directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self control

A Caregiver may only use positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage self-esteem, self- control, and self-direction, which include at least the following: 1. Using praise and encouragement and good behavior instead of focusing only upon unacceptable behavior; 2. Reminding a child of behavior expectations daily by using clear, positive statements; 3. Redirecting behavior using positive statements; and 4. Using brief supervised separation or time out from the group, when appropriate for the child’s age and development, which is limited to no more than on minute per year of the child’s age.

Continued on Page 8

Revised 02/2017 Page 7 There must be no harsh, cruel, or unusual treatment of any child. The following types of discipline and guidance are prohibited: 1. Corporal punishment or threats of corporal punishment; 2. Punishment associated with food, naps, or toilet training; 3. Pinching, shaking, or biting a child; 4. Hitting a child with a hand or instrument; 5. Putting anything in or on a child’s mouth; 6. Humiliating, ridiculing, rejecting, or yelling at a child; 7. Subjecting a child to harsh, abusive, or profane language; 8. Placing a child in a locked or dark room, bathroom, or closet with the door closed; 9. Requiring a child to remain silent or inactive for inappropriately long periods of time for the child’s age.

Texas Licensing (DFPS): Parents are entitled to see the following documents at any time, most of which are located in the school office. You may ask the school director to show you the most recent copy of: { The Minimum Standards for this Licensed Child-Care Center { The most recent Inspection reports from the DFPS, Fire Marshal, and Health Department, Gas Pipe Inspection { Documentation of Liability insurance { The School’s Operational policies { Information regarding gang-free zones for child care centers { Children’s Product Certification

You may contact the local Licensing office, child abuse hotline, and DFPS website… Texas DFPS 1501 Circle Drive, Suite 110, Fort Worth, TX, 76119 817-321-8000, ext. 8609 DFPS Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-645-7549DFPS Website: www.dfps.state.tx.us

Revised 02/2017 Page 8 Tuition Agreement Policy

Daily Class $1650.00/semester or $330.00 per month, August-June 3 Day Class (M/W/F) $1400.00/semester or $280.00 per month, August-June 2 Day Class (T/TH) $975.00/semester or $195.00 per month, August-June AM Care $4.00/day Stay and Play $4.00/hour or $80.00 max/week

Registration Fee $75.00 annual, nonrefundable

Supply Fees Due in August and January Daily Class $75.00 3 Day Class (M/W/F) $55.00 2 Day Class (T/TH) $45.00

St. Christopher School CLOSELY follows the Fort Worth ISD traditional school year calendar WITH a few exceptions. School closings or delayed openings due to inclement weather, local or national emergencies are usually the same as FWISD. Tuition rates are fixed and do not change due to such closings or delayed openings.

Tuition may be paid annually, per semester, or monthly. Discounts are available for St. Christopher Church members (10%), a second child enrolled (10%), or prepayment of annual tuition (5%). Only one discount per family is applied.

The first month’s tuition and fall supply fee must be paid at the Parents’ Meeting in August. No child will be allowed to start school until all fees are paid. Thereafter, tuition is due on the 1st of each month and is considered late after the 10th. There will be a $15.00 late charge assessed on any unpaid balance on the 11th of each month. If past due accounts are not paid in full by the 25th of the following month, your child will not be allowed to return to school until the balance is paid. This policy will be strictly enforced unless the director is informed of special circumstances which prevent prompt payment. Returned checks are subject to a $25.00 non-sufficient funds check charge.

AM Care and Stay and Play Policy AM Care is offered from 7:45am-8:15am for $4.00 per day. Stay and Play hours of operation are from 12:30pm until 6:00pm daily at a cost of $4.00 per hour OR $80.00 per week, whichever is the lesser amount. Both services are flexible and are billed at the end of each month. Stay and Play charges will begin for children remaining at 12:30pm. However, a grace period of 15 minutes will be allowed. Those running late will not be charged for Stay and Play if picked up by 12:45pm. I agree that my child will be picked up by myself or someone designated by me no later than 6:00pm. I understand that beginning at 6:05pm (according to staff cell phone) I will be charged $5.00 per minute.

Revised 02/2017 Page 9 St. Christopher Preschool Emergency Preparedness Plan

In the event of an emergency, we are committed to protecting your children to the best of our abilities. Each classroom has a clipboard that travels with them everywhere they go. This clipboard includes all the necessary information to keep track of who is in attendance each day, parent and emergency contact numbers for each child, and authorization for emergency care for each child. Below is a description of how we plan to protect the children in various emergencies.

1. Severe Weather

In the case of severe weather, teachers and children are trained to quickly and calmly move from their classrooms into the main conference room in the church office. If time does not permit children to get safely to the conference room, they will go into the men’s restroom located just outside the school office. Severe Weather Drills are practiced once every 3 months.

2. Fire

In the case of fire in the church building or the school building, teachers and children are trained to quickly and calmly move from their classrooms outside using the nearest or most accessible exit. Children and teachers practice using the various evacuation routes once per month.

3. Medical Emergencies

All teachers are trained in basic first aid and CPR and will treat medical injuries accordingly. If a child is hurt and we feel the parent needs to make a decision on further medical treatment, we will contact the parents. In the event of an emergency, 911 will be called and then parents contacted. It is important that parents select an emergency medical facility on their admission paperwork for such emergencies. If one is not selected, we will recommend Cook Children’s Hospital.

4. Intruders

To prevent intruders into our school, the following are kept locked at all times, except for during pick-up and drop off… front door and gate entry door from the playground (children can get out to the playground, but door remains locked from inside the playground so no one can enter the preschool building from the playground) gates leading to the access road.

In addition, the school office is located at the entry of the school building and has a view to monitor who is coming and going. In the case of an intruder in the area or on church/school property, children are trained to quickly and quietly move to each classroom’s safe spot. Children and teachers will remain in the safe spot with all interior doors closed and locked until authorities declare the area safe to resume regular activities. Intruder drills are practiced at least once every 3 months.

(Continued on Page 11)

Revised 02/2017 Page 10 5. Need to Relocate

Finally, if the need to relocate to another location away from our school should arise due to any of the above situations or other unforeseen events, we will relocate to one of the following locations listed below. We will do our best to post a notice on the school entry door or the church office entry door letting you know our location. We will also do our best to contact each parent by phone or text once we arrive safely at the designated location. However, should extreme circumstances prevent us from posting our location, we will be at one of the following locations. Location relocation will depend on severity of circumstances, number of children present, weather conditions, etc. Teachers will remain with the children at the relocation site until every parent has been reunited with their child. Parents will need to sign children out on classroom clipboards before children are released from St. Christopher Preschool’s care.

1. Southwest Bank 3737 SW Loop 820 Fort Worth, TX 76133 (817) 298-5549 Contact: Wade Wallace, Banking Center President, 817-298-5525

2. Tom Guess Auto Service: 3508 SW Loop 820 Fort Worth, TX 76133 817-926-9601 *located just east of St. Christopher Church and School

3. Trinity Episcopal Church 3401 Bellaire Drive South Fort Worth, TX 76109 (817) 926-4631

Upon enrollment for each child, parents and St. Christopher Preschool staff will determine if any child requires special accommodations for evacuation. In the case that a child does need special accommodations, each classroom teacher will be responsible for carrying out these accommodations. Examples might include, but are not limited to: parents providing the teacher with a small stroller for a child who cannot walk, the teacher holding the hand of a child who might need extra guidance to get to the relocation site, or the teacher providing a visual cue, in addition to an auditory cue that communicates the need to relocate.

Revised 02/2017 Page 11 St. Christopher Episcopal Preschool Abuse/Neglect Guidelines

As a Christian Preschool, we believe that God created each child uniquely and wonderfully. It is our responsibility to care for His precious creations. Therefore, we take seriously the responsibility to protect children from child abuse and neglect. We want to partner with you to help prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect.

How to Recognize Child Abuse http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/itsuptoyou/recognize.asp

There are four major types of child maltreatment: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.

Physical Abuse is physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child. The physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) can result from punching, beating, shaking, kicking, biting, throwing, stabbing, hitting, burning, choking, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child.

Suspect Physical Abuse When You See:

 Frequent injuries such as bruises, cuts, black eyes, or burns without adequate explanations  Frequent complaints of pain without obvious injury  Burns or bruises in unusual patterns that may indicate the use of an instrument or human bite; cigarette burns on any part of the body  Lack of reaction to pain  Aggressive, disruptive, and destructive behavior  Passive, withdrawn, and emotionless behavior  Fear of going home or seeing parents  Injuries that appear after a child has not been seen for several days  Unreasonable clothing that may hide injuries to arms or legs

Neglect is failure to provide for a child’s basic needs necessary to sustain the life or health of the child, excluding failure caused primarily by financial inability unless relief services have been offered and refused.

Suspect Neglect When You See:

 Obvious malnourishment  Lack of personal cleanliness  Torn or dirty clothing  Stealing or begging for food  Child unattended for long periods of time  Need for glasses, dental care, or other medical attention  Frequent tardiness or absence from school

Sexual Abuse includes fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and exploitation through prostitution or producing pornographic materials.

Suspect Sexual Abuse When You See:  Physical signs of sexually transmitted diseases  Evidence of injury to the genital area  Pregnancy in a young girl  Difficulty in sitting or walking  Extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex Revised 02/2017 Page 12  Sexual comments, behaviors or play  Knowledge of sexual relations beyond what is expected for a child’s age  Sexual victimization of other children

Emotional Abuse is mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in a child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning. It includes extreme forms of punishment such as confining a child in a dark closet, habitual scapegoating, belittling, and rejecting treatment for a child.

Suspect Emotional Abuse When You See:  Over compliance  Low self-esteem  Severe depression, anxiety, or aggression  Difficulty making friends or doing things with other children  Lagging in physical, emotional, and intellectual development  Caregiver who belittles the child, withholds love, and seems unconcerned about the child’s problems

St. Christopher Preschool’s Methods for preventing and responding to child abuse and neglect

All teachers are required to have 1 hour of child abuse and neglect training each year. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth offers a Safeguarding God’s Children class. If families are interested they may ask the director about class availability. We will report any suspected abuse or neglect.

Texas law requires that any person suspecting that a child has been abused or neglected must immediately make a report. If there is an emergency, call 911 and then call the DFPS abuse hotline at 1-800-252-5400. If you choose to make a written report, please fax it to 1-800-647-7410. Professionals must make a report no later than the 48th hour after first suspecting a child has been abused or neglected or is a victim of an offense under Section 21.11, Penal Code. A professional may not delegate to or rely on another person to make the report (Texas Family Code, Section 261.101). Professionals are not required to follow up their oral reports with a written report as they were in the past. Professionals include teachers, nurses, doctors, day-care employees and others who are either licensed by the state or work in a facility licensed or operated by the state and who have direct contact with children in the course of their job (Texas Family Code, Section 261.101).

St. Christopher Preschool teachers and director will interact daily with children and parents. Daily interac- tion provides various opportunities to help prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. o We will communicate with parents to help provide clear expectations of children’s behavior. o We will communicate and share positive parenting tips with parents through-out the school year. o We will share tips to help parents develop healthy habits and routines at home and make parents aware of school routines that can be carried into the home. o We will provide children a safe and comfortable environment that fosters development of the whole child (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual). o We will strive to develop meaningful relationships with parents so they feel comfortable and safe in seeking help as needed. o We will provide parents with contact information for various community organizations that seek to provide help to children and families.

Revised 02/2017 Page 13 Resources For Parents

Parenting Topic Articles available at http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/itsuptoyou/parenting.asp

Services Available in Tarrant County http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/itsuptoyou/find_services.asp (See attached print-out of services)

The parenting Center (www.theparentingcenter.org) 2928 W 5th St., Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817-332-6348

Cooks Children’s Hospital Education… 682-885-4170

Cook Children’s Developmental Pediatrics and the Child Study Center, 1300 West Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76102 817.336.8611, [email protected], https://www.cookchildrens.org/SpecialtyServices/DevelopmentalPediatrics/Pages/default.aspxCook Chil- dren’s

Behavioral Health Services, Intake Department 682-885-3917, https://www.cookchildrens.org/SpecialtyServices/Psychiatry/ContactUs/Pages/default.aspxTexas Depart- ment of State

Health Services, http://www.dshs.state.tx.us

After reading the St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement: Handbook and Operational Policies 2017-2018, PLEASE SIGN BELOW AND KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS.

I have read the St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement: Handbook and Operational Policies, and agree to abide by the policies as written. (parent copy)

______Parent/Guardian Signature Date

______Director Signature Date

Revised 02/2017 Page 14 After reading the St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement: Handbook and Operational Policies 2017-2018, PLEASE SIGN BELOW AND RETURN THIS PORTION TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE.

I have read the St. Christopher Episcopal School (SCS) Parent and Preschool Agreement: Handbook and Operational Policies, and agree to abide by the policies as written. (school copy)

______Parent/Guardian Signature Date

______Director Signature Date

Revised 02/2017 Page 15