Parent Handbook

HEALTH & SAFETY
For the protection, health, and well-being of all the children and staff at the school, the following rules must be adhered to regarding sick children.

– Fever – A child with a fever is to be excluded until they are fever-free without fever reducing medications for 24 hours. A fever is defined as a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees. Children who are sent home with a fever will not be admitted to school the next day.
– Strep Throat- Your child may return 24 hours after antibiotics have started.
– Vomit- A child may return to school 24 hours after the last episode.
– Colds- Described as irritated throat, watery discharge from nose and eyes, and sneezing. A cold may or may not include a fever. Children are most often contagious in the early stage when everything is runny. A green discharge is a typical sign of an infection. A child may return after symptoms subside, and medication has been given for at least 24 hours.
– Diarrhea- Your child may return 24 hours after the last episode. Eye Bacterial: your child may return 24 hours after the antibiotic has begun and the ooze has stopped. Viral: your child may return with a doctor’s note saying they are clear of contagion.
– Ear Infections- Your child may return once antibiotics have started.
– Rashes- A doctor’s note is required.
– Head Lice- We have a strict no-nit policy, common in the Public Schools. No child may be present while there are any nits present in his or her hair.

Please do not request that a child remain indoors. If your child is too ill to play outside, then they are too ill to remain at school.

If your child should become ill while at school, he or she will be brought to the office and a staff member will call you. Your child will rest in the office until he or she is picked up. It is the expectation that the child will be picked up promptly, within one hour of contact.

If a communicable disease should arise in our school, we will let the families know by posting a note in the app. We will maintain the privacy of the family involved so please do not ask for names. 19 Parents/guardians should notify a staff member if a child has a contagious illness.

Parents/ guardians must inform the school within 24 hours, or on the next business day after their child or any member of the immediate household has developed any reportable communicable diseases as defined by the State Board of Health (vdh.virginia.gov), except for life threatening diseases which must be reported immediately. If your child has had a reportable communicable disease, you may be asked to present a note from a physician saying it is ok for the child to return to school. Decisions pertaining to illness/injury and admittance of a child thereof, are at the discretion of the Director.

ALLERGIES
Upon enrollment please let us know if your child has drug, food, or environmental allergies.

MEDICATION If your child is recovering from illness, has mild allergies, or requires medication please let us know. We can administer it under the following guidelines and with the following information:
– Medication must be prescribed by a Physician, if applicable.
– Specific indications (such as symptoms) for administering the above medication in accordance with the physician’s prescription.
– Potential side effects and expected response.
– Actions to be taken in the event of side effects or incomplete treatment response in accordance with the physician’s prescription. This includes actions to be taken in an emergency.
– Instructions for proper storage of the medication.
– The telephone number of the child’s physician.
– Medication must be in the original container and labeled with the child’s name.
– Dosage, proper times to be given, and pharmacy name must be on the label.
– Medication Consent Form must be filled out by the parent and physician as needed. We do require all medication to be current.
– Expired medication will be returned to the parent.

CLEANING & SANITATION
We believe that regular cleaning decreases the spread of illness and germs. General cleaning is part of our teacher’s daily routines. Toys are sanitized regularly. A classroom will have the appearance of organization and order. A professional custodian cleans nightly including floors, bathrooms, carpets, and kitchen. Carpets are cleaned and sanitized regularly and as needed.

DISEASE PREVENTION
Children’s hands will be washed with soap and water before eating snacks, after toileting, and after any contact with body fluids. All staff will wash their hands with soap and water or germicidal cleansing agents after helping a child with toileting, after the staff member uses the toilet, after any contact with body fluids, and before feeding or helping children with feeding. Whenever any surface has been contaminated with body fluids it will be cleaned and sanitized.

EMERGENCY & DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
We have an evacuation and emergency response system in place to protect students and staff in our program. Fire drills, tornado drills, and lock down drills are conducted monthly at different times of the day to test and refine emergency procedures. We ask when drills are in progress that you wait to pick up or drop off your child until we have completed the drill. In the event of an emergency that requires an evacuation, we will go to the following location: Casey Volkswagen next to the school. In the event we need to evacuate the building, all teachers will conduct themselves as if there were a fire alarm. Teachers have been given instruction on how to proceed. An Emergency Preparedness Plan that includes an evacuation plan and a shelter-in-place plan has been established. Staff will immediately call 911 to report the situation if able. In the event of an emergency requiring an evacuation of the building, children will be evacuated to Casey Volkswagen. In the event of an emergency (e.g., tornado) requiring children to stay inside the building (shelter-in-place), children will be taken to the inside center rooms with no windows. After all children are accounted for and safe, the Director or Teacher will contact the parents by message or phone. If the routes of transportation are cut off, the children will be kept at the school until the routes are passable. A copy of the Emergency Preparedness Plan can be viewed upon request.

Emergency Closings
At the discretion of the Director, Resurrection Lutheran School may close during extreme weather conditions. If a severe storm makes it necessary to close, parents will be notified via the app or phone number you provided to the school upon enrollment. For this reason, it is critical all parents keep notifications on for school apps. No credit will be given for snow or emergency closings.

Missing Children
In the extremely unlikely event a child is ever missing, a staff member will report the missing child to the Director. The staff will check in and around the building, and if the child is not found, the police are immediately called. The parents are then called. All such incidents are documented by the staff.

DISCIPLINE
Resurrection Lutheran School recognizes that each child is a unique person with an individual pattern and timing of growth, as well as learning style and family background. While some behaviors are typical for a specific “age and stage”, we recognize that children learn appropriate social behaviors at different rates. With that in mind, we observe and make individual behavior plans when necessary.

Young children are striving for understanding, independence, and self-control. Children learn by exploring, experimenting, testing the limits of their environment, and experiencing the 21 consequences of their behavior. In this way, they begin to discover their own limits and appropriate assertiveness. Children learn self control and how the world works in a relaxed, positive atmosphere of support and understanding that recognizes the child’s struggle toward independence.

In the event one child is a continued disruption to the entire group either verbally or physically, the parent will be notified and informed of how the issue is being addressed. We believe in positive discipline and positive guidance which focuses on good behaviors, rather than negative ones. We will redirect a child and speak to them about what is appropriate and acceptable. When necessary we will speak to a child with a firm but caring voice. At times it may be necessary to remove the child from the rest of the group and have a one-on-one talk with them regarding the behavior, including what the child might do differently next time. If the behavior persists we will contact the parents and set up a time to conference. At that time, we will work with the family and train staff on a behavior management plan that meets the needs of that child. It is also our practice to consult with specialists who work with children and families. If a referral is needed, we will obtain permission from the child’s parents or guardians before proceeding. We, in turn, ask for the family’s cooperation and assistance so that we may be able to continue our relationship with you.

If we are unable to make progress in improving a child’s behavior, we may need to assess whether our program is meeting the individual needs of your child. Children that are using inappropriate, threatening, and/or violent behavior or language toward others can be expelled from Resurrection Lutheran School. Behavioral guidance is a main aspect of teaching and learning. Through positive guidance of behaviors and through modeling good behaviors, staff members help children to feel good about themselves and behave in responsible ways. Part of the curriculum includes teaching children school manners. All discipline is constructive in nature and includes techniques such as:
– Using limits that are fair, consistent, and appropriate for the child’s level
– Giving positively worded direction
– Modeling and redirecting children to acceptable behavior
– Helping children to constructively express their feelings and frustrations to resolve conflict
– Arranging equipment, materials, activities, and schedules to promote acceptable behavior
– Using consequences to motivate and empower children to make responsible decisions
– Encouraging behaviors such as cooperating, helping, negotiating, and problem solving
– The following methods of discipline are prohibited:
– Corporal punishment, including spanking.
– Shaking, jerking, squeezing, or negative physical aggression.
– Shaming, humiliation, or verbal abuse.
– Labeling, such as indicating a child is a “bad” girl or boy, or otherwise implying that he or she, rather than the behavior, is the problem.
– Using bribes, false threats, or false choices. 22
– Withholding of food or drink, outdoor time, or unrelated activities (e.g., special events) as punishments.
– Retaliating or doing to the child what he or she did to someone else.
– Punishment for soiling, wetting, or not using the toilet.

Before children learn to talk and communicate their feelings, they may assert themselves as individuals in non-constructive ways. Children at this stage in their development may sometimes express themselves by hitting another child, grabbing toys, or even biting. We understand the developmental context in which these behaviors may occur, and we provide an environment where children can develop and grow as individuals as they learn more constructive ways of interacting with their peers.

ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS
When incidents of aggression or injury do occur, parents or guardians of the children involved are informed of the incident and of any specific information pertinent to understanding the situation. The information shared typically includes the details of the incident itself (e.g., the time and the place, preceding, and subsequent events, the specific steps taken to comfort the child who was hurt and, more generally, to handle the situation) but not the persons involved. The teacher makes a written document of the incident.

CONFIDENTIALITY
It is in the best interest of all involved parties to maintain a policy of confidentiality in such cases. This policy is consistent with standards for excellence in early childhood education, and it is one practiced consistently in the childcare setting. If, in our judgment, any child’s behavior places the well-being of others at risk of injury, we will act quickly and decisively to resolve the situation (e.g., through closer supervision, redirection to more appropriate activities, removal from tense situations, firm and consistent limit-setting, and/or provision of alternative outlets for the expression of feelings). If the aggressive behavior continues after exhausting our resources, we may conclude it is in the best interest of the program to suspend a child’s enrollment until appropriate outside resources are identified and implemented to both support the child in our program and to reduce the opportunity for injury to others. Our commitment is to provide a quality group learning environment for every child.

BITING & INJURIES
When a child hurts another child, we will first attend to the child that has been hurt, then speak with the other child. In the case of a bite or an injury, where we need to apply first aid, we will call both parents, as needed, and an incident report will be filled out to be signed by a parent. If there is a consistent pattern of biting, we will contact the child’s parents and, if deemed necessary by the Director, send the child home.

Action Taken When A Biting Incident Occurs
– The child who was bitten is comforted;
– The child who bit is firmly told that “biting hurts,” while we continue to comfort and focus on the child who was bitten;
– The bitten area is washed thoroughly with soap and water and inspected for broken skin;
– If the skin is broken, an administrator is immediately notified. Both sets of parents are contacted or notified at pick-up and advised to call their pediatricians; open wounds on the face or hands are the most vulnerable to infection;
– An accident/incident report is written for each of the children involved;
– Ongoing dialog is kept with parents and staff on classroom and home strategies being used to address and curb the biting behavior;
– If a child bites and the skin is broken two or more times in a week, the child is suspended. If a child bites 2 or more times in a day, the child is sent home for the day. All pertaining enrollment actions or changes are done at the discretion of the Director.

ACCIDENTS & INSURANCE
Resurrection Lutheran Church and School carries accident insurance for children while in our care. At least one staff member, who is trained in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rescue breathing, will be on the premises during the school’s hours of operation. In the event of an emergency requiring immediate medical care, the staff will call the Rescue Squad. Every effort will be made to notify a parent or designated emergency contact as soon as possible.