Guidelines

Parent Co-operative duties

Parents select their parent duty according to their family /work commitments. Duties [12 hours per school year] range from board members, gardener, laundry, indoor maintenance, classroom helper, photographer, fundraiser, playdough, or enrollment., in addition to 1 cleanup annually [ on a weekend or evening] and 2 hours for the Silent Auction or Santa Breakfast annual fundraiser.

Parents in the playroom
We have an open door policy at our school. This means that you are very welcome to come in whenever you wish to be with your child. We encourage you to do this, so that you can understand your child’s preschool experience, and education. However , Simon Fraser Health Authority has passed new legislation [ 2009] that all parent volunteers who spend more than a couple of hours on a regular basis [classroom helpers] in their child's class , submit a doctors note, work history and references , and immunization status. This does not apply to parents accompanying their child due to separation anxiety, celebrating a birthday ,or accompanying their child on a field trip.

Please do not socialize at length with other parents while you are in the playroom, as this creates too much noise! The playroom is not designed for toddlers, so please supervise younger siblings, and tidy up after them -they love dumping everything!

Arrival and dismissal
Help your child hang up their coats and then bring them into the playroom to greet us so that we know they have arrived. Please remember to sign your child in the attendance book when you arrive and when you leave. It is important that you inform us if a different person than usual will be picking up your child and make sure this is noted in the attendance book. [even if they are one of the authorised pick -up people] We cannot let a child go with someone who we are not familiar with or have never met. This includes spouses, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. Dismissal takes place from the outdoor play area where the children end their preschool session each day. If you are late we will bring your child indoors to wait for you while we are setting up for the next class. Please be punctual.

Please make sure that you close all doors and latch all gates behind you

Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety may or may not be a concern for you and your child. It is important to be aware that it isn’t necessarily restricted to the beginning of the year. The Teachers attempt to make this emotional experience as comforting as possible for your child and have provided you with the attached handout, entitled "Coping with Separation Anxiety".

Communication
We welcome and appreciate communication. Meetings for questions or concerns may be arranged with the Teachers on a one-on-one basis any school day after 3pm. In the event that you may require additional information, you may direct your concerns through your Class Representative or leave a voice mail for the Teachers, Executive, or Enrolment by calling the school at 469-0438. Please note that the Teachers will not normally answer the telephone during class times (unless it’s the smart ring Emergency number 469-0436).
A monthly calendar and newsletter will reach you via e-mail . It will list children's birthdays , field trips , parent meetings and clean -up days.
Our Annual General Meeting, usually scheduled in early September, enables parents to meet with the teachers and the Executive. This meeting also provides invaluable information to the parents about our program. Attendance by at least one parent is compulsory.

Regular meetings with the Executive, Teachers and parents are held every month. Again, attendance by at least one parent is suggested. Agenda’s will be posted one week prior and two weeks prior if a parent vote is required.

Snack
We offer a shared snack for the children to eat during classroom time. This snack is prepared by a parent on a rotating schedule and will include a variety of healthy choices such as fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, cheese , with an emphasis on home baked goods instead of cookies, candies and processed foods. We promote "water drinking" so please send water or milk and not juice in a non-spill Rubbermaid drink container. If there are any allergies in the school, please respect the call to not bring certain foods (ie peanut products for allergies that are life threatening).

Birthdays
Each child’s birthday is celebrated in a special way. Summer birthdays are referred to as "pretend birthdays" and are celebrated during the school year. Please arrange, if possible, for a family member to spend your child’s birthday session enjoying the time with them. Parents are asked to send a treat to preschool for your child to share with his/her classmates. We suggest home baked cookies , or rice krispie squares. [ no cupcakes ] . Additionally, sometime during the first week of preschool, please send 4 or 5 photos of your child spanning their lifetime so that a birthday poster can be created for your child’s birthday. Please put the photos in a marked envelope with your child’s name, birth date and group and place them in the Birthday Envelope in the cubby room. Your child will be able to take the poster home after the celebration at preschool.

Clothing
Our program encourages active, imaginative, and sometimes, messy play. Children will use lots of paint, glue, flour, bubble-mix, finger-paint, goop, food color, clay, etc. Please send your child to school in comfortable, washable play clothes. We do encourage the children to wear paint smocks, but we don’t insist so we cannot be responsible if their clothes get stained. Suggested clothing for preschool includes: comfortable pants & tops or dresses, 1 pair rubber boots, 1 hooded water-proof warm coat, 1 pair of Velcro shoes (not lace-ups), and 1 pair of waterproof mittens (not woolen and not gloves) for snow play.

Health
Due to the number of children enrolled in our preschool it is important to have the cooperation of parents in helping to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. A general guideline is to keep the child at home if he or she is infectious to others.Your child should be kept at home if they are displaying the following symptoms;

1. Is developing or has an acute cold with fever, runny nose and eyes, is sneezing, coughing or has a sore throat.I

2. Is feverish or feeling sick, these being possible early signs of an illness which might develop quickly.I

3. Is vomiting or has diarrhea. Child should not return to preschool for 24 hours after the last bout.

4. Has infected skin or hair, or an undiagnosed rash.
(These ailments may require a doctor's confirmation as to whether or not the child is infectious.) If a child develops any of these symptoms while at preschool, the staff will make the child as comfortable as possible and attempt to contact the parents. Please keep your sick child at home until he or she is able to participate in normal preschool activities, including both indoor and outdoor play, and until he or she is no longer infectious.
Please call the preschool if your child will be absent due to illness
If your child contracts an infectious disease please let us know so that we can notify the other families and the Public Health Nurse.

Medication at school
Licensing requirements do not permit us to administer any medication (even Tylenol, Asthma puffers or cough syrups) without a written request from you. Please do not leave any medication in your child's backpack or lunch box. It must be handed over to a teacher for safekeeping.

Allergies
Please discuss any allergies your child may have directly with the Teachers. When necessary the Teachers may request that all children do not bring a certain type of food in their school snack, please respect this request.

Discipline Policy:

Discipline describes the teaching/learning process by which children develop socially acceptable and appropriate behavior as they grow to maturity. Its intention is to help children become self-disciplined as they learn appropriate and acceptable behavior patterns. Discipline involves a continuous process of guiding behavior and is offered while acceptable behavior is occurring as well as before, during and after unacceptable behavior may be displayed. The goal of discipline is to assist children developing self- control, self-confidence, and sensitivity in their interactions with others.

STRATERGIES USED
1.Limits are established in a clear, consistent and simple way.
2. Limits are stated in a positive rather than a negative way.
3.The focus is on the behavior rather than the child.
4. Minor incidents are ignored.
5. Children's attention is gained in a respectful way.
6. Problem solving skills are modeled.
7. Natural and logical consequences are used.
8. Child is redirected away from problem arousing situation.
9. Use of equipment is limited.
10. The child is moved away from the situation and area where, and when they are unable unable to cope

Outdoor policy
We believe that children need to go outdoors every day. They need to fill their lungs with fresh air, and have space to develop their large muscle skills. In order to understand the seasons, they need to experience them, hot, cold, wet or dry. The warm sun, cool wind, crackling leaves, wet rain, dry air and the smell of green spring leaves are all wonderful. We play outside every day rain or shine. If you do not wish for your child to go outdoors, we ask that you keep your child at home on that day as our staff ratio requirements cannot be met if one teacher is inside with one child. Please make sure that your child is sent with clothing that will help them stay warm and dry.

Field trips
4 -5 field trips are planned during the year. We make trips to the local libraries, pet stores, beaches and parks. Parents are responsible to drive their children directly to and from the field trip venue [We do not come to the preschool before or after the field trip] You are welcome to stay with your child, but in this event we ask that you be responsible for their safety. We ask you to do this because with so many adults, (and possibly siblings), present, it is very difficult for the teachers to supervise. If you do not wish to stay please let the teachers know so they can take over the responsibility of your child.
On field trips we carry the Emergency cards, attendance records and a First Aid kit.

Supported Child Development
We welcome children with special needs into our center. With the help of the staff [ program assistants and consultant ] from the Support Child Development program, we ensure that they will have the same experiences as their peers.

Practicum students
During the year, Early Childhood Education students from Douglas, Langara or Capilano College will be doing their Practicum at our center. The practicums usually last 3- 6 weeks. These students have all had criminal record checks done before they start in our center.

Early withdrawal
If it becomes necessary to withdraw your child from the preschool we require one month's written notice. Please notify the teachers and the President. Failure to provide written notice will result in a penalty of one month’s fee. After April 1st however, any withdrawals will require payment for the balance of the school year.

Preschool constitution
A copy of Friendly Forest Preschool’s constitution can be obtained at any time by contacting a member of the Executive.