curriculum & policies
Routines/Habits
Sitting together on the carpet
Sitting in chairs/tables
Using the bathroom appropriately
Active participation in group songs, chants, etc.
Eating independently/using utensils properly
Playing appropriately
Becoming comfortable with other adults/being away from Mom or Dad
Basic Skills
Listening and following single and multi step directions
Taking turns
Communicating with speaking and gestures
Appropriate conversational skills (asking and answering questions, eye contact, etc)
Sharing materials
Appropriate conversational skills
Independent and group play
Manners
Independent problem solving/conflict resolution
Begin to foster a love of school and learning
Academic Goals
Colors
Shapes
Number/Letter Recognition and beginning formation
Basic phonics
Creative play/Dramatic Play
Story telling
Active listening to stories/read-alouds
Fine/Gross motor skills
Recognizing his/her name in print and speaking
Patterns
Counting/Less & More
Comparing
Songs/Poems
Rhyming
“Reading Readiness” (holding a book properly, turning pages)
Vocabulary/Sight words
Letter strings and recognizing punctuation
POLICIES
Behavior Guidelines
We understand that our Pre-K Prep program serves children who are beginning to learn important life skills and rules/routines. Our goal is to foster appropriate behavior for home and school in all of our students, but understand at times it can be challenging. We will handle any offensive behavior (including biting, hitting, etc) on a case-by-case basis, informing all parents of involved children directly. If disruptive behavior becomes a pattern, we may request a meeting with the child’s parents to address the issues involved and to discuss next steps, if necessary.
Sick/Vacation/Closures
Due to all of our sessions being at capacity, we are unable to offer makeups or refunds for missed classes due to illness or vacation. Please do not bring your child to class if they have had a fever in the last 24 hours or are exhibiting symptoms that indicate sickness (including vomiting, diarrhea, cough or rash, runny nose etc). In the event of inclement weather, we will contact each family to alert them personally. If you are planning to keep your child home for any reason, please let us know in advance. There are three built in emergency days throughout the year in which TLPC may close down, if necessary. Make up days are not offered for these days if used. Parents/Guardians will be contacted prior to any emergency closure via email.
Drop Off
Drop off is at 8:55/9am each morning. All children must be walked into the facility by parent or caregiver and sign child in with staff member or teacher. Strollers must remain outside due to limited space and the fire hazard they will cause in entryway.
Pick Up
Pick up is at 12pm each day. For safety reasons, we will only release children directly to primary caregiver as noted by parents/guardian on information forms. Adults will need to come into the Pre K Prep room and sign each child out personally. This will allow staff/teachers to safely hand each child off to parent/guardian. In the event that another adult will be picking up a child, the teacher must be notified ahead of time to ensure a safe handoff in writing via email. Proper identification is required for your child to be released.
Allergy/Snacks
Please send your son or daughter with a snack and water bottle each day. Although each child does have his/her own cubby, please label your items with your child’s name if possible. TLPC is a nut-free facility so please be sure all snacks from home are nut-free. We encourage families to send their children with a snack that they enjoy and that is not a choking hazard. As a reminder, all parents/guardians must notify the staff at TLPC of any food or other allergies on information page. If your child has/uses an EpiPen or other medication, please provide a note from your doctor giving consent to a teacher to use the medication if necessary and be sure medication is labeled and provided daily.
Clothing
Every student needs an extra set of clothes including: top, bottoms, socks, underwear (if potty trained) clearly labeled. This will remain in their cubby until needed. We suggest sending in a smock or larger overshirt for art projects, etc. if you’d prefer. If your child is not yet potty trained, please provide TLPC with the pull ups/diapers/wipes you would like us to use for him/her. Please send in a labeled ziploc bag and we will keep them separate for each child.
Pictures/Communication
We will be using an app on our phones to keep in touch with you and send pictures throughout the week. Instructions for using this app will be provided at Orientation. If you would prefer to opt out of this, please let your teacher or staff member know.
COVID-19 Updates and Policies (if deemed necessary at any point)
-Children should be dropped off outside of TLPC and Teacher will take children inside
-Daily screening of students for symptoms before they come to school by parents/guardians
-Hand sanitizer used as children enter TLPC and continued hand washing throughout the day
-Class sizes are small and intimate
-Staff will wear gloves when manipulating food or changing diapers.
-All children and staff will wear socks
-Put toys in a bin to later be sanitized after children play with them
-Cleaning to be administered throughout the day (doorknobs, light switches, furniture, toys, and other objects – Sanitize ‘high touch’ objects every hour).
-Disinfect space and toys daily after school hours