An Independent Preschool and Child Care Program

An Independent Preschool and Child Care Program

for children ages two through prekindergarten.

PARENT

HANDBOOK
WELCOME TO DAVENPORT PRESCHOOL!

Davenport Preschool was founded in 2013, by Liz Harlan. Davenport considers its entire faculty, parents, and children to be part of a large family and we do our best at all times to care and support each other in that manner. We welcome our parents to the Davenport family and look forward to fostering a lasting relationship.

This handbook is designed to inform parents of the policies and procedures of our school. Please contact the office if you have any questions.

Table of Contents

Philosophy / 3
Programs
Behavior Management Philosophy
Special Needs / 3
3
4
Class Sizes and Ratios / 4
Hours of Operation & Schedules / 4
Additional Days / 4
Sample Classroom Schedule / 5
School Calendar / 6
Summer Schedules and Summer Camp / 7
Gradual Entry Program for New Students / 7
Admission and Reenrollment Procedure
Tuition / 8
9
Late and Non-Payment / 9
Financial Assistance / 9
Required Forms / 10
Withdrawal / 10
Drop-off & Pick-up / 10
Late Pick-Up (After 5:35pm) / 11
Snacks & Meals / 11
Allergies/ Medications / 11
Illness & Minor Injury / 12
Toilet Training / 12
Supplies / 12
Outdoor Play / 13
Communication / 13
Faculty / 13
Parent Involvement / 13
Parent Teacher Conferences / 14
Events / 14
Security / 15
School Closures/ Inclement Weather / 15
Licensing and Affiliations / 15

Philosophy

Davenport Preschool strives to nurture and educate each child as if they were our own. We partner with the parents to learn their child’s unique personality, strengths and needs. Our goal is to empower parents with the knowledge and resources to reinforce the skills their child will need to be successful socially, emotionally, and academically in their future elementary school environments.

Programs

Twos- Our two-year-old classes are divided based on the child’s age. There is no specific cut off age for either class; the division (younger or older) is based on the pool of applicants each year. Each classroom will have a combination of children with two day, three day and five day a week schedules. Younger twos and older twos have a wider range of expressive and receptive language skills; therefore communication and social skills are the primary focus of our two year old program. Dividing the children in the twos by age best meets the developmental and academic needs of the children.

Threes- Our three-year-old program is primarily divided by schedule, not by age. The goal is to have three separate sections of threes: one Tu/Th, one M/W/F and two five days a week. Typically by the time children are three years of age and older their language skills are more universally compatible. Our three-year-old curriculum contains more themes and lessons that continue from one day to the next making the need for a more consistent schedule and attendance.

Pre-K- Our pre-kindergarten children are divided based on each child’s developmental strengths and needs, rather than skill level or age. Students are strategically placed with the faculty member who will best challenge and nurture each child’s learning style and social/emotional development needs as they prepare for kindergarten.

Children with early fall birthdays (September and October) will initially be placed in the class of the age that they are as of September 1st. For example, if a child does not turn 4 until September 20th, he/she will be placed in a three-year-old class for the fall. If a family would like to request a different placement, a conference must be scheduled with the director and the child’s teacher.de.

Children with late summer birthdays(June-August) will be observed and evaluated in January/ February by theirteachers and the director to ensure that they are ready to proceed to the next level. There are options for children to have an additional year as needed. A conference with the parents, teachers, and the director will be held prior to re-enrollment for the following year. Initial recommendations may come from either parents or faculty. All recommendations and decisions must be approved by the director before any final placements are made.

Behavior Management Philosophy

One goal of early childhood education is the gradual acquisition of social skills and self-control. Children can be helped to acquire these skills through encouragement and positive reinforcement on the part of adults and through careful classroom management by the teacher.

Davenport Preschool implements the positive strategies taught through “1-2-3 Magic” throughout all aspects of our program. All faculty members are trained annually on its gentle and consistent methods. All new parents are instructed on the program during our first “New Parent Night” to facilitate a team approach between home and school. You can learn more specifics about the program by going to the website

If, for any reason, we are unable to correct any negative behaviors within the classroom environment, the child will be removed to an administrator’s office. Should this happen, the parents will be informed as the incident is occurring or as a follow up discussion. If this happens repeatedly, the parents will be called in for a conference to discuss how we can all work together to better accommodate the child. If a child should have many incidents of dangerous or antisocial behavior, and there have been many parent-teacher-director conferences, the child may have to be removed from our program. Every effort will be made to avoid this situation.

Special Needs

Although it is often hard to know if your child has special needs before they enter our program at age two, we must be made aware of any concerns that are present before enrollment to make sure we are able to provide the best care possible for the child. If special needs are detected while the child is in our care, we will work together with the family and any resource providers to help meet the child’s needs and to determine if Davenport is the best environment for the child.

While we welcome children with various developmental delays in our program, we do not have enough resources to provide consistent one-on-one assistance if required. If this becomes a necessity, and permanent outside help cannot be brought into the classroom, Davenport will help the family as much as possible to seek care that best meets the needs of the child.

Class Sizes and Ratios

Class sizes vary by year. Typically, Davenport will maintain eight preschool classrooms. In accordance with the Maryland State regulations, teacher to student ratio will not exceed 1:6 for two year olds, and 1:10 for 3 year olds and Pre-Kindergarten. In addition to the faculty within each classroom, there are additional staff on hand to assist as needed.

AGE / # of CLASSES / MAX # of Students / # Teachers per Class
Two / 2 / 12 / 2
Three / 3 / 16 / 2
Pre-Kindergarten / 3 / 18 / 2

Hours of Operation & Schedules

Davenport Preschoolis open Monday - Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm. Children in the two-year old and three-year-old programs can be enrolled on a two day (Tu, Th), three day (M, W, F), or five day a week schedule. They may attend school until 12:30pm (pre-school morning plus lunch) or all day. Children enrolled in pre-kindergarten must attend five days per week, but they have the option of attending whole days or just the morning portion.

Additional Days

You must call in advance if you would like your child to attend an additional day that is not a part of their regular schedule. If there is room available then they may attend for a flat fee of $50 dollar per day. The fee must be paid to the office the morning of the day your child will be attending.

Sample Classroom Schedule – FULL-TIME Three Year Old Classroom

TIME / MONDAY / TUESDAY / WED. / THURS. / FRIDAY
7:30-8:20 / / Open Arrival – INDOOR Play /
8:25-8:45 / / Open Arrival – OUTDOOR Play /
8:45-9:00 / / Bathroom/ Hand washing /
9:00 – 9:15 / SNACK
9:15-10:00 / CIRCLE TIME– Whole group instruction/lesson of the day (includes language arts, and a rotation of math, social studies, and art related themes)
CENTER TIME– Following the lesson, the children divide into smaller groups to play throughout the classroom. (teacher or child directed)
SMALL GROUP LESSONS– During center time, children are asked to come over in small groups or individually to work on individualized skills or create lesson based projects.
10:00-10:30 / COMMUNITY / GYM / SCIENCE / LIBRARY / MUSIC
10:30-11:00 / / RECESS /
11:00-11:15 / / Bathroom/ Hand washing /
11:15-12:00 / CENTER TIME– Following the lesson, the children divide into smaller groups to play throughout the classroom. (teacher or child directed)
SMALL GROUP LESSONS– During center time, children are asked to come over in small groups or individually to work on individualized skills or create lesson based projects.
12:00-12:30 / LUNCH / LUNCH / LUNCH
Sent from home / LUNCH / LUNCH
PRESCHOOL MORNING ENDS
12:30-1:00 / / RECESS /
1:00–1:15 / / Bathroom/ Hand washing /
1:15-1:30 / QUIET BOOKS or READ ALOUD STORY TIME
1:30–3:00 / / REST /
3:00–3:30 / / Bathroom/ Hand washing/SNACK /
3:30-5:30 / AFTERNOON DISMISSAL/PICK UP BEGINS
3:30 – 4:15 – OUTSIDE Playground Time
4:15 - 4:45 – Indoor playtime in the hall
4:45-5:20 – OUTSIDE Playground Time
5:20–5:30 – Pack up and Pick up

ACCOMODATING PART-TIME SCHEDULES– Children in the twos and in the threes who attend Tu/Th or M/W/F have an “A WEEK” and a “B WEEK”. The rotating schedules allow for a specials to be on different days each week so the children still get to participate in all the “specials” on an every other week basis. Part-time children do not attend Gym.

AGE GROUP VARIATIONS–

• Twos – Specials are typically first at 9:30am and recess is right before lunch at 11:15am. The twos start their quiet time right at 12:30pm and typically sleep all the way until 3:00pm.
• Pre-K– At 8:20am, the pre-k children go to their classrooms and have free play. They have the first recess time at 9:30am. Pre-k has two “circle times” – beginning at 9am with a “Morning Meeting” (announcement and daily jobs/routines). Their main lesson time takes place at 10:15 when they come in from recess. After lunch the pre-k has an extended recess up until 1:30pm, at which point they come in for “quiet time”. From 3:30 - 4:15pm they have free play in their classrooms until they go outside at 4:15pm.

School Calendar

The academic year is from late Augustand runs through the second week in June. The summer program starts in mid-late June and runs through mid- August. The typical school calendar is listed below.

First Day of School (See Gradual Entry Program) / Week BEFORE Labor Day (Same as BCPS)
Labor Day – School CLOSED / First Mon in September
NEW Parents Night(Childcare NOT provided)
Parents Night- All School (Childcare NOT provided) / First week of September
Mid - Late September
FALL Parent Teacher Conference Day – School CLOSED (Childcare provided during conference time only) / Mid- October
Thanksgiving Celebration – School CLOSES at NOON / Wedbefore Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Vacation – Half day Wed, CLOSED Thur & Fri / Late November
Holiday Program – School CLOSES immediately after the performance. / Last day prior to Christmas Vacation
Christmas Vacation – School CLOSED / SAME AS BCPS
Faculty Professional Day – School CLOSED / MLK Day
WINTER Parent Teacher Conference Day- School CLOSED
(Childcare provided during conference time only) / President’s Day
Easter and Spring Break – School CLOSED / SAME AS BCPS
Memorial Day – School CLOSED / End of May
Family Fun Day/ Last day of school, before summer program begins - School CLOSES at NOON.
Summer Program Prep. – School CLOSED for a WEEK / Second Fri in June
Week after school year ends
Independence Day – School CLOSED / July 4th
Fall Prep – School CLOSED for a WEEK / Second to last week in August

Check the annual school calendar for specific details. Scheduling changes and updates will be posted on the school’s website

Summer Schedules and Summer Camp

We offer a separate enrollment for our summer program, which takes place in February. During that time you can indicate if your child will attend through the end of theregular school year, for the entire month of June, or continue with their regular schedule throughout the summer program. The last three weeks in June serve as a transition period for existing students who are stopping for the summer and for new families that are beginning. We are open our regular hours as we enjoy a more relaxed schedule before we gear up for the summer camp.If your child continues their regular schedule during the fall, they are automatically enrolled in all the summer camp programs.

Beginning around the end of June, Davenport will offer 4 two week long summer camps revolving around the themes of Art, Science, Music and Community. During the summer enrollment process, those families that are choosing to stop their enrollment in June may sign up separately for as many summer camps that they wish for their child to attend. Summer camp enrollment is limited to Monday through Friday full days or half days. There is no two day or three day a week schedules except for those that have chosen to keep their consistent school year schedule throughout the entire summer. Please be aware that the summer curriculum may be consecutive from one day to the next, if your child misses a day some of the projects may not be able to be completed. Once existing Davenport families have had the option to sign up for summer camp, then new families have the option, and then in April enrollment will be open to families outside of the school.

If a child is withdrawing for the summer, but is going to enroll in one of the summer camps, the entire camp tuition is due by June 1st. If a family wishes to withdraw from summer camp, they must provide written notification two weeks in advance of the summer camp start date. With proper notification half of the camp tuition will be returned. Notification received with less than two weeks before the camp start date will result in the forfeit of the entire camp tuition.

Gradual Entry Program for New Students

The gradual entry program for our new twos and threes (not traditionally pre-k) entering the school in the fall is designed to ease each new student comfortably and at their own pace into the classroom environment. Every new two and three year-old student will attend school up until 10am on their first day of school in the fall and the transition will gradually continue on an individual basis. If the child is able to begin interacting in the classroom within that hour, the next day they will be asked to stay for possibly half the day, and then the whole day (if that is the desired schedule). The more children are exposed to play groups and outside care the easier, the quicker their transition will be.

Admission and Reenrollment Procedure

Davenport Preschool offers admission to all children regardless of race, ethnic background, religion, or national origin.

Children must be at least two years of age to attend our program. Before enrolling, all parents and prospective children must meet with the director and have a tour of the facility to ensure that the program best meets the needs of the children. We have an open enrollment policy; children may enter the program at any time during the year provided space is available.

Once a new school year has begun, new student applications for the following school year may be accepted and those families will automatically be placed on a waiting list. (The waitlist is only kept for one year.) New / waitlisted families will not be notified of availability until after existing families and siblings have had an opportunity to enroll. New families will be informed of their enrollment status by February 1st.

All new and existing families are required to submit an application/re-enrollment application with a non-refundable fee each year.

The re-enrollment process for existing students typically begins the second week of January for the following school year, followed by siblings of existing families, and siblings of past Davenport families. All children are guaranteed a spot the following year at their current schedule, with the exception of children entering the pre-kindergarten program. Children entering pre-kindergarten are guaranteed a 5 day a week placement. Families may choose to switch schedules from year to year, but those changes will be addressed on a first come first serve basis once the enrollment process begins.

In order for a student to have preference over students not currently enrolled in Davenport, the re-enrollment form and application fee must be submitted no later than the required January deadline and their tuition balance must be zero. Applications received after the re-enrollment deadline will NOT be given any preference over siblings or newly-enrolling families.

Once enrollment for the school year begins, spaces are filled on a first come, first served basis. Davenport cannot hold spaces for students; therefore, if a prospective student will not be starting at Davenport on the available start date (generally the beginning of a school year), in order to ensure the space is available when the student is ready to start, tuition for this gap period must be paid to Davenport even though the child is not yet attending Davenport.