Green Mountain Kids Parent Handbook



Welcome!!

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Green Mountain Kids

Preschool

Parent Handbook

2017-18

PO Box 157

39 Upper Main Street

Morrisville VT, 05661

802-888-0869



WELCOME TO THE GMK PRESCHOOL PROGRAM!

Purpose

Green Mountain Kids After School Program, Inc. (GMK) is a non-profit collaborative that is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, more specifically to provide an after school, preschool, school vacation camp and summer adventure program for kids ages 3-12 in the Morrisville and surrounding areas. Our goal is to offer a high level of child care within a fun, safe, and engaging environment.

History

Green Mountain Kids After School Program opened its doors in October of 2008 committed to offering high quality after school and vacation camp care that truly met the needs of parents. Families were deeply interested in continuing the legacy of high quality care that had been delivered through K-Care (a former school aged child care program which was no longer needed with the addition of full day Kindergarten in the Morrisville schools). A parent board and team of talented teachers combined efforts to create a new licensed program now known as Green Mountain Kids After School Program (GMK). After four successful years, GMK expanded its program to include preschool. The preschool program joins the after school program with ongoing goals to improve the overall center with parent involvement and with the shared vision of a unique, nurturing option for Lamoille County families.

Philosophy

Green Mountain Kids believes that children learn in an environment that is fun, stimulating and nurturing for all learners. Children are offered a variety of developmentally appropriate choices and opportunities to explore and discover materials and themes in meaningful contexts. GMK believes children experience the most profound exploration when in the context of play. Our play-based curriculum offers all learners opportunities to inquire and expand their ideas of the world around them. Within play, children are encouraged to practice social skills with their peers, express thoughts and ideas with one another as a shared experience. We value each child’s uniqueness and believe in celebrating our differences in a way that fosters mutual respect and trust within our program. We honor and respect the learning process and see ourselves as facilitators guiding and safely supporting children as they explore and learn. We use close communication with families and observations of children in play to identify interests and developmental supports needed. This allows us to provide a continuously stimulating and enjoyable learning environment for all in our learning community.

Board of Directors

Green Mountain Kids in a nonprofit organization run by a parent Board of Directors. Board members meet monthly to discuss issues involving program operations, staffing and the development of GMK. Elections are held at the Annual Meeting each year in January and terms are for one year. See the Board of Directors list for current members and job descriptions.

Program Curriculum

Green Mountain Kids preschool program follows the Creative Curriculum program. This curriculum balances teacher-planned and child-initiated learning, emphasizing responsiveness to children’s strengths, interests, needs, and learning styles. Nationally known for being forward-thinking, comprehensive, and rigorously researched, it helps teachers plan and implement content-rich, developmentally appropriate programs that support active learning and promote children’s progress in all developmental areas.

Hours

GMK Preschool is open from 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday. The center closes on some holidays, please see official calendar for exact dates GMK is opened.

Enrollment Requirements

• Completed Registration Form

• Signed Tuition Agreement

• Child must be between 3 and 5 years of age

• Child must be toilet trained (unless there is a medical need)

• Signed Schedule Request with a minimum two days per week

• Completed Immunization Record or Immunization Exemption Form

• Signed Liability Waiver Form

• Completed Parent Involvement form

• Topical Lotion/Medication Permission Form

• $25 Registration Fee (one time fee per student)

• $25 Materials & Activities form (yearly fee per student)

Children with Individual Education Plan (IEP)

GMK works to meet the needs of all children enrolled in the program. If a child is receiving services from another school through an IEP and/or requires an Aide to Individual Student (AIS), one-on-one assistance will be required while at GMK. GMK also reserves the right to decide if a preschool child needs a one-on-one aid while at Green Mountain Kids due to certain behaviors. The director would be happy to work with you to access community agencies that may be able to assist in setting up one-on-one assistance for a child who wishes to attend.

Schedules

Parents are required to sign a set schedule request form for contracted days. There is a two day minimum requirement; parents that wish to only enroll their child one day will be billed at the drop in rate. Switching of scheduled days is not permitted. If you need to add a day to your child’s schedule please contact the center to check on availability. Spaces are offered on a first come first serve basis and are billed at the drop in rate. If you need to permanently switch days we require a two week written notice with your old schedule before the new schedule will go in effort for billing purposes. Children wishing to retain their preschool spot in the Fall must continue to pay for their weekly contracted spot throughout the summer.

Family Information Updates

Family information (registration forms) must be updated yearly. In addition, any changes in information on registration forms needs to be submitted immediately in writing in order to keep our records up to date and ensure that we are able to reach you in the case of illness or an emergency.

Enrollment Options

Green Mountain Kids Preschool program is excited to offer both a full day and half day option to better meet your schedule needs. The following are the schedules we offer:

• Full Day: 7:30-5:30

• Cut off arrival time: 10:00

If you would like your child to attend a half day in the afternoon, you will need to pay for the entire day.

Daily Schedule

7:30-8:30 Arrival

7:30-9:00 Explore time

9:00-9:30 Morning snack

9:45-10:15 Morning Meeting: songs, games, movement, learning activities, stories

10:15-11:00 Outdoor play: playground, nature walks

11:10-12:00 Group time: projects, learning activities, table activities/manipulative play

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-12:45 Story time

12:45-2:30 Rest/Quiet time

2:30-3:00 Quiet Play

3:00-3:30 Afternoon snack

3:30-4:00 Outdoor play

4:00-5:30 Children’s choice of play, departures

Religious & Multicultural Activities

Green Mountain Kids celebrates a variety of holidays and multicultural traditions from around the world, some holidays like Christmas or Hanukah might be religious in nature. Parents are always informed of these activities in advance. If a parent objects, parents may choose to keep their child home for the day or request they participate in a different activity during the day.

What to bring

Each child will be given a cubby to store their things in. Please clean out your cubby each week of any papers that should be brought home. Please make sure that your child has the following items and are labeled with your child’s name:

• Lunch or morning/afternoon snack if your child does not like what GMK is offering

• Weather appropriate outdoor attire

o In winter, children must have snow pants, winter jacket, hat, 2 pairs of mittens and snow boots.

o In summer, children must have a water shoes, a swim suit and towel, and UVB/UVA blocking sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.

• Two changes of clothing, including underwear and indoor shoes

• Special stuffed animal if needed for nap time.

Tuition/Billing

Please see the tuition agreement for detailed tuition policies. Bills are sent out by weekly emails. Please let the director know if you would prefer to receive a paper printout. For billing questions you may contact our parent bookkeeper Sara Haskins at sara.gmk@

The preschool program runs year round. To hold a child’s slot in the program, we must collect tuition for contracted days whether children are in attendance or absent from the program. This includes unexpected closings (snow days), school vacation days, sick days, and family vacations.

GMK accepts VT Child Care Subsidy. Please call the Lamoille Family Center at 888-5229 to apply and determine eligibility. Parents are responsible for the difference between subsidy and tuition. Subsidy will not be applied until a certificate is issued by the Lamoille Family Center and parent(s) will be billed full tuition if a lapse is to occur.

Summer Adventure Program

Preschool children that will be 5 by September 1st and have attended kindergarten registration have the option of remaining in the GMK Preschool program throughout the summer or switching into the GMK Summer Adventure Program once it begins in June. All children develop differently and have different needs therefore GMK feels that parents should ultimately have the ability to choose which program would be most appropriate for their child. If you are unsure which program would be the best fit or if you would like more detailed information regarding both programs staff would be happy to speak with you.

Preschool children that will be remaining in the GMK preschool program in the Fall must continue to pay for their weekly contract schedule throughout the summer in order to retain their spot in the Fall regardless of their attendance.

Emergency Closing Policy & Procedures

If the Board Members of GMK feel the weather is unsafe and therefore need to close the center, an announcement will be posted on WCAX and the GMK facebook page by 6 am. If unsafe weather forces GMK to close early, parents will be notified to the early closing time by email and phone calls by teachers so all parents can make arrangements for early pick up time.

A written evacuation plan is to be posted above the door for the protection or evacuation of children in the event of fire or other emergency. This procedure will be practiced once each month.

Sign in – sign out Procedures

Parents must sign their child in and out each day. Sign in sheet are located on the counter when you arrive. Both parents and children must wash their hands upon arrival. Parents are to accompany their child into the classroom and assist with washing child’s hands. If your child will be absent, please notify the center by 8:30 that day at 888-0869 so staff knows not to expect them.

Release of Children

If someone other than a parent, guardian, or authorized person (from registration form) is coming to pick up your child, GMK must have verbal or written permission from the parent or guardian. We will ask the person picking up your child to show identification.

Meals and Snacks

Green Mountain Kids Preschool Program provides lunch and the afternoon snack to all enrolled participants at no separate cost. Children are encouraged to try the meal choice that Green Mountain Kids is offering. If you choose to bring lunch or snacks from home, an ice pack is required to keep lunch box contents at an appropriate temperature. In order to try to keep tuition costs down, we ask preschool parents to contribute morning snack once a month for our preschool program. Snack should be healthy and must include two of the four meal components: 1) milk, 2) fruit and vegetables 3) meat or meat alternative 4) grain.

Some recommended snacks are:

-Strawberries -Cantaloupe -Pretzels

-Animal Crackers -Apples -Muffins

-Yogurt -Goldfish Crackers -Whole grain crackers

-Oranges -Graham crackers -Watermelon

-Cereal -Pears -Cheese Sticks

-Pineapple -Cheese and Crackers -Grapes

-Cucumber slices -Popcorn -Bagels with cream cheese

-Carrot sticks -Bananas -Raisins

Transportation/ Field Trips

GMK owns and operates their own 14 passenger bus. There are occasional field trips scheduled for preschoolers within the community. Children will be transported to field trips by the GMK bus. Parents are asked to sign a general transportation release form as part of the registration. There may be times that children will be transported by private vehicle, if this is the case parents will be notified ahead of time and asked to sign a specific release form for that day. Booster seats are not required for use on the GMK bus, but child under 8 years old are required to use a car seat or booster seat in a private vehicle. Families are invited, but not required to attend field trips.

Electronics and Toys from Home

No electronics are permitted at GMK. This includes hand held game systems, iPods, cell phones, and CD players. Children are welcome to bring toys from home to share with others at GMK on their designated share day. Toys with latex will not be permitted. If you’re not sure, please choose to leave the toy home. Toys from home are the responsibility of the child. No toys that promote violence or other questionable content are permitted. No Pokémon or cards/toys commonly traded among children are allowed to be brought to GMK.

Health Policy

At GMK we are concerned about the health and overall wellbeing of each child.  There may be times when a child will need to remain out of care due to illness or a contagious condition.

• A child that in the opinion of the Director or a medical professional is too ill to be in child care.

• A child excluded from the regular school day due to illness or a contagious condition is not permitted to attend GMK.

According to licensing regulations, a child may not attend child care if he/she has the following symptoms:

• Fever of 101 F or higher  

• Diarrhea: 3 loose stools beyond what the child normally has in 24 hours or loose stools persisting for more than 48 hours  

• Severe Coughing: child gets blue/red in the face and has difficulty catching his/her breathe  

• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)  

• Lice/scabies: We must be notified immediately if your child has head lice. We not only alert other families, but we also do head checks of all the children and staff. If your child does have head lice, they must be treated with the appropriate medication and be nit free (no eggs – dead or alive) before returning.

• Unexplained Rash  

• Other symptoms of illness such as unusual lethargy, irritability, persistent crying, difficulty breathing, persistent abdominal pain.  

• Contagious diseases/infections such as Bronchitis, Strep throat/Scarlet Fever, Measles, Chickenpox, Mumps, Bacterial Meningitis, Shingles,  Giardia, Shigella, Campylobacter, Salmonella, polio, impetigo, diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Whooping Cough, Coxsackie.

 A child may return to GMK when:

• Symptoms have improved, that is, free of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting for 24 hours without the use of any fever reducers or anti-nausea/anti-diarrheal

• A communicable illness/disease is no longer contagious.   In the instance of infestation, child has been treated for and is free of nits, eggs, and scabies

• Unexplained symptoms (runny eye, persistent cough) are determined by a medical professional not to be a risk to other children/staff at GMK.

Medications

Green Mountain Kids staff can only give medication to a child when there is written permission from the parent/guardian. For prescription medication, the parent must specify dosage, content, and schedule of the prescription. The medication must be in its original container.

Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

Vermont law requires that all people working with children and families must immediately report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the Department of children and Families (DCF). If a teacher suspects possible abuse or neglect the director will be consulted promptly and a report will be made to DCF immediately.

Discipline/Behavior Modification

Green Mountain Kids Preschool Program sets reasonable limits for the children in our program. Teachers will consistently praise, reward and encourage appropriate behaviors. In addition, teachers will help children recognize natural consequences of their behaviors and deliver logical consequences to inappropriate behavior. Children will be asked to make appropriate choices and with the support of teachers, explore alternate choices to inappropriate behaviors. Teachers will at all times model appropriate behavior founded on respect and tolerance.

• No child shall be subject to physical punishment, corporal punishment, and verbal abuse or threats by either staff or parents while on center property.

• No child or group of children shall be allowed to discipline another child.

• Unsupervised isolation of a child is never allowed.

• The withholding of food, water, a nap or rest or bathroom facilities is never to be used as punishment for a child.

• A child is never to be physically restricted in any way unless his or her actions would bring harm to self or others.

• An adult shall never yell at a child or address a child harshly, with intimidation or ridicule.

• Adults are never to discuss a child’s behavior with another adult in the presence of other children or other parents. Written or verbal reports to parents regarding physical conflicts or disagreements between children shall not include the name of the child who hit, bit, or pushed their child.

When a child exhibits inappropriate behavior, teachers individualize responses to the children’s behavior in relation to the particular child and the situation. Teachers set limits and encourage self-discipline because boundaries reassure young children and because order and stability are as important to a child as freedom. To enforce these boundaries, teachers may use the following techniques:

• Clear statement of the limit. (“Blocks are for building, balls are for throwing.”)

• Stating expectations positively. (“The blocks are for building.”)

• Redirection. (“Let’s go see what Lucy is cooking in the kitchen.”)

• Support problem-solving and negotiation between the children. (“How could you use your words to tell Billy that you would like to have a turn with that truck?”)

• Logical consequences or choices. (“You are having a hard time playing with the blocks without throwing: You need to make another choice; do you want to play with play dough or to paint at the easel?”)

• Modeling effective ways to express feelings and emotions. (“I do not like it when you grab the book from my hands. Which words can you use to let me know that you need something I have?” with toddlers, give the appropriate script such as, “Lisa, say, Can I have the book, please?”)

There are times when all these techniques have been utilized, but the problem persists. In this case, a child may be asked to take a “time away” or a “take a break” from his/her peers and return to the activity when the child feels he/she can participate appropriately. Even adults need a chance to occasionally “regroup”!

Dismissal from GMK

All children are admitted on a 20 day business day trial basis. The Board of Directors, along with the Director reserves the right to deny admission, or request dismissal of any student if the program is not best meeting the child’s needs. The admission denial or dismissal request must not be discriminatory. As a nonprofit, private organization we need to acknowledge our programs financial and staff limitations.

A child may be dismissed for the following (this lists not all inclusive):

• Reoccurring, purposeful, destructive behavior

• Failure to comply with the tuition agreement

• Failure to complete required forms

• Behaviors that threaten the physical or emotional safety of others

• Failure to communicate vital information affecting the wellbeing of the child in care

• Being a “no-show” for 5 consecutive days with no communication with GMK

• Inability to meet child’s needs without additional staff (per the director’s discretion)

Freedom for Harassment Policy

Green Mountain Kids requires a respectful environment.  In order to ensure and protect the nurturing and supportive environment at Green Mountain Kids, no level of harassment or abuse (verbal, written, electronic or otherwise) will be tolerated or accepted on school grounds or anywhere else our programs take place. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, services will be terminated for the family of any adult displaying such behavior in our programs. If you have a question or issue that you are unable to work out with your child’s teacher, please ask to speak with the Board President.  If you are unable to resolve the issue with the Board President, then you may request a meeting with the full Board of Directors.

Facility or Equipment Damages

Any facility or equipment that is broken or damaged as result of purposeful, destructive behavior must be replaced or paid for by the child/family.

Parent Involvement

Green Mountain Kids is a program that has relied greatly upon the support and vision of parents to create our much valued GMK community. Parent involvement is at the core of program improvement and the rich opportunities we offer the children in our care. Being a nonprofit parent run organization, Green Mountain Kids relies on grants and fundraising as a way to help keep tuition costs lower for families. We value parent involvement and greatly appreciate the efforts of parents as they continue to be involved in their child’s experience at GMK. Quarterly parent meetings are held to discuss and share ideas regarding the program. Parent voices are especially important to the process of change and improvement. We strongly encourage participation at parent meetings, fundraisers and community sponsored events. Yearly, beginning in September, parents are required to choose a parent involvement option. Options include:

• Participation in fundraising*

• Buyout Fee- $200 - broken out into preset installment amounts and automatically billed to your account

*If fundraising commitment is not met, the buyout fee will be applied to your enrollment.

Communication

Please check the white & bulletin boards located next to the sign in sheets for daily communication. There are also often notices located next to the sign in sheets on the front counter. Weekly newsletters are emailed and distributed to parents with updates about the Center. Make sure that we have your email address on our list! You can also stay tuned to up to date events via our website () and facebook page so if you haven’t friended us already make sure to do so! And as always we encourage you to speak directly with staff at the center.

Parent Conferences

Conferences will be offered to families yearly to update you on your child’s experience in the program. A parent may, at any time, request the opportunity to discuss the progress of a child or be provided information about the facility or the program. You will receive two formal assessments and two informal assessments each year.

Withdrawal Policy

If a parent decides to withdraw from the program, a two week written notice is required. Any parent failing to do so, will be charged their normal tuition rate for two weeks. All balances will be sent to Collections after 30 days of the last day the child attends the program.

Parental Freedom of Access

Parents/Guardians have the right to visit the program and access their child at any time during operating hours. Parents are welcome to participate or observe activities in which their children are involved.

Parents shall be notified promptly of any action of the Vermont Division of Licensing and regulations which results in a change in the terms of the license. This may include changes in numbers or ages of children, days or hours of operation of the license, any official notice of denial of a succeeding license, suspension or revocation of the current license, or the terms of a settlement or regulatory issue between the division and the facility.

Complaint Procedure

If at any time you are concerned about the welfare of your child or others in the program, we encourage you to contact the director immediately. If a resolution cannot be reached with the director, a board member may be contacted to discuss the matter. GMK is licensed by the Child Development Division and may be contacted at anytime. To make a formal complaint about GMK or its staff you may reach the office of Child Care Licensing at 802-241-2158 or 800-540-7942.

Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of Green Mountain Kids to provide all offered services without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. No person shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, any service, or be subjected to discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability.

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