Policies & Procedures

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Birthdays

"A birthday is a special day, celebrated in a special way." Whenever possible we try to celebrate a child's birthday on the actual day. If that's not possible, the child celebrates a "pretend" birthday. Children with summer birthdays are also given a "pretend" birthday. Parents will be notified in advance of the day when their child's birthday will be celebrated. The whole class sings "Happy Birthday" and the child receives a special pendant to celebrate the day. PLEASE OMIT ANY FOOD ITEM CONTAINING NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS.

Suggested snacks include decorated cookies, jello cups, pudding cups, ice cream cups, popsicle treats, or treat bags. In the past we have had some adorable cupcakes sent in only to be wasted. The children tend to prefer snacks that are simple and plain. (top of page)

Child Abuse

In cases of possible child abuse, the Howard Preschool, Inc. shall file a report of such incidents, in accordance with Maryland Law (Section 35A, Article 27, The Annotated Code of Maryland, 1980), to the Child Protective Services of Howard County, (410) 461-0268.

Any staff member of the Howard Preschool, Inc. shall report immediately any suspected case of child abuse to the other staff members and to the Administrative Director of the school. Such report shall then be presented both orally and by telephone to the Child Protective Services of Howard County and to the Administrative Director of the Pre-School.

The written report of suspected child abuse must be filed within 48 hours after the oral report has been made. Both reports will contain information specified in the guidelines provided by the Howard County Child Care Administration. (top of page)

Appropriate Clothing
 Please dress your child in play clothes. Although we use smocks, we can't guarantee that artistic accidents won't spoil clothing. Children should wear rubber soled shoes. We prefer sneakers. Dress shoes, flip-flops, jellies, cowboy boots, snow boots, etc., are not appropriate for the playground. If your child's footwear is unsafe for playground use, he or she may have to stay indoors with a staff member.

Change of Clothing for Tuesday-Thursday Students
 We request that parents send an outfit (pants, shirt, underwear, and socks) in a brown paper bag clearly marked with your child's name, session, and teacher's name. If your child has a bathroom accident, a spill or an "artistic mistake", we can make sure he or she changes into clean, comfortable clothes. An old outfit that your child won't miss for the school year is best. (top of page)

Discharge and Pick-up of Students

A teacher will be waiting at the school entrance door both before school and at dismissal time; therefore, it will not be necessary to escort your child up or down the walkway. At dismissal time, the drivers are requested to remain in the car and line up in front of the school, single file, so that the first car is waiting with it's door positioned at the end of the sidewalk. Please display at this time your sign (given to you at the beginning of the year) to enable the teachers to see your number from a distance.

The teachers will release the children to walk down the sidewalk and be put into the awaiting car. When the first car drives away, the next car can pull up to the sidewalk. If you are parking to go into the school, please use the parking lot, and do not block the sidewalk. Finally, please pull up after loading children into your car before taking the time to fasten all seatbelts so that the next car in line may be loading other children. (top of page)

End of the Year Activities

End of the Year for 4-Year-Olds
The health forms will be returned to you just before kindergarten registration. These forms may be used for kindergarten after being updated by your doctor. There is a graduation ceremony for 4-year-olds in May. Family and friends are invited and you will be notified of details later in the school year.

End of the Year for 3-Year-Olds
There is an end-of-the-year party on the last day of school for 3-year-olds and a May Fair planned by parents. During the last week of school these children have Switch Day, at which time they "switch" classrooms and spend the day with the teacher and teaching assistant with whom they will most likely be placed the following year. (top of page)

Evaluating Our Instructional Program

Each year, all parents of the preschool will be asked to complete an evaluation form. The parents will be asked specific questions concerning curriculum, staff, building, and administration. The parents will also be asked to evaluate their child's reaction to the school and will be encouraged to offer any additional comments they may have. (top of page)

All evaluations may be made anonymously and returned to the school by mail or by the child. The teachers will study all of the evaluation forms and adopt all suggestions possible which would improve the program and benefit the children.

Field Trips for 4's

You will be notified of all field trips in advance. Every child must be accompanied by an adult. We encourage parents to find a sitter for their younger children if possible to make the day a special event for the preschooler, however, we recognize that daytime sitters are a rare commodity in the area so if you have to bring the baby along, that's fine. (top of page)

Health

Immunization certification forms, the Lead Screening and the Health Inventory forms must be filled out by your child's doctor. This record is required by State law. Please have the forms completed and returned to the Administrative Director before the first day of school. The health forms will be returned to the four-year old parents at the end of the year. These forms may be used for kindergarten after being updated by your doctor. For your child's protection, please note:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms and quarantine regulations of contagious diseases.

  2. Help protect your child and the other children by keeping your child at home when he has a serious cold, a cough, a rash, a sore throat, or other cold symptoms. A child should be free of fever for 24 hours before returning to school.

  3. If at any time medication (including Tylenol) is to be administered to your child, the medication must be accompanied by a signed order from the child's doctor. A written request to administer such medication must be signed by both parents. These requests will become part of the child's personal record.

  4. IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT DUE TO ILLNESS FOR THREE OR MORE DAYS, YOU MUST SEND A NOTE IN WHEN HE/SHE RETURNS STATING WHETHER OR NOT FULL ACTIVITY OR LIMITED ACTIVITY IS RECOMMENDED. PLEASE BE SPECIFIC.

Allergies
Please make appropriate arrangements with your child's teacher if your child has any food, insect, or other allergies.(top of page)

Inclement Weather Policy

Morning Classes

  1. If Howard County Public Schools open one hour late, the morning preschool opens at 10:30 a.m.

  2. If Howard County Public Schools open more than one hour late, the morning preschool is closed.

  3. If Howard County Public Schools are closed, the morning preschool is closed.

  4. After our session starts, if Howard County announces that schools will be closing, please come pick up your child immediately.

Afternoon Classes

  1. If Howard County Public Schools open late, the afternoon preschool will open at the regular time, 12:25 P.M.

  2. If it is announced before 12:30 p.m. that the Howard County Public Schools will close early, the afternoon preschool is closed. If you hear that the Howard County Public Schools are closing early and you've already dropped off your child, please come pick your child immediately.

  3. If Howard County Public Schools are closed, the afternoon preschool is closed.

  4. If weather conditions change at any time, please exercise caution and come pick up your child at immediately. Due to contractual agreements, snow days are not made up.

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Invitations and Messages

Because invitations and personal messages (especially those containing checks) are easily lost or forgotten by children, we must request that such items be handled by the parents by telephone, mail or their own personal contact with their correspondents, and NOT be sent through the school. Most importantly, hurt feelings among the children are avoided when the above methods are employed to distribute invitations. (top of page)

Parent Visitation

Parent teacher meetings are planned on an as-needed basis. There are also times when parents may be invited to visit the school at a specific time. Parents are always welcome in the building, except during the first and last ten minutes of each session as we are very involved at these times getting the children safely in and out of the building.

If you wish to really observe your child in action, we suggest you peek through the glass panes in the doors. If you have any concerns about your child, please feel free to call your child's teacher before or after school either at home or at school. (top of page)

Registration for the Coming Year

Parents of current and former students of Howard Preschool will have a two week pre-registration period, prior to our open registration for the public. If you wish to place your child or young siblings on our waiting list for a coming year, see the teachers or teaching assistants. Also, if you will keep us informed of any new babies born after you have left our school, we will contact you when your child would be eligible to enroll. Please keep in mind that our school does fill quickly, often by mid-February. (top of page)

Right of Privacy

In order to protect the right of privacy of pupils and their parents, report cards and health records are kept confidential. An information folder on each child is kept on file. No information may be released to any individual, school, or agency without the written consent of a child's parents or guardian.

Parents or legal guardians may have access to their child's records at any time provided a teacher is present. Anyone other than parents or legal guardians wishing to investigate an individual file may do so if the school has received written permission from the parents or legal guardian prior to the investigation. (top of page)

Student Evaluations

Progress Reports
The M-W-F classes will receive a progress report card in January and in May. Parents of the T-Th pupils will receive a written or phone conference in October and May regarding their child's adjustment. If you have concerns about your child, feel free to leave a message on the school's machine any evening and your child's teacher will return your call as soon as possible.

Progression of Pupils
 Children are placed either in the three-year-old or the four-year-old program according to their chronological age. If, during the four-year-old program, the teacher observes that a child appears not to be either intellectually, socially, physically or emotionally ready to advance to a kindergarten program, this observation is shared with the parents or guardian. This helps parents make the decision as to whether the child's placement in the kindergarten program should be delayed for a year. (top of page)

Substitute Volunteer Assistants

If you are willing to substitute in the event that a teacher or regular teaching assistant is absent, please contact the teacher or teaching assistants so that your name may be placed on our list for such emergencies. (top of page)

Toys and Trinkets

It is requested that children generally NOT bring toys or trinkets to school. Such items can be distracting, may be lost, and may even be dangerous if they were not designed for children's use, especially if they are small enough to swallow, are sharp, pointed or breakable. The reason we call this to you attention is that over the years AMAZING things have been brought to school, totally unbeknownst to parents! (top of page)