Head Start/ECEAP Parent Handbook
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Head Start/ECEAP Parent Handbook 2014-2015 Mission Statement We are committed to families by working together to provide a safe, structured and nurturing environment that supports and encourages growth in all areas of development. We guide all children toward competence and inde- pendence while maintaining a sense of belonging to the program, community and our diverse and ever changing world. Guiding Principles We believe that families are diverse and have a right to be respected in their unique cultural, racial, ethnic, economic and religious positions. We support the further development of skills which enable families to work toward their goals. We are committed to helping children learn in a healthy and creative environment. We will treat everyone with respect and dignity. We value and promote staff and family mental and physical wellness. Preschool Class Schedule 1 Blue Ridge Drop Off/Pick Up Maps 2 Busing Safety and Services 3 Attendance Policy 4 Is My Child too Sick for School? 5 Child Abuse and Neglect Statement 6 Family Services 7 Social/Emotional Support 8 Health and Nutrition 9 Your Child’s Education 10 The Early Learning Framework 11 Why Teach in Spanish? 12 Lending Library 13 Parent Involvement 14 Policy Council 15 School Closures 16 Staff Directory 17 Preschool classes are held Monday—Thursday. AM Session Class Times: 8:15—11:30 Children should eat breakfast before coming to school. They receive a snack upon arrival and lunch before leaving. PM Session Class Times: 12:15—3:30 Afternoon classes will be served lunch when they arrive and a snack before leaving. ** All persons picking up your child MUST be on the AUTHORIZATION form AND show picture ID ** Safety is our primary concern as parents arrive to drop off and pick up children before and after school. As there is a high volume of traffic and pedestrians at these times, please keep your conversation with staff to a minimum. Please remember tobacco use is not permitted anywhere on school grounds. BLUE RIDGE Refer to maps on following page AM Session: Drop off: Staff will be outside in the back parking lot from 8:05 to 8:15 to receive children . Parents can either park in a designated parking spot and walk your child to her class’ shelter or you can drive through the drop off zone and a staff member will help your child out of your car and walk her to the shelter. Staff wearing a safety vest will help your child out of the car after you have come to a complete stop. If you choose to take your child to the classroom or it is after 8:15, please sign in and out at the main office. Preschool children must be accompanied at all times! Pickup: Staff will begin bringing children outside at 11:20. If you choose to pick your child up in class, please sign in at the office and be there no later than 11:20. Children who are not picked up by 11:35 will be brought into the office. PM Session: Drop off: The same plan as the AM session will be used. Staff will be outside to receive children at 12:05 – 12:15. Pickup: The same plan as the AM session will be used. Children who are not picked up by 3:35 will be brought into the office. GREEN PARK AM Session: Staff will receive children in the school foyer from 8:05-8:15. Parents must park in the parking lot at that time to walk their child to the foyer or the classroom. Children can be picked up at 11:25 in the foyer. Parents may park on the side street or the parking lot. PM Session: Staff will receive children in the school foyer from 12:05-12:15. Children can be picked up at 3:25 in the foyer. Parents may park on the side street or the parking lot. 1 Gate to School Student Drop Off Map Tami Sharron Christina Elisa Candy Lora Blue Ridge Drop Off N AM: 8:05-8:15 PM: 12:05-12:15 W E Drop Off Zone S ** Stay in your car in the Drop Off Zone ** Parent Parking Staff Parking ** Always hold your child’s hand when walk- ing in the parking lot ** ** Be cautious and cour- teous of other drivers and pedestrians ** No Parking Area W Chestnut Street Sharron Christina Elisa Student Pick Up Map Tami Candy Lora Blue Ridge Pick Up AM: 11:20-11:35 N Parent Line Up Area for Pick Up PM: 3:20-3:35 W E No Parent Parking ** Park in Parent S Parking Area** Parent Parking ** Line up at your Staff Parking child’s class’ shelter ** ** Have ID ready to show ** ** Be cautious and cour- No Parking Area teous of other drivers and pedestrians ** W Chestnut Street 2 Busing services for preschool students are limited to availability. All persons picking up your child MUST be on the AUTHORIZATION list AND show picture ID—NO EXCEPTIONS Arrive at your stop at least 5 minutes before the scheduled drop off time. Wait in an area away from the road. Children must be escorted by the hand from the bus by an adult. Stay on the curb until the bus has stopped and doors are open for loading. Help your child down the bus steps. Always cross in front of, never behind, the bus when the driver signals it is safe. Items not allowed on the bus include: food, Important things to teach your child: drinks, toys, candy, animals and breakable Use your quiet voice at all times on the bus. items. Please make sure your child does No talking allowed at railroad crossings. not have any of these items in their bag Always wear your seat belt. or pockets when loading the bus! Always stay seated. Be kind to your classmates! Contact your Family Advocate at least two days ahead of time if you need to change your busing. Children not met at the bus by an authorized adult will be returned to Blue Ridge Elementary School and should be picked up there. Transportation services may be sus- pended in the case of excessive returns. While every effort is made to keep the schedule running on time, during the year there will be un- avoidable bus delays. These may include icy roads, street closures and substitute drivers who are not familiar with the route. Please allow 10 minutes for delays before contacting the school. 3 Please call the preschool office every day your child will be absent. Blue Ridge: 527-3066, Press 2 Green Park: 527-3008 Each day is an essential part of your child’s preschool experience. Maintaining a regu- lar routine for school will provide many benefits to your child, including arriving on time and being in attendance every day. Every time your child is late or absent, they may miss out on activities such as tooth-brushing and mealtime. Excused vs. Unexcused Absences Reasons for excused absences include illness, medical and dental appointments for your child, and pre-arranged absences. You must call the office to excuse your child’s absence every day. If you are unable to bring your child to school because of transportation or personal issues, contact your family advocate to see if you can find a solution. As these types of absences are generally unexcused, planning ahead and building a support network for back-up child care and transportation will reduce unnecessary absences. Head Start/ ECEAP Performance Standards state that children should be in attendance 85% of the scheduled time. If your child’s attendance falls below an 85% average for the month, your Family Advocate will contact you to determine the cause and to see if there is any way we can help to improve his/her attendance. Excessive ab- sences, even if excused, will require a doctor’s note. You will also be contacted if your child has three consecutive unexcused absences. If your child has more than five (5) unexcused absences occurring in 20 consecutive days, or misses half of the school days in a month, his/ her slot may be considered vacant and he/she may be dropped from the program. We will make every effort to work with your family to help your child maintain regular attendance. 4 It is very important that you keep your child at home if he/she is sick. Keeping them home slows or stops the spread of illness between children. Children with the following symptoms need to stay home or will be sent home from school. If your child has had any of the following symptoms, within the last 24 hours, please do not send them to school: Fever of 101 degrees or higher Diarrhea (two or more watery bowel movements) Sore throat or Strep throat Pink Eye or eye discharge Earache or drainage from the ear Impetigo, scabies, or ringworm Deep hacking cough Head lice (may return after treatment) Severe congestion First two days of a common cold Vomiting Green nasal discharge If your child displays any of these symptoms at school you will be called to pick up your child. These proce- dures are in place to keep your child and others in school healthy. If the staff (in consultation with the Health Coordinator) have a question about a child’s ability to safely return to school, they have the right to request a note from the child’s health care provider. 5 All Head Start/ECEAP staff members are state mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect. As such, we are concerned for the safety and well being of all children.