ROSS-PIKE COUNTY EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICIES & PROCEDURES
General Information
The preschool developmental class is operated by the Ross-Pike County Educational Service District as a cooperative unit for Adena, Chillicothe City, Huntington, Paint Valley, Southeastern, Union-Scioto, Zane Trace in Ross County and Eastern, Scioto Valley, Western and Waverly City school districts in Pike County.
Our program offers two different options for three, four, and five year old children who have a developmental delay. Children are eligible for services as soon as they are three years old.
The first option is a “center-based” program. Classes are located throughout the counties in half-day (Ross only) and full-day classroom units. Our classes are currently designed to house from six to eight special needs children and four to eight typically developing children. This small class size accommodates the individualized needs of the children and meets the requirements set forth by the Ohio Department of Education.
The second option is “itinerant services.” This is a program designed for young children, who are not yet ready for a center-based program or need some extra assistance within their attending preschool classrooms. The preschool itinerant teacher meets with the child’s parents, kindergarten, Head Start, or preschool teacher to set up a schedule to regularly work with the child. Services are delivered in the child’s home or in the child’s classroom at least one hour per week.
In order for a child to receive special needs services, he/she must first have an assessment completed by an evaluation team to qualify for the program. The evaluation team is made up of school personnel who are qualified to test and observe three, four and five year old children. The team may be made up of any of the following professionals: preschool teacher, building principal, school psychologist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or other special education personnel from the Ross-Pike County ESD office. For more information regarding the program, please call the Ross-Pike County ESD office at 740-702-3120 or 740-289-4171, ext. 4205.
Attendance & Illness
It is the philosophy of the program that a child benefits most when his/her attendance is regular. If your child will be absent, parents/family members must:
Contact the school:
*School ______
*Phone ______
*Contact Name ______
Contact the bus driver or your school’s transportation supervisor:
*Bus Driver ______
*School’s Transportation Supervisor______
When the child returns to school, the school may require a written excuse from the doctor.
Phone Calls
If a call is received during class, a message will be taken by the secretary or phone message system. The call will typically be returned only after the children are dismissed for the day. Only emergency calls will be forwarded to the teachers during class.
Pictures
Still pictures and/or videotapes are occasionally used to develop awareness. Written permission for these activities will be sought from the parent at the beginning of each school year.
Students may also be photographed or videotaped for internal programs related to behavior management intervention and documentation, teacher feedback, portfolio assessment, and parent information. Specific written consent is not required for these purposes.
Snacks
Snacks that are nutritious and meet the standards of the Ohio Department of Education, Revised Code, are served.
Special feeding equipment should be labeled with the child’s name and date. Any child with allergies will have those allergies posted to avoid emergency situations.
Changes
It is necessary that the school be notified any time there is a change in the student’s situation. This includes a change of address, home phone number, parent/guardian’s phone number at work, medication, health status, child care provider, doctor, or anything else which may affect the student’s performance or the school’s ability to obtain or maintain contact with the family. It is imperative we have a contact number for parents at all times.
Clothing & Personal Belongings
A change of clothing should be sent to school marked with your child’s name. If clothes come home soiled, please return fresh clothing ASAP. Please label outside clothing. Each child has a personal cubby for belongings.
All items of clothing must be labeled to avoid confusion and loss. This is extremely important.
Children should come to school dressed for active and sometimes messy play. Comfortable shoes and loose clothing are best. We use washable markers and paints, but understand that your child may get paint, food coloring or dirt on his/her clothes.
Visitors
School visits, observations, and volunteer work are encouraged and may be arranged with teachers.
Cancellation/Early Dismissal
For snow days/cancellations, listen to these radio or television stations:
Radio: FM WFCB – 93.3 Television: Columbus: Channels 4, 6 &10
WKKJ – 94.3 West Virginia: Channels 3, 8 & 13
WXIZ – 100.9
WPAY – 104.1
WSRW – 106.7
AM WBEX – 1490
School closing and early dismissals will follow the school building in which your child attends and/or your home district. If poor weather dictates an early dismissal for children already in attendance, you will be notified of such before the child is transported home to be sure someone is home to receive the child.
Parent Roster
A roster of each child’s classroom is available upon request. This request must be made to the teachers. Each classroom roster has the following information on each child: name and telephone number of the child and of the child’s parent/guardian.
If you do not wish the above information made available to other parents, please let one of the teachers know.
SCHEDULE
Each classroom teacher follows a daily schedule depending on the make-up and needs of their classroom. A general schedule is posted in each classroom.
Arrival
Children are taken from the bus or car by staff. Self-help skills are incorporated by removing coats, zipping, fastening, and hanging up. Parents/guardians who provide their own transportation must accompany the child into the building and classroom.
Bathroom
Toileting and hygiene are incorporated here. This is also a time for language development and communication.
Exploratory Play
Children select activities with a teacher-planned environment. Choices are given for pretend play, art, sensory materials, fine motor, computer, gross motor, and socialization. Individual goals are worked on during this time.
Clean-Up
During clean-up children gain knowledge of following directions, responsibility, visual discrimination, self-discipline, and memory skills. This helps acquire routine, social interactions, and cooperation.
Snack
There are many benefits to snacks beside nutritional needs. Children work on feeding skills, hygiene, manners, following directions, language and individual needs/goals. Children share activities concerning home and school.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor time is needed daily. Children gain range of motion skills, and enhance movement. They gain coordination, balance, and problem solving skills.
Circle Time
During circle time, many skills are gained. This includes the activity choice for the day, songs, language skills, movement exercises, and story. At opening circle, children share news and information that is important for the day. Closing circle allows the children to regroup and review the day.
MEDICAL AND ILLNESS POLICIES
Medical Evaluation
Enrollment procedures require all students to have a complete medical evaluation prior to entry into the school. The medical evaluation is considered current if completed within six months prior to placement. A dental exam/screen is also required. Dental and medical forms are included in the packet.
For children continuing in the program, medical evaluations and dental exams are required to be updated every year. A physical form and dental form will be included in enrollment packets. It is the responsibility of the family to schedule the annual examination and to have the medical form completed by a licensed physician and dental form completed at a dentist office. The completed forms should be returned to the child’s teacher within 30 days or your child will not be able to continue in the center-based program.
Medication
The Ross-Pike County Early Childhood Program does not have a nurse in any classroom. It is important to make every effort to administer medication on a schedule which does not require school administration. If other arrangements must be made for the child to attend the program, please contact the teacher to discuss the medication needs of the child.
Important: At no time is medication to be brought to school in purses, pockets, backpacks, etc. “Medication” includes prescription and NON-prescription medications, salves, tablets, etc., including Tylenol, diaper rash ointment, lip salves, and cough drops. This policy is designed to ensure the safety of children on the bus and at school.
If medication must accompany the child to school, even if it will not be administered at school, the teacher, bus driver, and program coordinator must be contacted in advance to inform them that the medication will be accompanying the child. The medication must be handed directly to the driver and from the driver or parent directly to a staff member who will secure the medication in the office until the child leaves.
If medication must be administered at school, a form must be completed by the doctor.
Illness and Communicable Disease Policy
There will be at least one person on site trained in the prevention, recognition, and management of communicable disease who will observe the children daily. The Ohio Department of Health’s “Child Care Communicable Disease Chart” is posted in the preschool. All staff members are trained in proper hand washing procedures. Universal precautions are used to prevent the spread of communicable disease.
Please do not send your child to school if she/he displays any of the following symptoms:
1. Temperature of 100 degrees or more. The child should be free of fever for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
2. Diarrhea (three or more abnormally loose stools within a 24-hour period).
3. Severe coughing, causing a child to become red or blue in the face or to make a whooping sound.
4. Difficult or rapid breathing
5. Yellowish skin or eyes
6. Redness of the eye, or eyelid, thick purulent (pus) discharge, matted eyelashes, burning, itching or eye pain. Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
7. Untreated infected skin patches, unusual spots or rashes.
8. Unusually dark urine and/or gray or white stool.
9. Stiff neck with an elevated temperature.
10. Sore throat or difficulty in swallowing.
11. Vomiting more than one time or when accompanied by any other sign or symptom of illness.
If the child is ill and will not be attending school, the parents shall notify the school and the bus driver. Should the child develop a contagious illness or health problem during the school year, please notify the teacher and bus driver immediately.
The following precautions shall be taken for children suspected of having a communicable disease:
1. The parent or guardian shall be notified immediately.
2. A child with any of the above symptoms will be isolated in a room or portion of a room not being used in the child’s school program.
3. A child will be within sight or hearing of a staff member. No child will be left unattended.
4. The child will be provided with a cot and blanket. They will be made comfortable in a warm, safe environment. The cot shall be sanitized and the blanket laundered before being used by another child.
5. The child will be observed carefully for worsening conditions.
Immunizations
No student shall be admitted to the program without verification that the student has been or is in the process of being immunized.
Body Fluids
The policies concerning the care of body fluids (blood, stool, vomit, drainage) are directed by the Center of Disease Control and the Ohio Department of Health. These fluids, especially abnormal and uncontrolled, not only may indicate disease but can easily transmit disease to others. When these problems occur, the student must be sent home. In some instances, a doctor’s excuse may be requested before the child may return to school.
Lice
Each preschool class will follow the lice policy of the district in which they are housed. If nits or lice are found on a student, their head must be treated. The treatment involves using lice shampoo as directed and the removal of ALL NITS AND LICE. If treatment is followed, the student can return to school the next day for staff to check the student’s head. The student must be examined by the staff/school district to be readmitted into the classroom.
General Information
Child must be 24 hours free of vomiting, diarrhea, and/or fever to attend school and have 24 hours of antibiotic when necessary.
Any forms requested by doctors will be returned to the doctor by our staff, not returned to the parent.
Staff needs a copy of current custody papers, if applicable.
Staff reserves the right to call Children’s Services/Police Department in the event that no emergency contact can be reached and a student is extremely ill and/or no one has picked up the child.
SAFETY POLICIES
Abuse/Neglect
Professional staff is required by law to report suspected instance of abuse or neglect. Generally, suspicious physical injuries or conditions are brought to the nurse or teacher’s attention by staff persons observing them. The coordinator is required to conduct a preliminary investigation. In instances where explanations cannot be provided or obtained, the staff may decide to report the situation to the Ross or Pike County Children Services.
Parents are encouraged to send notes or call in the event that something unusual occurs within the home to create an injury.
Supervision
*No child shall ever be left alone or unsupervised.
*At least one staff trained in first aid, communicable diseases, and abuse will be available during school hours.
*First aid kits are located in the classroom and in the office.
Pick-up Authorization
Children will be released ONLY to authorized persons as indicated, in writing, by the child’s parent/guardian. Should it become necessary for an alternate adult to pick-up the child, the parent/guardian should call the center or talk to the teacher prior to the child’s departure.
Field Trips
No student is permitted to leave school grounds without a permission form from the parents/guardian. The student will be presented with the opportunity for field trips. This will include walking trips to local facilities. The parent/guardian will be notified each time a trip is planned, and a permission form will need to be signed. No student will be allowed to go on a field trip without a signed release form from the parent/guardian. Emergency Medical Authorization forms and basic first aid equipment will accompany children on field trips.