Parent Manual on Kids Connect Rules and Regulations
School Philosophy
The center’s school philosophy is based upon “21st Century Learning” and how it serves as the basis for what Kids Connect represents. It provides newly expanding ideas that incorporates students connecting with one another as the teacher observes, asks questions to provoke critical thinking, and guides each student to comprehend the world around them. We also suspect that by improving education with the "4Cs" - Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, & Critical Thinking within your child's educational environment, you will begin to see transformations alike in your home with parent participation and reinforcement. Additionally, the vision of Kids Connect preschoolers involves the introduction to technology through software that provides developmental progression and will ultimately allow them to network with others of a wider global community.
Enrollment
Kids Connect offers developmental programs for children ages 3 months through 6 years. We generally place each child within the appropriate age grouping based on age upon enrollment, but it is the assessment of each child’s capabilities that is ultimately the deciding factor. The center’s hours of operation and yearly schedule are Monday through Friday from 7:00am – 6:30pm. Options of enrollment include a half day program, full day program, or full day program with before and after care. Hourly services and drop in care for children up to 13 years of age are also welcomed.
Tuition Policies
Initial enrollment requires a registration fee of $75.00. This registration fee is a yearly fee and is non-refundable upon registering each child or children. A security deposit in the amount of $200.00 is also paid at the time of registration. This deposit will be applied to the child’s last month of tuition prior to leaving the school. This deposit will be forfeited if two weekswritten notice is not given to the center regarding modification to your child’s schedule, or, the withdrawal of your child or in the event of non-payment tuition.If your child is absent due to sickness, you will be given the opportunity to use makeup days within the following two weeks. Kids Connect does not credit absences due to vacations, or in the event your child is required to be immediately withdrawn due to a parent request or based upon the school’s Expulsion Policy.
Tuition payments are due by the 25th of each month. There is a $25.00 late fee assessed monthly to ALL accounts that are not paid in full by the 25th of each month. There will be no grace period.
Clothing/Bedding/Daily Needs
Your child is to have a complete change of clothing at the school at all times, clearly marked with their name. Please have your child dressed for the weather in appropriate, comfortable play clothes and shoes. Babies and toddlers must be provided with an ample supply of diapers and wipes. Children who are toilet trained need simple clothing that makes self-toileting easier. Avoid belts, bodysuits, excessive layers, or clothing that is too tight or complicated for your child. Please avoid sending your child to school in dressy clothing, dress shoes, heavy boots, or expensive jewelry. Kids Connect will not be responsible for lost or broken personal items. As per NJ State requirements, children who attend full day must have a rest period where you may want to send your child to school with a special blanket. Please make sure any items are labeled.
Meals
Parents are responsible for bringing their child’s meals with them each day. This includes ample snacks for two snack periods for children who attend full day (AM and PM), or one snack for those who attend half day, as well as lunch.Meals must be healthy and adhere to good nutritional guidelines. Each Friday, Kids Connect offers complimentary organic fruit for morning snack. You may pack an additional snack only if you feel it is necessary.
If your child still uses a bottle/sippy cup for milk or juice, they must be supplied with enough bottle/sippy cups for the entire day. These are to be clearly marked with the child’s name and will be sent home daily for cleaning. Staff will not clean and disinfect bottles, sippy cups, etc. as per state regulations.
Attendance and Outdoor Play
Children who do not attend school, whether for illness or any other reason, must be called in as absent for the day. Either a message can be left on the center’s voicemail or an e-mail can be sent to the director. If the child is well enough to attend school, he/she will participate in all activities including outdoor play. Staffing does not allow for a child to stay inside based on parental request. Makeup days may be requested, but they are not guaranteed. This is dependent on the class schedule and if there is availability on the specific day requested.
Show and Tell, Personal Toys
Educational toys are supplied by Kids Connect for guided play. Therefore, children may not bring personal toys to the center except for show and tell days. Toys should be labeled when brought into the center. The center will not be responsible for any broken or missing toys. Kids Connect discourages violent play activities, such as the use of toy guns and knives. These items are requested to stay at the home of the child. DVDs must be G-rated and will be shown at the discretion of the staff when time is allotted for these special occasions.
Policy for Technology Usage
The use of television or iPads is for supplemental, educational purposes, including learning the foundations of shapes, colors, numbers, letters, or involving math, literacy, and/or science activities. Any downloaded material or DVDs shown are of age appropriate material, with a limited time of 15 – 30 minutes depending on the age group. Children will always remain with a teacher or caregiver during the use of technology. Children under 2 are not permitted technology usage.
Health and Safety
As per licensing procedures, Kids Connect requires a complete medical exam and record of immunization to be submitted by each child’s doctor upon admittance to the center and at each annual re-registration. Immunization forms must be updated throughout the year as needed.
All children diagnosed with asthma or allergies must have a “plan of action form” completed by their doctor and kept on file at Kids Connect. This “plan” is not a blanket permission form for the school to administer a nebulizer. Should a child require a midday treatment, a separate permission medication form is required for each separate incident. Specific instructions as to how to administer nebulizer (example: length of time, route of deliver), must be clearly stated on each permission form.
Exchange of Responsibility and Pick Up
All children must be brought into the school by a parent or guardian and left with a staff member. There must be an “exchange of responsibility”. No child is to enter the school alone. A child will not be allowed to leave the school with anyone who is unknown to any staff member. The school shall be informed of the approximate time child will be picked up and by whom. Complete written information is to be submitted on the school application form. Immediate notification to Kids Connect is required if there are any changes. In cases of limited or shared custody, the proper legal documents are to be kept on file at the center. Parents are also asked to keep the staff informed of problems at home that may affect the child’s behavior at school. No child will be released to any individual who appears to be impaired or incapable of properly caring for the child regardless of parental permission.
Exclusion Policy
The spread of illness is a major concern in child care facilities and Kids Connect maintains diligent efforts to prevent the spread of infection and germs. Regular sanitation and infection control procedures are adhered to carefully. Parental cooperation and support of these policies is also essential in controlling the spread of infectious disease. Keeping a sick child home will keep all children and staff healthier and decrease lost work time by creating a healthier school.
Kids Connect reserves the right to refuse admittance to any child that a staff member has determined too ill to attend. The center staff will perform a quick, daily morning health check of each child. Parents may be questioned on their child’s physical/emotional condition of that day. Children exhibiting obvious signs of illness will be excluded for the day. Some of the obvious signs of illness that require exclusion or removal of a child from child care can be found within the ”Policy on the Management of Communicable Diseases”.
Do not bring your child to school if she/he has exhibited any of the above symptoms 24 hours prior to coming to school. If your child becomes ill at school with any of the above symptoms, you will be contacted to pick your child up. Please do so immediately. If we are unable to contact any parent or guardian, the school will then call your listed emergency contact to come pick your child up. Children sent home with any signs of illness may not return to school the next day. In order for your child to return to the center, they must be fever free and symptom free for 24 hours without medication.
Medication Policy
If a child requires medication while attending Kids Connect, the center will require written consent of the parent/guardian. The first dose of any medication must be given at home to allow parents to observe child’s response to the medication. Children must be on prescribed medication for 24 hours prior to returning to Kids Connect. If dosing is twice daily, medication can be given at home, If the prescription is 3 to 4 times daily, midday dosages will be given at the center, again only with written consent from parent and doctor. Prescriptions must have original pharmacist label, phone number, child’s full name, name of physician, name and expiration date of medication, date prescribed, dosage, route, frequency, and special instructions for administration and dosage. Over the counter medications will only be given to children over the age of 2 and require written permission from the child’s physician. OTC’s must be in the original unopened container with a child resistant safety cap and will be kept at the center. The parent/guardian will authorize staff to contact the pharmacist or physician for more information about the medication the child is receiving.
School Closings
Kids Connect makes every effort to give parents adequate notice of school closings and holidays and we provide notice verbally, through e-mail, on our center’s voicemail, and by posting on our Facebook page. However, in the event of hazardous weather or emergency the center may be closed, parents are requested to call for an early closing time or delayed opening schedule. These decisions will be made at the discretion of the director of Kids Connect, and notification will also be made available on the center’s voicemail by 6:30am.
Field Trips
When field trips are arranged during the year, they will serve for the educational and recreational benefit of the children. These trips will incur an additional cost and are optional, but parents are advised that should a child not attend the trip, they cannot attend school that day. All children may attend school trips; however, children still in diapers must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Parent chaperones are always welcomed.
Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are welcomed. Any parent wishing to meet individually with their child’s teacher is asked to make arrangements in advance so that the teacher may be available. Parents of children who are in the preschool group willreceive a progress report three times throughout the year.
Birthday Celebrations
Birthdays are a very important part of a child’s life and all children are welcomed to celebrate their birthday at the center. Parents are advised to make arrangements in advance with their child’s teacher. We also appreciate parent awareness of those children with allergies, and put forth their best effort to find a treat that the whole class can enjoy.
Late Pick Up Fees
The center closes promptly at 6:30pm. Parents who pick up their child after that time will be charged an additional late pick up fee of $15.00 per 15 minutes past closing. Notification is requested when a parent is aware that their child will be picked up late. Continuous lateness is cause for removal from the center.