Transportation Plan

The Program does not provide any type of transportation to and from the program. Parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from the Program. Parents are also responsible for bringing their child to the classroom at drop off time and for picking up their child from the classroom or garden gate at pick up time.

If a teacher is planning a field trip with the class, a note will be sent home with a permission slip. Since not all the teachers drive on field trips, parents will be asked to drive and/or a bus company will be contacted to provide transportation.

Arrival and Dismissal
When arriving at school, parents should park in designated spaces in the parking lot and walk their child to their classrooms. For dismissal, parents should pick their children up inside or weather permitting at the playground gate. Please observe the direction of the traffic in the parking lot.

Carpools
We are eager to see the formation of as many carpools as possible. For your child’s protection, we will not release any child to someone other than a parent in the absence of a written authorization. Please avoid any inconvenience by providing us with the proper authorization ahead of time. Pickup permission forms need to be on file.

Absentee Policy

We request that any day that your child does not attend our program you inform your child's teacher or the Director by telephone call or e-mail message. The Program's tuition is based on the school year therefore refunds or makeup days are not given for absenteeism. The same NO Refund policy is applied when families take vacation time during the program year or any days cancelled due to snow, inclement weather or emergencies.

Late Policy

The Program is open from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Families are expected to pick up their child by the designated time as stated in the program's hours of class enrollment to maintain compliance with DCYF licensing and to respect the schedules of our staff and the welfare of the children placed in our care. If a parent or person responsible for picking up a child arrives after their designated time, the staff member in charge of staying with your child will verify and document the time of your arrival. If you arrive after your scheduled pick up time, you will be charged $10 for any portion of the first 10 minutes. You will then be charged an additional $10 for any portion of each 10 minute block of time thereafter.

We hope that all parents establish some form of emergency back up procedure so that this policy need not be enforced. Please note that a waiver of this fee will only be granted in extreme emergency situations and is at the discretion of the Director only.

Snacks and Lunch
Families take turns providing simple, nutritious snacks for their child’s class. Snack routines may vary between classrooms and teachers from year to year. Always check with your child’s teacher with regard to the snack procedure.
If your child is enrolled in the full day program you will need to pack your child a lunch. Please pack well-balanced nutritional meals, excluding candy and other highly sugared foods with excessive quantities of additives and preservatives. If possible, avoid foods that need to be micro waved or refrigerated. Send food items in a lunch box labeled with your child’s name. Lunch boxes are kept at your child's coat hook so that your child may learn to become independent at helping him/herself.
Due to the number of nut allergies in children, please note that we are a nut free program!
Suggested Snack and Lunch Items:
Slices of hearty bread (rye, pumpernickel, oat, zucchini, etc.); Bagels, Bagel chips, Rice, Crackers
Slices of vegetables, raw, cooked, pickled-all kinds (carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber slices, string beans, baby corn, cherry tomatoes, peas, beets)
Slices of fruit, all kinds (avocado, apple, pear, banana, orange, tangerine, peach, plum, grapes, grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries); Dried fruit (dates, apricots, mangoes, papaya, figs, raisins)
Slices of cheese, Boiled eggs, Deli meats
Pitted olives, Pickles

Items to be kept at School
Each child must keep a complete set of clothing at school. Each item must be labeled with the child's name and placed in a large ziplock bag which is then kept in a canvass tote bag. Bags are sent home weekly for laundering and restocking. Each child should also keep a pair of properly fitting ballet slippers for indoor use at the school.
Each child enrolled in the full day program must keep a large crib sized sheet and blanket at school for naps. The sheet and blanket are sent home every Friday for laundering.
CHILDREN IN THE PREPRIMARY CLASS MUST BE TOILET TRAINED.
If your child is enrolled in the toddler program and is not yet toilet trained, then a supply of diapers, baby wipes, and a hand-sized towel for diaper changes must also be kept at school.

Dress
Play clothes that are comfortable and appropriate are encouraged. As it is our aim to foster the children's independence, we strongly suggest shoes with Velcro tabs and trousers with an elastic waist and no belts! For the purpose of safety, jewelry is prohibited.

Television
Like driving, TV may be an accepted part of daily life but not appropriate for young children. Angel Care Montessori strongly advises postponing TV watching* until a child is more mature. This delay is vital to your child’s success in the learning environment provided at Angel Care Montessori.
* In today’s world ‘TV’ is meant to encompass all screen time i.e. computer games, videos, x-box, etc.

Items to Keep at Home
The program emphasizes cognitive and social skills. Toys from home distract in many ways from the carefully prepared environment and purpose of the program. It is assumed that your child has many opportunities to play with their abundance of toys when they are home. Therefore we ask that all toys remain at home and not in the classroom. Please negotiate parting with a toy before it arrives at school so as to avoid starting your child off in a disagreeable emotional state. The following items should remain at home to help maintain classroom safety and management by the teachers.
1. Bottles. Instead send a thermos and drinking cup.
2. Pacifiers. Pacifiers in this environment are not considered to be hygienic and they get in the way of learning.
3. Toys- including board games, videos, etc.
4. Backpacks
5. Umbrellas
6. Jewelry (rings, bracelets, necklaces)
7. Hair clips, bands, pins, etc. These items never stay in the hair and are a distraction. Instead, make sure your child has a proper hair cut maintaining the hair out of the face.
 
Birthdays
Montessori birthday celebrations are a very special way to focus on your child. In celebration of a child’s birthday, we will celebrate in traditional Montessori style where children learn and review the planetary rotation of the earth and the sun and the months of the year from the time they were born up to their present age. It is Montessori tradition that the birthday child presents the classroom with a book in honor of his/her birthday.
Children may enjoy having a birthday snack at school and parents are invited to provide a special snack for their child’s celebration. Skewers of fruit, mini muffins or carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that are decorated with raisins are popular healthy birthday choices. We ask that parents refrain from high sugar choices. Please check with your child’s teacher if your child has a birthday coming up.
If you are planning a home party for your child, please do not hand out invitations in school unless inviting everyone so as to avoid hurt feelings and sad children. Likewise, if your child is attending a party after school, please do not send gifts to school with your child.

Gifts
It has been a tradition for the children to present their class with a book for the classroom library to celebrate their birthdays. This begins to enable children to learn the value and pleasure of giving rather than just receiving. Parents wishing to participate in this tradition should inscribe the book with the child’s name and birth date and the number birthday the child is celebrating. You may want to consult your child’s teacher as to the choice of books.
At holiday time, the teachers ask that parents do not give them personal gifts, but give their classrooms a gift instead. They are all very willing to come up with suggestions. Parents may also wish to pool their resources to purchase a group gift of a Montessori material/activity for the benefit of the classroom.

Holidays
Holidays are celebrated in each environment according to the discretion of the classroom teacher.

Mother’s Day Tea (The Social Event of the Year)
Every child bakes and prepares well in advance for this annual event. Mothers are invited to share tea and pastries with their children in this special celebration.
 
Parent Observations
Parents may visit their children’s classrooms anytime while your child is present. However, if you require or would like special attention on this day, we recommend that you make arrangements with your child's teacher so that we do not have too many adults visiting at one time.

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are held once each semester however, parents or teachers may schedule conferences at any given time throughout the year upon request.

EACH SEMESTER PARENTS ARE REQUESTED TO ATTEND ORIENTATION AND PARENT NIGHTS BEFORE P/T CONFERENCES WILL BE SCHEDULED. PARENTS WHO MISS AN ORIENTATION OR A PARENT NIGHT  MAY NOT HAVE THE BENEFIT OF BEING FULLY INFORMED FOR A TRULY BENEFICIAL P/T CONFERENCE TO TAKE PLACE.

Please appreciate that your child’s teacher is managing and caring for a group of children. Please do not enter into “mini-conferences” with your child’s teacher at arrival and dismissal times; instead, schedule a more appropriate time to speak outside of classroom time.

Parent Volunteerism

Children share their time between home and school, and we are partners in their growth and development. We encourage you to be involved in their school experience. If you can, we urge you to participate with their field trips, assist as classroom helpers, and/or bring in a special talent or knowledge that you have. Each classroom teaching team will send out information when they need extra help.

 
Health and Safety Policies
Immunization and other medical records:
Each child’s health and safety is of extreme importance. Upon enrollment, each parent must provide:
1. Proof of immunization;
2. Physician’s signed health form;
3. Tuberculin test results;
4. Complete medical history, including any allergies, medications required, and other special medical conditions.
All children must comply with the Department of Health Services regulations with regard to physical exams and inoculations.
The forms to comply with the above State requirements are sent in the orientation packet before the start of school.
 
Medication Policy:
All medication* must be brought into the program in the original container, clearly stating the physician's name, the child's name, the dosage and the precise directions for its administration. A parental consent form must be signed by the parent. Non-prescription medication such as Tylenol, Benadryl, etc. must have a note from your physician. Because sunscreen and most other topical creams, gels and ointments are considered medication by DCYF, these, too, require medication release forms (available at the Program office.)

Although care will be taken to try and accommodate parent request in this regard, teachers will not be responsible for the dispensing of over the counter medication. If your child requires medication then it is deemed that your child is too sick to be in school and should remain home until medication is no longer required for his or her health.

However, special Medication will be dispensed provided that:
1. It is in prescription form, properly dated and labeled.
2. Parent/legal guardian and physician written authorization is received which includes the dosage, instructions for dispensing, parent/legal guardian and physician signature and date.

At the end of each day, it is the parent's (or designated responsible adult's) responsibility to claim the medication. Medicine will not be placed in a child's bag, lunch or cubby.

*EPI-pens will be kept in a secure place in each classroom.
 
Medical Emergencies:
In the event of a medical emergency, accident or sudden onset of illness, the School will seek proper care for a child. The child’s individual emergency instructions on file in the school office are consulted immediately and the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) are called. If the parents/guardians can not be reached, the school will then attempt to contact the individual indicated on the emergency treatment authorization form. The person listed on this form should be local and available for emergency calls. If immediate emergency treatment is required, your child will be taken to the nearest emergency medical treatment center or hospital, unless you have instructed otherwise in writing. The consent statement that is kept on file will accompany the child so that treatment can be given immediately in the absence of the parent. It is IMPERATIVE that you keep the emergency contact information in the office up-to-date.
Parents are responsible for any charges incurred in the above.

Minor Accidents:
All minor accidents that are treated at the school are recorded in a daily medical logbook. Parents are advised of any minor accidents each day.

Illness:

The Program does not have the facilities to care for sick children. In general, your child should be kept home if a parent feels that his/her child should not go outdoors; if your child requires individual and specialized attention; and/or if your child's illness is infectious. Included in these parameters are conditions such as diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc. For contagious illness, a signed and dated statement from your pediatrician will be needed stating when it is safe for your child to return to the Program and any medical instructions.

Occasionally a child arrives at school with a high temperature, heavily congested, coughing or with an undetermined rash or medication. This not only affects the child’s regular behavior (e.g. sleepiness, hyperactivity, clingingness, etc.) but also puts other children’s health at risk through infection.

Please do not send your child to school if they are not feeling well; instead, make an appointment to see the Doctor. Also please inform us of any illness especially if your child has contracted a contagious disease so that other parents may be informed.

Angel Care reserves the right to temporarily deny any child admittance to the program for reasons of obvious illness, or to request early departure should symptoms become apparent during the course of the day. This is to ensure the continued good health of everyone at the program.

 
When To Keep Your Child Home:
The Program follows the Rhode Island Department of Health recommendations for appropriate action for illness. In order to protect your child and the other children enrolled, children will not be admitted in the morning, or allowed to stay in school, if it is felt that they are too sick or contagious to others. The Staff will call and ask you to pick up your child as soon as possible for any of the reasons listed below. Please DO NOT send your child to school if any of the following mentioned symptoms are present:

1. Fever. A temperature of 100 or above auxilary: Please Note: your child cannot attend school for on full calendar day after s/he has had a temperature of 100 or above. For example: If your child has a fever, diarrhea or vomiting anytime on Monday, s/he may not return to the program until Wednesday, providing s/he is symptom free.
2. Diarrhea (in the last 24 hour period-- see above note)
3. Vomiting (in the last 24 hour period-- see above note)
4. Any suspicion of a contagious disease or condition such as: conjunctivitis, impetigo, strep throat, head lice, pin worms, and/or an undiagnosed rashes.
5. A cold with fever, sneezing, heavy and/or persistent cough, or nasal drainage. For example: If your child has discharge of discolored or profuse amounts of mucous from the nose, your child should stay home until the mucus has cleared up.
6. If your child is not well enough to participate fully in all activities.
7. An eye, ear or throat infection. If your pediatrician diagnoses any of these problems and gives your child an antibiotic, your child should be kept at home until s/he has been on the medication for a full calendar day. For example, see above.

The above-mentioned symptoms usually indicate a contagious condition. Please be considerate of the other children and parents (and teachers!) in the program. If a severe cold/flu epidemic breaks out, the school WILL shut down for three to five days until the infectious period has past. Children who have been ill may return to school if they show none of the above symptoms and:
1. if an antibiotic has been prescribed, they have been on that medication for at least the preceding 48 hours;
2. if exposed to a communicable disease, the incubation period has passed and we receive a physician’s note that the child is no longer contagious;
3. if out for more than five consecutive days or more due to illness, we receive a physicians note that the child may return to school.

Should your child develop symptoms of illness while at our Program, a staff member will place a call to the parents informing them of their child's condition and requesting that they be picked up. If we are unable to contact either of the child's parents, we will contact the next person listed on the child's Emergency Release Form until we can contact someone who can come a pick up the child.

Health Care Policy and Implementation

The Program staff is well aware of the difficulties that working parents encounter when it is necessary to keep a child home from school. However, one of the Program's goals is to provide a healthy and safe environment for all children. The health and well being of all must be considered and protected. For some children, this will be their first time being exposed to the many germs of the world. In a group situation like this one, it is inevitable that there will be illnesses and both children and staff will get sick. We realize that staying home with a sick child may feel like it is defeating the purpose of your need for using the school as your childcare-- the need to go to work. Please understand that the staff can, at best, offer you advice and sympathy. As much as we would like to help you further, we cannot endanger the health of the other children by allowing your child to stay in school when s/he is contagious. We strongly suggest that you have backup people ready in the event that your child needs to stay home and you need to work.

First Aid

All teaching staff at Angel Care Montessori is trained in emergency first aid procedures. If care is provided to a child by a teacher, the teacher will notify the parents, in writing, of the injury and the first aid administered. If the staff feels it is necessary, a phone call will be made to the parents to inform them of the nature of the injury and the first aid administered.

Withdrawal Policy

No refund or credits will be given for withdrawal from the program.

Suspension Policy

A child may be suspended from the program if that child exhibits repeated or patterned behavior that puts him or herself, another child or teacher at risk.

Parents will be notified of behavior and staff will work with parents to decrease behavior prior to suspension.

If attempts to decrease behavior fail, parents will be informed. A timely, yet planned two-three day up to a ten day "time off" may occur.

Some behaviors that warrant an immediate "time off" may include but are not limited to: hitting, biting, kicking, uncontrolled running in the classroom and disruption of the classroom through unacceptable social behaviors such as yelling, swearing, throwing, and not respecting the work of other children.

Termination Policy

A child may be terminated from the program if that child exhibits repeated or patterned behavior that puts him or herself, another child or teacher at risk if such behavior shows no sign of decreasing, for nonpayment of tuition, and/or not adhering to the policies of the Montessori program.

Parents will be notified in writing and all attempts will be made to resolve the issues prior to termination.

If termination is then indicated, parents will be given written documentation from the Director and provided with referrals to other services. The child will be prepared for termination consistent with his/her ability to understand.

Behavior Management Plan

Staff use positive techniques of guidance, redirection, anticipation of and elimination of potential problems, and encouragement of appropriate behavior rather than competition, comparison or criticism. Consistent, clear rules are developed in conjunction with children and are discussed with them to help the children understand. When appropriate, staff describes the situation to encourage children's evaluation of the problem rather than impose the solution. Staff do not force children to apologize or explain their behavior but help children recognize another child's feelings. Guidance techniques are non-punitive and are accompanied by rational explanations of expectations. Limits are set for children but the environment is arranged so that a minimal number of "no's" are necessary.  "Time out" (for 1-3) minutes may be used as a last resort.

The program prohibits:

Spanking or other corporal punishment of children

Subjecting children to cruel or severe punishment such as humiliation, verbal or physical abuse, neglect or abusive treatment

Depriving children of meals or snacks

Force feeding children

Disciplining a child for soiling, wetting or not using the toilet: of forcing a child to remain in soiled clothing or forcing a child to remain on the toilet, or using any other unusual or excessive practices for toileting.

Where appropriate, and feasible, children shall participate in the establishment of such rules, policies and procedures.

Supportive Services for Families

The Angel Care Montessori Program takes a multi-disciplinary approach to work with families determined to be in need of supportive services. The group of professionals within this approach may include Teachers, Directors, Therapists and Mental Health Consultants. The team will work with families with children displaying challenging behavior, developmental delays and emotional issues.

Referral Policy

If any staff member has a concern about a certain child, s/he will discuss with the Lead Teacher in the classroom, who will in turn discuss it with the Director. At the same time, the Lead Teacher will begin documentation in the class and review the child's record. The Director will also come into the classroom to observe said child. If the concern is validated by the Director, the Director will proceed to notify the parents to schedule a meeting in person. At this meeting, the Director will provide the parents a written statement including the reason for recommending a referral for additional services, a brief summary of the Program's observation related to the referral and any efforts the Program may have made to accommodate the child's needs. The Director will then suggest the most appropriate resource available.