Policies
Additional policies are found in the Family Handbook. Contact the director for more information.
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ENROLLMENT
Preregistration for the 2018-19 school year begins online in November. All families are encouraged to participate in the preregistration process. Your preregistration will help us plan our classes for the next school year. Final Registration reserves your child's spot for the next school year. Those who have preregistered will be contacted with details of their registration fee and deposit amount. Group #1 (currently enrolled families and members of First Lutheran Church) will be received starting January 2. Group #2 (the general public) will be received starting January 16. To finalize enrollment for the school year, First Lutheran Preschool must receive a completed preregistration, a $160 non-refundable registration fee (per family), and a non-refundable deposit of one month's tuition. PAYMENTS Checks for the nonrefundable registration and nonrefundable deposit should be made payable to First Lutheran Preschool. Please include your child's name on the memo line. A $25 bank fee will apply for non-processed checks. Families who wish to pay monthly must sign up for the Auto-pay method through VANCO services by June 1 or upon enrollment. With approval, tuition is automatically withdrawn from the family's bank account on the first of the month, beginning September 1 and ending April 1. Those that choose not to use Auto-pay will need to pay for the year in full by September 1. Those choosing to pay for the year in full will receive a 5% discount off of eight months of tuition. DISCOUNTS A 10% discount off of tuition is available to First Lutheran Church members. To be eligible for the member discount, at least one parent must be a contributing member of First Lutheran Church. Church members are not eligible for other discounts. A 5% discount off of the full year's tuition (minus the non-refundable deposit) is offered to those who pay for the entire school year at time of enrollment.. Families with two or more siblings enrolled at First Lutheran Preschool receive a 10% discount off of the youngest child's tuition. WAIT LIST Once a class is full, a wait list is implemented. If an opening becomes available, parents will be notified in order of the wait list. Parents may enroll their child in another age appropriate class and maintain their position on the wait list for their first priority class. EARLY WITHDRAWAL By enrolling in First Lutheran Preschool, a family commits to tuition for the program year, which is September through May. If withdrawal becomes necessary, a family must present the director with at least 60 days written notice, or monthly tuition payments will continue to be drawn from the family's account. This policy applies whether or not the child has attended the preschool. A partial refund will be provided only if the child's tuition was paid in full for the entire program year. DISCHARGE POLICY First Lutheran Preschool reserves the right to drop or terminate service after consultations with parents/caregivers, when the welfare of the child or group would make this advisable. Reasons may include but not be limited to:
At First Lutheran Preschool, we achieve discipline in the classroom through an orderly environment that provides clear boundaries and interesting activities. Discipline is an integral part of our curriculum. Our teachers model caring behavior and help children build positive relationships with each other. Teachers also help children learn language so that they can express their feelings appropriately. Effective Guidance Techniques applied to all children include:
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ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
Parents and caregivers are asked to walk their child into the Education Building and sign their child in at the door of their classroom. At dismissal, parents must sign their child out. Teachers will dismiss each child separately after they have made eye contact with the parent/caregiver. Parents must alert First Lutheran Preschool in writing if someone other than the parent will be picking up the child. Verbal consent is not acceptable authorization and does not comply with school policy. BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AND SCHOOL PARTIES Our approach to holidays and birthday celebrations is joyous and age appropriate. Knowing that any change in routine can cause anxiety for young children, we are careful to provide fun experiences within the context of the preschool classroom. We celebrate through music, dance, arts & crafts, and (for holidays only) a special snack. Children celebrating their birthdays will receive a birthday crown and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday sung by their teachers and friends. Due to food allergies, parents are asked not to bring in special treats for holidays or birthdays. Some of the holidays we celebrate are Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. CLOTHING AND SHOES We request that all children bring a complete set of extra clothing in case of accidents, including pants, shirt, socks and underwear. All clothing should be clearly marked with your child’s name. For safety issues and ease of play on our playground, sandals and flip flops are not permitted. Sneakers or tennis shoes are best for climbing, running, and play. CHAPEL Chapel takes place in First Lutheran's worship space and occurs every Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon, and once a month on Thursday morning. During this brief but meaningful time, children are introduced to bible stories, songs, and prayer by one of First Lutheran's pastors or staff members. FIELD TRIPS; ON & OFF SITE Children learn through a variety of experiences. Off site Field trips are one way to study an environment that is different from school. When an off-site field trip is scheduled, transportation must be provided by the families. The admission fees for students are provided by the school. Parents must pay for themselves and siblings. On-site field trips also provide interesting learning opportunities. Some examples of on-site field trips are visits from the Baltimore Zoomobile and the Howard County Fire Department. HEALTH AND WELLNESS First Lutheran Preschool has the responsibility to parents and children to maintain strict standards regarding ill children. A child must be fever free for 24 hours prior to attending school. If a child becomes ill at school, the child’s parent/guardian will be notified and asked to make arrangements to pick up the child within one hour. Any child diagnosed with a communicable disease (bacterial meningitis, chicken pox, diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, mumps, pneumonia, rubella, strep throat) may return to school when cleared by a physician or nurse practitioner through written notification. If the child’s illness requires antibiotics, he must be treated for 24 hours prior to returning. Please report any communicable or contagious diseases to us immediately. Major Emergencies: In the event of a life-threatening or major medical emergency to a child at First Lutheran Preschool, one staff member will remain with the injured or ill child while another staff member calls 911. The parent will be notified as soon as medical care has been obtained. If First Lutheran Preschool is unable to reach the parent, we will contact one of the emergency contacts listed on the Emergency Form. Transportation to a hospital will be arranged by rescue personnel or the child’s parent. INCLEMENT WEATHER If the Howard County public schools close for inclement weather, First Lutheran Preschool will also close. Parents should listen to the local news to find out about Howard County public school closings. If Howard County Public schools call a 2-hour delay, First Lutheran Preschool will open at 10:00 a.m. and close at the regular time. If Howard County Public schools make an announcement by noon to close early, morning classes will dismiss at the regular time and afternoon classes will be canceled. Parents/caregivers should sign up for text alerts from www.remind.com to receive texts from the director about closings and special circumstances/announcements. First Lutheran Preschool does not add days missed due to snow days back to any previously planned work days or holidays. If Howard County Public Schools call a total of ten or more snow days, the school year will be extended by two days (an additional day for the MWF class and the T-Th class). PARENT CONFERENCES Two formal conferences are held each year for parents to meet with their child's teacher. Parents are also welcome to request a meeting with their child's teacher at any time throughout the school year. POTTY TRAINING All students should be able to use the toilet independently before attending First Lutheran Preschool. Our facility does not provide space for the teachers to change diapers or pull-ups. SCREEN TIME Screen time is reserved for educational movies/short films that coincide with the curriculum. They are limited to under 20 minutes long and only on special days. SNACKS AND FOOD ALLERGIES First Lutheran Preschool provides snack for snack time. We serve water, fresh fruit such as apple, orange, or banana slices, and pretzels or crackers. Teachers will notify parents if they are doing a cooking project, and will be sure to share the list of ingredients with parents. We strive to provide a healthy environment for all children. Parents must provide specific information to the teacher about their child's allergy. If medication is necessary for emergencies, we must receive a medication authorization form provided by the child's doctor, together with an action plan. First Lutheran Preschool does not serve peanuts or tree nuts for snack. Parents should not pack peanuts or tree nuts in their child's lunches. This includes peanut butter. TOYS FROM HOME Each class may schedule a "sharing" time when children can bring something from home to "share" during circle time. Toys that depict violence and toy weapons are not allowed at school. |
