CARTHAGE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

UNIVERSAL PRE-K PARENT HANDBOOK

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Universal Pre-K Parent Handbook

Benefits of Universal Pre-K Programs:

Did you know that the very first public preschools in the 1830’s were established in Massachusetts? These programs served young children from indigent families and exposed them to mainstream values and habits. Today, there are several types of preschool programs. There are those that target a specific population and receive federal funding, like Head Start. There are private preschool programs, like Montessori schools. There are preschool programs for children with special needs and there are Universal Prekindergarten programs. State funded universal preschool programs have expanded significantly over the past ten years. By the 2001-02 school year, 40 states had preschool programs that enrolled 694,743 children. These programs serve mostly 4 year olds. In recent years, evidence has mounted that problems of school readiness and educational failure are not strictly problems of children in poverty. Many children arrive at school less than well prepared with respect to both social and academic skills that are important for school success. There is substantial room for the vast majority of children to improve school readiness through better preschool education. In addition, direct evidence has been growing that all children can benefit from high quality preschool, including the more economically disadvantaged. For the above reasons, the Governor’s budget has supported funding the Universal Pre-K programs throughout New York State. The Carthage Central School District Board of Education fully supports the Universal Pre- kindergarten experience for its district children. The Board members know that high quality preschool programs enhance children’s readiness skills for kindergarten. Other long-term benefits from quality preschool programs as demonstrated by research are: reduced school failure; less crime and truancy; increased graduation rates.

At Age 30, Pre-K Participants Still Reaping Benefits: “Developmental Psychology” published results from a follow-up study with the participants of the 1970’s Abecedarian Project, which involved children from low-income families being randomly assigned to receive an early childhood education intervention or not. Conducted by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the new study examined outcomes at age 30 from 101 of the 111 children in the original project. Those who had attended preschool were four times more likely to have college degrees and be consistently employed full-time. They were also less likely to need public assistance.

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Pre-K Has Positive Long-Term Health Outcomes: Also working with the now adult participants from the Abecedarian Project, a new study specifically looked at the health benefits of Pre-K, focusing on three health measures and eleven behavioral risk factors. Researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University examined the study participants on a number of health issues such as health problems since adolescence, tobacco and drug use, depression, hospitalizations and access to primary care, and found that those that had been enrolled in Pre-K as children were healthier and exhibited less risky health behaviors than those that did not. These differences were seen as early as age 21. Dr. Peter Muennig, one of the study’s authors, noted that early childhood education “interventions may be more cost effective than many traditional medical and public health approaches to improving population health.”

More about Universal Pre-K: Benchmark Family Services, Inc. is a New York State approved 4410 program (meaning that we are approved to evaluate and provide special services for preschool children), and a New York State licensed day care facility. Benchmark Family Services, Inc. operates quality integrated preschool programs for children ages 3-5. The Carthage Central School District and Benchmark Family Services, Inc. have collaborated to provide your child with an excellent preschool experience. Each Universal Pre-kindergarten classroom has a New York State certified teacher and a New York State certified teacher assistant, who are Benchmark staff. All Benchmark staff must be cleared through the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Registry as well as being fingerprinted and cleared of any criminal activity. The pre-reading program is called “Building Language for Literacy.” This is a research-based program. It offers children various opportunities to gain knowledge in areas such as oral language; letter recognition; letter sounds; rhyming; and name writing concepts in print. There are six units in this program. These are spread over the course of the school year. The children are able to go on field trips to places like a restaurant, a farm and the fire station. Each unit has its own poems, stories and songs. The teacher keeps very close track of the children’s progress throughout the school year. Each child has a portfolio which contains samples of their work from September through June and test scores from fall and spring. Parents are encouraged to come in and participate in the classroom as often as they can. The teacher will send home information with suggested times and days for parents to come in and help in the classroom. Each child participates in testing in the beginning of the school year as well as toward the end of the school year. The testing helps track your child’s progress with regard to vocabulary, letter recognition, letter sound association and name writing.

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However, the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program is not just about developing reading or pre-reading skills. It is also about developing social skills, communication skills and independence. Kindergarten readiness is about being able to put on your coat and zip it yourself. It is about being able to sit and listen to directions and then being able to follow those directives. It is about being able to

communicate with your peers as well as with adults in an appropriate manner and about getting along with others and solving problems in a pro-social manner.

We want the preschoolers and their parents to have a positive experience during their pre-kindergarten year. We are “setting the stage” for future schooling endeavors and we strive to make this Pre-K experience successful.

Parent Conferences: The teachers will contact you regarding parent–teacher conferences. These usually occur once in the fall and once in the spring. If there is a need seen for conferencing more often, by either the parents or the teacher, this is also arranged. Sometimes there is a need to conference with parents more often due to concerns regarding a child’s behavior. If this is the case, the teacher may or may not ask others to attend the conference. Others that may be involved could be the school psychologist/counselor, principal and preschool program administrator.

Children’s Behavior: It is expected that children will be respectful of others and of other’s belongings and that they will follow directions. This is not always the case with all children. As early education educators we know that there is an adjustment period for young children coming into a structured setting. We also know that following an adult’s agenda may not be what a child wants at a particular time. Therefore, we work with the children and give them a great deal of latitude for the first few weeks of school. Some children continue to have adjustment issues even after that period of adjustment. They seem to have their own agenda and choose to follow that rather than what is being asked of them. We will contact you if we see that your child continues to have difficulty following directions, getting along with others, being aggressive with others or not being able to adjust to a school setting. The teacher will call you to discuss what she is observing and get your input. She may see the need for a parent conference or a home visit. Some children need more guidance than others. If this is the case we will work with you, the parent, to develop a behavior plan that suites your child’s needs. Children’s behaviors are evaluated on a case by case basis. Solutions and assistance to address the negative or aggressive behaviors are individual.

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Common Core: In 2010, New York State adopted the Common Core Standards for K–12. The following year, New York State adopted math and literacy standards for pre-kindergarten aligned to the K–12 Common Core Standards. Pre-kindergarten standards were developed for science, social studies, technology and the arts, as well as the domains of social and emotional development. The Pre-kindergarten Foundation for the Common Core defines the skills and knowledge young children need to enter kindergarten better prepared for future success in elementary school and beyond. The Pre-kindergarten Foundation for the Common Core acts as a guide to teachers of 4 year olds for lesson planning and instruction. The New York State Pre-kindergarten Foundation for the Common Core is: • A resource for guiding the design, selection and implementation of a high quality curriculum. • A guide for planning experiences and instructional activities that enable children to meet the standards. • A guide for selecting assessment tools appropriate for children with differing abilities and challenges. • A framework for all pre-kindergarten children regardless of language, backgrounds or diverse needs. • A bridge between the learning expectations of children birth through three and the standards for those attending K–12 in public schools. • A focus for discussions regarding the education of young children by educators, policy makers, families and community members.

Guiding Principles for the Development of the New York State Pre-kindergarten Foundation to the Common Core: 1. All children are capable of learning, achieving and making developmental progress. The Prekindergarten Learning Standards are intended for all children regardless of economic, linguistic, and cultural differences or physical, learning, and emotional challenges. 2. Children develop at different rates and each child is unique in his/her own development, growth, and acquisition of skills. Appropriate and reasonable supports and accommodation must be provided to enable all children to succeed. 3. Children are active learners. A primary approach to learning is through purposeful play. Intentional planning promotes rich learning experiences that invite participation, involve multiple contexts, and engage the senses that help children explore their environment. 4. Early learning and development are multi-dimensional. Children’s learning is integrated and occurs simultaneously across all domains, which are interrelated and interactive with one another. 5. Children learn in the context of interactions and relationships with family members, caregivers, teachers, and other children in their immediate environment and in their community.

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6. The family is a significant contributor to children’s lifelong learning and development. Actively engaging parents in the early education of their children is essential to children’s success in the elementary classroom and later learning. 7. These Learning Standards may be used as tools to empower parents, teachers, and caregivers to better support and enhance young children’s learning and development. 8. These Learning Standards acknowledge and respect children’s rich backgrounds, their heritage, cultures, and linguistic differences. 9. The content of these Learning Standards is guided by research and effective practice to strengthen instruction and educational experiences across all settings. These Learning Standards are systemically aligned with New York State Common Core Learning Standards, performance indicators for bilingual and preschool special education, Head Start outcomes, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines. They build upon provisions of quality set forth in child-care licensing requirements.

Exclusion Policy: Children need not be excluded for minor illness unless any of the following exist: •

The child has a confirmed diagnosis of a reportable disease for which the local or state health department has a specific exclusion policy or recommendation.

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The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in program activities.

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The illness results in a greater care need than staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of the other children.

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The child has any of the following conditions: uncontrolled cough or wheezing, unusual lethargy, irritability with persistent crying, difficulty breathing, refusal to eat or drink with illness, discolored urine or other signs of possible severe illness.

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Diarrhea that is not contained by toilet use or stools that contain blood and/or mucous or diarrhea lasting more than one (1) day.

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Mouth sores associated with an inability of the child to control his/her saliva unless the child’s physician or local health department authority states that the child is non-infectious.

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Rash with fever or behavior change unless the physician has determined the illness not to be a communicable disease.

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A child may not be re-admitted following a communicable illness without a statement from a medical facility or a physician indicating that the child may return.

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Fever: We consider a temperature of 101 with the ear thermometer elevated and your child will need to be picked up from school. Before sending your child into school, if you have any questions or concerns by all means call and speak to the onsite nurse. She is always available and more than happy to answer any questions regarding your child’s health. Children should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to the program without fever reducer. NOTE: Children with significant fever should not only be excluded but also referred to their physician for evaluation. On the following page is a list of common illnesses, the infectious period and exclusion period. We have followed the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control. We acknowledge that the implementation of this policy may cause some problems relative to parent/guardians employment and as such, we are committed to assisting you whenever and wherever possible to overcome such concerns. It should be noted however, that the primary responsibility of this setting is to protect all the children within it.

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Exclusion Guidelines INFECTION Chicken pox (Varicella) & Herpes Zoster (shingles)

INFECTIOUS PERIOD From 2 days before to 5 days after appearance of rash.

Cold sores Conjunctivitis (pink eye)

While sores are present. While active.

Diarrhea (viral gastroenteritis) & other common causes of diarrhea

While there is diarrhea.

Fifth’s disease (slapped cheek syndrome) Glandular fever (mononucleosis) Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

5 days before rash appears.

Head Lice Hepatitis A Infection Impetigo (streptococcal) & staphylococcus skin infections Influenza Measles Mumps Pertussis (Whooping cough) Ringworm (tinea) Athlete’s foot Rubella (German measles) Scabies (itch mite) Streptococcal infections including sore throat & scarlet fever Upper respiratory infections (including colds, bronchitis, sore throat, etc). Warts and verrucaes (warts with raised portions) Vomiting & general sickness Pinworm (intestinal parasites)

For several weeks. While symptoms persist, could be prolonged. While lice and nits are present. For several days before until several days after onset of jaundice. Until lesions have healed or 48 hours after antibiotic treatment has started. 3-7 days from onset of symptoms. A day or so before rash & 5 days afterwards. From 7 days before onset & 9 days after the appearance of swelling. From 7 days after the exposure to 21 days after the onset of paroxysmal cough. While lesions are present. While lesions are present. 7 days before & 5 days after onset of rash. While mites and eggs are present. While organism is present in nasopharynx (nose and throat). 3 days before symptoms to 14 days after onset.

EXCLUSION PERIOD 5 days after scabs (crusted lesions) have formed and no new lesions are appearing. Not necessary. 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has started and improvement is seen. If 3 or more episodes of loose stools during previous 24 hours or if diarrhea is accompanied by fever, until fever resolves. Until well. Until well. Until treatment has started and improvement is seen. Until 24 hours after treatment has begun and child is clear of lice and nits. Eight days after onset of jaundice & child feels well. 2 days after treatment has started & skin improvement noticeable. All open sores should be covered with dressings or Band-Aids. Until fully recovered. Until 6 days after the appearance of rash & child is well enough. 10 days after the onset of swelling. 7 days after starting antibiotics if enough & child has improved. 2 days after treatment started. Until treatment started. 6 days after onset of rash. 2 days after treatment started. 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has started. Until well.

As long as warts last.

No exclusion period.

Until clear. As long as pinworm eggs are present.

Until well & vomiting has ceased. Child may return to school once treatment is started.

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Toileting: We would like all children to be completely toilet trained when they enter the program. If your child is not toilet trained, please be advised that he/she will need to be sent to the nurse for changing. If there is a medical condition that interferes with toilet training, you need to give us a statement from your child’s pediatrician.

Administering Medicine in a School Program: If your child needs to have medicine administered during his/her stay in the program, there are guidelines that you will need to follow. These guidelines are as follows: 1. Only the med certified staff member or the nurse in the program can administer medication whether it is prescribed or over the counter. 2. A written order from a licensed prescriber is required. 3. Parents must sign a written statement requesting the administration of the medication as ordered by the licensed prescriber. 4. The parent or guardian must assume responsibility to have the medication delivered directly to the first aide station in a properly labeled original container. 5. The labeled original container must display the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

Child’s name. Name and phone number of pharmacy. Licensed prescriber’s name. Date and number of refills. Name of medication and dosage. Frequency of administration. Route (or how) the medication is to be given and/or other directions.

6. Over the counter medications must be in their original manufacturer’s container with the child’s name affixed to the container. This also applies to drug samples. 7. If the medication is a controlled substance, a med certified staff member will count the medication upon receipt from the parent. Medication may not be transported daily to and from the program. Parents need to ask the pharmacist for two containers: one to remain at home and one to remain at school. 8. If there is a need for administration of emergency medication (injectable or oral) to a child for extreme hypersensitivity, any school staff responding to an emergency may administer.

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9. If medication is to be given while a child is on a field trip or off program grounds during the program day, a med certified staff member will place the medication in a single dosage medication envelope and label it as follows: a. Child’s name. b. Name of medication and dosage. c. Date and time to be given. d. Any special instructions. e. Possible side effects. f. Route of how medicine is to be given. 10. When the medication is changed or discontinued or at the end of the year that the child is enrolled, the medication will be returned to the parent for disposal. The parent must sign a release to stop medication.

Additional Information Days and Hours of Operation: The Universal Pre-K program follows the Carthage Central School District calendar. When Carthage schools are closed, the Universal Pre-K program is also closed. Usually when the school district is on a 2-hour delay, the a.m. UPK class is cancelled.

Attendance: In order for your child to make steady gains, he/she needs to have regular attendance. If you are going to be on vacation or away for a period of time, you need to let the teacher know that the child will be absent from school and for how long. We hope that your child will enjoy coming to the preschool program and making new friends and having new experiences. Some children have difficulty adjusting to a structured setting at first. If this is the case with your child, you need to discuss this with the teacher as soon as possible. We certainly understand extenuating circumstances such as hospitalizations, serious illness or other issues that impact the child’s family in such a way as to cause extended absenteeism however, just not coming to school or repeatedly missing the bus is not acceptable. There is always a waiting list for the UPK program. If you do not want your child in the program for some reason, you need to let us know right away and we will ask another family to have their child start. We want to give as many children as we can an opportunity to enhance their skills before coming into kindergarten. If a child is enrolled in the program, it is expected that he/she will attend 5 days per week. If the child is absent for more than 2 days, you will be contacted.

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There are certain conditions/diseases where a child should remain out of school until clearance to return is obtained. Some of these conditions/diseases are: head lice; scabies; chicken pox; pink eye; hand, foot and mouth disease and Fifth’s disease. Please see the exclusion policy. When a child has a condition that is considered contagious, the teacher should be notified immediately. The teacher can then let the school nurse know so that we can watch for signs and symptoms in others in the class. Based upon Carthage Central School District’s educational and community needs, values and priorities, it has been determined that absences, tardiness and early departure will be considered excused or unexcused according to the following standards: Excused: An absence, tardy or early departure is considered excused if due to personal illness, death of a loved one, inclement weather, religious observance, court appearance, college visits, doctor visits, military obligations, or such reasons as may be approved by the Board. Unexcused: An absence, tardy or early departure is considered unexcused if the reason for the absence does not fall into the above categories (i.e. vacation, hunting, babysitting, haircut, road test or oversleeping).

Mandated Reporting: In accordance with the New York State Regulations, the teacher, teacher assistant and the nurse are considered mandated reporters for Child Abuse and Maltreatment. Suspicious marks, bruises or unusual behaviors of a child are reportable. The teacher will work closely with the school social worker in the event that any unusual marks or bruises are found. Sometimes children “report” things that are happening in their home that would be cause for the intervention of a social worker. However, please be advised that the children’s safety is our concern and that a report will be made if needed.

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