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The Child’s Nurturing Center, Inc. Parent Handbook
Table of Contents Who Are We: Our Philosophy Statement Mission and Vision Statements Our Programs The Classroom Curriculum: The Seven Domains of Learning Infants and Toddlers Preschool Kindergarten and School Age Field Trips Discipline Policy Health & Hygiene and Medication Administration Parent Authorization Late Pick Up Medical Records Tuition and Fees Holidays and Snow Policy Reporting Vacations Withdrawal Or Change Of Program Our
Philosophy and Values Statement Since our inception in 1986 The
Child's Nurturing Center, Inc. has employed trained instructors who follow a strong developmental focus in their interactions
with and guidance of children. All of our classrooms use standards to document every child's path toward being Ready to
Learn1 by the time they enter kindergarten. We believe
in a warm, caring, nurturing environment within which all children will feel free to respond honestly and independently. We believe our program's purpose is to provide curricular experiences
through a developmentally appropriate program from which children of all ages will find opportunities to express growth within
the seven domains of learning. We believe that children work through
play to develop an individualized path which meets their growth and development milestones within their own time. We believe a close working arrangement with every parent allows our sensitive
and highly qualified staff to reinforce those important familial contexts, which children bring from home. We believe that each day is a new opportunity to be filled with fun,
exciting, and encouraging hands-on activities provided by our classroom teachers who design their classroom curriculum themes
based upon the children's interests.
The Mission of The Child’s
Nurturing Center is to provide high quality educare to the families in our community through the application of developmentally
appropriate practice. Our Vision The Vision of The Child’s
Nurturing Center is guided by the principle that all children are entitled to a safe, secure, nurturing environment whereby
center staff, parents and the community will experience improved quality of life as a result of the interactions and community
service we provide. Our Programs We
teach children utilizing developmentally appropriate practices from six weeks through twelve years of age. The
concept of Developmentally Appropriate Practice came through the establishment of acceptable guidelines by The National Association
for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)2 for professionals to follow when working with young
children. All of our classrooms are separated into developmental
groups. Every classroom follows the specific Creative
Curriculum3 developed for the age and developmental group they are serving. The childcare classroom ratios are: ‘ Infants & toddlers 1:3 in four groups ‘ Two and Three year olds 1: 6 in one group ‘ Preschoolers 1:10 in a group of no more than 20 students with two teachers and ‘ Both school age and kindergarten are no greater
than 1:15 in two groups that do not exceed 30. Our
center provides care for the Cranberry Station, Mechanicsville, Robert Moton, Sandymount and William Winchester Elementary
schools as well as Shiloh Middle School. Public school bus service is provided at our driveway for Sandymount and Shiloh. Center van service to Cranberry Station, Mechanicsville, Robert Moton, and William Winchester Elementary schools
is provided. Acceptance into our school age program usually
requires placement on a waiting list so we do recommend early registration. A one-time non-refundable enrollment fee is designated for each developmental group. This is due upon registration with the enrollment agreement. The remainder of the enrollment packet is due on or before your child’s first day of attendance. Students
registered for our corporate van service are required to attend full time before and after school. 2Copple, C. and Bredekamp, S., ed., 2009. Developmentally appropriate practice in early
childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8, third edition. Washington, DC:National Association
for the Education of Young Children. 3 http://www.teachingstrategies.com
Young children's learning is optimized when the content is meaningful.
The Child's Nurturing Center utilizes the Creative Curriculum which consists of goals, projects, room design
and plans from which our staff formulate their thematic classroom activities to meet the exemplars published by the Maryland
State Department of Education. This assures your child’s exposure to all materials which indicate
success for their kindergarten year and beyond. Developed by Teaching Strategies, Inc., the Creative Curriculum is open-ended
and concentrates on the child's developmental abilities. By listening to the children in their rooms, the teachers will find what is interesting to the students. With the theme they have selected in mind the teacher will provide a foundation of activities to nurture each child’s growth within the seven domains of learning. The Seven Domains
of Learning4 We have conferencing with parents in our Preschool 1 (two and three year olds) and Preschool 2 (three through five year olds) rooms twice a year and use the Maryland Model for School Readiness Framework and Standards in conjunction with a Performance Portfolio maintained for each child. The Standards
identify each child's growth within the seven domains of learning: · Personal/Social Development · Language and Literacy · Mathematical Thinking · Science · Social Studies · The Arts ·
Physical Development Classroom day care preschool
teachers in the center are degreed or near completion of their degree in Early Childhood Education. 4Work Sampling
and The Work Sampling System (2004). Pearson Education, Inc.
Knowing that the first three years of life are
some of the most rapid and significant in a child’s development, we focus on the feeling of well-being that promotes
a strong bond between caregiver and child. Our rooms are divided into three separate areas with one
care provider to three infants in each space. We believe this maintains an environment that upholds the
principles of secure-attachment theory. A
fourth room is used to transition the toddlers for preparation for their move to the two and three year old room.
We follow the Creative Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers5 in these classrooms to assure we are meeting the milestones of the children as well as the family connections so vital to their overall developmental growth. This format provides for continued monitoring of your child’s rapidly changing needs. Daily reports are maintained to give you a day-at-a-glance opportunity to review your
child’s routines. This information remains in the center for our staff and director’s reference. A variety of interactions, games and activities
are maintained every day to promote language, intellectual, emotional, and physical development. Children must be a minimum of six weeks old to enter the program. Parents
provide the diapers, food, and changes of clothing. 5 http://www.teachingstrategies.com In
the preschool classrooms (two through five year olds) every student is brought to an activity table to explore the
daily project with the teacher. Students are also provided opportunities to explore concepts in activity
centers that are open ended in nature. During this time your child’s teacher will ask questions to
stimulate the student’s development and concept awareness relative to the current theme. The teachers will also observe your child’s interactions and take notes to guide
the outcomes written in your child’s Performance Portfolio which gives a continuing record of your child’s growth
and development. This record will reflect your child’s status to enter Kindergarten ‘Ready
to Learn’. Performance
Portfolio guidelines are established by using the appropriate Work Sampling System Developmental Checklist from the Maryland
Model for School Readiness (MMSR)6. Childcare
students please pack a crib sheet, and, if desired, a blanket and small pillow for the required rest period. Our
state regulatory guidelines mandate a two-hour time frame for quiet time. You will also need to send a lunch each day. We will provide the milk along with both morning
and afternoon snacks. Through
a planned and varied schedule which includes language and literature activities, sharing, projects, social time, making choices,
and physical activity, your child will develop a positive self-image along with an understanding of the world around her.
6 Maryland model for school readiness: framework
and standards for preschool three through five year olds (2008), Baltimore, MD: MSDE During the school year our club members have the opportunity to begin their homework,
enjoy one another’s company, get physical exercise, and choose creative activities. Our classroom
is designed with an open-ended format so students may guide their own investigations. Our school age classroom teachers utilize The Work Sampling System Work Sampling in
the Classroom and Omnibus Guidelines7. These inform
our curriculum practice with the students to assure they are being given opportunities to reinforce content from their elementary
school experiences. This system is in place during the school year and the summer. When school is out it is a time of fun and exploration.
We have many activities, trips, and experiences, which spell out a productive and healthy way for your child to spend
his or her summer. The summer camp format is structured around our open activity centers so the children
feel they are able to make choices and fulfill their dreams in imaginative and constructive ways. Before leaving in the morning on the corporate
van or public school bus, which depart and arrive at our driveway, the students may explore our activity centers, play games,
do art & craft activities, visit our library, or complete bits of homework they were unable to finish at home the night
before. After school, we provide a snack, some homework time, activities, and outdoor play (weather permitting) When the public school is not in session, your child may attend our center. Sometimes this
requires an additional cost although snow days and professional closing days are included in our full week before
and after school base rate. Registration
for the summer program begins as early as January of each year. 7Work Sampling
and The Work Sampling System (2004). Pearson Education, Inc. Field trips are considered to be an integral part of the child’s learning and social experiences. Off premise field trips are taken only by the kindergarten and school age children. We feel our younger students are best served by having the field trip come to them. A separate fee is charged for these field trips. These are due prior to the day of the trip in order for your child to participate. Cut off dates are clearly stated. Although all trips are mandatory, your written permission is always required for your child to attend. Due to the importance of having appropriate supervision, care is generally not provided
at the childcare facility separate from the field trip. Discipline Policy We predominantly apply redirection of behavior. We have a written discipline policy that is embedded in your enrollment agreement which reflects our philosophy regarding how we handle children and a tiered approach to interventions. When you sign the agreement you acknowledge you have read the policy and that you understand it. Health & Hygiene We provide your child with an entire portion of our curriculum devoted to teaching
proper hygiene. Washing hands, using tissues, and proper nutrition are all aspects of what your child will
learn to keep himself happy and healthy. There are some things that we cannot teach them. Your child will not necessarily know if she is beginning an illness. Sometimes students complain of discomfort in the morning but it may be difficult to tell what will happen. Our operational policies on file with our licensing agency regarding exclusion for illness are as follows: · If a child reaches a temperature of 101o, vomits, is lethargic, or develops diarrhea we must have them picked up from the center within one hour. · Children must not return to the center for twenty-four hours after being symptom free without fever reducers or other products that can mask symptoms. ·
Diagnosed cases of communicable
disease must not return to the center without a doctor’s release. Rapid pick up when a child is sick is one of the reasons why it is so important to have three persons we may contact who are close to the center. Please
do not administer any medicinal products for potential illness prior to coming to day care in the morning. This
can mask more serious symptoms. Medication
AdministrationPrescriptive
medication is administered under a doctor’s order by an authorized person in our program who has completed MSDE approved
training. All medications must be in the pharmaceutical bottle current with the dosing of that medication. If a parent asks that pain-relieving medication is to be given it is for one time per incident and then only
for pain, not fever. Any other use of these types of products must have a doctor’s order to accompany
it. Requests to administer are not fulfilled without the proper paperwork
accompanying them. See your classroom teacher for the required form. Parent Authorization We know the safety of your child is a primary
concern to you as it is to us. Your life is busy and, on occasion, you are not able to meet your daily
schedule. For this purpose we have you give us three individuals who are also authorized to pick up your
child in emergency cases. Please
notify these individuals that, without exception, they must produce photo identification when they come into the center. If you wish to have an alternate who is not on the list pick up your child you must forward this in writing via fax to the center office. Informing alone does not mean we can accommodate your request. It must be verified by the Director or the assigned person in charge in the Director’s absence.
Late Pick UpIf you think you are going to be late picking your child up please remember that the staff in our center have been working a long, energetic day. When you leave, they still must close the building up. We are electronically alarmed and on a timer so that the building will automatically alarm at 6:00pm. For this reason the center must be empty by that time. In the event you are running late and the center staff can reach someone in the business office we can override the alarm; however, the staff cannot, as it is located in the office not the center.
Late Pick Up FeesOur license stops at 6:00 in the evening. At that time you are personally hiring the individual working the evening shift and they are due, upon your arrival, $7.50 per child for every fifteen minutes or portion thereof, no exceptions. If these fees are not paid that evening your child care is not accessible until payment is
brought into the center and, if the payment is not rendered within two business days, your child’s position is considered
terminated. Medical Records State law requires the medical records we request at the time of registration.
These tell us things about your child that may assist us in emergency situations. All records must
be in place and properly filled out prior to the first day of attendance.
Annually we will ask you to review your child’s file for any changes.
You will be asked to update any information on the emergency card and health inventory. Proof of
the update is provided to our licensing agency by your initials and date on the bottom of the forms. If all records are not updated, the center will
receive a records violation which will go against our record with the state and affects both our Quality Rating and Accreditation
status. Tuition and Fees
We
need to cover our expenses on an annual basis. We do not charge a yearly enrollment, program, or supply
fee. Ours is one time only payable at registration. We work out our budget for the year
and prorate the expenses over fifty-two weeks. That is why we have a monthly tuition fee based upon
the weekly cost multiplied by 4.33 weeks and do not credit for holiday, vacation, emergency closings, or sick days.
Field
Trip ExpensesCosts of field trips cover the expense of the trip. We calculate the cost based upon enrollment and how many students may be in attendance on that day. It
is important that these fees be paid in advance so we know the number of children attending will meet the cost.
There will be no refunds for field trips missed due to no fault of the program.
We are closed on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Friday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Occasionally these days may fall
on a weekend in which the center will take a Friday or Monday. We close at 3pm on Good Friday. Please reference
your classroom teacher for any amendments to this schedule. Snow
PolicyPlease go to the Home page of our website www.childsnurturingcenter.com to get our closings for the day. We do not follow the Carroll County Public Schools closings. We also offer an email list which we notify first before calling parents for early closings.
If you wish to be notified via email please leave a note in the tuition box with your email addresses for this purpose. Reporting Vacations Letting us know when you have vacation plans allows our teachers to vacation at times when student attendance is lower. If we can arrange in advance for classroom size change, it keeps us from hiring substitutes or creating overtime. This can mean smaller tuition increases in the future.
Withdrawal Or Change Of Program We require two weeks written notification of your intent to change the structure of your child’s
attendance or to withdraw from the center. We hope that all the information you need is conveniently found in this handbook. Our business office is open between 9 am and 1 pm Tuesday through Thursday. Our Center Director is available to answer your calls Monday through Friday. Please don’t hesitate to speak with her about any of your concerns. If you do not reach the Director immediately, leave a message and your call will be returned. Office phone: 410-876-7335Center phone: 410-833-7730
The information contained in this document is proprietary. |