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First School Parent Handbook 2010-2011

-Introduction-

The First School staff and First United Presbyterian Church are pleased to have your child enrolled in
our program. We thank you for the confidence you have shown by entrusting us with the care and
teaching of your child. We pledge to provide a safe, nurturing environment where children can develop a
love of learning. We have compiled this manual to give you a better understanding of the structure and
function of our school. It is our hope that each parent will carefully read this booklet and will comply
with our requests and instructions in order to make our school run as smoothly and efficiently as
possible. This handbook is the best statement of our policies and procedures, and is subject to
amendment by the First School Board or Session of First United Presbyterian Church at any time.
After reading this manual, please sign and return the last 2 pages to the First School Office.

-Mission Statement-
First School is a Better Beginnings program with a 3 star certificated from the Arkansas Department of Human Services that strives to be a nurturing, faith-based Parent’s Day Out Program, Preschool and Kindergarten. It is an outreach of the First United Presbyterian Church to our community.

-Purpose-
First School is a combination center composed of a part-time Parents’ Day Out Program, part-time
Preschool, and 5 day Kindergarten. Our Parents’ Day Out program, for children ages 6 months though 2
years old, is offered two or three days per week. It is designed to provide primary caregivers a respite
while their children are cared for in a creative, nurturing, and safe environment. Our preschool program,
for children ages 3 and 4 years of age, is offered two or three days per week and consists of a half day
of instruction time with the option of extending the day to include lunch and rest time. Our
Kindergarten program is a five-day program designed for children 5 years of age that would benefit
from another year in a lower child to teacher ratio setting before attending public school. Each summer
First School offers a part-time program which also includes elementary age children.
First School achieved Arkansas Quality Initiative Accreditation in 2007, now referred to as Better Beginnings, after being evaluated in 7 areas: space and furnishing, basic care, language and reasoning, learning activities, interactions, program structure, needs of parents and staff. Each year the center must be evaluated to maintain quality status. We are licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services. Our program earned a certication of 3-star, currently the highest ranking.  We are
committed to maintaining low child to teacher ratios and retaining skilled, quality staff.
First School is governed by a Commission Board. The board is lead by a moderator and 9 board
members, which includes church members, First School parents, a teacher and a parent representative,
the director, FUPC Treasurer and a pastoral representative.

-Curriculum-

Our curriculum was developed using the Arkansas Preschool Frameworks and designed to help children acquire social competence and the skills they need to succeed as learners. Children 2 & up participate in a balance of social/emotional, physical, cognitive, language, artistic, and spiritual activities, both structured and unstructured. Our Kindergarten is taught by an Arkansas certified teacher and is
structured to follow the Arkansas Kindergarten Frameworks. Our creative theme based curriculum and
activities were designed to incorporate all learning styles and levels of development while making learning fun.

-Enrichment-
The curriculum at First School offers exposure to many activities including music, dramatic play, and
stories. In addition we often are able to offer enrichment activities while the children are at First
School such as dance, provided by “Jitterbugs,” and Spanish, through the “Spanish Learning Center.”
The weekly Dance and Spanish classes are available for an additional fee.
Speech therapy is available as needed to preschool students for free during their time at First School.
The screening and therapy is provided by Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative.

-Security Procedures-
First School has a security system in place for the safety of our students. Each family will submit a 4-
digit pin number to use to enter the school at drop-off and pick-up time. If there are other people who
will be picking up your child regularly, you will need to give them your pin number. There is a doorbell for
infrequent visitors or babysitters. When you are entering the building, please allow the door to close
securely behind you so that other parents may enter their code as well. We want to be certain that only
authorized visitors enter the building.

-Admission Requirements and Promotion Criteria-
First School strives to provide a climate of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, where children can
learn to live together and love one another. All the religions are respected. Children are treated as
member’s God’s diverse family. As a faith-based school, children will be exposed to songs and stories
with religious content. Children ages 2 and up will attend Chapel with the church pastoral staff once a
week as a group. This is a fun, social time of songs and a biblical story lasting about 15 minutes. Before
eating snack and/or lunch children are encouraged to say grace as a group, thanking God for his
blessings. Christmas will be a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and Easter his Resurrection.
Children with special educational, emotional, or social needs and children with special physical handicaps or developmental disabilities will be considered on an individual basis for enrollment and placement. Prior to enrollment, parents should report special problems to the director and provide our staff with the results of previous developmental/educational assessments.
Children are admitted into First School upon receipt of the registration fee, completed registration
form, and a copy of the child’s current immunization records. Enrollment is not complete until all items
are on file with the school. Immunizations must be up to date. If you are informed that your child is
overdue for shots by a director, you will be given 15 calendar days to produce a current immunization
record. Otherwise, your child will be withdrawn from the school in accordance with state licensing
requirements. Please inform us immediately of any allergies your child has.
Children will be entered into a class if they meet the age requirement by August 1st of 2010.  We use the same age requirement date as Fayetteville Public Schools to ensure that your child leaves our program ready for Kindergarten.  Exceptions to this policy may be made by appealing to the First School Board. The decision concerning the placement of a child would take into consideration a child’s physical and developmental level in comparison with the rest of the class. The decision of the board will be final. Students are promoted as a group at the end of the summer term. This ensures that all children in a given room are the same age and at consistent developmental levels.
All children entering the 3 and 4-year old rooms must be toilet trained before admission into those
classrooms. The preschool students are expected to have a greater degree of independence in their
toileting habits. Occasional, involuntary accidents are to be expected. If documentation indicates 2 or
more accidents occur within 7 days, the director will ask for a conference with the parents and teacher
to discuss gaining success in toileting. If a child has ongoing accidents on consecutive days or weeks
they will be asked to remain home until more independence is gained, generally one week. Children in our preschool program will not be permitted to wear pull-ups during any portion of the day.

-Tuition and Registration Fee-
The Tuition schedule will be established by the First School Board on an annual basis. Tuition is
determined by the number of hours provided, is then is divided out equally over 9 months of
school.Tuition is due on the 1st day of the month, with late fees applying after the 10th. There is a
discount for multiple children in the program. The registration fee is required annually.

-Scholarships-
The Outreach Committee of First United Presbyterian Church offers limited scholarship money for
First School Tuition. Persons interested in applying should contact the director for a scholarship
application. All applications and inquiries will be kept confidential. The Director, the Treasurer, and the
Moderator of the Board will comprise the scholarship review committee and will treat the applications
with utmost discretion, and will provide a written response to the applicant.

-Children’s Records-
We must have a complete file on each child updated annually upon enrollment. The parents must
complete all required emergency information, addresses, phone numbers, and signatures. Immunization records must be kept up to date and verification must be provided. Parents must be conscientious about updating their child’s file when addresses or phone number change or your child receives additional immunizations.

-Operation for the School Year-
Fall/Spring Program

Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Days: Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday.
Kindergarten program: Monday through Friday.
Hours: 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. OR 8:00 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
1. You must choose one time for pick up.
2. There will not be an extended day drop-in option.
3. If you need to pick up at 12:00 on Tuesday and 2:30 on Thursday, you will be required to register
for the 2:30 pick-up time with the accompanying fee.

Summer Program

Infant through Elementary age: Monday/Wednesday and/or Tuesday/Thursday
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. OR 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

First School follows the Fayetteville Public School System’s calendar. This includes days closed for
inclement weather or outbreaks of illness. Please check your local television or radio stations for school
closings. There may be a few occurrences of First School closing when Fayetteville Public Schools are
not closed. Keep in mind the roads into our facility are incredibly steep and may become treacherous
while other roads are still passable. First School will be closed for various teacher in-service days in
accordance with the Fayetteville Public Schools calendar. A calendar of these closings will be available
the first week of school.

-Arrival-
Parents must accompany their children into the building each morning. Your child’s teacher will be ready
to receive students at 8:00 a.m. You must sign your child in, note the time and your name, and leave an
emergency contact number every day. The number you leave should be one that we can reach you at any
time throughout the school day. The emergency contact number can be anyone on your list of people
you’ve designated as being able to take your child out from school, and they must know that they are the
emergency contact for that day if it is someone other than yourself. First School is unable to take
responsibility for children who are not signed in.
If someone other than a parent will be picking up your child, we need to be notified by phone or in
writing. This person MUST be listed in your child’s file as authorized to pick up your child. Only a
child’s parent(s) may authorize their release to someone else. Please remind others picking up your
children that their ID’s will be checked.
The beginning of the morning sets the tone for the entire day. Goodbyes are best handled in a matterof-
fact way. Many preschool children will have difficulty separating from parents at drop-off time.
Usually this is very short lived and the child adjusts to the day’s activities shortly after the parent
leaves. If separation anxiety is prolonged or extreme, your child’s teacher will work with you to resolve
the situation.
Keep in mind that children adjust better when their arrivals and departures are on a regular, consistent
schedule. Our teachers have planned that the first 20 to 30 minutes of the day are for greeting
children who are arriving. If you consistently arrive after this time, your child will be entering a
classroom that is already engaged in activities. Thus, he/she will have missed a valuable time for
adjustment and preparation for his/her day.
A very important avenue of partnership between a parent and teacher is the flow of information. Please
communicate events or situations that may affect a child’s behavior. It is important for staff to know,
for example, about the death of a family member or pet, a parent being out of town, a late bedtime, etc.

-Departing-
Children must be picked up from school on time. If you are late you will be charged $1 for each
MINUTE that you are late. There is a 5 minute grace period before your late fees begin accumulating.
Late fees are to be paid upon your arrival to the teacher and will not be billed.
Please remember that it is traumatic for the children if you are either too early or too late. Once a
parent has arrived to pick up their child, all the eyes in the classroom start to linger toward the door
wondering when their parents will arrive. A child may feel forlorn when being the last one left at the
end of pick-up time. Please notify us if you are going to be significantly late. This does not absolve you
of the late fee, but it does allow us to reassure your child that someone is on the way.
Parents are responsible for their children as soon as they remove them from the classroom. Check with
the teacher about your child’s day, but please keep it brief, as she will have other students to give her
attention. Children are not allowed to leave the building unaccompanied. Please help us to be consistent
by not allowing your child to go through the outside door unless you are with him/her. Even if your car is
directly in front of the building, your child could be injured in the parking lot. Please be alert to other
children as you drive in and out of the lot, for even under the most diligent parent supervision, children
sometimes break free and could dart into the path of an oncoming car. Please do not leave children in
an unattended car in the parking lot.

Divorced or separated parents should work out their visitation arrangement without involving school
personnel. School staff is not authorized to enforce custody and/or visitation agreements. We cannot
deny a parent access to his/her child without a copy of the divorce custodial agreement.
Children who stay for the extended day will have a rest time. It is very important that your child
nap or rest quietly during this time as other children in the room need their rest. If your child is
consistently disruptive during naptime, we will ask that you pick them up at noon.

-Snack and Lunch-
Each child should bring a snack and lunch from home. First School does not provide snack or lunch.
Infants, toddlers, and 2-year olds will have morning snack and lunch before the noon pick-up time.
Preschool students picked up at noon leave before lunch. Licensing standards require us to ensure that
your child’s lunch provides 1/3 of the minimum daily nutrition requirements from each of the four basic
food groups. The Department of Health and Human Services policies state that each child must be
served milk. We realize that not all children like fruits or milk products, but when consistently offered
a wide variety of foods they will begin to experiment with them. For children who follow a vegetarian
diet, a protein/meat alternative may be used. All children have access to water whenever they wish to
consume it. Please notify us in writing if your child has a food sensitivity or allergy.
Our licensing requires that you send only 100% juice drinks and avoid sugary snacks. Our goal for the
children is that they are able to be independent within reason in their lunchtime routine. Please keep
that in mind as you pack your child’s lunch. It is beneficial if most items packed for lunch are things
that your child can handle by himself. (Excluding infants) Grapes must be cut in half for small children.
Please send everything that your child will need to use with lunch for that day. (Yogurt requires a spoon,
etc.) Infants and toddlers need to bring as many spoons, bottles, and sippy cups as they will need for
the day. We have no way to sanitize utensils to the DHHS standards, so we ask that you send clean
items every day. They will be rinsed after use and returned to you at the end of each school day.

-Celebrations & Children’s Birthdays-
All birthdays will be celebrated with the child in an appropriate manner. If it is your child’s birthday,
you may bring store bought cupcakes or cookies. Please consult with your child’s teacher to make the
necessary arrangements. We have several children with food allergies, so with advance notice, they can
bring alternative treats to join in the celebration. Please use the school directory to mail birthday
invitations if the entire class is not invited. We don’t want anyone’s feelings hurt or to feel left out.

-Attire and Diapers-
Please dress your child in comfortable clothing. Your child needs to be free to actively participate in all
of our outdoor and indoor activities. They are likely to get a little mussed up or dirty when they are
fully participating in playtime. This is a place of fun, not fashion. Dress your child in play clothes.
Please do not allow your child to wear cowboy boots, cleats, capes, flip flops or shoes with heels.
DHHS licensing requires that all children in the center go outside daily when the temperature is above
freezing. Therefore, your child should be dressed appropriately for the season. It is also helpful for a
child to have clothing that makes toileting easy. Overalls and one-piece outfits can be too difficult for
children to be self-sufficient.
All children should bring a full change of clothes appropriate for the season. In the infant and toddler
classes, we ask that you bring plenty of disposable diapers (not less than 4 per day), and baby wipes for
your child’s use. Please send diaper ointment if your child needs it, but it must be given to the
teacher and not left in the diaper bag. DHHS considers diaper ointment a chemical and it may not be
left where other children could get to it. (Such as in a diaper bag hanging in the hallway) PLEASE LABEL
EVERYTHING THAT BELONGS TO YOUR CHILD.

-Personal Items-
Children need to become engaged with classroom experiences and materials. Bringing special toys from
home can unduly complicate school day activities. Therefore, no toys may be brought from home, with
the exception of a single comfort item to be used at naptime. Your child’s teacher may make exceptions
to this rule if applicable to their teaching lesson or Show & Tell, but please limit your child to the
specific item or category that the teacher requests.
No toy guns or weapons are EVER permitted in our school for any reason.
Each child in the preschool will need to bring a crib sheet to fit over their rest time mat and a small
blanket. These items need to be small enough to fit in our nap bags. Sheets and blankets will be sent
home regularly to be washed and then returned.

-Discipline-
The goal at our center is to help children develop a positive self-image. We hope to encourage children
to be self-directed and to exhibit self-control. In order to do this, children need the opportunity to
build self esteem. Therefore, such practices that would humiliate or shame a child will not be used.
Young children, due to their developmental age, are not capable of understanding the ramifications of
many of their behaviors. They need to be encouraged to make good choices and prevented from harming
themselves or others. This can best be accomplished through close supervision, gentle guidance, praise,
and most importantly, redirection. A very brief separation from the group may be necessary if
redirection fails. This will be an age-appropriate amount of time which is one minute for each year of a
child’s age. Time out is not used for children under the age of 2.
Another important disciplinary approach is to remember that small children are very egocentric and
therefore may not be capable of understanding the concept of sharing and taking turns. It is our
responsibility to lend guidance through redirection to other activities when conflict situations occur.
Caring for young children requires a lot of patience and praise as they often need to be reminded about
safety rules over and over again. Each ground rule will be presented clearly and precisely. The child will
then be helped to follow the rule by demonstrating other acceptable, safe activities. We will state clear
directions in a positive manner as young children struggle to comprehend the word “don’t”. Any child who
is having difficulty with physical violence toward other children may be asked to leave for the remainder
of the day. Often, a child may need a period of time to regroup before rejoining in class activities.
Through these disciplinary procedures we hope to encourage independence and self control while
promoting the development of a child’s positive self image.

-Dismissal from the School-
If, after admission, a child has difficulty functioning within the structure of our program, staff will
first notify parents and work towards resolution to the problem. Thereafter, if the child’s needs cannot
be met, or if the child becomes a threat to other children, staff will recommend a withdrawal.
If, after admission, the parent causes undue hardship on the staff or unreasonable distraction from the
teachers’ regular duties, the staff will ask for resolution of the problem. Thereafter, if the parental
needs cannot be reasonably met, staff will recommend withdrawal of the child. Alternatives for more
appropriate placement will be considered.
The following steps will be taken one at a time once an issue has been established and until it has been
resolved:
1. The teacher and a listening witness will have a private talk with the child. The parents will be
notified.
2. The teacher and a listening witness will have a private talk with the child again. The parents will
be notified.
3. A director and a listening witness will have a private talk with the child. The parents will be
notified.
4. The teacher and a director will schedule a meeting with the parent(s).
5. The teacher and a director will schedule a meeting with the parent(s) and the child.
6. A behavior specialist will be contacted. Parents will be asked to give consent.
Parent cooperation is vital to getting problems solved. If a parent is unwilling to take these steps the
child may be dismissed from the program.

-Grievance Procedures-
Concerning a Teacher:
The grievance should be discussed with the teacher. If contact with the teacher is unsuccessful or
undesirable, the grievance should come to the attention of a director. The director will discuss the
grievance with the parent(s) and take whatever necessary action with the teacher and/or other parties.
The parent(s) shall be informed in writing of resolution of this matter.

Concerning the Director:
Any grievance should be discussed with the director. If contact with a director is either unsuccessful
or undesirable, the grievance should be submitted to the moderator of the First School Commission
Board. The grievance is then to be handled in the following manner:
1. The parent(s) should detail the nature of the complaint or problem in writing to the First School
Commission Board.
2. The director will be provided with a copy of the written grievance and shall submit the
Commission Board with a written response within 5 days.
3. The moderator will conduct whatever investigation he/she deems necessary. This investigation
will include a meeting with the parent(s), the director, the moderator, and potentially the entire
board.
4. The moderator will prepare and submit a report with his/her recommendations to the board.
5. The board will determine the disposition of the grievance based upon the recommendation from
the moderator.
6. Disposition of the grievance will be communicated in writing to the parent(s) by the moderator of
the First School Commission.
7. Any grievance requiring disposition will be handled in the above-described manner on an expedited
basis at the discretion of the moderator.

-Termination of Enrollment-
You may terminate your enrollment by giving a 30-day advance written notice. You will still be
accountable for applicable fees or tuition during that 30-day period.

-Conferences-
During the school year, the preschool teachers will offer two parent-teacher conferences. These
conferences will take place during the school day. If at any other time, you feel the need to request a
conference with your child’s teacher or a director, please feel free to do so. We will be happy to meet
with you at a mutually agreed upon time and discuss any questions that you may have. We at First School
do everything in our power to maintain quality communication with our parents.

-Communication-
Infants and toddlers will have a daily progress sheet sent home with them. You can expect to see
calendars, newsletters and information from your teacher and the director coming home in your child’s
backpack or diaper bag. Look for addition information on signs on the front door, classroom entrances,
lobby table and hall bulletin board.

-Illness at School-
To protect children from the spread of communicable diseases, state regulations require that children
with any of the following symptoms shall not be allowed to attend school:
FEVER: Any child with an oral temperature of 101 degrees.
DIARRHEA: Two or more watery stools in the past 24 hours
VOMITING: Vomiting 2 or more times in the past 24 hours
RASH: Body rashes not obviously associated with diapering, heat or allergic reactions
SORE THROAT: If associated with fever or swollen glands:
RUNNY NOSE: Should your child suffer from a runny nose which appears to produce drainage which is
infectious (yellow/greenish in color) we will contact you in order that your child may be picked up as soon
as possible. If, however, your child has been under a doctor’s treatment for at least 24 hours and you
have documentation stating that he/she is no longer contagious, we will allow him/her to attend the
program.
If children display any of the above symptoms while at school, we are required to contact you to pick
them up. If a child is without any of these symptoms, but still appears ill and is unable to participate in
the group’s activities, we will notify you that your child is not feeling well. Please have contingency plans
worked out in advance for such occasions, and make sure that your child’s file indicates other relatives
or friends who could pick up your child if needed.
Please do not bring ill siblings into the building. Call the office at 571-4516 and we will be happy to come
out to your car and pick up a well student and deliver them to your car at the end of their day. We try
very hard to keep our center healthy, safe and sanitized for your child. All children must wash their
hands upon arrival in the morning and during the day before eating, after toileting, after outside playing
or anytime they return to the classroom. Please call us if your child is sick and will miss a school day.
We will post health alerts to keep parents informed of illnesses that your child may have been exposed.

-Medications-
We prefer not to administer medications. However, we will do so when absolutely necessary, but only
within state mandated regulations. New regulations require that medications shall be given to children
ONLY WITH WRITTEN AND SIGNED PARENTAL CONSENT. Please fill out a Medication Request
Form for each medication given. These forms are available in the director’s office. Permission must
contain the date, drug name and type, and dosage. It must be in the original container, within the
expiration date, and labeled with the child’s name. Dosages greater than specified on the label will
not be given.

-Emergency Evacuation/Safe Places-
Fire and tornado drills are conducted regularly. During a fire drill the children are evacuated from the
building and lined up on the far side of parking lot. Infants and toddlers are removed in rolling cribs.
During tornado drills, children are moved to the lowest shelter areas in the building. We are fortunate
to have areas that are underground.

-Child Abuse-
We are obligated under state law to report suspected cases of child maltreatment or neglect. This
includes both physical and emotional abuse. It is also our duty to inform you that, should an investigation
be necessary, children may be interviewed in addition to the staff and parents.

-From the Director-
It is my commitment to offer your child the very best program by retaining a qualified, nurturing,
professional staff, dedicated to the development of small children. First School maintains the lowest
child-to-teacher ratios in the area, providing individual attention where children can learn at their own
rate. We strive to be safe, comforting place for children to make their first social interactions away
from their parents and parents can feel completely at ease in leaving their children.