An education program for preschool age children offered in

partnership with:

ESU 9
Blue Hill School District
Head Start Child & Family Development Program, Inc.

Webster County
Early Learning
Center at
Blue Hill

Parent Handbook Page 2
















































I tried to teach
My child with books,
He gave me only
Puzzled looks.

I tried to teach
My child with words,
They passed him by,
Often unheard.

Despairingly, I turned aside,
How shall I teach this child?
I cried.

I nto my hand he put the key.
Come, he said,
Play with me!
Parent Handbook Page 3




































State funded early childhood education programs must adhere to age eligibility
guidelines set by the State as stated in Rule 11. Children who are eligible to
enroll in kindergarten (those who reach 5 by July 31st of the current year), may
not participate in a State funded grant preschool program, unless determined by the
IEP team.
In our program your child will
receive:

! Excellent Educational
Opportunities by Certified
Teachers
! Transportation
! Nutritional Meals
! Developmental Screenings
! Health Screenings
! Vision Screenings
! Hearing Screenings
! Monthly Parent Meetings
! Family Services

We are excited to have you and your child be a part of our program! This
handbook is designed to answer some of your questions and give you an overview
of the policies and procedures of our program. Feel free to contact your teacher
any time with questions or concerns you may have. We always welcome you to
visit the classroom at any time. We look forward to watching your child soar
this year!
Our program is accredited by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

This is the highest level of accreditation for the
education of young children.
Parent Handbook Page 4
Program Philosophy

The programs philosophy is based on
HighScope, a nationally recognized curriculum
for early childhood. The fundamental
premise of the HighScope Curriculum is that
children are active learners who learn best
from activities they plan and carry out themselves.
This belief is used throughout the preschool day.

We believe teaching must build upon, not direct or control, the thoughts and actions of
children. Learning occurs when children become intensely involved in activities or projects
of their own design. Children have daily opportunities to decide what they want to do.
The early childhood staff initially supports the childs basic plan and then over time helps to
expand on the range and complexity of the plan as the child develops the ability to think
before acting.


Long Range Goals of HighScope Curriculum




























Certain key experiences are essential to childrens early intellectual growth. Guided by these key ex
! Develop the childs ability to make decisions about what s/he is going to do and
how s/he is going to do it, and to plan use of time and energy.

! Develop the childs self-discipline and her/his ability to identify personal goals and to
pursue and complete self-chosen tasks.

! Develop the childs ability to work with other children and adults so that work done
is a result of group planning, cooperative effort and shared leadership.

! Develop the childs ability to use a variety of skills in the arts, physical movement
and knowledge of objects as a base of educational concepts.

! Develop the childs ability to express him/herself to speak, write, dramatize and
graphically represent his/her experiences and to communicate these experiences to
others.

! Develop the childs ability to comprehend others self-expression by reading their
writing, and understanding artistic and graphic representation.

! Develop the childs ability to apply the reasoning capacity s/he has developed in a
wide range of naturally occurring situations and with a variety of materials.

! Develop the childs spirit of inquiry and of openness to knowledge and the points of
view of other people. (Develop creativity and self-starting skills.)

Parent Handbook Page 5
Certain key experiences are essential to childrens early intellectual growth. Guided by these key
experiences, the staff deliberately and systematically helps children predict, observe, describe,
explain, manipulate, hypothesize and find alternatives. They help children incorporate these processes into
their work.
HighScope Preschool Key Experiences
Creative Representation
Recognizing objects by sight, sound,
touch, and smell
Imitating actions and sounds
Relating pictures, photographs, and
models to real places and things
Pretending and role playing
Making models out of clay, blocks, and
other materials
Drawing and painting

Language and Literacy
Talking with others about personally
meaningful experiences
Describing objects, events, and relations
Having fun with language: listening to
stories and poems, making up stories and
rhymes
Writing in various ways: drawing,
scribbling, letter-like forms, invented
spelling, conventional forms
Reading in various ways: reading
storybooks, signs and symbols, ones own
writing
Dictating stories

Initiative and Social Relations
Making and expressing choices, plans, and
decisions
Solving problems encountered in play
Taking care of ones own needs
Expressing feelings in words
Participating in group routines
Being sensitive to the feelings, interests
and needs of others
Building relationships with children and
adults
Creating and experiencing collaborative
play
Dealing with social conflict

Movement
Moving in nonlocomotor ways (bending,
twisting, rocking, swinging arms)
Moving in locomotor ways (running,
jumping, hopping, skipping, marching,
climbing)
Moving with objects
Expressing creativity in movement
Describing movement
Acting upon movement directions
Feeling and expressing steady beat
Moving in sequences to a common beat

Music
Moving to music
Exploring and identifying sounds
Exploring the singing voice
Developing melody
Singing songs
Playing simple musical instruments
Classification
Exploring and describing similarities,
differences, and the attributes of things
Distinguishing and describing shapes
Sorting and matching
Using and describing something in several
ways
Holding more that one attribute in mind at
a time
Distinguishing between some and all
Describing characteristics something does
not possess or what class it does not
belong to

Seriation
Comparing attributes (longer/shorter,
bigger/smaller)
Arranging several things one after another
in a series or pattern and describing the
relationships (big/bigger/biggest,
red/blue/red/blue)
Fitting one ordered set of objects to
another through trial and error (small cup-
small saucer/medium cup-medium
saucer/large cup-large saucer)

Number
Comparing the numbers of things in two
sets to determine more, fewer, same
number
Arranging two sets of objects in one-to-
one correspondence
Counting objects

Space
Filling and emptying
Fitting things together and taking them
apart
Changing the shape and arrangement of
objects (wrapping, twisting, stretching,
stacking, enclosing)
Observing people, places, and things from
different spatial viewpoints
Experiencing and describing positions,
directions, and distances in the play space,
building and neighborhood
Interpreting spatial relations in drawings,
pictures, and photographs

Time
Starting and stopping an action on signal
Experiencing and describing rates of
movement
Experiencing and comparing time
intervals
Anticipation, remembering, and describing
sequences of events

C 2000 High/Scope Educational
Research Foundation
Parent Handbook Page 6

HighScope programs follow a predictable sequence of events
known as the daily routine. This provides a structure which allows
children to make choices and follow their interests through active
involvement. Following a consistent routine day after day gives children the
sense of security they need to be able to make choices and take risks,
which opens the door to exciting learning opportunities. Although each
High/Scope program decides on the routine that works best for its setting,
schedule and population, the segments described below are always included
during the program day. The length and order of the segment varies from
program to program.























Plan Do Review Sequence
This three-part sequence is unique to the High/Scope
Curriculum.

Planning Time (Plan)
A 5 to 10 minute period during which children plan
what they want to do during work time (the area to
visit, materials to use, friends to play with)

Work Time (Do)
A 45 to 60 minute time to carry out the plans they
made. Children are very active and purposeful during
the do portions of the day because they are
pursuing activities that interest them. They may
follow their initial plans, but often, as they become
engaged, their plans shift or may even change
completely.

Recall Time (Review)
A 5 to 10 minute period for reviewing and recalling
with an adult and other children what theyve done
and learned.

In between do and review, children clean up by
putting away their materials or storing unfinished
projects. The three elements of this sequence always
occur in the same order.

Meals & Snacks

Meal and snack time is used as a learning experience
for the children, as we incorporate self-help skills,
social skills, literacy skills and math skills.
Outside time

Children and adults spend at
least 30 minutes outside every
day, enjoying vigorous and
often noisy play in the fresh
air.

Large-group time

Large-group time builds a sense of
community. Children and staff come
together for movement and music
activities, interactive storytelling, and
other shared experiences. Children may
have opportunities to make choices and
play the role of leader.


Small-group time

During small group time, 5-10 children meet
with an adult to experiment with materials,
try out new skills, and solve problems. Adults
develop a small-group activity based on
childrens interests and particular skills,
materials or content areas that suit
childrens developmental learning needs.
Though the adult plans the activity and sets it
in motion, children make choices about how to
use the materials and freely communicate
their ideas. The length of small group varies
with the childrens age, interests, and
engagement. At the end of the period,
children help with cleanup.

Parent Handbook Page 7





Each classroom has its own schedule
that best fits their needs.

Your childs daily routine will be given to you
at the beginning of the school year.

Below is an example






































Arrive & Wash Hands
Breakfast/Wash Hands/Brush Teeth
Large Group Time
Planning Time
Work Time
Recall Time
Small Group Time
Outside Time/Wash Hands
Lunch/Brush Teeth/Wash Hands

Parent Handbook Page 8
Parent Involvement

You are your childs primary educator; please, consider being an active participant in
your childs education. Your participation is greatly valued in the program!

Parent input is valuable in making improvements in our program. Parent meetings will
be held throughout the year. More information will be provided about parent
involvement throughout the year.

Here are some ideas for volunteering:

" Parent meetings
" Being a Guest Reader in the classroom
" Eating meals with your child (please let your
teacher know a day before)
" Interact with your child during classroom activities
" Assist on field trips
" Share your talents on a specific topic/theme (contact teacher to make
arrangements)
" Contributing toys, materials, and/or clothing (i.e. hats, mittens, boots & coats to
be kept in the classroom to use on those days someone has forgotten something;
clothing for needed changes during the school day)


We encourage open communication between parents & staff through:

# Daily Communications (Daily Happenings)
# Monthly Newsletters
# Monthly Parent Meetings
# Home Visits
# Parent/Teacher Conferences
# GOLD Family Reports











Parent
Preschool
Teacher
Preschool
Supervisor
Director of
Special
Services
Parent Handbook Page 9


















































The Reporting Law

Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-711 CHILD SUBJECTED TO ABUSE OR NEGLECT; REPORT;
CONTENTS; TOLL-FREE NUMBER. (1) When any physician, medical institution, nurse, school
employee, social worker, the Inspector General appointed under section 43-4317, or any other
person has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been subjected to child abuse or neglect
or observes such person being subjected to conditions or circumstances which reasonably would
result in abuse or neglect, he or she shall report such incident or cause a report to be made to the
proper law enforcement agency or to the department on the toll-free number established by
subsection (2) of this section. Such report may be made orally by telephone, with the caller giving
his or her name and address, shall be followed by a written report, and to the extent available
shall contain the address and age of the abused or neglected child, the address of the person or
persons having custody of the abused or neglected child, the nature and extent of the child abuse
or neglect or the conditions and circumstances which would reasonably result in such child abuse
or neglect, any evidence of previous child abuse or neglect including the nature and extent, and
any other information which in the opinion of the person may be helpful in establishing the cause
of such child abuse or neglect and the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators. Law
enforcement agencies receiving any reports of child abuse or neglect under this subsection shall
notify the department pursuant to section 28-718 on the next working day by phone or mail.
(2) The department shall establish a statewide toll-free number to be used by any person any
hour of the day or night, any day of the week to make reports of child abuse or neglect. Reports
of child abuse or neglect not previously made to or by a law enforcement agency shall be made
immediately to such agency by the department.

Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-717 VIOLATIONS; PENALTY. Any person who willfully fails to make any
report of child abuse or neglect required by section 28-711 shall be guilty of a Class III
misdemeanor.

Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-710 ACT, HOW CITED; TERMS, DEFINED.
(1) Sections 28-710 - 28-727 shall be known and may be cited as the Child Protection Act.
(2) For purposes of the Child Protection Act:
a. Child abuse or neglect means knowingly, intentionally, or negligently causing or
permitting a minor child to be:
i. Placed in a situation that endangers his or her life or physical or mental health;
ii. Cruelly confined or cruelly punished;
iii. Deprived of necessary food, clothing, shelter, or care;
iv. Left unattended in a motor vehicle if such minor child is six years of age or
younger;
v. Sexually abused; or
vi. Sexually exploited by allowing, encouraging, or forcing such person to solicit
for or engage in prostitution, debauchery, public indecency, or obscene or
pornographic photography, films, or depictions
b. Department means the Department of Health and Human Services;
c. Law enforcement agency means the police department or town marshal in
incorporated municipalities, the office of the sheriff in unincorporated areas, and the
Nebraska State Patrol;
d. Out-of-home child abuse or neglect means child abuse or neglect occurring in day
care homes, foster homes, day care centers, residential child-caring agencies as
defined in section 71-1926, and other child care facilities or institutions; and
e. Subject of the report of child abuse or neglect means the person or persons
identified in the report as responsible for the child abuse or neglect.

Parent Handbook Page 10





ILLNESS

Children learn best when they feel well and can fully participate in school activities.
A child should not attend class if any of the following conditions exist (they may
indicate a contagious condition or infectious disease):

! Fever (100 degrees or above), Vomiting or Diarrhea
! Rashes, Impetigo, Ringworm, etc
! Red, mattered eyes
! Itchy Scalp (nits/head lice-per district policy)
! Sore throat, chills, unexplained tiredness
! Yellow/green mucus

If your child becomes ill at school, parents and/or emergency
contacts will be notified and asked to pick the child up as soon as possible.
An Ill Child form will be completed and sent home. The teacher will note that the 24
hour rule (see box) is in effect, as well as notify transportation that the child will not
be attending the following day.



















IMMUNIZATIONS

Your childs immunization record must be on file before
s/he can attend class.
***Parents will be notified when there is a confirmed contagious condition that is to be reported to the
State Health Department. Information regarding contagious conditions or other health information
may be sent home at the discretion of the preschool nurse.


Children need to be symptom free for 24 hours, without the
use of fever reducing medication, before returning to school.

Children receiving antibiotics, and antifungal, or other
medication for infection need to be on the medication for 24
hours before returning to school.

Children who exhibit signs/symptoms of contagious
conditions should have a doctors note before returning.

The 24 hour rule applies to: children who are ill and stay home
children who are sent home ill
24 HOUR RULE
Parent Handbook Page 11
MEDICATION

Medication should be given by the parent at home
whenever possible.


If medication must be given at school,
please follow these steps:

! Give written permission that includes the name of the child, the name of the
medication, the dose, how it is to be given and when it is to be given along with
the parent/guardian signature and date.
! Give the medication directly to a staff member. Do NOT send it in the childs
backpack.
! The medication must be in the original bottle with pharmacy direction clearly
labeled including the childs name, doctors name and current date.













EMERGENCY DRILLS

Regular emergency fire and tornado drills are conducted throughout the year. All
students, staff and visitors are expected to take part in the drills. Check the chart
inside the door of your childs classroom to see the procedure.




INJURY

Should your child or a member of your family become
ill or receive an injury at the center, staff may initiate
first aid treatment. Family will be notified.

When an injury or illness appears to require
immediate medical attention, staff will call 911 for
emergency first aid and possible transport to Mary
Lanning Memorial Hospital. Family will be notified.

Parent Handbook Page 12



Please send your child to school in comfortable, washable clothes
and shoes that are appropriate for the changing weather. Children go
outside to play daily so please dress warm on chilly days. If you would
like your child to wear any sunscreen or Deet, it needs to be applied at
home before attending school.


We encourage independence with eating and messy activities
(i.e. painting), so make sure that clothes are washer-friendly for when
spills occur.



























Label your childs clothing
jackets, gloves/mittens,
shoes, etc, backpacks and
anything else s/he may
bring to school.
PERSONAL POSSESSIONS

Please do not allow your child to bring
personal items (i.e. toys, candy) to
school unless requested by the
classroom staff.

NO PLAY GUNS or WEAPONS are
allowed at preschool.

CLOTHING
Parent Handbook Page 13






CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

All staff are required to follow confidentiality guidelines concerning all children. That
means that your childs classroom staff can only answer questions pertaining to your
child. Please do not ask the van/bus driver about your child or any other child as they
will refer you to your childs classroom teacher.

Federal and state regulations require many files and records to be completed on your
child. Child records are kept in a locked file at the center. To view your childs file or
receive copies of anything in the file, please contact your childs teacher. People who
have access to the files include:

" Preschool Staff
" Program Supervisor
" School District Representative
" Head Start Executive Director/Coordinators
" Official Representatives of HHS & USDA
" Program Auditors


Fundraising
Although parent contributions are appreciated, the program cannot be associated with
fundraising activities in any way, which includes distributing information to families in
the program.




A childs birthday is a very special day for both the child and his/her family. Some
examples of ways to celebrate your childs birthday at preschool would be to bring a
baby picture of your child to share with the class, or a special book that your child
likes could be read and shared with the class on that day. Please make plans with
your childs teacher if you plan to do something special.

Holidays will be celebrated as initiated by the children and those ideas will be incorporated
into general classroom activities.
BIRTHDAY/HOLIDAY POLICY

Parent Handbook Page 14








Children attending preschool will be charged tuition. Tuition includes quality
preschool experiences at an NAEYC accredited preschool 4 times a week with
certified teachers, transportation and meals. The Grant partners establish a
sliding fee scale and a familys yearly income is used to determine the amount
they will pay. The rate is not pro-rated based on attendance.

Tuition Rates

3.5 Hours Program
Full = $150
Reduced 1 = $60 (family qualifies for reduced lunch)
Reduced 2 = $25 (family qualifies for free lunch)
Reduced 3 = $0 (family qualifies for & agrees to Head Start services)

6.5 Hours Program
Full = $200
Reduced 1 = $90 (family qualifies for reduced lunch)
Reduced 2 = $40 (family qualifies for free lunch)
Reduced 3 = $0 (family qualifies for & agrees to Head Start services)

Tuition can be re-evaluated at any time should your families financial situation
change.
Payments are to be made for the months of September through April. They are
due the first of the month and are past due after the tenth. We do not send
statements each month. Do NOT send payments with your child to school. They
may be mailed to:

ESU 9 Preschool Office
ATTN: Lynda
P.O. Box 2047
Hastings, NE 68902-2047

If tuition payments are delinquent for two months, your child will no longer be
eligible to attend preschool, unless other arrangements have been made.
Parent Handbook Page 15




Arrival at School
You and your child are welcome to arrive 5 minutes prior to the start of class, no
earlier please. To ensure the safety of your child, please personally escort your child
into his/her classroom and be sure that staff is aware your child has arrived. All
parents & visitors must check in at the front office.


Departure from School
Please meet your child at the classroom or van/bus to pick them up. If you are late, or
nobody is there to pick up your child, we will attempt to reach your emergency
contacts.

If all attempts to reach someone fail, your child will be taken to the emergency drop
off location: Kelly Willicott
108 S Hickory St
Blue Hill, NE 68930
(402) 469-5543
Parents will be responsible for the hourly charge ($2.50/hr) for the time their child is
under the emergency drop-off providers care. The hourly rate will go up after a child
has been dropped off three times.


SCHOOL CLOSING

There will be times when the school district
will have school, but we will not have preschool.
Please watch and listen to know if your child
will have school.

If the school has a late start
No am preschool, and pm will be decided on

If the district cancels school
No am or pm preschool




Cancellations due to weather
conditions will be announced
on the following stations:

KHAS TV Channel 5

KOLN/KGIN Channel 11

NTV Channel 13





Parent Handbook Page 16








































Preschool Staff needs to know if . . .
$ Your child will not be attending school
$ Your telephone or address changes
$ Youre not able to keep a home visit, parent/
teacher conference or other scheduled
meeting
$ You change jobs or emergency contacts
$ You have a family crisis that will affect your
child

IMPORTANT PRESCHOOL NUMBERS

Preschool Classroom
Paula (402) 756-2315 You can leave a message
Sarah (402) 756-2315 24 hours a day.


Preschool Office
Pat & Lynda (402) 463-5611
Jessica (402) 463-5611


Transportation Services
Betty (402) 469-5750
Olsons (402) 746-3314

Call the
classroom and
transportation if
your child will
not be in school.
Parent Handbook Page 17
Webster County Early Learning Center at Blue Hill
2014 2015 Calendar

AUGUST
12 Orientation/Health Fair
21 Open House

25 School Starts

SEPTEMBER
1 NO SCHOOL Labor Day


OCTOBER
20 NO SCHOOL Teacher Inservice



NOVEMBER
7
P/T Conferences
27 NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving


DECEMBER 24
JANUARY 2
NO SCHOOL Winter Break



JANUARY
5 School Resumes



FEBRUARY
27 Home Visits

APRIL
6 NO SCHOOL Spring Break
21 NO SCHOOL Teacher Inservice
24 P/T Conferences



MAY
7 Tentative Last Day of School

Calendar subject to change
Parent Handbook Page 18
Webster County Early
Learning Center at Blue Hill
Parent Meetings






You are your childs primary educator; please, consider being an active participant in
your childs education. Your participation is greatly valued in making improvement to
our program!

The following dates have been designated as Parent Meeting Dates. The classroom
staff will provide you with the specific time & location.



" Thursday, September 11
th


" Thursday, November 6
th


" Thursday, January 29
th


" Thursday, May 7
th







At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a childs success is
the positive involvement of parents. ~Jane D. Hull



Parent Handbook Page 19

I have received the 20142015 Parent Handbook for the Webster County Early
Learning Center at Blue Hill that describes:


# Program Philosophy
# Early Childhood Curriculum
# Parent Involvement
# Communication between Home & School
# Procedure for Handling Concerns
# The Reporting Law
# Immunizations
# Illness & Injury Policy
# Emergency Drills
# Clothing
# Personal Possessions
# Confidentiality Policy
# Birthday/Holiday Policy
# Tuition
# Preschool Drop-off and Pick-up
# Preschool Cancellation
# Yearly Program Calendar
# Parent Meeting Dates



______________________________________ ____________________
Parent Signature Date




Parent of: ________________________________________________________
Childs Name