Preschool Orientation Guide



Preschool Orientation Guide

Preschool is a special place,

see the big smile on my face.

Games to play and songs to sing,

we learn about lots of things.

Sharing, caring, loving others,

how to separate from the family.

There’s time for work and time for play,

learning new things everyday.

Preschool is a special place,

see the big smile on my face.

Bethel Early childhood program philosophy

Philosophy

It is the philosophy of the Bethel Early Childhood Program and its staff that children, their families, and society benefit from high-quality early childhood programs. We believe that there is a critical link between a child’s early experiences and later success in life. We believe that you cannot separate childcare and education; children learn best through their play, interactions, and experiences.

The learning environment at the ECE is structured in such a way as to give the child an opportunity to independently explore, select, create, and problem solve. Classrooms are organized around interest centers and play areas that include art, math, science, language, arts, blocks, dramatic play, and cooking and nutrition. ECE staff plan and facilitate these experiences for the total development of your child. We celebrate cultural diversity and incorporate multicultural perspective throughout our curriculum.

Goals

Our goal is to increase student learning through the promotion of meaningful parent and family involvement; to facilitate student learning by developmentally appropriate expectations for children, and to enhance student learning by strengthening the partnerships between Early Childhood Education programs, Bethel’s K-12 education system, and the community.

Vision

• To work in partnership with families in the community

• To enhance the abilities and skills of the whole child.

• To develop social, physical, intellectual, communication, and emotional skills.

• To provide unified developmentally appropriate curricula.

• To provide preschool experiences that builds a foundation for learning.

Transportation will contact you regarding the pick-up and drop-off times and locations for your child. During the first few days of class please allow the bus drivers approximately five or ten extra minutes both ways, as everyone will be getting use to the new routes and schedules and this may cause some delays.

Only individuals listed on file and presenting picture identification will be allowed to pick up your child.

If your child is to be picked up from school send a note with your child and follow up with a phone call to your child’s teacher. If no note or phone call is received your child will be put on the bus.

It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to call the classroom and transportation if your child will not be at school.

Volunteering:

If you would like to volunteer in your child’s school, a volunteer background check must be completed and approved prior to volunteering. Please see your Family Support Specialist for more information.

Health, Dress Code, and School Closures

Medication administration at school:

• Only medications prescribed by a physician are to be administered at school.

• Medication must be in its original container from the pharmacy and the label must contain the following information:

o Name of student

o Name of medication and dosage

o Directions for giving medication at school

o Name of physician who prescribed the medication

o Date medication was prescribed and expiration date

• At the end of the prescription time/expiration date, parents will be notified to pick up the medication and/or bring a current prescription if needed. Children cannot be in school if there is no current needed medication at school.

• A copy of the doctor’s orders must also be brought in to create the student’s health care plan before the student may start attending school.

Please keep your children home if:

• They have a runny nose with green/yellow discharge.

• They have a temperature of 100°(F) or more.

• They are vomiting.

• They have a rash, lice or nits.

• They have diarrhea.

• They have an eye infection.

• They have a sore throat, barking cough or earache.

• Unusually tired, “not feeling good,” pale or lack of appetite.

A note or phone call home will be made if your child shows these symptoms while at school.

Dress Code Reminders:

Please dress your children in:

• “Play clothes” and weather-appropriate clothing (i.e. warm clothes in cold weather).

• Tennis or close-toed shoes (no slip-ons/ flip-flops or high heels).

• No spaghetti strap clothing or short shirts.

• No shirts with inappropriate language or images.

Weather closures:

School closures due to weather will be broadcasted on local news and radio stations. The information will also be found on our district emergency hotline at 253-683-6001.

ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start

Policy Summaries for Parents

• Attendance

ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start encourages regular school attendance and records your child’s attendance each day. However, sick children do not belong in school, so if your child is ill please keep him/her home. Parents/guardians are expected to call ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff when their child is ill, will not be attending class that day, or will be late to class. Please call staff by the time class begins.

If parents/guardians do not call to report an absence, an ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff will attempt to call them to confirm the child’s absence and note if it is excused or unexcused. Attendance is monitored daily and follow up occurs for extended absences or irregular attendance.

Every effort will be made by ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff to keep the child in ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start. However, enrollment may be discontinued if the child is not in regular attendance. After the fourth consecutive unexcused absence, a home visit to discuss attendance issues will be attempted and every effort will be made to make in-person contact with the parents/guardians. Before the child is dropped from ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start two letters will be sent. If no parent/guardian contact occurs within 15 days of mailing the letters, the child’s enrollment in ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start will be discontinued. If a child is dropped from ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start, the family must re-enroll the child for him/her to return to class.

• Child Abuse and Neglect

Washington State law and ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start policies to file require all employees of ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start a report with Children’s Protective Services (CPS) if they suspect a child has suffered child abuse or neglect.

• Child Support and Guidance

The purpose of support and guidance is to create an environment in which children can experience success. In such an environment, children are encouraged, supported, respected, and nurtured. Children also gain the skills to control their own behaviors, to resolve conflicts with others, and to understand the impact of their choices. Behavior support is a partnership between program staff and families. ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start does not allow suspension or expulsion due to challenging behaviors.

Site staff who are responsible for, or are in contact with children, will use positive guidance techniques. When guidance situations do arise positive guidance techniques, including redirecting children and assisting children to solve interactions with others through peaceful negotiations, will be used. Staff will also communicate and work with parents to better understand and resolve conflict situations.

When there is a concern for physical safety in the classroom and the suggested strategies do not work, staff will develop a written plan and hold a family conference to develop an individual plan for the child as soon as possible.

Adults will not use negative, humiliating or frightening strategies with children such as: verbally insulting, embarrassing, degrading or yelling at children; comparing children to one another; constantly using the words, “don’t”, “stop,” and “no”; using food as punishment or reward; corporal punishment.

This policy will be posted in each classroom and parents/guardians will be informed of it at orientation.

• Classroom/Family Celebration

PSESD ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start respectively honors and supports classroom celebrations. We respect the diversity of families and value inclusivity. For this reason, program activities and celebrations will be designed and planned so all children and parents/guardians can participate. The ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start curriculum will emphasize experiences and materials representing the everyday lives of all children in the classroom.

Organized observations and celebrations of commercialized or religious holidays, holiday symbols, and birthdays will not occur. However, ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff and other adults in the classroom will positively acknowledge children’s’ and parents’ spontaneous comments about holiday observances, and family or community celebrations. We have many celebrations in ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Headstart that are generally focused around changing seasons and celebrate our friends and families on an individual basis.

Families, extended families, and the community are welcome to share interests, hobbies, and cultural information; for example family celebrations and events. All sharing sessions will be discussed first with ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff to ensure agreement with the Classroom/Family Celebration Policy. If parents/guardians have a concern about this policy, they should discuss it with an ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff person at their site. If concerns are not resolved, then the parent/guardian can be referred to the Community Complaint Policy.

• Community Complaint

Community members and/or program participants (parents/guardians) may present complaints to the appropriate person(s) about the ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start program, any ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start Center staff member, or a Puget Sound Educational Service District staff member. Complaints will be processed as rapidly as possible. Names of all site staff and administrators, as well as the process for contacting them shall be given to all parents/guardians at orientation, or upon request.

• Confidentiality

All ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start and family information obtained by ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff is confidential. For programs administered by a school district, written consent will not be necessary in order to share routine information (e.g., transportation and emergency information, immunization records, health summary, health screening results, information useful for classroom planning, etc.) within the district. Routine information will be shared within the district to facilitate ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start activities, kindergarten transition and enrollment.

For non-school district administered programs, disclosure of records and information to individuals and agencies outside PSESD ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start will not be made without written consent of the parents/guardians.

Exceptions to the above rules may occur if a report is being made to CPS, or when a staff is subpoenaed, or any case in which state or federal law requires an exception.

Also, written parent/guardian consent is required for their child to be individually observed by a consultant (e.g., mental health professional).

All child and family files will be kept in locked cabinets. The parents/guardians may request and will be granted access to their child’s and/or family’s records with the exception of reports from outside agencies or persons. Written requests to access their child’s or family’s records should be directed to the Family Support Specialist, or Teacher.

If a parent believes that information in their child’s or family’s file is inaccurate, they should discuss this with program staff. If an agreement cannot be reached, a written request for amendments to records including the reason for requesting the changes should be made to the Center Director. Upon approval of the request, any changes will be incorporated in the record.

• Drug and Alcohol Free Working Place

In compliance with the Federal Drug Free Work Place Act of 1988, ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start facilities and all of its related activities are drug and alcohol free. All ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start volunteers and parents/guardians will be informed and acknowledge in writing their awareness of ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start and its activities being drug and alcohol free.

• Safe Arrival and Departure

All parents/guardians will be advised in writing that they are expected to call the ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start center when their child will be absent from class. If a child is transported to the classroom on a school bus and the parent/guardian has not notified the classroom of the child’s absence, then the ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff must call the parent/guardian within 30 minutes of the start of class to confirm the child’s absence. ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff members must be present when children board their buses. If a parent/guardian transports a child, they must deliver the child to the classroom and an ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start staff member. No ECEAP/Developmental Preschool/Head Start children will be released to a person under the age of 12. Children picked up at the center or at the bus stop will only be released to parents/guardians, or persons designated in writing as having permission from the parent/guardian.

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