Parent Handbook
Traditions Preschool
Parent Handbook
Welcome to Traditions Preschool!The following pages contain information about our program and policies. You may want to keep this newsletter to refer to during the school year. We are very enthusiastic about our plans for the new year. Many enriching activities are planned, and we appreciate the chance to share these with your children.
Educational PhilosophyOur philosophy is to guide the children’s development in all areas by a variety of activities. We will offer the traditional preschool activities such as readiness skills, circle time, arts and crafts, music, story time, share circle, etc. The lesson plans are developed by the Director and the teachers to be age appropriate and consistent throughout the program.
Disciplinary Policy Our disciplinary policy is to guide the children into interacting safely and kindly with their peer group. Expectations for behavior are age appropriate. Only positive, constructive methods will be used. When difficulties arise, most times teacher interventions will correct the issue. If this is not successful, the “time out” method is used. (One minute of time out per year of age of the child). No physical or harsh punishment will be used.
In some cases, the child needs to be removed from the classroom and brought to the office. We use a “thinking time” to discuss “good choices” and different ways of handling situations. Parents will be notified about each trip to the office. If continuous difficulties arise, a plan may be made with the parents in order to judge improvement in behavior. If noticeable improvement is not made, and/or the behavior is extreme to the extent that classroom procedures must be modified because of a child’s actions, this may be cause for dismissal from the preschool program. Our goal is to have all families feel comfortable in our school setting. If one family's actions create continuous negative reactions, this also may be cause for dismissal. If a child's actions create a dangerous or inappropriate atmosphere for the other children in our school, we will immediately dismiss the child. If a child's actions present an immediate danger and they will not move to a safe place voluntarily. the parents will be called. We will not refund registration fees for families that were removed from the school.
Birthdays! All children are invited to celebrate their birthday with their classmates. Please visit with your child’s teacher as to the appropriate treat choices and day. The state health department requests that all edible treats be pre-packaged and from a commercial bakery. Please be aware of allergies (i.e. peanuts) when selecting treats to share. We are looking forward to sharing this special day with your child.
Color Weeks and Special Themes The calendar and newsletters will announce upcoming theme weeks. These will be reminders to have your child wear or bring something pertinent to the theme of the week. Please keep share items to a reasonable size and clearly label with your child’s name.
Hours of operation and late fee charges Thank you to all for observing our hours. The teachers appreciate the children arriving at 9:30 and being picked up promptly at 2:30. Children must be accompanied and supervised by a parent and/or guardian until the classroom day begins and after school hours end. We regret that we can not offer supervision of the children before or after our school hours.
We can only release your child to the people listed in your child’s file as authorized. It is the parents’ responsibility to make any changes necessary to this list that is available in the office. We will check the ID on unfamiliar people even if they are listed.
Please list at least one other person besides parents.
Please sign in your child in the morning and sign out your child in the afternoon.
Late fees will be $5 after 2:40 pm and $10 after 2:50 pm. Continuous and extremely late pick-ups may be cause for dismissal from the program.
IllnessTo help us recognize and judge when a child should not be in attendance at school: the following is a list provided by the health department. Please help out the other parents in your child’s class by keeping sick children at home, and let us know of anything “going around.” If a child has been sent home form school, they should not be in attendance for the next 24 hours, unless accompanied by a doctor’s note. If your child will be absent, please leave us a message by phone, so that we may relay the information to your child’s teacher.-more than one abnormally loose stool-croupy or whooping sounds when coughing-difficult or rapid breathing-tears, redness of eyelid lining or irritation, followed by swelling or discharge of pus-unusual spots or rashes-sore throat or difficulty swallowing-infected skin patch-unusually dark or tea-colored urine-gray or white stool-fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit-headache or stiff neck-vomiting more than once-any child in the contagious period of any disease (consult your doctor)-severe itching of the scalp or body which may be symptoms of lice (please contact the school immediately)IF YOUR CHILD HAS ANY SPECIAL HEALTH CONCERNS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE OFFICE FOR THE APPROPRIATE FORM, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A COPY FOR YOUR CHILD’S FILE AND ONE FOR THE TEACHER.
Reminders-Please clearly label each item you send with your child. Please include labeling of backpacks, cups, jackets, blankets, books, etc. This labeling helps your child and the teachers. We have labeling supplies in the office if you need this resource.
-When choosing clothing for your child for preschool, please consider safety and comfort. Please avoid difficult clothing for “bathroom needs” such as clothing that buttons down the back, difficult belts, etc. Sturdy shoes are preferable to sandals and dress shoes. Paint smocks and washable art supplies will be used, but some “special” projects may involve paint that is difficult to wash out.
-All children must have all required state forms on file. You will be contacted if your child’s file is incomplete. All forms are available in the office.
School Cancellations Traditions will follow Lee’s Summit R-7 school district as far as school cancellations, spring break, winter break, etc. If R-7 schools start one hour late, so will our school. If Lee’s Summit schools let schools out early during the school day, we will attempt to notify you by phone, so that you may pick up your child early. Traditions will not be listed on the TV or cancellations lists, so please watch for Lee’s Summit R-7. Please allow extra driving time when the weather is unpredictable. We regret that we can not offer refunds for vacations, snow days, illnesses, etc.
On early release days as listed on the R-7 calendar, Traditions preschool will be closed! Many of our teachers have children in the school district and we would be unable to staff our preschool within the acceptable child to teacher ratios.
Safety and SecurityWe will always have the safety of the children as our number one goal. Please use the main lobby door when entering our school. We appreciate the daily sign up in our office. This gives us an opportunity to develop a recognition of family members and authorized people in your child’s life. A familiarity with faces and names increases security and communication. Please call the office when someone other than the usual person will be picking up. Anyone picking up a child must be on the authorized persons list in the file and be ready to present a form of picture identification. Each child must be signed out in the afternoon.
Separation AnxietyWe all agree that you as a parent know your child best and we will respect your judgment in handling the anxiety that sometimes comes with a new experience. We all know how unnerving such an experience can be for both the parent and the child. Many parents have found that just one hug and kiss and a matter of fact assurance that they will see them after school works best for them. Many and lengthy anxious good byes seem to prolong the crying. Even with tears, most children will become involved in the classroom activities. Some children do take several weeks to become adjusted to school routine. Please feel free to call me to check on your child or to discuss your concerns. Please be assured that we have had lots of experience with this situation and we will patiently and compassionately help your child through any difficulties. We have always eventually found success!
Sharing of Names and AddressesWe are occasionally asked by other parents in the program for class lists for birthday parties, etc. We will assume that you will give us permission to share names, addresses and phone numbers only for purposes within the school setting. Occasionally photographs will be taken of classroom activities to share with parents and/or for classroom projects. Please let us know immediately and in writing if you do not want your child’s information or photograph shared with the other families. We will not share photographs or information with outside organizations.
Story TimeTraditions preschool curriculum includes a great deal of emphasis on children’s literature, fingerplays, songs, etc. We believe that this is an important basic to an excellent “first school” experience. We realize that we serve families from many different backgrounds and beliefs, and strive to encourage character values in a developmentally appropriate manner. Curriculum and lesson plans are available for your review. Parents are welcome to visit at any time during the school day. Please feel free to visit with us about any questions you may have.
Sunscreen Parents will need to take the responsibility for sunscreen. It needs to be applied before school. Please label and provide instructions for use if you feel it is necessary to reapply during school hours.
Sunscreen permission forms are available and will be kept on file in order to allow us to apply sunscreen when necessary during Summer Camp only.
Tuition
Tuition is due by the first of the month and considered late after the fifteenth of the month. Please contact the office if special arrangements need to be made. Checks may be made payable to Traditions Preschool. If paying in cash, please have the exact amount in an envelope clearly labeled with your child’s name. Tuition should be turned in directly to the office, please do not put this in your child’s backpack. Tuition amounts are listed in the fee schedule for the year. We regret that we can not offer refunds for vacations, inclement weather, illnesses, etc. Continuous and excessive late payments may be cause for dismissal from our program.
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss
