FAQ

What will my child need to bring to school?

• Comfortable and washable clothing – not party clothes. Elastic waist pants and clothing easy to get down and up for going to the bathroom is important. Easy to manage clothing saves time and sometimes avoids accidents. For safety and freedom when running and playing, have your child wear rubber-soled shoes or sneakers to school.
• Outdoor clothing appropriate to the weather. Our objective is to go ouside everyday. Weather permitting, if the temperature is above 40º and the ground is not wet and it is not raining or icy, the children will play outside.
• Change of clothes: including long pants, shirt, underwear and socks. Place these in a plastic ziplock bag with your child’s name on it. These will be kept in school in case of an “accident.” Please remember that your child may need to use the clothes in February that you brought in September. Please keep in mind the weather and sizes of the clothes. You may update these at any time. Please label all clothing items with your child’s name.
• Children in the older classes are encouraged to bring a backpack to school on a daily basis. The backpack helps facilitate their independence and responsibility training.
• Encourage your child to leave their toys at home or in the car. Any toys coming to the classroom will stay in their cubby until dismissal.

How does arrival and dismissal work?

Due to limited space in our school, classrooms are used for more than one program. In order to maintain our schedule and continue to offer all programs, we ask that you bring your child no more than five minutes in advance and pick up your child no later than five minutes after the program ends. For more information on persons authorized to pick up your child, please refer to our Release Policy.

A late fee of $10.00 per 10 minutes will be charged to parents who consistently fail to pick up their child on time. It will not be charged to parents who are occasionally late due to circumstances beyond their control and call the school to inform the staff of the problem.

What are your tuition and fees?

At the time of registration, parents will be charged a registration fee of $70.00 plus a 10% tuition deposit.

If enrolling more than one child, the maximum registration fee is $100.00 per family. In addition families will receive a 10% discount on the tuition of the second child. Tuition rates change on a yearly basis. Please refer to our website for up-to-date information regarding tuition and fees.

How can parents participate?

Parent’s attention is vital to a young child’s development. Young children want their parents to be involved – which may not be the case as they grow older! Little Footprints encourages parents to participate in many of the school’s activities. Some of the opportunities for your involvement include:

• Attend our Open House to explore the classroom with your child
• Field Trips
• Parent Conferences
• Dad’s Day and Mom’s Day
• Serve as Room Mother
• Participate in Holiday Parties
• Join us for Storytime

While family time is important, we ask that siblings are left at home, when possible.

Do you provide snacks?

We provide a snack for the children each day. If your child has a severe food allergy, please provide us with a list of acceptable snacks or send in an acceptable snack each time your child is in class.

Do you go on field trips?

Little Footprints Learning Center recognizes the significance of following up on the abstract learning activities in the classroom with concrete, age appropriate field experiences. In the past, classes have visited a fire station, a police station, the zoo and a pumpkin farm. We also invite a community dentist to visit. Also, many of our parents come and share their occupations, hobbies and talents.

Since all children under the age of 8 must travel in a car seat, we ask parents who are not helping to chaperone the trip to leave a car seat in order for us to transport the children in another parent’s car. Chaperones will be asked to drive up to four children and second adult in their car. In addition, chaperones who drive children must provide the school office with a copy of their driver’s license, registration and insurance card.

How do parent-teacher conferences work?

Good communication between home and school is important in your child’s development. Parent- teacher conferences are held in the fall and the spring during the regular class time to allow parents to attend without the presence of their preschool child. In addition, we welcome and value new ideas and constructive criticism.

At any other time during the school year, conferences may be scheduled with the teacher or director but not during the class time. If you have a question, concern or information to give your child’s teacher, please consider the following guidelines:

Please Do:

• Give the teacher a note with the information or with a request to call you indicating the times you will be available.
• Email your child’s teacher at any time.
• Call the director at school (908.647.0011) during school office hours (8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.).

Please Do Not:

• Discuss concerns about your child in front of them.
• Talk with the teacher or assistant about your child as school is beginning or ending. These are inconvenient times for the staff as the students need their attention.

Can I bring in cupcakes for my child’s birthday?

Birthdays are a special time for all of us. To celebrate your child’s special day, you are welcome to bring a special snack to school. Please be sure that whatever you bring is the same for each child in the class. Please bring bite size treats only. Mini cupcakes, small cookies and munchkins (powdered, glazed or chocolate) are the children’s favorites.

Please speak to the teacher before sending any treats to school as there might be another party already planned. Also, the teacher will want to inform you of any food allergies. Please do not send party favors (hats, gifts, etc) to take home. Also, if you wish to invite only part of your child’s class to an out-of-school party, kindly mail the invitations in order to avoid hurt feelings of those not invited.

What is you inclement weather policy?

In the event of inclement weather, Little Footprints adheres to the decisions of the Bernard’s Township Board of Education with regards to delays and closings. Notice of delays and/or closings will be communicated with our families through an email blast. This information will also be posted on the school Facebook page and website. In the event of a delayed opening, our class schedule will be as follows:

• Morning classes will meet from 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• Lunch Bunch will be from 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Please be alert to the weather. In the event that inclement weather begins while school is in session, we will activate the mass email blast and close when all children have been picked up. School closing notices will be posted on our website and Facebook page as well.

It is not the policy of Little Footprints Learning Center to extend the school year due to inclement weather beyond our control. In the event of unusual weather, the Little Footprints Learning Center Board will reassess the policy.

What emergency plans and safety precautions does the school have?

To ensure the safety of our students, the following precautions and safety measures are enacted.

1. Teachers are CPR/First Aid Certified.
2. Most teachers carry a cell phone.
3. Fire drills are practiced monthly in order to familiarize your children with the sound of a fire alarm and procedures.
4. Emergency numbers and health information are kept in two places; the classroom and the school office. A copy is taken with the teacher or director during every fire drill, field trip and in the event of a school evacuation.
5. All parents or their representatives are expected to sign-in and sign-out their child. If the teacher does not recognize the person picking up the child, she will ask for identification and possibly call the parent for verification. Please see our Release Policy for more information.
6. The school building is kept locked, and a buzzer system is in operation. To enter the school, you must push the buzzer to be let in by a teacher or the director.  Each family is also given a security swiper which will allow access during school hours.
7. If we must evacuate the property, we will transport the children in the church vans to our offsite location. We will immediately begin to call you to ask that you pick up your children from this site. Our offsite location is: Spring Ridge Club House Spring Valley Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 908-647-6070

What is your release policy?

Parents are required to complete a release form with the names and phone numbers of individuals authorized to assume responsibility for their child at the end of the school day. If the child is to be sent home with someone other than those listed on the release form, we ask that the parent notify the school in writing on that day.

If a non-custodial parent has been denied or granted limited access to a child by a court order, Little Footprints Learning Center requires documentation to that effect. Little Footprints Learning Center will maintain a copy of the court order on file and comply with the terms of that order.

If the parent or person authorized by the parent fails to pick up a child at the time of our daily closing, Little Footprints Learning Center:

1. Will ensure that your child is supervised at all times;
2. Will attempt to contact the parent or person authorized by the parent; and
3. An hour or more after closing time, and provided that other arrangements for releasing the child to their parents or persons authorized by the parents have failed and the staff member(s) cannot continue to supervise the child at the center, the staff member shall call the 24 hour Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-792-8610) to seek assistance in caring for the child until the parent or person authorized by the child’s parent is able to pick-up the child.

If the parent or person authorized by the parent appears to be physically and/or emotionally impaired to the extent that, in the judgment of the director and/or staff member, the child would be placed at risk of harm if released to such an individual, Little Footprints Learning Center:

1. May not release the child to such an impaired individual;
2. Will attempt to contact the child’s other parent or an alternative person authorized by the parent; and
3. Shall call the 24-hour State Central Registry Hotline 1-877-NJ-ABUSE (1-877-652-2873) to seek assistance in caring for the child if Little Footprints Learning Center is unable to make alternative arrangements.

What is your sick child policy?

Children will be sent to the director’s office when not feeling well. If a child has a temperature, is complaining of not feeling well, or is injured, the parents will be notified and asked to have the

child picked up. Likewise, if your child has a temperature or is complaining of not feeling well, please do not send your child to school. Children should be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school. Please notify us of any communicable diseases so we can help prepare others in your child’s class.

If your child is experiencing or has experienced any of the following symptoms during the 24 hours prior to school, they should stay home from school. The following are the most common symptoms for which a child should be kept home:

• Severe pain or discomfort
• Acute diarrhea
• Episodes of acute vomiting
• Elevated oral temperature of 101.5 degrees F
• Severe coughing
• Mouth sores with drooling
• Lethargy
• Red eyes with discharge
• Difficult or rapid breathing
• Infected, untreated skin patches
• Skin rashes in conjunction with fever or behavior changes
• Skin lesions that are weeping or bleeding
• Stiff neck
• Yellow eyes or jaundiced skin

Once the child is symptom-free, or has a health care provider’s note stating that the child no longer poses a serious health risk to himself/herself or others, the child may return to the center unless contraindicated by the local health department or Department of Health.

Note: It is not the policy of the Learning Center to distribute medications to the children unless in a life threatening situation (i.e. EPI Pens would be considered for a life threatening situation).

EXCLUDABLE COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

A child or staff member who contracts an excludable communicable disease may not return to the center without a health care provider’s note stating that the child presents no risk to himself/herself or others. These diseases include respiratory, gastrointestinal, and contact illnesses such as Impetigo, lice, scabies and shingles.

Note: If a child has chicken pox, a health care provider’s note is not required for re-admitting the child to the center. A note from the parent is required stating that at least six days has elapsed since the onset of the rash or that all sores have dried and crusted.

If a child is exposed to any excludable disease at the center, parents will be notified in writing. Some excludable communicable diseases must be reported to the health department by the center.

The Department of Health’s Reporting Requirements for Communicable Diseases and Work-Related

Conditions Quick Reference Guide, a complete list of reportable excludable communicable diseases, can be found at http://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/reportable_disease_magnet.pdf.

What is your discipline policy?

At Little Footprints Learning Center, we will use both preventive and corrective discipline techniques.

Preventive discipline takes place when we:

1. Praise positive behavior;
2. Provide developmentally appropriate activities for children; and
3. Set clear limits for children.

Corrective techniques are used when a child engages in disruptive or aggressive behavior. If the child is disruptive, the teacher will attempt to redirect the child by suggesting more appropriate behavior or will gently remind the child of classroom rules. If the inappropriate behavior persists, if the child is aggressive toward another person, or for serious violations of the classroom rules, a Quiet Time will be used. Quiet Time is used to interrupt unacceptable behavior by removing the child from the “scene of the action.” Quiet Time is a calming time, not a punishment.

The location for Quiet Time will be far enough from the general activity that the child will not be able to provoke others or get attention, but near enough that the child can tell what he or she is missing. The teacher will explain that during their Quiet Time the child will sit quietly and think about what he or she could have done differently. Quiet Time will last one or two minutes after the child is quiet. Quiet Time should be short enough that the child has a chance to go back to the original situation and learn acceptable behavior. At the end of the Quiet Time, the teacher will discuss the infraction and more acceptable responses to the situation with the child.

What is your privacy policy?

All information provided to Little Footprints Learning Center upon registering your child is kept confidential and is only available to the director and teaching staff. No information will be shared with third parties without your consent.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us.