St. Mary on the Hill Church Mother's Day Out/Preschool - 2020-2021 Handbook

St. Mary on the Hill Church
Mother’s Day Out/Preschool

         2020-2021
         Handbook

St Mary on the Hill Church
                                 Mother’s Day Out/Preschool
                                    Handbook 2020-2021

                   Our hours of operation are from 9:00am until 1:00pm

Enrollment:

Enrollment is open to currently enrolled families, members of St. Mary on the Hill Parish, the
Catholic community and members of the local public community. Every effort will be made to
accommodate each applicant.

Each child must have an up-to-date immunization certificate signed by a physician or
county health department. It must be on the GA Form 3231 or the original certificate of
immunization card. We must keep this record in our office for state review at all times.
Children who are unable to produce this certificate within 30 days of enrollment will be
released from the program.

Age Requirements:

Child must be 6 months old to enter nursery, 2 years old by September 1 st for 2’s, 3 years old by
September 1st for 3’s and 4 years old by September 1st for the 4’s classroom. It is mandatory
that a child be potty trained upon entering the 3 year old classroom.

Registration and Tuition Payment:

Children should be registered in the spring to guarantee space for the following fall program.
All Registration fees are Non-Refundable and Non-Transferable.

The registration fee is equal to one month’s tuition and needs to be paid prior to the beginning
of program. Submission of the Registration Contract and payment of the fee will secure
placement in our program.

A written thirty-day notice of withdrawal is required from families that withdraw in the middle
of the program. In the event that a child is withdrawn without notice, the Advance tuition
payment will be forfeited in lieu of proper notice. If there is a family emergency, a case review
will be conducted for financial purposes.

There is a waiting list! If you have paid registration for the following fall and discover that
your child will be unable to participate, please contact the Director as soon as possible in order
to fill that spot. If there are any specific questions, please address them to the Director.

**MONTHLY TUITION FEES ARE DUE AND PAYABLE ON THE FIRST CLASS
DAY OF EACH MONTH**

After the 15th of the month tuition payment has not been received, it will be considered late. A
late charge will be added to tuition fees. If the tuition fee is 30 days late, the child may be
denied the right to continue attending our program. In order to reserve a spot for your
child, a registration fee equal to one month’s tuition is due at registration. This registration fee
is non-refundable unless you move from the CSRA and notify us in writing before August 15,
2020. Tuition payment will begin in September and then continue monthly thru May. There are
no adjustments for absence, snow days or family vacations. Regardless of attendance, tuition
MUST be paid. In general, the holidays follow the St. Mary on the Hill School calendar and
will be announced at the start of school.

I/We are aware that this program is not licensed and not required to be licensed by the state,
Bright from the Start Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. (404-657-5562
www.decal.ga.gov)

Calendar:

Our program follows the St Mary’s on the Hill School calendar. Attached is our calendar
showing the date programs begin, end, and holiday closings. This calendar includes various
events planned that will affect the student’s family. The calendar is updated as needed through
the MDO newsletters, classroom newsletters, and notices.

We also will follow the Richmond Co. School and St Mary’s School announcements for
inclement weather. Please keep in mind tuition is based on an average number of scheduled
school days. The exact days vary for each month. If we lose a day due to weather the tuition
does not change and there will be no make-up days.

Lunches:

Please send in a lunch with your child daily. Juice boxes, pouches, or spill proof containers are
requested. Food items can include finger foods that are ready to eat. Please try to pack foods
that do not require heating. Please label all cups and containers!

Clothing and personal belongings:

Label all belongings with your child’s name. Please dress your children in play clothes as we
do work with paint and play outside, therefore, clothing may become soiled. Please attach
pacifiers with clips to clothing. **All children are asked to wear closed toe shoes for
playing out on the playground. All children MUST have a jacket for weather below 50
degrees or they will not be allow to go outdoors!
    2 years old and Under: Please send 3 diapers or training pants along with a change of
       clothing each day for the child.
    3 and 4 year old classes: Please send in a change of clothes for your child in their book
       bag.

Early Drop Off & Late Pick up Charges:

Classes do not start until 9:00am and end at 1:00pm. Doors will be opened promptly at
9:00am. Beginning at 1:05 pm, your child is considered late. At that time you will be charged
a fee of $5.00 and $1.00 each minute after that.

                                    Ways We Communicate

Handbook:

This handbook defines MDO major policies and general practices. Many questions are
answered here. Please take a few minutes to carefully read the handbook. Sign the last page
and return it on Back to School Night. Please keep this handy throughout the year.

Newsletters:

Newsletters are printed and distributed as needed. The MDO newsletter includes calendar
updates, policy clarifications, meetings, notices, class notes and information of general interest
to families.

Class List:

Each individual teacher compiles the class lists. It lists the names and phone numbers (with
consent) of the children’s families. This information will make a master directory.

Daily Reports:

Baby room and 1’s only: Notices are sent home daily to inform the parent of the kind of day
the child encountered. The report includes information about snack, lunch, diapering, restroom,
and the accomplishment of the child for a specific day. All pertinent information about the day
is included in this report. Attendance is taken daily in all classrooms.

Conferences:

A conference will be arranged whenever a parent or teacher feels there is a need. Please do not
hesitate to let the Director or teacher know when you want a scheduled conference.

Telephone/Email:

Our policy is to have an available staff member to answer all calls, but if you reach the
answering machine, leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. We
cannot always pull a teacher from her class due to her activity, but someone can check with her
about your child. If you need to talk with the teacher about a specific need, leave a message and
number and she will return your call as soon as possible. Our current number is 706-262-2659.
The school e-mail is another way to reach the director of the program, gina.craw@knology.net

Bulletin Board:

School bulletin boards are a valuable source of information. They contain copies of
newsletters, class notes, and notices. Bulletin boards are located in each classroom and outside
of the director’s office.

Field Trips:

Field trips are an important part of a preschool program. Notices will come home for each field
trip. The permission slip must be filled out and returned before the trip date. We will not
accept “phone call permission.”

*Illness Policy*

  If a child has been sick within the last 24 hours to include nausea, diarrhea, contagious
  rashes, or a fever of 99.5 or greater, he/she will not be able to attend the program until 24
  hours after the child is free of symptoms without medication. Personnel will NOT
  administer medication.

  If a child becomes sick during the hours of the program, we will contact the parent and/or
  the emergency number for the child to be picked up. Due to some issues we have had in
  the past, your child must be picked up within 30 minutes of you being notified.

_______________________________________________________
Child’s Name

I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE 2020-2021 ST. MARY ON THE HILL
CATHOLIC CHURCH MDO/PRESCHOOL ILLNESS POLICY:

_______________________________________________________
Signature

_______________________________________________________
Print

_______________________________________________________
Date

           **Please return this form at Open House
                 or the First Day of School**

**This form MUST be filled out for each family**
May we put your name, address, phone number and email in our directory?

_____yes   _____no

_____________________________________________
Child’s Name
_____________________________________________
Parent’s Name
_____________________________________________
Address
_____________________________________________
Phone (Home & Cell)
_____________________________________________
Email

I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE 2020-2021 ST. MARY ON THE HILL
CATHOLIC CHURCH MDO/PRESCHOOL HANDBOOK:

_________________________________________
Signature

_________________________________________
Print

_________________________________________
Date

           **Please return this form at Open House
                 or the First Day of School.**