Parent Handbook

Communication between parents and childcare providers is vital to the success of May’s Chinese/English Child Development House and the children’s early childhood development.  This Parent Handbook has been designed to provide important information to help parents better understand our program.  After you have read the following information, please feel free to contact Hongmei DeLosh for any questions or concerns.

The Goal of Our Program

Although Chinese language learning is the focus of this program, we offer a developmentally age-appropriate balanced curriculum, which incorporates speaking, reading, mathematical, and critical thinking skills. The character building activities enhance your child's self-esteem and encourage good moral habits. By providing high-quality child care, we will well prepare your child for entering kindergarten and future successes.

Curriculum

We follow the curriculum goal from the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which encourages children to be actively involved in the learning process, to experience a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials, and to pursue to their own interests in the context of life in the community and the world.

Our curriculum objectives include teaching children to:

Language & Literacy Development

• recognize their own names

• recognize letters

• communicate their needs and thoughts in words, to develop their spoken language, and to expand their vocabulary

• develop letter-sound matches

• listen with understanding and respond to directions and conversations

• understand the purpose of print and become familiar with books

• dictate stories and experiences

Cognitive Development

1)      Math Development

• sort and classify

• recognize patterns

• identify and name shapes and colors

• recognize numbers, count objects and understand one-to-one correspondence

• incorporate estimating and measuring activities into play

• represent data using concrete objects, pictures and graphs

2)      Social Studies Development

• identify community workers and the services they provide

• cooperate and work well with others

• recognize similarities and differences in people

• accept a variety of cultural practices and celebrations

• recognize the reason for rules

• begin to understand the use of trade to obtain goods and services

3)      Science Development

• appreciate science through hands-on activities

• make observations and draw conclusions

• investigate living things in the environment

• use scientific tools such as thermometers, balance scales, and magnifying glasses for investigation

• use common weather related vocabulary

• understand basic safety practices

• begin to be aware of technology and how it affects their lives

• be aware of health & nutrition through healthy-eating and proper hand-washing routines

4)      Artistic Development

• explore creativity and various art forms

• expand their fine motor skills through use of scissors, crayons and glue

• develop an appreciation for music, music and literature

Physical Development

• develop large muscle skills through exercise, creative movement and balancing, running, jumping

• develop fine motor skills through use of scissors, crayons, puzzles, and beads

Social- Emotional Development

• develop self-control and comfort away from a parent

• manage transitions and begin to adapt to changes in routine

• engage in cooperative group play

• share materials and experiences and take turns

• develop relationships with other students and adults

• show initiative and independence in actions

• exhibit eagerness and curiosity as learners

• develop problem-solving skills

• develop listening skills and learn to follow basic instructions

Policies

Sign-In and Sign-Out

Every child must be signed in and signed out each day. There are no exceptions to this rule. It is a State requirement. When someone, other than yourself picks up your child, please be sure to inform him or her of this requirement.

Discipline Policy

We use positive methods of discipline which encourage self-control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation. Any physical or emotional punishment is prohibited. When it becomes necessary to discipline a child, certain steps are followed:

• Talking to the child to help him/her see how he/she is misbehaving.
• Separating the child from the activity being disrupted.
• Isolating the child from the entire group (sitting on a chair, apart from all the others) for a few minutes to give him/her a chance to calm down.
• Holding a conference with the parents to discuss the methods we can use to solve the problem.

Health and Medication Policy

• Parents are required to hand in the child’s completed “Immunization Record”.
• Medication, prescription or nonprescription, shall be given to a child in care by adult care-giving staff only.
• Medication, prescription or nonprescription, shall be given or applied only with prior written permission from a parent.
• All medication shall be in the original container, stored according to instructions, and clearly labeled for a named child.
• Prescription medication shall have the pharmacy label indicating the physician's name, child's name, instructions, and name and strength of the medication and shall be given in accordance with those instructions.
• When your child is sick, please call May's Chinese Preschool to tell May what the symptoms are.  To protect your child and the others, please let your child stay at home when she or he:

• Has a fever above 101'F or more.

• Is irritable, cries constantly, or seems very sleepy or difficult to awaken

• Is hard to keep awake and refuses to eat normally

• Has difficulty breathing or seems to be breathing more rapidly than usual

• Had diarrhea in the past twelve hours that would run out of a diaper, has a foul infected type odor, or would be so difficult to control that your child could not make it to the toilet without soiling clothing or messing up the bathroom or other places.

• Has vomited two or more times in the past 24 hours or once in the past eight hours.

• Complains of constant stomach pains or walks stooped over and holding his stomach

• Has sores in the mouth or is drooling because it hurts to swallow

• Has a skin rash that includes pus bumps, water blister, or oozing crusty areas, or is associated with fever

• Has pinkness or redness in the white of eyes with crusting or drainage of yellow or green pus

• If skin or whites of eyes become yellow or jaundiced

• Has untreated head lice, scabies, or strep throat

• Has an unexplained swollen joint, arm or leg and won't move the arm or stand on the leg.

• Has a headache for more than twelve hours not relieved by Tylenol

• Has a croupy or wheezy cough or coughs up a lot of green or yellow phlegm

• Has a change in behavior or doesn't act "normal"

If your child has those symptoms, please bring her or him to see the doctor as soon as possible and please tell May the result and how long your child is expected to be at home.

Enrollment and Tuition Policy

Before enrolling the child into this program, parent pays a deposit equivalent to half month’s tuition (please check our website, http://www.mayschineseschool.com/programs, for updated tuition rates).  The preschool will return the deposit upon the withdrawal of the child from this program, only if (i) the parent has give this preschool two weeks notice in writing prior to withdrawing the child from the school and (ii) the parent has paid all tuition and fees owed through the withdrawal date. Otherwise, the deposit will not be returned.  This preschool will not pay the interest on the deposit.

Tuition is paid monthly and covers all the child’s absent days and national holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day following, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day). 

Payment is due at the first week of the month.  A $25.00 service charge will be assessed for a check returned for any reason.  Cash and check are all acceptable.  Make check payable to:  Hongmei DeLosh.

Every summer, our preschool is closed for a two-week summer vacation.  We encourage parents arrange their vacation time accordingly.  Parents do not need to pay tuition for this period. 

Emergency Plans

Fire Evacuation Plan

Emergency exits in each doorway are clearly marked, and a fire drill is practiced at least once a month and a written record that includes the date and time it takes to evacuate is maintained.

Operable smoke detectors approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory have been installed and maintained on each floor of my home.

A fire extinguisher and a smoke detector have been properly mounted not higher than 5 feet from the floor to the top of the fire extinguisher, on the first floor, which is used by children in care. My assistant and I know the location of the fire extinguisher.

In the event of a fire, the children will be evacuated through the nearest exit and moved to the safest point away from the building.  If we are in the living room or dinning room, the staff will exit the children through the front door to the street.  If we are in the family room or kitchen and cannot go through the front door, our staff will lead the children to the backyard through the glass door of my family room.  A current attendance sheet will be taken outside with me to ensure that all children are accounted for. 

Tornado Watches and Warnings Plan

Tornado Watch:  Weather conditions conducive for a severe thunderstorm or such that the formation of a tornado is possible.

Tornado Warning:  A tornado has been sighted by weather radar in the area.  Action must be taken to secure safety.

In the event of a tornado warning, my assistant and I will move the children to the basement, away from the windows and doors.  We will make sure the children have covered their heads with their arms. 

Regular practice tornado drills will take place during severe weather months (once a month from April to October).

Serious Accident or Injury Plan

In case of serious accident or sudden illness requiring medical attention, the following procedures are followed:

A telephone call is placed to 911

Child’s parents (or emergency contacts) are called

In all cases, an emergency report is completed and given to parents.

It is extremely important, especially in instances of illness or emergency, that the emergency contact information is up to date and all information is correct.  Please report any changes immediately to keep your emergency contact information current.

For minor injuries such as bumps and bruises, we will provide First Aid care.  If the injury is more serious (requiring stitches, broken bones, etc.,) the parent will be notified immediately.  If staff is unable to reach parents, they will contact any other person (s) on the emergency card for that child.  Parents will be responsible for all costs involved in emergency medical treatment, including emergency transportation if required.

The director will inform each assistant caregiver and emergency person of the overall evacuation plan and of his or her individual duties and responsibilities in the event of an emergency.

Parent-Teacher Communication

Communication between parents and child care providers is critical in children’s early childhood education.  Please use drop-in and Pick-up talks, phone calls, and conferences to communicate with us in order to share the children’s information.  So we can provide better and better care to your children and meet the children’s development goals.

Helping Your Child Learn at Home

As a parent, you have many opportunities to help your child learn at home.  Young children love to get involved and “help” you whenever they can.  You can use the chores as learning opportunities of your child. 

In the kitchen, when you are cutting sandwich, you can teach your preschoolers shapes;   In the playground, you can count with your child while pushing him/her in the swing;   In the laundry room, when you are putting clean clothes away, you can sort them with your child;   On the road, when you are driving, you can read the traffic signs with your child…

Recognizing the Symptoms of Contagious Diseases

=== Diseases Spread through the Intestinal Tract ===

Diarrheal Diseases:  Increased liquid and number of stools in an 8-hour period

Vomiting:  Abdominal pain, digested/undigested stomach contents, refusal to eat, headache, fever

Hepatitis A:  Fever, loss of appetite, nausea, yellowish skin and whites of the eyes, dark brown urine, light-colored stool

Bacterial meningitis:  Younger children:  fever, vomiting, unusual irritability, excessive crying with inability to be comforted, high-pitched crying, poor feeding, and activity levels below normal.  Older children:  fever, headache, neck pain or stiffness, vomiting (often without abdominal complaints), and a decrease in activity associated with not feeling well.

Strep throat:  Red and painful throat, often accompanied by fever.

=== Disease Spread Through Direct Contact (Touching) ===

Chicken Pox:  Fever, runny nose, cough, rash (pink/red blisters).

Head Lice:  Whitish-gray nits attached to hair shafts.

Herpes (mouth and cold sore):  Sores on lips or inside month.

Impetigo:  Red oozing erosion capped with a golden yellow crust that appears stuck on.

Measles:  Fever, runny nose, cough, and red-brown blotchy rash on the face and body.

Mumps:  Swelling of the glands at the jaw angle accompanied by cold-like symptoms.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough):  Cold-like symptoms that develop into severe respiratory disease with repeated attacks of violent coughing.

Purulent Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye):  Eyes are pink/red, watery, itchy, lid swollen, sometimes painful, and pus is present.

Ring Worm:  Skin—reddish scaling, circular patches with raised adges and central clearing or light and dark patches on face and upper trunk or cracking peeling of skin between toes.  Scalp—redness, scaling of scalp with broken hairs or patches of hair loss

Scabies:  Crusty wavy ridges and tunnels in the webs of fingers, hand, wrist, and trunk.

Shingles:  Blisters in a band or patch.

(Koralek, D., Colker, L., & Dodge, D.  (1993).  Caring for Children in Family Child Care,

Washington, DC

.  Teaching Strategies, Inc.)