Dear Parents,
Welcome to Faith Kids Preschool. We strive to provide a loving, Christian atmosphere where children are given many opportunities to explore, to grow and develop physically, emotionally and spiritually.
We look forward to getting to know you and your child. We want to create an environment where children feel loved and special for their uniqueness, and have a supportive relationship between the parents and staff.
As the director of Faith Kids Preschool I would like to personally say what a privilege it is to work with each of your children. Our program strives for high standards of excellence but it can’t be reached without your prayers and support. Thank you for partnering with us.
Blessings,
Louise Reed
Mission Statement
To nurture the whole child spiritually, emotionally, socially and cognitively.
To let the child explore, experiment, imitate and question all in a Christian hands-on learning environment.
Your child will know the love God has for them and will share and celebrate this.
Our Program
Faith Kids believes children learn by doing, with that in mind classrooms are designed with centers that contain materials that promote growth in sensory skills, fine and gross motor skills, language and mathematic skills, the social sciences and creative expression. The children are free to follow their own interests, interact with other children and be self-directed.
Our teachers are experienced and committed to providing a quality program for the children. Teachers will develop warm and loving relationships with the children providing a sense of security and trust.
Once a week the children will experience music and movement and Chapel time. Faith Kids is a Ministry of Faith United Methodist Church and together with our Children’s Director the children are taught Christian values through stories, songs and Scripture.
Special theme days relating to the seasons and holidays are integrated through the year, as well as enjoying visits from special guests.
CLASS RATIOS (Children: Teachers)
Toddlers8:2
Twos9:2
Threes12:2
Fours12:2
Program Operating Schedule
Faith Kids operates within a traditional nine month school calendar. Our students do not attend class during the summer months. Faith Kids observes all CISD holidays.
Inclement Weather
Faith Kids will be cancelled if the Conroe Independent School District cancels school due to weather. Parents will be contacted immediately if an unsafe condition arises when children are at school and need to be picked up. In the instance that CISD returns and there are any unsafe conditions at our school, we will not reopen until we feel it is appropriate to have the children return to the building. Inclement weather days will not be made up.
Holidays
Faith Kids observes the holiday schedule of CISD with the exception of 2 teacher workdays. There will be no school for CISD early release holiday.
Admission
Faith Kids Preschool does not discriminate against a child because of race, color, sex, national origin or creed. Enrollment is open to children who are at least 18 months of age by September 1st of the current school year. Admission is based on availability of space, and enrollment is for the full school year.
Before a child’s first day of attendance the following must be on file with the preschool office:
- Registration Form
- Identification/Emergency Information Form – notarized
- Physician signed Health Statement & Immunization Records
- Child Information Form
- Statement of Allergies
Registration
Pre-registration for Faith Kids takes place in the early spring. Families currently enrolled in the school may register first, and members of the Faith United Methodist Church have the opportunity to register before the public.
Waiting List
A waiting list will be maintained for those interested in enrollment when space becomes available. No fee is charged to be added to the waitlist. Each waiting list is for one school year only, ending in May.
Policy Changes
Parents will be notified in writing of any policy changes that may occur after this handbook is distributed. Acknowledgement of all such changes must be signed and dated for each family.
Fees
Rates
Faith Kids is a non-profit program. The Fees you pay cover resources, operational expenses and program maintenance. Fees are set to reflect the high quality of early childhood education provided. As in any other school, expenses are constant, which prevents credit or discounts for absence due to illness, in-service days, inclement weather or regularly scheduled holidays.
Registration Fee
A registration fee is due at the time of enrollment and is non-refundable.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition is divided into nine payments. Tuition is due and payable on the first class day of each month. Payment is due by the 5th of each month unless previous arrangements have been made with the Director.
An invoice will be provided upon request. Please make your check payable to Faith United Methodist Church (F.U.M.C.) and place in the Payment Box located in the Church’s Front Office. Do not send tuition checks with your child or make the teachers responsible for handling money.
Supply Fee
A supply fee is collected twice yearly on September 1st and again on January 1st to help defray the cost of supplies used.
Penalties
Any bill outstanding after the 10th of each month will be assessed a $25.00 late fee.
Returned checks will incur a $25.00 fee. Faith Kids reserves the right to request cash or cash equivalent for future payments when a check is returned due to insufficient funds.
Late Pick-up Fee
Faith Kids program begins at 9:00. Children are to be picked up promptly at 2:00pm. Chronic late pickups are charged $1.00 per minute. You are considered late at 2:05 p.m. Chronic is defined as the second tardy or more in the same week or on the fourth occasion in the same four week period. No tardy pickup may be forgiven which was not communicated to the Director prior to the occurrence.
Cancellation of Enrollment
If, in the judgment of the preschool staff, a child shows by his/her participation or development that he/she is not ready for this type of activity, the school reserves the right to request cancellation of the enrollment. In this event, any unused tuition would be refunded. If for other reasons a child is withdrawn by the parents the school requires a two week written notice. If this written notice is not given, Faith Kids reserves the right to charge for the amount of time the child would otherwise be present. If a child is withdrawn during the school year for a short time and plans to return within the same school year, tuition for the missed time must be kept current or the child must re-register based upon space availability.
Classroom Procedures
Arrival Time
Please try to arrive on time so your child can benefit by being able to participate in all of the activities we have planned for the day.
Children should not be brought to class earlier than 9:00 a.m. The staff uses the time before this to prepare the classroom. If a child arrives before 9:00 a.m., the parent must be prepared to supervise the child. Please do not send a child into the school alone or leave a child unattended in a classroom.
Classroom doors will be shut at 9:10. We ask that parents leave the classroom at this time unless volunteering.
Parking
Please park in designated parking spaces and walk your child into the school. Do not leave unattended vehicles in the “Horse Shoe” drive at the front of the Church, or under the covered drive at the East Hall. Under no circumstances should a vehicle be left running, a violation of State Law.
Mid-day Departure
If you are picking up during the school day please let the receptionist know the child’s name and the class. She will call an office staff member to escort your child to the reception area. Please wait and we will hand deliver your child to you.
Afternoon Dismissal
School ends at 2:00 p.m. All children left after 2:10 pm will be taken to the Director’s office. Late pick-up fees will apply.
What to Bring Each Day
A backpack is essential in transporting valuable items and messages home. Please be sure the backpack is large enough to hold all the items coming back and forth to school.
- A packed lunch. No peanut butter or nut products. No items that need to be heated. No colored juices or carbonated drinks. No glass containers.
- Seasonal change of clothes.
- Diapers & Wipes if needed.
- Cup with sipping lid. Water bottle for 3’s and 4’s.
- Nap mat, blanket. Comfort items (blanket, lovie) may be brought for nap time.
Please label all items with your child’s name.
Clothing
Dress your child in clothing that is durable and comfortable. Your child will be active in school and will have opportunities to participate in messy activities such as those with paint, glue, and markers. The school will not be responsible for damage done to clothing during school activities. Weather permitting, children will have outdoor play and should dress accordingly including closed toed shoes. Mark any removable clothing with your child’s name.
Lunch
Children need to bring a complete lunch and non-carbonated beverage from home each day. Please send food that your child can eat by himself and that does not need to be heated. Children are encouraged to be as self-sufficient at lunch time as possible. Snacks will be served and menus are available on the bulletin board. Food nutrition is important to our school’s program. From time to time children will participate in some wholesome food preparation experiences. Due to the increase in nut allergies no nut products are allowed.
Toilet Training
The Teachers in the two-year old classes work with children to assist efforts at home toward toileting success. Please send a bag of diapers and wipes and label with your child’s name. We do not require, but highly recommend that children are toilet trained by age three.
Rest Time
All children rest after lunchtime. No one is required to sleep, but we do turn out the lights and play soft music or read quiet stories to induce rest. An adult supervises all children during the rest period. Please provide your child a rest mat, blanket and whatever comfort item your child needs to make rest time less stressful.
Toys
Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home. They are easily lost, sometimes broken and not easily shared! An exception is the nap toy which should be kept in the backpack until nap time.
Play Time
Weather permitting; children will go outside for play time. Please send your children with appropriate clothing and closed toed shoes for outdoor activities.
Chapel
Children will have an opportunity to attend chapel at least once a week. FUMC’s Director of Children’s Ministries presents age appropriate Bible stories with songs and activities.
Music and Motor
All children participate in our music and motor program. Gross motor skills are enhanced through fun, age-appropriate movement activities. Children attend music and motor once a week.
Special Events
Family Activities
Family events at Faith Kids will take place throughout the year. A monthly calendar will be posted on our bulletin board. Parents are encouraged to participate in these events.
Birthday Parties
Birthdays are special and we celebrate them during snack-time. Please coordinate with your child’s teacher to provide special birthday treats. Also check with your child’s teacher to see how she prefers to celebrate summer birthdays. Please keep birthday treats simple. We find that cookies, brownies and doughnut holes are well received by the children.
All treats must be store bought and contain no nut products. Please avoid excessive sugar and red dye.
Birthday party invitations may be distributed in the classroom if there is one for each child. A class list is available.
Class Holiday Parties
We recognize appropriate traditional holidays. These holiday parties present a variety of opportunities for parents to be actively involved at Faith Kids preschool and we encourage you to be involved in your child’s class.
Discipline and Guidance
Discipline and guidance shall be consistent and based on an understanding of the child’s needs and development. Teachers work toward promoting positive self-esteem, self-discipline and acceptable behavior. Children are redirected to other activities, encouraged to use words and given choices. Teachers try to use natural and logical consequences and help children learn problem solving skills.
There will be no cruel, harsh or unusual punishment and no child shall ever receive corporal punishment. If very difficult behavior occurs where the child does not respond to the normal ways of gaining cooperation, a brief supervised separation from the group may be used either in the classroom or in the Director’s office. Should further guidance be necessary, parents may be asked to pick up their child from school.
Although every effort will be made to avoid termination, Faith Kids reserves the right to dismiss any child who is frequently:
- Disruptive to the learning process
- Destructive
- Causing deliberate bodily injury
- Using abusive language
- Referred to the Director repeatedly without obvious positive results
- In need of individual assistance or care which cannot be provided in our school setting
Safety and Security
To insure the safety of your child, the following procedure is followed if the child is to be released to anyone other than the parent or persons on file in the office.
- A handwritten note from the parent must come to the office in the morning for the child to go home with anyone other than the parent or persons on file. This “pick-up” person will be required to present their driver’s license to verify their identity. The State requires the school to keep this information on file for a minimum of 24 hours.
- If a parent has an emergency and must call to authorize the emergency release of the child to a person unknown to the staff, the school will ask for the parent’s driver’s license number at the time of pick-up. The parent should give this number to the person picking up the child as it will be requested by the staff along with “pick-up” person’s driver’s license to verify authority to pick up.
Car Safety
Your child’s safety is our first concern. Please drive slowly and carefully in our busy parking lot. Please park in designated parking spaces and walk your child into the school. Hold your child’s hand when crossing through the driveway or parking areas as well as inside our facility. Each child must have an individual seat belt or car seat as required by law. Please do not leave younger children in the car unattended, or leave vehicles running, this is a violation of State Law.
Facility Safety
Please remember all children must be in the care of an adult at all times, including siblings. Never leave a child unattended anywhere on church property, including the classroom, on the playground, in a car, in the parking lot or entry area. To protect your belongings, be sure and lock your car and put away visible valuables.
Health
Medical records
A medical statement, immunization record and an emergency care statement must be on file prior to the child’s first day of attendance. A written notice of allergies, physical problems or special limitations regarding the child must be provided by the parent to the director at the time of enrollment and as new conditions arise.
Speech Language, Vision and Hearing Screening
All children enrolled in a four year old class at Faith Kids are required to be screened annually for speech, language, vision and hearing. This policy is based on the Texas Special Senses and Communication Disorders Act (1983). You may choose to have your child screened elsewhere, including the local school district. Early identification of speech, language, vision or hearing problems is critical to your child’s wellbeing.
Immunizations
Each child enrolled must meet applicable immunization requirements specified by the Texas Department of State Health Services. You can access the requirements via or you may obtain in a copy from your local or state health department of The Faith Kids Office.
Illness
If a child becomes ill at school, parents are notified and need to make arrangements to pick up the child. The preschool does not have a nurse or a sick room and cannot keep an ill child.
An ill child is not admitted to school if one or more of the following exist:
- The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in the facility’s activities.
- The illness results in a greater need for care than the staff can provide withoutcompromising the health, safety and supervision of the other children.
- Any of the following: vomiting, diarrhea, an undiagnosed rash, cold and/or heavy sinus discharge or a fever of 100 degrees or more.
Children should be free of fever at least 24 hours, without the aid of medication before returning to school. In cases of a communicable disease being suspected in the classroom (chicken pox, etc.) parents will be notified in writing or by phone.