Forms, Policies + Resources

Forms & Resources

Preschool Enrollment Instructions
2023-2024 Preschool School Supply List
Scholastic Book Orders
Family Handbook
Health Care Summary
Preschool Emergency Contact Form


Health Policies:
2023-2024 | St. John’s Preschool

Nutrition

Our preschool program serves a snack once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Our snacks are chosen from an approved list to be sure they are peanut/tree nut free. Water and milk is provided to drink. All shared snacks must be commercially prepared; no homemade treats are allowed. Lunch is provided to full-day students in the cafeteria at approximately 11:55am. They can order from our hot lunch program or bring a lunch from home.  Children enrolled in our morning Care Crew are served cereal as a snack.

Health

Health and safety are of great importance. A current Health Care Summary and Immunization Form must be on file before your child can attend their first day. Parents should notify staff of any special medical conditions and update their child’s health and immunization records accordingly. Both the health care summary and the immunization records must be filled out each year before starting school.

A child cannot attend St. John’s Preschool if they are ill or if they exhibit any of the following conditions:

  • Thick mucus or pus draining from eye or nose.
  • A serious illness or condition that is termed contagious and has not had sufficient treatment from a physician.
  • Chicken pox virus that is still infectious.
  • Has vomited in the previous 24 hours.
  • Has had abnormally loose stool in the previous 24 hours.
  • Contagious pink eye.
  • Harsh or persistent cough.
  • Lice, ringworm or scabies.
  • A temperature over 100 degrees in the previous 24 hours.
  • Undiagnosed rash.
  • Unexplained lethargy.
  • Respiratory distress.
  • Not able to participate in program activities with reasonable comfort.
  • Requires more care than staff can give without compromising the health and safety of the other children.

If your child is absent from school for illness or other reasons, please notify the teacher via phone or email (numbers listed in the front of the book).

If a child exhibits any of the above symptoms while at preschool, a parent will be called to pick the child up. The child will be isolated from the other children and provided with a place to rest until the parent arrives. The child will be offered appropriate activities and will be supervised at all times.

If a child becomes sick or injured while at St. John’s Preschool, every effort will be made to notify the parents by phone. If we cannot reach the parents, we will call the persons listed as the emergency contact. If a child is seriously injured, staff will call 911 and administer first aid until emergency personnel arrives. Parents will be contacted and, if necessary, the child will be transported by ambulance to the hospital indicated on the registration form. A staff person will stay with the child until a parent arrives.

Whenever there is an incident that results in injury, an incident report is prepared. Parents should sign the report and may request a copy. These incidents are recorded and monitored for ongoing safety or behavior issues.

Parents are notified if there is an outbreak of infectious or communicable disease. Parents are required to notify the program within 24 hours if their child is diagnosed with a contagious disease or infection. For vaccine-preventable diseases, parents of non- or under-immunized children will be notified. It is recommended the child be excluded until the outbreak has ended.

Medication

Written permission is required before administering any medication. All medications, including over-the-counter medications, require a written permission signed by the child’s doctor and parent. This form must contain directions for administering medication. Medication is administered according to the doctor’s directives. All medications must be in their original container. To insure that medication is administered correctly, staff follow safeguard including:

Verifying that the right child receives the medication
Verifying the correct medication
Verifying the correct dose
Documenting the administration of the medication
Medications are kept in the nurse’s office in a locked cabinet. All medications must be labeled with the child’s first and last name and dated. Aside from emergency medications (eg. Epi-pens), medication will only be distributed by the school nurse who is a licensed health professional trained in medication distribution.

Allergies

Our staff works closely with families to create a safe environment for children with allergies and sensitivities. Children with severe allergies must have an allergy plan on file. A list of allergies and the allergy plans are posted in each classroom. Staff reviews the plans in advance and are trained in the use of epinephrine pens. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep allergy plans and medication up to date.


Toileting

Children must be potty trained before enrolling at St. John’s Preschool. However, toileting accidents do occur even when a child is fully potty-trained. Please be sure your child has a full change of clothes in his/her backpack each day. When accidents occur, staff assist children to change their clothing in a separate bathroom stall. Wet/soiled clothing is tied in a plastic bag and sent home to be washed that day.


Safety

Each classroom has a daily accountability sheet. Children’s names are highlighted as they arrive and crossed off as they leave. This clipboard is always with the class. The teacher counts the children each time they leave and arrive in a new area.

The safety of the children is the most important concern in the day to day operations of St. John’s Preschool. All staff members are expected to take responsibility to make sure that the environment and activities do not endanger themselves or the children. Teachers inspect classrooms daily for potential hazards and immediately bring them to the attention of the director. The director inspects the playground and common areas and removes or fixes any potential hazards. Specific steps for ensuring the safety of the children include:

Injuries
Staff members remove any broken or damaged items in the inside or outside environment. Broken equipment is brought promptly to the attention of the director. Activities are planned and monitored to insure the safety of all participants.

  • Burns – Children must not be in proximity to an oven, glue gun or any other hot surface. Cooking activities are done under the constant supervision of an adult. Staff is responsible to see that every child has sunscreen administered before going outside each day.
  • Poisoning – All chemicals and hazards are kept out of the reach of children or in a locked cupboard. Bleach sprays are kept out of the reach of children.
  • Choking/suffocating – Staff members monitor materials and equipment and remove any choking or suffocating hazards.
  • Traffic/Pedestrian Accidents – Traffic laws are followed at all times when transporting children. Children are only to be transported on buses and never in the personal cars of staff. When moving around the school property or in the neighborhood, children use crosswalks and sidewalks whenever possible. Walking during times of high traffic is discouraged.
  • Playground – Staff members position themselves on the playground so that children in all parts of the playground can be adequately supervised.

All floor coverings are secured to keep staff and children from slipping.

All staff members are trained in First Aid. Staff members treat every injury seriously and apply proper first aid. If a child sustains any serious injury, parents are notified with a phone call. All injuries are recorded on an incident report form and parents sign the form. Parents may request a copy of the incident report. These incidents are logged and a monthly annual review take place.

In case of a serious injury, staff member should call 911 so the situation can be assessed by emergency personnel. Parents should then be notified. Staff members need to keep emergency cards and special medical plans information accessible. The child should be transported to the hospital that is specified on their emergency card. If parents are not present, a staff member will accompany the child to the hospital in the ambulance.

First Aid

All staff members are trained in First Aid and CPR. Each classroom has a fully-equipped First Aid kit in the classroom. This First Aid kid must accompany the class whenever they leave their classroom both for outdoor play and for field trips.

  • Every abrasion should be washed with soap and water and a bandage should be applied.
  • In case of bleeding, compresses should be applied until the bleeding stops.
  • Ice packs should be applied to all bumped heads.
  • Bites should be washed with soap and water and an ice pack should be applied. If a bite breaks the skin, the director and parents should be notified immediately.
  • In case of serious injuries, such as a deep cut or an injury that is causing a child to be uncomfortable for a long period of time, parents should be contacted so they can bring their child to their primary physician.
  • If a child stops breathing or sustains an injury such as a serious head injury or broken bone, staff should contact 911. Parents should then be called.

* A copy of our Emergency Plan is available to parents upon request. Please contact our Preschool Director for more information.


Food Handling

Before handling food or pouring beverages, staff members must wash their hands. Any utensils or dishes that are used must be washed with soap and water and disinfected with a sanitizer or bleach solution. Tables and food preparation surfaces should be washed with soap and water and disinfected before serving food. The disinfectant solution ratio is a ¼ cup of bleach to one gallon of water. Children must wash hands with soap and water before eating snacks or meals.

All food stored at the center must be stored in a plastic box with a lid. Leftover items should be put plastic bags inside the plastic box. Staff will discard food items that are past their expiration date.

The program serves snack and lunch to children enrolled in the full-day classes. Children enrolled in the half-day program are served a morning snack. The meals provided by the center meet the federal food guidelines. Only milk, water and 100% juice is served. Juice is limited to four ounces per day and other sweetened beverages are avoided. Parents may opt to bring a lunch from home. Staff ensures that meals brought from home meet federal guidelines. Unsliced hot dogs and grapes are not served to children under the age of four. Popcorn and other food that might cause a child to choke are avoided. Nuts and peanuts are never served.

Menus are available in the hallway outside of each classroom as well as on the school website.

Hand Washing

Staff, volunteers and children wash their hands upon arrival each day; before and after serving food and eating; before and after administering medications; after handling animals or materials that might be contaminated by contact with animals; after toileting or handling bodily fluids; or at any other times where hand-washing would reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases to themselves and others. Staff also washes hands after handling garbage and cleaning. Proper hand washing technique is taught each year in each classroom. This hand washing technique includes using liquid soap and running water and scrubbing hands vigorously for at least 10 seconds including back of hands, wrists, between fingers, under and around jewelry and under fingernails; rinsing well; drying hands with a paper towel; and avoiding touching the faucet with just-washed hands. Staff regularly observe and assist children with hand washing.

Hand washing sinks are not used for bathing or cleaning up toileting accidents. If hand washing sinks are used for food preparation, the sink is cleaned and sanitized before food preparation takes place. Staff should use gloves when handling bodily fluids. After removal of the gloves, hands are washed.

Other Safety Information

Sensory tables and other containers used for water play are drained, cleaned and sanitized between each group. Water play is supervised to insure that children are not drinking the water and that only healthy children participate in group water play. Children and staff wash hands after playing in water that is shared by two or more people.

In the rare occasion when a smog alert is issued, the staff limit outdoor playtime. The indoor and outdoor facilities are a smoke free environment. Smoking is never permitted in the presence of children.

The facilities are kept free of harmful animals, pests and poisonous plants. Pesticides and herbicides are always applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions when children are not at the facility. They are applied in a manner that prevent skin contact, inhalation and other exposure to children.

Areas that have been recently painted, carpeted, tiled or otherwise renovated will be well ventilated before they are used by children. These and similar required renovations will be performed as much as possible at times school is not in session.

Firearms and other weapons are not allowed in the program.

Cleaning Guidelines

The classrooms and bathrooms are cleaned daily to the specifications of the NAEYC Cleaning and Sanitation Frequency Table which is posted in the classroom. All surfaces are wiped with a disinfectant daily or when visibly soiled. Toys that have been mouthed are removed until they have been washed and disinfected. Items that have come in contact with bodily fluids are bagged and sent home. Surfaces that come in contact with bodily fluids are disinfected and cleaned with soap and water.

When handling bodily fluids, universal precautions are taken. This includes wearing gloves and washing hands.

Staff is aware of allergies and keeps areas clean of known allergens that may affect the enrolled children.

Helpful Links

NAEYC Families
Articles and information about early childhood, geared towards families

Think Small
The Twin Cities resource for all things early childhood (childcare, assistance, etc)

HWT/Get Set for School!
The curriculum Little Lights uses for letter learning

Dr. David Walsh
One of the major voices in appropriate media use for children.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
A Montessori-based curriculum for a young child’s faith format