Policies
The following are a select few of our policies. For a complete and detailed listing, please contact the Director for the Precious Lambs Parent Handbook.
Parent Communication
Precious Lambs Preschool wants parents to feel comfortable and at home when you visit the facility. We will be communicating with parents regularly and we ask that parents do the same. Our staff strives to keep a close bond of communication between home and preschool.
We believe a strong level of communication will greatly help in your child’s growth, development and progress at preschool. Please bring any information, concerns, issues, or questions to us. By developing a close relationship with parents, together we will be able to provide a healthy, nurturing and enriching experience for your child. At the same time, we hope to offer assistance and support for parents at this stage of your parenting career.
Precious Lambs Preschool’s staff is here to help you and your child. Please let us know if something significant is happening at home, such as the death of a pet, a parent away on business, Grandma visiting from out of town, etc. These changes at home often impact your child’s behavior at preschool. Please alert us and let us know how we can help.
Arrival and Departure
For safety’s sake, Precious Lambs Preschool asks that parents, childcare provider or other designated adults accompany the children to and from the classroom. Please assist your child as necessary with hanging up coats, washing hands and getting settled. Children are to be signed in when they arrive by the adult bringing them to school; the sign-in sheet will be located outside the classroom.
The classroom doors will open 5 minutes before the start of class. Please, do not bring your child any earlier as our teachers will need every minute possible to prepare for the day’s activities. Children will be dismissed to their parent, childcare provider, or other designated adults after signing the child out with a signature. If someone other than the parent or other permanently designated adult is meeting the child at dismissal, a written consent form will be required.
Children will not be allowed to go with anyone who has not been authorized in writing by the parent to pick up the child. Your child will only be released into your custody or the designated person(s) listed on the application form with a picture ID. Please inform the Director if changes need to be made to this list. (Daily Release forms are located outside the classroom.)
Parents must be prompt in picking up their child at the end of class each day. A $5.00 fee will be charged for every five minutes past the discharge pick up time. Upon pick-up, you will be asked to sign a ‘late pick-up’ statement acknowledging that you are responsible for the accrued fees.
In case of emergencies, please notify the Director or church administrative assistant. If it is necessary for your child to leave early, please notify the teacher as to the time your child will be leaving.
Snack
A daily snack of 100% fruit juice, milk or water and a nutritious snack will be served each day. We ask that parents provide a healthy snack and juice; a rotating schedule will be given to each family at the beginning of the year. Reminder notices will be sent home one week before your scheduled week. You will be scheduled as close to your child’s birthday as possible.
Parents will be asked to bring a 64 oz. jar of 100% juice, milk or water and enough snacks for each day for the 20 children and 2 teachers. The following snacks are recommended: Crackers, cheese, Goldfish crackers, raisins, granola, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and cheese sticks. The emphasis will be on providing nutritious snacks. We do ask that you please not bring in any foods containing peanuts.
Please indicate any dietary restrictions on your child’s medical form. All parents will be made aware of any food allergies in the classroom.
As part of the curriculum, the children will occasionally prepare the snack for the day. Snack time is also used as a time for the children to learn about nutrition, manners, and self-help skills. The teachers will be sitting and eating with the children during snack time.
Medical Emergencies
The children will be under constant, trained supervision while in attendance at Precious Lambs Preschool. In order to be prepared for any type of emergency care situation and if your child is injured or becomes ill while at Precious Lambs Preschool, the following procedure will be activated at the discretion of the Director:
1) Attempt to contact parent or guardian or persons listed on the emergency information card.
2) If contact with the parent or guardian cannot be made, one of the following courses of action will be taken:
- Call 911
- Paramedics will transport your child to the nearest Hospital accompanied by a preschool or church staff member.
All of our personnel are trained in both first aid procedures and CPR. However, it is understood that in a serious emergency, 911 and the paramedics will be called before the parent or other adult acting on the child’s behalf is contacted.
Precious Lambs Preschool reserves the right to use standard medical practices in case of life threatening situations. Any expenses incurred during emergency medical care will be the responsibility of the parents or financially responsible party. If your child is exempt from medical treatment, your certified health
practitioner or another health practitioner will be contacted.
Parents must provide detailed written instructions which outline the acceptable course of action to be taken until the health practitioner arrives.
Scholarships
A modest amount of financial assistance is available to a limited number of families based upon documented financial need. Please contact Precious Lambs for more information.
Discipline
Precious Lambs Preschool views discipline as a teaching tool rather than a process of punishment. Our goal is to encourage children to become appropriately independent and to guide them in their ability to make decisions and in their ability to make their needs and wants known to others – adults and peers alike.
Clear rules and limits are explained in simple, understandable words:
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
BE KIND TO PEOPLE
BE KIND TO THINGS
LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHERS
Our staff strives to model Christian attitudes while setting consistent limits and when necessary, enforcing these consistent limits in the following ways:
- If it is possible to offer the child another choice of activity, we help the child decide which choice to make. This allows the child some control over the situation and requires the child to make a decision.
- We also encourage the children to talk about what is happening during both appropriate behavioral experiences and inappropriate behavioral experiences. We ask them to explain their feelings, as well as the situation, to other children that might be involved and to the teacher. Teachers encourage the development of language and verbal expression and the sharing of feelings. This helps the child practice using words rather than physical aggression to solve difficulties.
- Occasionally a young child may find himself/herself out of control. This is a situation that calls for some quiet time next to the teacher to regroup and restore self-control. At times, children in this state will be removed from the group. The teacher and child will determine when the child is ready to return. This time is not viewed as punishment but as an opportunity to practice and regain self-control.
- If a child is deemed to be acting in a way that may endanger him/herself or others, the child will be gently restrained by the teacher and, if necessary, removed from the classroom. The teacher will remain with the child until the child is ready to return to the classroom.
We believe that these methods are the most effective and respectful for young children and their developmental needs. We hope that these are among the methods that our parents use at home so that the Christian nurturing and learning experience at Precious Lambs Preschool is supported and extended at home.
Parents will be notified of any ongoing behavioral problems. The parent and teacher can discuss and work together a plan that will help the child move towards more acceptable behavior.
