OUR ROUTINE 

The daily routine at The Early Education Center exists so children have the security of knowing “what comes next”. Within the familiar routine, the schedule is flexible to accommodate the interests of children and any special guests, field trips or weather. We have scheduled a drop-off “window” to accommodate different families’ routines.

Every day children will find the schedule (in print and pictures) on the schedule board. Each preschool day includes circle time, activity time, playground, snack, lunch, and story. There is also a rest/nap time for children who stay past 12:00. Children may work on special projects related to the current curriculum focus or they may pursue their own interests in activity centers.

ARRIVAL AND PICK-UP

Drop-off is from 8:00-8:20. Arriving by 8:20 allows your child to settle into the group before circle starts at 8:30. Joining the group late makes it difficult for your child to transition smoothly from home to school; it is also disruptive to the other children in the class. 

The safety of children always comes first. Therefore, all children must be escorted into the building and signed in by a parent or other authorized adult.

Separation at Morning Drop-Off: Younger children sometimes have difficulty separating from their parents. When you leave your child in our care, please reassure your child about when you will return, and then leave. If you walk your child to the classroom, you may wait to see that he or she is engaged in an activity or with a staff member. However, staying too long will make the separation more difficult. We will call or message you once your child is happily settled if they were indecisive or worried when you left. Children generally become eagerly engaged in a classroom activity shortly after a parent leaves, but it is our pleasure to reassure you with a message or phone call.

Pick-Up: Part-day children leave at 12:00. Full day children leave at 2:30 (2:45 Westminster site). Picking your child up on time is just as important as arriving on time. This is both to avoid the distress of your child being picked up late, and also so teachers can proceed with their assigned duties.

Families who are repeatedly late picking up their children may lose their slot at the Early Education Center.

At the end of their day, children must be picked up by a parent, guardian or other authorized adult. An adult is only “authorized” if they are listed on that child’s “Emergency Information” form which is included in your registration packet. A parent may call the Early Ed. Center if they have an emergency and need to have another person pick their child up. The person must be described to the staff and staff will ask for identification of anyone not known to them. 

The only exception to this is that we are required, along with all Vermont early care and education centers, to release a child to either parent. If one parent is not permitted to pick a child up, we must have a copy of a court order, stating that the parent is not permitted to pick the child up, in our files.

OUTSIDE PLAY

Outside activities and play are an important part of our daily program. If a child is well enough to be in school, they are expected to participate in outdoor activities. Children need to be dressed appropriately for play and weather conditions with footwear safe for physical activities. Shoes safe for playground play must have backs or back straps. Flip flops are not safe for school-wear. Children will not go outside when the wind chill is below ten degrees. We do go outdoors in all weather, including on rainy days. The EEC provides rain-suits for all children, but not rain boots. We recommend your child wear/bring long socks for cold/rainy days. Outdoor play is a messy but important part of our day, we encourage families to send an extra set of seasonally appropriate clothing. We will support having plenty of extra clothes by sending notes home regularly about what needs replenished in your child’s supply.

EXTRA CLOTHING & OUTERWEAR

Please remember to send your child in “play” clothes. We will be using a wide variety of messy materials (e.g. paint, water, mud) both in the classroom and outdoors. Your child should always have an extra set of play clothes, socks, and underwear in school. Please label the clothing with your child’s name. It is important to note that we play outdoors every day of the week, all year long. Please send outerwear and shoes appropriate for the weather (see “outdoor play” section for more information) and a pair of comfortable shoes for indoors.

OUTDOOR WINTER CLOTHING

Appropriate winter gear should include: Mittens (waterproof, insulated, long-wrist types are best), snow pants (bib are easier to put on & provide an extra layer of insulation) or snowsuit, winter boots (zippered or velcro- no shoelaces, insulated, waterproof- rain boots will not work in cold weather as they are not insulated), hat, winter coat. We model and teach students how to put on their own winter clothing, so consider both warmth and ease of putting on/taking off when selecting clothing for school. 

REST           

Rest time away from home is a delicate time. We provide each child who stays through rest time with a routine to help the transition from active play to quiet resting. Our routine starts after lunch with toileting, hand washing, story time, and then resting on mats. During rest, the lights are low, quiet music may be playing, and children receive individual attention. Rest on individual mats lasts for 25-35 minutes, more if they fall asleep. Once children have awoken on their own, they will be given quiet activities to do while their peers finish their rest time.

• Children leaving at 12:00 do not have “rest time” in their schedule.
• We will provide each child with a resting mat and a clean sheet.
• Please let teachers know any special routines that your child relies on to slip off to sleep.
• Send any small (small enough to fit in their backpack) comfort items (special blanket or animal), that may help your child relax and be sure it gets laundered weekly. 

GUIDANCE & DISCIPLINE

The primary goal of guidance and discipline is to allow for maximum social and emotional growth for individual children within the group setting. Children will be physically safe; they will gain self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-control. They will learn how to work together to solve problems. Teachers will work with children in creating basic classroom rules.

The rules emphasize the positive and lay the groundwork for future expectations. Teachers will remind children of the rules in positive language, stating consequences (“We can’t do a puzzle if you throw the pieces around. Let’s get those pieces and do the puzzle together.”)

 The interventions teachers use to address children’s mistaken behavior are firm but friendly. These interventions are solution-oriented, but not punitive. Children will be given choices, not “time-outs”.

If inappropriate behaviors persist, the Lead Teacher will schedule a meeting with the parents. The child may be present at this meeting, depending on the circumstances. Our goal is to use positive means to solve problems when working with children and families. If problem behaviors continue to occur and the child is a danger to themselves or others, enrollment in the EEC may be terminated.

SNACKS & LUNCH

The Early Education Center provides a daily snack and lunch. Full day children have an afternoon snack as well. Nutrition is a primary consideration when planning the snacks served at WNESU’s Early Education Center. Each month’s meal calendars are posted on the bulletin board for your examination. While we provide lunch for children each day, children may bring their own lunches if you prefer.

We follow Ellyn Satter’s division of responsibility in how we approach mealtimes with children. All meals follow guidelines set forth by the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which ensure children are served nutritionally balanced meals. Our morning snack and lunch are prepared by our school cafeteria staff; afternoon snacks are prepared by EEC staff.

Please feel free to view Ellyn Satter's guidance on her website: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/satter-feeding-dynamics-model/

CLOSURES & WNESU CALENDAR     

We follow the WNESU school calendar with an additional Pre-K in-service day (no school for students) once a month. In the event of a snow day, delayed opening, or other closure, you will get a phone call from our automated call system. WNESU will also send out notification through the Remind App, post on the website (wnesu.org), facebook, and through WCAX and WKNE. 

Preschool early release dismissal time is 11:30 am