YWCA Carlisle Preschool

2018-2019

Parent Orientation Handbook

ywcacarlisle.org

301 G Street

Carlisle, PA 17013-1389

717.243.3818

Fax: 717.243.3948

Email: info@ywcacarlisle.org

Welcome to YWCA Carlisle Preschool.

We are honored to have the privilege of teaching your child and look forward to an

exciting year together!

Program Philosophy

YWCA Carlisle preschool programs focus on a child’s social development and embody the ideals of

the mission. We encourage your child to communicate peacefully and to embrace diversity and

equality. The staff’s goal is to provide a positive atmosphere where your child can experience

success at his/her own level.

Our purpose is to support your family by providing a quality preschool education. We try to meet

individual needs and to encourage your child to develop a positive self image.

We aim to provide your child with a stimulating atmosphere in which to explore. We attempt to

make the transition from home to school a secure and happy one for your child and to provide a

variety of experiences in which your child will learn to interact with other children, listen to and

follow directions, share, take turns, and express him/herself in a variety of ways. We promote

kindergarten readiness skills through structured activities and personalized attention, and we work

with kindergarten teachers in the neighboring school districts to ensure continuity.

In keeping with our mission, we offer a limited number of full and partial scholarships for students

enrolled in the Pre-Kindergarten and Special Time For Me 3-year old classes. Scholarships are

awarded based on need and on a first come, first served basis. Funding provided by the United

Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County and private donations.

YWCA Carlisle Mission

YWCA Carlisle is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and girls,

and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all,

while helping to strengthen families in our community.

Commitment to Equality

We actively promote and recognize principles of fairness, equity, and social justice in relation to, and across, intersections of race, age, color, disability, faith, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, social class, economic class, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, and all other identities represented among our diverse community.

2018-2019 Preschool Program Leaders

Teachers Miss Patty- Pre-K, 4-5 year olds, M/W/F & T/Th. Miss Jody- Special Time For Me, 2-3 year olds, M/W, T/Th., & F

Miss Liz- Special Time For Me, 3-4 year olds, M/W/F, & T/Th.

Assistant Teachers Miss Fonda Miss Sarina Miss Crystel Miss Murisa

Preschool Programs Director

Adrienne Dugan adugan@ywcacarlisle.org (717) 243-3818, ext. 2214

Left to Right: Miss Patty, Miss Liz, Miss Adrienne, Miss Crystel, Miss Fonda, Miss Jody and Miss Sarina

Preparing For School

Arrival and Departure

DRIVE SLOWLY. Please park in a designated parking space when dropping off or picking up your child. Do not

leave children unattended in your vehicle. Do not park or leave car idling in front of entrance doors as this

blocks access to the building by families arriving and leaving.

The safety of your child is of the utmost importance to us. Parents are required to bring children into their

classroom when arriving and pick their children up in their classroom upon departure. Please sign your child

in and out on the sign-in sheet provided in your child’s classroom.

All volunteers and visitors (including therapists) will need to sign in at the front desk and show photo

identification to receive a visitor’s pass each time they come to visit the preschool.

Children will not be released to anyone other than their parents unless designated in writing by their parents.

If the person picking up your child is different from the person dropping off, please notify the teacher

directly. Please make sure the person picking up is aware that they will be required to show a photo

identification. Parents should wait in the hall until the door to the classroom is opened signaling the end of

class. We will dismiss the children one by one.

Programs run from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Please do not bring your child into

the classroom before 8:50 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. The outside doors to the classroom will be closed until that time

so our teachers have time to prepare for the activities of the day and get ready to greet you and your child.

Students staying after morning program to attend the afternoon program will be led to the afternoon

classroom by our assistant teachers. Please wait with your child in the lobby or hall until the classroom doors

are opened and a teacher or assistant is available to watch your child. Children may not be left unattended

before or after class.

It is important that your child arrive when the class begins and that your child is picked up promptly after

class. We understand that sometimes circumstances beyond control prevent families from picking up

children on time. Please call the YWCA front desk at (717) 243-3818 if such a situation should cause the late

pick-up of your child. If a call is not placed and the reason for a delayed pick-up is unknown, undo stress

and inconvenience is placed not only on your child, but on the preschool staff as well. YWCA reserves the

right to charge additional fees for late pick-ups. A $1.00 per minute fee may be charged for any pick-up

later than 10 minutes after the end of class time.

Children are expected to attend every day that they are enrolled. Another child may not attend in your

child’s place. Please call the YWCA front desk and leave a message with the receptionist if your child will not

be attending class. No credit will be given for missed classes.

Illness

A child is required to stay home from preschool with any of the following symptoms:

A temperature of 100 degrees or higher

Influenza symptoms— coughing, sneezing, runny nose

Vomiting or diarrhea

An undiagnosed rash

Sore or discharging eyes or ears

Extreme discomfort which limits the child’s ability to participate in activities

Head lice

Children may not return to school until at least 24 hours after all vomiting and diarrhea has stopped and

temperature has returned to normal. If preschool staff is concerned about the health of a child, parents

will be contacted and asked to pick up the child from the program as soon as possible. A doctor’s

admittance note may be required for students returning to class with signs of contagious disease.

YWCA Carlisle reserves the right to send home any child they deem ill/ contagious or unfit to participate in

activities.

Parents will be notified when their child has been in contact with an infectious disease. Notices of illness will

be sent home to parents.

Emergency Information

It is required that all emergency contact information be filled out completely for each student, as well as

allergies a child might have, on the registration application. This form also gives permission to have pictures

taken during class activities, which might be shared with the public. Please keep this information updated

throughout the school year. YWCA does not have medical claim coverage on our insurance policy.

Emergency Closings

YWCA Carlisle Preschool follows the same weather-related school closings as the

Carlisle Area School District.

If the Carlisle Area School District is closed, preschool classes are cancelled.

If the Carlisle Area School District is delayed for two hours, we will open as scheduled.

If the Carlisle Area School District has an early dismissal, afternoon preschool classes are cancelled.

If school is cancelled for a non-weather related reason, you will be contacted by your child’s teacher.

YWCA Carlisle expects that parents will understand when “forces of nature beyond our control” cause us to

cancel classes. Should weather prevent us from having class, every attempt will be made to provide a make-

up day. If we are unable to reschedule the make-up day, parents will receive a credit on their final invoice in

May.

Food

Snacks and Lunches

Snacks are provided daily by YWCA Preschool. If your child has severe food allergies, please consider

packing a daily snack for your child.

Parents may bring in a snack to share with the students to celebrate birthdays, holidays and to share

one’s cultural background. Please make arrangements with your child’s teacher to pick snack days. If

your child’s birthday does not fall during the school year, consider celebrating a snack day at another

time.

Students enrolled in afternoon programs are asked to bring an afternoon snack for their child.

Students enrolled in classes longer than three hours are asked to pack a lunch. When packing lunches

please be considerate of students with food allergies. If there is a student with a peanut allergy in your

child’s class, we ask that you avoid packing items containing peanut products.

Make sure all lunch boxes, cups, etc. are clearly marked with your child’s name.

Clothing

Children should be dressed appropriately for the weather. We take students outside on a regular

schedule and expect them to be dressed for outdoor conditions.

Please have your child wear comfortable clothing to school. Although we wear smocks when we paint,

we cannot guarantee your child’s clothes will escape paint, glue or soil.

For safety reasons, your child should only wear closed toe shoes to school. Sneakers are highly

recommended. Absolutely NO flip flops.

Your child should not attend school in clothing that is revealing or offensive. Parents will be notified and

expected to bring a change of clothing for inappropriately dressed students. We adhere to the same

dress code as the Carlisle Area School District, so please follow accordingly.

http://www.carlisleschools.org/students.cfm?subpage=1317073

Mark your child’s name in coats, hats and mittens. It is easy to get these items mixed up with others.

Special Time 3 and Pre-k students should send along a change of underwear in a zipped bag marked with

your child’s name, just in case your child doesn’t make it to the bathroom in time. We have some shirts

and pants at school if your child gets extra messy; please wash and return these items. If your child is

wearing pull-ups, please send a few extra. We expect children in the Special Time 3 and Pre-K classes to

have minimal accidents.

Children attending the Special Time 2 class should bring wipes and at least 3 extra diapers/pull-ups and a

change of clothes in their bags to school. Children will have a scheduled diaper change or reminder to go

to the bathroom if toilet trained in this class.

Class Lists

Families that gave permission on the registration application for YWCA Carlisle Preschool to share their

contact information with other preschool families will receive a copy of the phone list. This class list can be

helpful for arranging play dates or preparing party invitations.

* Please do not pass out party invitations at school unless you are inviting all of the children in the class. This

avoids hurt feelings. We appreciate your cooperation.

Toys

Please do not allow your child to bring gum, sharp objects, coins or small or violent toys to preschool. YWCA

cannot be held responsible for toys broken, lost or damaged at preschool.

Your child’s teacher will notify you about times to bring toys for sharing. Comfort toys such as a blanket or

stuffed animal are permitted within reason and based on teacher discretion. Please leave all other toys at

home.

During the School Day Separation Anxiety

For some, this will be the first time your child has been separated from you for any length of time. This may

be a stressful time for you and your child. Even some returning students may experience a little separation

anxiety at the beginning of the year. Try to establish a routine of saying goodbye with your child. Making it

fairly quickly and not drawing the process out will make it easier for all involved. If you are having a problem,

please alert a teacher to help. Usually, if there are tears when you leave, they clear up shortly after you have

left. Please feel free to call us if you wonder how your child is adjusting. We hope to make the transition and

separation as easy as possible.

Home/ School Cooperation

Communication is important to us.

Please notify your child’s teacher if there has been an event or change at home which may affect the child’s

behavior at school.

At least one conference may be scheduled with your child’s teacher in the spring. Additional conferences

may be requested by teachers or parents throughout the school year.

If you have a question or concern about your child, please address the classroom teacher directly; not the

assistants, general YWCA staff or other parents.

Monthly newsletters will be distributed to each class to inform parents of classroom themes, activities and

upcoming events. From time to time there will be sign-up sheets posted in the classrooms for parties, field

trips, conferences and volunteer opportunities.

Mandated Reporting

According to Pennsylvania law, YWCA staff are mandated reporters of child abuse. In situations involving

suspected child abuse, a report must be made to Childline, the statewide child abuse reporting system. A

report may also be made to the local Children and Youth Services and/or law enforcement.

Behavior Management

The preschool uses a system of positive reinforcement to promote appropriate, safe and respectful behavior

at school. Teachers set clear, consistent, fair limits for behavior and value students’ mistakes as learning

opportunities. We carefully plan class time, keep to a predictable schedule and redirect inappropriate

behaviors to more acceptable behaviors and activities. Teachers make eye contact and listen when students

talk about their feelings and frustrations. We model appropriate problem solving skills and guide students to

resolve conflicts peacefully. Appropriate behavior is acknowledged and praised. For inappropriate behavior,

we use warnings and provide choices and as a last resort, we use “taking a break” (usually 2-4 minutes). We

then talk with the student to make sure he/she understands what to do and why. For some behaviors that

could cause physical harm, we may have to increase the volume of our voices , especially if we are across the

room. The classroom is often humming with activity and we may need to quickly get a child’s attention if he/

she is putting him/herself or another child in danger. If methods of guiding a child’s behavior have been

unsuccessful and the child’s behavior escalates to threaten the well being of others, YWCA reserves the right

to call parents to remove the child for the remainder of the day.

If your child requires additional assistance from a visiting therapist or teacher, arrangements will need to be

made in advance and a copy of their photo ID and clearances will be kept on file. Please call the front desk

to let us know if your child requires these additional services and to make arrangements for the dates that

the visiting therapist may join our classroom.

* If a child’s behavior becomes detrimental to the child or the classroom environment, a behavior report will

be sent home and a request will be made to discuss the situation with the child’s parent. A plan will be

developed to address the behavior. Progress will be monitored and reviewed by the staff and the parents of

the child. If, after all attempts at resolving the behavior have been tried and it is determined that the child’s

needs cannot be met by this program, alternate settings will be considered, including expulsion from this

program.

Adult Conduct

We highly encourage interaction between our preschool families. We are pleased to find that many

friendships develop over the course of the school year. In your daily conversations with each other, please

remember to be respectful and mindful that little ears may be listening and eyes watching. Our language

and behavior should model the values of our school and of YWCA Carlisle. Please take any questions or

concerns about your child directly to the teacher: not the assistants, general YWCA staff or other parents.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Identification and Referral Policy for Children with Special Needs

If a concern about a child is identified by both the teacher and the preschool director, a conference is

arranged with the parents to discuss observations and the special needs of the child.

If the parents and teachers working together are unable to resolve the issue, or if the child’s special needs

are beyond the scope of the YWCA’s program, YWCA will make appropriate referrals. This is done with the

best interests of the students in mind.

Throughout the School Year

Keep Us Informed

Please keep us informed of any change in your child’s health, address, phone number or family situation.

If your child will need a therapist, teacher or other person helping out or observing in the classroom,

arrangements must be made with the preschool director and child's teacher in advance. We will require

clearances and identification for each person. The clearances and identification must be presented at the

front desk and a copy will be made for our files.

We also need to know of any diagnosed allergies. If your child has a diagnosed allergy, you must list this on

the white emergency card provided and kept on file in the front office. A doctor’s form concerning

instructions for dispensing allergy medication, along with the appropriate medication should be submitted to

the front office to be securely stored and accessible in case of emergency. * Please note: We only dispense

medication during school hours in emergency situations in response to symptoms -i.e.: allergic reactions.

Children like to share enjoyable family events, such as a trip, wedding , or visit to grandma, etc. Let us know

so that we can help him/her share it at circle time. Also, stressful times such as a death or illness in the

family or even a difficult morning can be distressing to your child. Please keep us informed, so that we can

give a little extra tender, loving care that day.

Parent Participation

Parent participation is welcomed and encouraged, especially after the first four weeks of school. Please feel

free to discuss with your child’s teacher when you might help with a center, share about your career or

cultural background or read a book to the class. Volunteer forms are also available for parents who wish to

help the preschool on a more regular basis. Clearances need to be filed in our office for regular volunteers

and we can provide resources for getting these forms completed.

Home Reinforcement

We only have your child for a short time and we try to pack a lot of learning into that time frame. However,

some extra reinforcement is sometimes desired. We may occasionally send some take home projects along

with your child. These are optional activities that can be done with your help and are theme-related (often

literacy extensions). Please have fun working with your child on these projects and return the materials to

your child’s teacher.

The United Way Success By Six Calendar is an important resource which provides daily kindergarten

readiness activities you can do with your child. It includes a kindergarten readiness checklist at the back.

This calendar is an excellent resource to assist you in helping your child prepare for kindergarten.

Please do not hesitate to consult your child’s teacher for additional kindergarten readiness ideas.

Fundraisers

Thank you for considering to participate in our fundraisers which help provide new preschool program

materials and supplies, teacher and family training events or materials, and scholarships for students!

Be sure to register your Giant bonus card for the 2018/2019 school year using YWCA

Carlisle’s A+ School Rewards code: 22609.

Please register beginning August 3rd. Every purchase you make from October through March will benefit the

YWCA Preschool. Please go to www.giantfoodstores.com/aplus to register your card. Remember, you can

register to support two schools. It’s a small thing you can do that will help the kids have a great year.

A couple of times a year we may have fundraisers at local restaurants. It is a nice time to dine with other

preschool families (especially if you make plans to meet at the same time). Or we may ask families to

help sell sandwiches, which is easy and helps to raise funds quickly.

Payment of Tuition

A non-refundable registration fee of $25 is required for all preschool classes.

An adult YWCA membership is required at the time of registration for Special Time and Pre-k classes. It

must be kept current while your child is enrolled.

YWCA Carlisle’s school year runs from September through part of May. Should you elect to enroll your

child at the beginning of the year, but not start him/her in the program until later, you will be required to

pay the full tuition to hold your child’s spot in the class.

2018-2019 school year tuition may be broken into nine equal payments due by the 15th of each month

with the first payment due by August 15th and the last payment due by April 15th. The monthly

installments should be paid in full, regardless of the number of classes held each month.

A late pick-up fee may be added to your tuition invoice for students picked up late. YWCA reserves the

right to charge additional fees for late pick-ups. A $1.00 per minute fee may be charged for any pick-up

later than 10 minutes after the end of class time.

Tuition checks should be made out to “YWCA Carlisle” and payments may be submitted at the YWCA

front office from 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday. Payments may also be mailed to 301 G. Street,

Carlisle, PA 17013-1389. If mailing tuition payment, please state child’s name, class and day. Parents

are responsible for any fees incurred by checks returned for insufficient funds.

Termination Policy

YWCA Carlisle reserves the right to revoke the privilege of attendance at this preschool for any student or

family whose needs we deem ourselves unable to meet. This includes but is not limited to severe behavioral

disruptions by a student or his/her family members that cause a detriment to the learning environment and

potentially pose a safety concern to other students and staff.

Families receiving scholarships may experience a forfeiture of financial assistance if they fail to maintain the

terms in the Scholarship Assistance Agreement.

Grievance Procedures

YWCA Carlisle Preschool would like students and their families to have a positive school experience. Please

share any comments, concerns or suggestions with the Preschool Director. If you would like to submit your

comments in writing, you may fill out a “Statement of Concern” form. These are available at the front desk.

Also, you may contact either the Preschool Director or the Executive Director at YWCA Carlisle.

Late Payments

In order to efficiently maintain office records and provide adequate funds to pay our staff, timely tuition

payments are required. It is the parents’ responsibility to remain current on the status of payments and

accounts. If tuition payments are not submitted on time, the following conditions will apply:

LATE PAYMENT AFTER THE 15TH OF THE MONTH: A LETTER WILL BE SENT HOME TO THE PARENTS.

LATE PAYMENT ON/AFTER THE 1ST OF THE NEXT MONTH: $10.00 LATE FEE.

LATE PAYMENT AFTER FOUR WEEKS: A SECOND LETTER WILL BE SENT HOME INDICATING THAT THE

PARENT HAS FIVE BUSINESS DAYS TO MAKE THE PAYMENT OR THE CHILD MAY BE REMOVED FROM

THE CLASS ROSTER.

LATE PAYMENT AFTER TWO MONTHS OR AFTER 4 WEEKS FROM THE LAST PAYMENT DUE DATE: YWCA

RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK PAYMENT THROUGH A COLLECTION AGENCY.

Please note that if your family is experiencing financial stress, YWCA Carlisle may consider establishing an

alternative payment plan. Please call the front office to discuss: (717) 243-3818.

Comments on Proration

If a child is enrolled after the 15th of the month, her/his tuition payment may be pro-rated.

Tuition will not be pro-rated for absences due to illness or family vacations.

If we are unable to schedule a make-up day for inclement weather cancellations, parents will receive

credit on their final invoice.

If a child is withdrawn on or after the 15th of the month, the entire tuition payment is still required.

All Holidays are already accounted for in the price of tuition. Tuition will not be pro-rated for Holidays.

Early Withdrawals

If a child is withdrawn from class, you must notify the Teacher and the Preschool Director at least two

weeks in advance of the withdrawal date.

Parents must fill out a Withdrawal Form at the front desk. The student must be officially withdrawn to

stop the billing cycle.

Parents must pay their tuition account balances at the time of withdrawal.

2018-2019 Preschool Calendar

Mondays & Wednesdays : 9 AM—1 PM (Special Time) Class Begins: Wednesday, September 5

No Class: October 8

No Class: November 19,21 & 26

No Class: December 24,26 & 31

No Class: January 2 & 21

No Class: February 18

No Class: April 22

Last Class: Wednesday, May 8(with the exception of snow make-up days)**

Tuesdays & Thursdays : 9 AM—1 PM (Special Time and Pre-K) Class Begins: Thursday, September 6

No Class: November 20 & 22

No Class: December 25 & 27

No Class: January 1

No Class: February 14 & 21

No Class: March 14

No Class: April 18 & 23

Last Class: Thursday, May 9 (with the exception of snow make-up days)**

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays: 9 AM—1 PM (Special Time and Pre-K) Class Begins: Wednesday, September 5

No Class: October 8

No Class: November 19,21,23 & 26

No Class: December 24,26,28 & 31

No Class: January 2 & 21

No Class: February 15 & 18

No Class: March 15

No Class: April 19 & 22

Last Class: Wednesday, May 10(with the exception of snow make-up days)**

Fridays: 9AM– 1PM (Special Time) Class Begins: Friday, September 7

No Class: November 23

No Class: December 28

No Class: February 15

No Class: March 15

No Class: April 19

Last Class: Friday, May 10 (with the exception of snow make-up days)**

* Calendars may be subject to change and are provided as a guide only.

** Possible snow make-up dates may extend the last day further into the calendar year.

“There is a real sense of community within the preschool and the teachers recognize or know the kids in all of the classes.”

“My son loves it and the teachers are great!”

“We love it here!”

“Great atmosphere, great people, my kids really

enjoy it.”

“Her teachers have gone above and beyond.”

“YWCA is like family!”

-YWCA Preschool Parents 2018