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Daily Duties for Helping Parent • Weekend Housekeeping Duties • Discipline Policy • By-Laws • Policies & Procedures

A) Transportation

1. Transportation of each child to and from school is the responsibility of the parents or guardian.
   
2. Keep the safety of the children in mind at all times.
   
3. No child may be left unsupervised on the school premises. Carpool driver must be sure that either the teacher or the participating parent is in the classroom before leaving the children.
   
4. When you arrive at school, be ready to assist children from the car, and again into the car when departing after school.
   
5. NEVER leave children unattended in the car.
   
6. Traffic pattern: stay to the right upon entering the parking lot.
   
7. Hold children's hands while in the parking lot.
   

B) Clothing

1. Play clothes are the most appropriate school attire.
   
2. Outer clothes should be easy for the children to put on and take off by themselves. Help your child to become self-reliant by making it possible for the child to dress without help.
   
3. In cold weather, be sure your child is dressed adequately for the playground. Boots should be extra large so that the children can put them on easily themselves.
   
4. Nametags and labels should be put on all loose clothing.
   
5. All children should have a backpack (labeled with their name inside) and change of clothes at school every day.
   

C) Participation

1. Please be 15 minutes early on your scheduled day. Siblings in the family are not allowed to come with you when you participate.
   
2. Help the children with their outer garments and see that they are hung up. Take a few minutes to discuss the plans for the day with the teacher. When participating on Monday morning, be sure the equipment is removed from the cabinets to their proper places. Check with the teacher. On Friday afternoon, the equipment must be put away for the weekend.
   
3. Take disinfectant wipes from the cabinet in the classroom, thoroughly clean the restrooms and the water fountain. The participant should do this at his or her first opportunity before class begins. These rules concerning cleaning, are County Health Regulations – if they are not followed we are subject to lose our license.
   
4. Help the teacher in such a way as to relieve her of mechanical details; set out play materials, put names on children's creative work. See that the children put toys away.
   
5. Escort children to and from the bathroom.
   
6. At snack time, clean tables with disinfectant wipes and have beverage ready to serve. EACH PARTICIPANT WILL PROVIDE A BEVERAGE OF 100% CLEAR FRUIT JUICE AND THE JUICE MUST BE IN A NON-GLASS, SCREW TOP BOTTLE TO MEET HEALTH REGULATIONS. After eating, clean the tables and chairs. Tables must be wiped down with disinfectant wipes again.
   
7. On special occasions, such as birthdays, parents may choose to make cupcakes (or a special treat) and bring them to school for children's snack time. The Class Coordinator will attempt to schedule a child's birthday as the parent's participation day when possible.
   
8. Leave discipline to the teacher except when danger is impending, in which case feel free to act spontaneously. Be unobtrusive when talking. Use a low voice and few words. When the teacher is out of the room or involved in the leadership of the whole group (i.e., story time), the participant should feel responsible for discipline. Respect the teacher's professional training and work with her; check with her prior to departure. No smoking is permitted in the building.
   
9. At the end of the day, assess the level of all supplies (paper towels, tissues, soap, etc.) to determine if more are needed. Also, ask the teacher if there are any supplies in which they are running low. If so, put a note in the Equipment, Inventory and Supplies Box.
   
10. Please bring any problem with the child to the attention of the teacher for her to discuss with the child's parent.
    

D) Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures

1. Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before class begins and no later than 10 minutes after class ends. A fee of $3 will be charged for every five minutes a child is dropped off before 8:50am and for any child who is not picked up 15 minutes after class ends. Exceptions may be made for special situations (i.e., traffic accidents, car problems). Please try to be considerate and call the teacher if you know you will be early or late, so that they may plan ahead.
   
2. No lingering in the halls PLEASE. Other classes are in session. Form a line outside the interior door to await dismissal. Please do not block doorways or the bathroom.
   
3. The classroom door should be closed at all times in order to keep the children in the classroom.
   
4. The helping parent is required to stay until the last child is picked up.
   
5. The teacher will keep the door closed in the morning until they are ready to admit students. Please do not enter the classroom unless the door is open.
   
6. Pick-up time ends at 12:15 pm.
   

E) Snack

A healthy snack will be provided for each child by the school. The helping parent for that day will provide 100% CLEAR FRUIT JUICE. THIS MUST BE IN A NON-GLASS, SCREW TOP BOTTLE TO MEET HEALTH REGULATIONS. No child is to bring any snack from home unless there is a dietary restriction, in which case a physician's note will be required. Exceptions will be made for a child's birthday celebration or any other special occasion.

F) Playground Rules

1. Children should play without chasing, hitting, fighting, pushing or teasing.
   
2. Tricycles stay in the backyard. Riding toys and tricycles stay at the top of the hill. Crashing is not allowed.
   
3. Sticks stay on the ground.
   
4. Dirt stays on the ground.
   
5. Rocks stay on the ground or in a bucket.
   
6. Sand stays on the ground or in sand toys. Sand is not used for throwing.
   
7. Shovels, trucks and sand toys stay in the sand box.
   
8. Climbing bars are for climbing only. Hanging from bars and swinging legs are not allowed.
   

G) Rules for Use of the Slide

1. Children should face the steps when climbing up or down the ladder.
   
2. Children should sit with their feet first when they slide down. Keep legs on slide at all times.
   
3. Children waiting to climb the ladder should wait at the bottom of the steps on the ground until the child at the top of the slide goes down.
   

H) Housekeeping

All members will be assigned housekeeping duties to be performed by one family every weekend. Depending on enrollment, this will occur no more than twice per school year for each member. The monthly schedule will be posted outside the classroom, as well as published in the Bellringer. The teacher will provide a classroom key for checkout upon request and the teacher may add special cleaning duties as needed.

I) Fieldtrips

1. Various fieldtrips will be scheduled throughout the school year.
   
2. Members are responsible for volunteering to provide cars and adult supervision.
   
3. A fieldtrip permission slip is required for each student for each fieldtrip.
   

J) The Bellringer Newsletter

1. Contributions for the Bellringer should be submitted no later than the 20^th of the month or as otherwise specified by the Secretary.
   
2. The Bellringer will be distributed to each member and all teachers by the 1^st of the month.
   

K) Access to Student Forms

1. The following records containing personal information of students will be maintained:
   
   
   1. Health forms (as required by the P.G. County Department of Health)
      
   2. Emergency Information Cards
      
   3. Student Attendance
      
   4. Registration Forms
      
   5. Enrollment and Termination Dates
      
   
   
2. The following procedures will govern access to the forms listed above:
   
   
   1. Health forms will be made available only to:
      
      1. Health, Safety, Insurance and Licensing Chairperson
         
      2. Classroom teachers
         
      3. Officials of the County Health Department
         
      4. Parent or guardian who enrolled the student
         
      5. Executive Board of Directors
         
      
      
   2. Emergency Information Cards shall be made available only to:
      
      1. Classroom teachers
         
      2. Participating parent
         
      3. Parent or guardian who enrolled the student
         
      4. Executive Board of Directors
         
      
      
   3. Student Evaluation Forms shall be made available only to:
      
      1. Classroom teachers
         
      2. Parent or guardian who enrolled the student
         
      3. Executive Board of Directors
         
      
      
   4. Student Attendance Records shall be made available only to:
      
      1. Classroom teachers
         
      2. Parent or guardian who enrolled the student
         
      3. Executive Board of Directors
         
      
      
   5. Registration Forms shall be made available only to:
      
      1. Classroom teachers
         
      2. Parent or guardian who enrolled the student
         
      3. Executive Board of Directors
         
   
   
3. The following procedures will govern the security and destruction of the records mentioned above:
   
   
   1. All forms of enrolled students shall be maintained in the classroom accessible only to the persons that govern access to those forms under the supervision of the classroom teacher.
      
   2. All forms will be maintained for one year after the student is withdrawn. After that one year time of maintenance, the records will be destroyed by persons authorized access to said records.
      
   3. Records will be released to anyone other than the parent or guardian who enrolled the student only upon receipt of written request from the parent or guardian.
      

L) Student Progression

Students will be admitted to a class according to their chronological age. If after observing a child for at least four weeks, a teacher feels the student is not performing at a developmental level in accordance with their chronological age, the teacher may then recommend to the parent or guardian that the child be placed in the class that best fits the needs of the student.

M) Procedures for Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

The Classroom teacher shall verbally report any suspected case of child abuse to the President. Having reported to the President, the teacher shall also verbally report to the appropriate authorities such cases of suspected child abuse (P.G. County Protective Services and Anne Arundel County Social Services). There shall be information concerning the Maryland Law regarding child abuse in the classroom.

N) Nondiscriminatory Policy

Before it begins to operate, and on annual basis after that, the Belair Cooperative Nursery School shall assure the State Department of Education that it does not practice discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex or national origin in the admissions of students or the employment of faculty and administrative staff.

O) Inclement Weather Policy

If P.G. County schools open one hour late, the Co-op school opens one hour late and we (Co-op school) stay one half hour longer. In other words, the 3’s class would go from 10am to 12:30pm and the 4’s class would go from 10am to 12:30pm. If P.G. County schools open two hours late, the Co-op follows the same schedule above, we open one hour late and stay one half hour longer. Hours would be 10am to 12:30pm for the 3’s and 10am to 12:30pm for the 4’s. If P.G. County schools are closed, we are also closed. Fieldtrips will be rescheduled and any other school events will be cancelled. In the event of power or mechanical failures, class may be cancelled. Every effort will be made to notify parents as soon as possible. The teacher in consultation with a board member will determine cancellation.

P) Availability of Asbestos Management Plan

In October 1986, the U.S. Congress enacted the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Under this law, comprehensive regulations were developed to address asbestos problems in public and private elementary and secondary school. These regulations require most schools to inspect for friable and non-friable asbestos, develop asbestos management plans that address asbestos hazards in school buildings and implement response actions in a timely manner.

Member Handbook • Staff Biographies • Sample Schedule • Registration Packets

Daily Duties for Helping Parent • Weekend Housekeeping Duties • Discipline Policy • By-Laws • Policies & Procedures