OPERATING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Registration and Enrollment

• Completed medical forms must be on file in the nursery office by July 15th for all September enrollees. For midyear enrollments, completed medical forms must be submitted to the office before the child may begin attending classes.

• Two-year-old classes will not exceed 10 children.  Three-year-old classes will not exceed 15.  Four and Five-year-old classes will not exceed 18

• St. James' Nursery School is open to all children regardless of race, ethnic background or church affiliation.

• This year's currently enrolled children (and their siblings) will be given preference for next year's classes.
   

Fees and Tuitions

For current fee and tuition rates, please contact St. James' Nursery School Office at 301/829-0014.

Student Termination and Withdrawal

•  The Nursery School Board reserves the right to terminate a child's enrollment due to unsatisfactory adjustment to the nursery program, incident(s) of parental misconduct, or a parent's refusal to follow nursery school policies and procedures as stated in this handbook. The parents of a child who is having problems may be asked to pay the cost of an extra aide for their child's satisfactory adjustment to the program.

• If payment and forms have not been received from a parent by July 15th, the child will be dropped from the program.

• Notification of withdrawal for any reason, including toilet training, must be received in writing before August 1st. There will be no refund of September tuition if notification is later than August 1st.

• When tuition is past due for 30 days, parents will be requested not to bring their child to school unless specific arrangements have been made with the Business Manager.

• The school office must be notified in writing at least 30 days in advance of the intent to withdraw.  Tuition must be paid for this period whether or not the child is in attendance.

• Refunds will only be made if the school receives written notice at least 30 days prior to withdrawal date.

Arrival and Departure Procedures

• When dropping children off for school they must be escorted by an adult into the classroom.  Prior to leaving, please be sure that a staff member is aware that your child has arrived.

• Arrival time is not to be earlier than 5 minutes before class time.

• If a different adult will be picking up your child, please make sure to notify the teacher or assistant teacher of the adult's name.  Arrangements with the school must be made in advance in order for another person to pick-up your child.

• Pickup is expected promptly at the end of the scheduled class time.  If a parent is consistently late for pickup the teacher will first remind them of the pickup time.  If this continues, the director will speak with the parent and if the problem is then not resolved the parent will receive a letter telling them that if they are late again their child will be withdrawn from the program.

Illness and Communicable Diseases  

• When a child has missed three school days due to illness, we need a note from the doctor or parent stating the child is free of any communicable disease. A child must be free of fever for 24 hours.
•  When your child has a communicable disease such as strep throat, pink eye, chicken pox, measles, etc., you are requested to call the school office to report it immediately. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Allergy Statement

At St. James' Nursery School we endeavor to provide a safe environment for all children.  We will take all reasonable precautionary measures to ensure your child's well being.  In doing so, please be advised that for your child's health and safety protection, we post information concerning children's allergies in an area that is accessible to all staff. However, in the case of food allergies, you may be asked to provide your child's snack.  Parents are encouraged to speak to the director and their child's teacher concerning special needs and allergies.

Nut-Free Facility

To ensure the safety of children with dangerous nut allergies, we make every effort to ensure that our classroom environments are free of nut products. We do not use nut ingredients in cooking projects or in snacks. We ask parents to avoid nut products and products containing nuts when bringing in special birthday, holiday and picnic treats.

Smoke-Free Facility

St. James' Nursery School is a smoke-free facility. Smoking is not permitted in the building or on the grounds of St. James' Main Street and Annex locations. This also applies to all St. James' functions; including field trips.

Permission to Photograph, Videotape or Audiotape

Throughout the school year, St. James' Nursery School may use your child's photograph, video image, or voice for educational and informational purposes, with or without identification by name. If you do not wish to have your child appear in a videotape or photograph or have his/her voice reproduced on tape, please notify the director in writing. It is assumed that parents and guardians consent to their children being photographed, videotaped, or audio taped unless written notification is received. If you do not wish to have your child's name or likeness published by the media, you should address your concerns directly to the director in writing.

Prerequisites

• Children must turn the age for the class prior to September 1 of that school year.  No exceptions will be made.

• All children must be toilet trained in the three, four and five year old classes. (pull-ups and diapers are not allowed).  Children in the two-year-old classes do not need to be potty-trained.  Three diapers and/or pull-ups, and a change of clothes, must be brought in for every class in the bottom of the child’s tote-bag.  Wipes will be provided by the school. 

• All children must have all completed forms returned to the Nursery School office by July 15th. Parents of returning students must update forms prior to attending class. Those children enrolled after the beginning of the school year must have forms returned prior to classroom attendance.

• A completed emergency card including correct contact information and additional pick-up people must be on file. Please update this information promptly if changes occur.