Clothing
As Preschool is a messy place, your child should be dressed in clothes that can get paint, glue, etc., on them. Through experience, we have found that wearing smocks usually ends up getting even more paint on the chid. The clothes should allow your child to move freely and comfortably. We want children to have the freedom to explore and create. Please encourage your child to wear running shoes as we do gross motor activities each day.
Also, please send your child with an extra change of clothes (pants, shirt, socks, undies) in case of bathroom accidents, water splashes and paint explosions! It is best to put this at the bottom of their knapsack. You will need to bring the knapsack back and forth to school as we are not able to provide storage.
It has also been found that children’s body temperatures fluctuate throughout the day depending on the amount of physical activity they are doing. We ask that you send your child to school with layers of clothing so that they can add or remove as they feel is necessary to enable them to feel comfortable. Please also dress your child accordingly to meet the weather outside, this would include sending boots, rain coats, gloves, hats, sunscreen, etc., when the weather calls for such items.
Finally, we ask that All items be clearly marked with the child’s name especially boots, shoes, coats, and change of clothes.
Play Dates
If your child has arranged a Play Date after school and we were not notified at drop-off then we will ask that the Play Date Family and your child wait while we contact there parent(s) to confirm such arrangment.
Visitors
Parents are the most frequent visitors, whether it is for a parent helper day or as a learning experience for the children, such as sharing a specific hobby. As well, students from local schools or colleges may come as volunteers or to observe a class. Observations for specific children will not be permitted without signed consent from the parent before the observation. Parents will also be informed of any visitors prior to their arrival.
Our community health nurse as well as other professionals in the field of Early Childhood Development may attend the program as well (i.e. speech pathologists, occupational therapists). Our licensing officer often makes visits to ensure the quality and safety of our program.
Items from Home / Show & Tell
Unless it is your child’s Show & Tell day, we ask that children refrain from bringing toys or electronic equipment from home unless it is necessary (such as communication devices). Items from home can get lost, broken or soiled. It may also cause issues around sharing and ownership. IF your child does happen to get the Show & Tell bag, we encourage them to bring an item from home that supports our learning at school, so something that relates to our monthly themes. Thank you for your cooperation.
Field Trips
Field trips are an important part of the preschool program. We believe it is beneficial for children to participate in excursions to provide contact with many different experiences and people in our community. The frequency of the trips depends on how many days he/she attends. Parents are requested to sign a parental consent form before any child is taken on a field trip.
Our policy on parent drivers states that parents are responsible for driving their own child to and from the field trip destination or for finding their own rides. The preschool staff will not be organizing parent drivers. We will ensure you have a class list with phone numbers to aid in arranging rides.
Generally we appreciate and encourage parent participation on field trips, so if you are unable to attend, please let the teachers know.
Water, Snack & Lunch
Each child should bring a snack and lunch to each class. Snack’s should contain two or three items. We suggest healthy items like fruit, veggies, cheese, crackers, yoghurt etc. Please refrain from sending chips, candy, pop or other “junk food”. Remember that C&S Preschool is a peanut restricted zone. Please send your child with a labelled water bottle or cup- we do not allow juice or milk while at school. The reasons for this choice are plentiful including dental health, less messy and good general health practice.
For the safety of the child we also ask that small food items such as grapes or hotdogs be cut up. Thank you for your cooperation.
Fundraising
From time to time we will need you to participate in fundraising activities for various reasons. You will be given ample notice of the event of activity used to raise the funds. You will either be given a choice to participate in the event/activity or donate by way of cheque if you do not wish to participate or have the time to volunteer ie: Frozen Food Fundrasier, or Food Drive.
Birthdays & Celebrations
We are a non-denominational preschool. However, we like to expose children to different cultures and holidays. We celebrate most major holidays and are always open to parents sharing something new. Please feel free to come into class and share your culture.
Birthdays are celebrated with a song and a sticker from the teachers. If you would like to bring in a treat for your child, please send cookies or small cupcakes. We have found cake, large cupcakes etc. are too messy and many parents do not want their child eating a huge sweet. Please make sure there are enough treats for everyone and that the product contains no nuts. If your child is having a birthday party and you wish to invite some of the children, this needs to be done outside the classroom so as to avoid any hurt feelings if you are not inviting the whole class. Please don’t ask the staff to distribute invitations.
Communication and Contact Information
If your child is going to be away for any reason, please call 604-946-4060 to inform us. Communication is mostly done through e-mail (cschildcareinc@gmail.com). E-mail is our main source of communication with families. We send out our monthly newsletters, updates, changes and reminders via e-mail. There is also a parent board inside the classroom that may have important information posted for time to time. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/cschildcareinc
Please ensure that we have your current information up to date as well, so if your work number or cell phone number changes please notify us immediately.