View
1
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
1 | P a g e
Options for Learning
State Preschool
18455 E. RAILROAD STREET
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA 91748
Office:626-854-3449
Fax:626-854-3458
www.OptionsForLearning.org
Office Hours:
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Monday-Friday
2 | P a g e
OUR AGENCY’S MISSION AND VISION
Options for Learning’s mission is to be a leader in preparing children and
supporting families for life success through innovative, quality child development
programs. Our vision is that all children achieve their potential.
CLASSROOM CURRICULUM:
Options for Learning uses the High Scope Curriculum. High Scope is a researched
based curriculum fostering children’s creativity and independence. Children learn
best when they are engaged in active learning. The teacher’s role is to support and
guide young children through their active learning experiences. Your child will
participate in a variety of daily hands on activities.
PARENTAL ACCESS AND COURT ORDERS:
Options for Learning assures that the parents/guardians of enrolled children have
unlimited access to their child. You are always welcome to come into the classroom
for a short or long visit. For some families there is a court order or restraining
order which controls when and if a parent may access their child during school
hours. If this applies to you and your family, please provide a complete copy of the
court order so that our staff can adhere to the court order. Without legal
documentation, we are unable to prohibit a parent access to their child.
DRESSING FOR SCHOOL:
Children will have very active days at school. Dress your child in comfortable
clothing that allows them to move and play without being concerned about getting
their clothes dirty. To be safe while playing outside, it is best to send your child to
school in shoes that are not sandals. If your child wears a jacket or sweater to
school on cool days, be sure to label the jacket with your child’s name so it does not
get lost. It is important that children have an extra set of clean clothes to change
into if they get wet during an activity or during a restroom accident. We highly
encourage parents to check daily that their child has an extra set of clothes and
replace the extra clothes to be weather appropriate or if the child has outgrown the
clothes.
3 | P a g e
ATTENDANCE:
For children to receive the full benefit of the program, they need to come to school
Monday through Friday. If your child is ill and unable to come to school, you must
call the center and inform the teacher about your child’s illness and when they will
be able to return to school. If we are unaware of your child’s absence, we will call
you to verify your child’s absence.
HEALTH CHECK:
For the safety and well-being of all children and staff, we highly encourage parents
to monitor their child’s daily health. Children should not come to school if they
have a fever or are not feeling well. Our staff will do an informal health check daily
when children arrive. If a child has a fever or appears to not be feeling well, our
staff will ask you to take your child home. If your child misses coming to school
because of a communicable disease, you may be asked to bring a note from the
doctor informing us that your child is well enough to return to school. If your child
had a fever, they should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school.
If your child becomes ill while they are at the center, our staff will call you to come
and pick them up. If we are unable to reach you, our staff will call the other
authorized adults you have listed on your child’s emergency card and ask them to
come and pick up your child.
SIGNING IN AND OUT:
As a program, we abide by the Community Care Licensing regulations. It is
required that your child must be brought into the classroom and picked up from our
classroom by you or an authorized adult. The child must be signed in and out of our
program daily. On the sign in sheet, you will look for your child’s name, then you
will write down the exact time you brought your child into the classroom and sign
with your full signature. You will follow the same process when you pick up your
child.
All enrolling parents should list at least two other adults (at least 18 years old) who
can pick up the child in case of any emergency or when the parent is unable to pick
up the child. The listed authorized adults must have a photo identification with
them when they come pick up the child. No child will be released to an adult not
listed on the emergency card or to those listed but who do not have a photo ID with
them when they pick up the child.
4 | P a g e
MEALS:
All children will receive one to two nutritious meals a day, depending on the length
of their class.
Menus are posted on the Parent Board in the classroom so you will know what your
child will be eating each day.
If your child has allergies to a specific food or cannot eat a specific food due to a
religious conviction or dietary restriction, you may request alternative meals.
Please complete a Request for an Alternative Meal form which can be obtained from
our division office. A doctor’s note or a letter from your religious leader specifying
what food your child cannot eat is required to make any food substitutions except
for milk substitutions.
INJURIES:
If your child is injured while in our program, our staff will assess the injury. A
report regarding the injury will be given to you. If necessary, the staff will call 911
and notify you immediately.
Our program provides secondary insurance coverage for children enrolled in our
program and who are injured while school is in session or during a school sponsored
event. The secondary insurance serves solely as supplemental coverage. To access
the insurance information please speak with our office staff.
All our teachers have taken a First Aid/CPR class and are trained to handle all
types of minor injuries.
DISCIPLINE:
For many children this is their first experience at school. Our teacher will be
working with all the children in the class to help them develop appropriate social
skills. When problems arise between children, our teacher will focus on helping the
children learn to talk about the problem instead of hitting, biting or other
inappropriate behavior. We ask all parents to support our efforts to teach
appropriate classroom behavior and to be patient when any child is struggling to
learn how to play in a group.
Options for Learning does not practice corporal punishment.
5 | P a g e
CELEBRATIONS:
We strive to be sensitive to all the families in terms of holidays, birthdays or special
events. Any parent who wishes to bring a treat must first speak with the teacher to
ensure items brought to the program are store bought. We do not celebrate the end
of the school year with a cap and gown ceremony but will allow a small class
festivity.
It is important for children and families to celebrate special events and holidays.
During any celebration, we require that the daily routine is followed and that our
teacher uses the celebration as a learning experience.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION:
Options for Learning does not provide religious instruction or worship for children
enrolled in our program.
NON-CLASS DAYS:
There will be times when there is no school. The centers are closed on the following
holidays: Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, New
Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Memorial Day.
There are also times when the centers are closed for teacher trainings. If the center
is going to be closed, you will see a notice on the Parent Board and in the classroom
newsletter.
HEALTHY SCHOOLS ACT- PEST MANAGEMENT:
At the time of enrollment and annually, parents receive the Options for Learning
Annual Notification of Possible Pesticide document. This notification informs you of
the pesticides that could be used at your child’s center and our notification process
as per our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan, which is available on the
Options for Learning website and at the office.
6 | P a g e
UNIFORM COMPLAINT POLICY:
Our clients have the right to file a complaint or grievance regarding alleged
unlawful or alleged violations of federal and state laws or regulations pertaining to
activities or deficiencies of program. Options for Learning has a Uniform Complaint
Procedure for clients currently receiving or applying for services to follow if filing a
complaint or grievance. A copy may be requested from any Options for Learning
Division Offices or from our Options for Learning Corporate Office 626-967-7848.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY:
Options for Learning is a private non-profit, equal opportunity agency offering child
care services to families regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic group
identification, race, ancestry, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical
disability, or age, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group
with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:
We consider each individual child’s unique needs. In our program we support and
practice inclusion of children with varied abilities and we make specific adaptations
and accommodations that are reasonable and to the extent possible that does not
affect the operation of our program.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Options for Learning is committed to protecting the personally identifiable
information of any child enrolled in our program. Personally identifiable
information may include but it is not limited to the child’s name, date of birth,
address, medical information, parent(s) name, family income, academic information,
mental health status, parents marital status, birth records or any document
containing personally identifiable information. Child or family information is
confidential whether it is paper based or is held in a secure program data base.
Family files are stored in secure file cabinets which are not accessible to
unauthorized staff or to the general public.
7 | P a g e
Options for Learning may release information from child records in the following
circumstances:
• To facilitate the delivery of program services to the child
• To comply with an audit or program evaluation
• To address a disaster, health, or safety emergency
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued court order
• To provide information to a caseworker or other representative from a state
or local child welfare agency
• To address suspected or known child maltreatment and abuse
STATE PRESCHOOL ELIGIBILITY:
The California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division,
determines the criteria for enrollment into the program.
To be eligible the family must:
1. Have a child who meets the age requirements
2. Live in California (5CCR Section18107)
3. Meet the state income requirements when family size is compared to
family income
OR receive cash aid (5CCR Section 18085)
OR are homeless (5CCR Section 18078, 18090)
OR have a child at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation or receiving
child protective services through the county welfare department (5
CCR Section 1807(c), 180921, 18078(1), EC 8263)
4. Provide appropriate documentation of a “need” for full-day/full year
services
The parent is responsible for providing all the required information and
documentation to determine eligibility. Options for Learning staff is responsible for
verifying the information prior to determining a family is eligible for services.
Families remain eligible for services for a 12-month period or for a school year, in
the case of part day State Preschool, as noted on the Notice of Action (NOA) parents
receive after enrollment or recertification.
8 | P a g e
ADMISSION PRIORITIES:
The Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division mandates that our
program serve low income families who are eligible for services in the following
priority (EC Sections 8235 (b), 8236, and 8263 (b):
1. Age eligible children receiving child protective services or who are at
risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.
2. Age eligible children 4-year-olds not enrolled in transitional
kindergarten beginning with families with the lowest income.
3. Age eligible 3-year-olds beginning with families with the lowest
income.
4. Age eligible children whose family income is over the income eligibility
threshold (EC Section 8235 (d)
5. Age eligible children with exceptional needs, regardless of family
income (EC Section 8235 (d)
After all children have been enrolled pursuant to the above subdivisions, part day
CSPP, sites operating within the attendance boundaries of a qualified FRPM school
may enroll CSPP 4-year-old children whose families reside within the attendance
boundary of a qualified FRPM school without establishing eligibility (FC Section
826 (a)(1)(A). Once your child is enrolled in part day State Preschool, your child will
remain eligible for the remainder of the program year.
CLIENT RIGHTS TO DUE PROCESS:
If you disagree with an action Options for Learning State Preschool is taking as
stated on a Notice of Action, you may appeal the intended action. Instructions on
how to appeal a Notice of Action (NOA) is specified on the back of the form and mist
be adhered to.
STAFF QUALIFICATIONS:
The Options for Learning staff are committed to providing a high-quality program
in safe, well supervised environment. Our teaching staff have completed
college/university coursework related to the field in Early Childhood
Education/Child Development. They have a wide variety of teaching experiences.
The staff will facilitate active learning by providing challenging and enjoyable
activities to foster the development of each child.
9 | P a g e
Our Teaching staff have Bachelor of Art Degrees or Associate of Arts Degrees in
Child Development or Early Childhood Education as well as a Child Development
permit issued by the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing.
15 | P a g e
HEAD START-SOUTH EL MONTE 1130 N. Potrero Ave.
S. El Monte, CA 91723 (626) 459-4299
HEAD START-PASADENA 464 W. Woodburry Rd., Suite #210
Altadena, CA 91001 (626) 204-8900
HALF /FULL DAY & HOME BASE PROGRAM FOR 3-5 YEARS OF AGE
FULL-DAY PRESCHOOL PROGRAM 885 Village Oak Dr. Covina, CA 91724
(626) 858-0527 FULL DAY PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN 3-5 YEARS OF AGE
SURROUND CARE 304 S. First St.
Alhambra, CA 91801 (626) 284-9935
BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE FOR KINDER-6TH GRADE
CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL-BALDWIN PARK 13100 Brooks Dr., Suite #200
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (626) 856-5900
CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL-PASADENA
2465 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 449-8221REFERRALS FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS & ALTERNATE
PAYMENT PROGRAMS
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
885 Village Oak Dr. Covina, CA 91724
(626) 967-9337 AFTER SCHOOL CARE FOR 1ST-8TH GRADE
EARLY HEAD START
885 Village Oak Dr. Covina, CA 91724
(626) 732-0130 INFANT/TODDLER PROGRAM
AGENCY DIVISIONS
Rev 04/26/2021
Recommended