September 2011
Dear Parent,
Welcome to your playschool! In this package we hope to provide you with all the information that you and your child need to get started. We are a cooperative playschool and so very much welcome your questions and input. We pray that this God-centred, Christ-exalting ministry will be a blessing to you and your child.
Blessings,
Lezlie Gomes
Linda Petteplace
WHO WE ARE
We are parents partnering together to communicate the greatness of God, the glory of Christ, and the power of the Gospel to our children (18 months - Kindergarten) through art, worship, sensory experience, free-play and structured teaching times.
We decided on our name, “Little Seedlings Cooperative Playschool” based on the Psalm 92: 12-14, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green...” We want our children to grow up to be “mighty oaks of righteousness” with a deep-rooted faith that weathers the storms of life and bears fruit for God’s glory. We want to partner with parents to communicate the greatness of God, the glory of Christ, and the power of the Gospel.
The playschool respects and seeks to enhance the parent-child attachment relationship through parental involvement in the child’s playschool experience. Because of the cooperative nature of the playschool, parents have the unique opportunity to watch their children interact both with other children and other caregivers. Further, parents may develop their parenting strategies while serving each other and supporting each other as parents.
ORGANIZATION
Little Seedlings is overseen by the Parent and Children’s Ministry (PCM) team at Fort William Baptist Church. The playschool is led by a steering team of parents and volunteers who are affirmed by the eldership of Fort William Baptist Church. Our current steering team is comprised of Lezlie Gomes (Co-ordinator), Linda Petteplace (Assistant Co-ordinator & Teacher), Alissa Keesic (Worship), Eleanor Trendiak (Resident “Grandma”) and Emily Balec (Teacher). The steering team is responsible for overseeing and organizing Christian-based themes/curriculum and stimulating activities, snacks, playroom set-up & take down, duty-parent schedule, etc. We purposefully teach a God-centred and Christ-exalting age-appropriate curriculum. All parents serve as “duty parents”. Please see “Expectations for Parents” below for further information on the role of parents in the playschool.
OUR TEACHERS
Our teachers are the consistent faces your children will see. This consistency and predictability is important for children to feel safe & secure in their environment. The roles and responsibilities of our teachers are outlined below:
J Be available to help parents redirect and intervene when children are misbehaving
J Conduct teaching times using a God-centred and Christ-exalting age-appropriate curriculum
J Organize playroom themes
J Organize crafts that correspond with playroom or curriculum theme and coordinate their preparation
J Be a positive role model
J Attend steering team meetings
J Move the children from activity to activity through transitional songs
J Be a member of Fort William Baptist Church or be affirmed (through interview) by the eldership of Fort William Baptist Church.
EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTS
We are excited for you and your child to become a part of Little Seedlings! We understand that it is sometimes difficult to make a commitment as a parent of small children. For that reason, we do our best to help parents choose playschool responsibilities that work best for their family. For example, if you know that you may not be able to come every week, choosing a job (such as laundry) that needs to be done each week may not be the best fit. If you are new, please feel free to be our guest for two weeks. Get to know us and learn about Little Seedlings. After the second week, we would like parents sign up for duty and for a job to help run the playschool. If you would like to be involved with Little Seedlings, but have any concerns around the responsibilities outlined below, please do not hesitate to speak with either Lezlie or Linda.
Assignment of Duty and Reserve Days
As a parent, you are expected to be a “duty parents” on a rotation basis. On your duty days, you will be responsible for supervising various parts of the playroom and intervening with children when needed. Please arrive a few minutes early to help set-up the playroom (if needed) and choose an apron from the Welcome Table. Each apron signifies an area of the playroom for which each duty parent is responsible (e.g., the “Play” duty parent will wear the “Play” apron, located in the large motor area). Job descriptions will be included in the pocket of your apron and on the Welcome Table. Please familiarize yourself with the responsibilities of your chosen area prior to free-play time.
At the end of the preceding month, you or your partner will be asked to sign up for two or three days on which you would prefer to be a duty parent. You will also be asked to sign up for a day on which you will be “on reserve”. Being on reserve means that if a schedule duty parent is unable to make it to playschool at the last minute (e.g., a child has woke up ill, family emergency, etc), the reserve parent may be asked to stay. In this case, the duty parent for whom the reserve parent covering will “owe” the reserve parent a duty day the following month. When on reserve you will be asked to stay until all the scheduled duty parents arrive so you know that you are not needed. If you are unable to make the day on which you have been scheduled for duty, please try to call another parent to switch duty days. The reserve parent should be reserved for last minute emergencies only. From the sign-up sheet, duty and reserve days will be finalized. Sign-up sheets and finalized schedules will be located on the parent bulletin board on the grey room divider and on the Welcome Table.
If you prefer, grandparents or godparents may act as duty parents. We do ask, however; that only 2 adults/child act as duty parents as we need to provide consistency for all the playschool children.
If you or your partner are expecting a child who will be born during the playschool year, you will not be expected to sign up for duty for 6 weeks surrounding the birth of your child. If after this point you do not feel that you can be on duty, please speak with either Lezlie or Linda.
If you are not on duty, please feel free to leave the church building! Go for a walk or grocery shopping. Take some time for yourself. J We only ask that you make sure to leave us a contact number and return by 11:15 to pick up your child/ren.
Police Checks
For the safety of the children, all parents/grandparents/godparents/volunteers who are involved in the playschool program will need to have a police check completed. Please obtain a form from Linda Petteplace to take with you to the police station.
Snack
You will also be asked to sign up to bring snack (usually on a day for which you are on duty). For each snack time, children will receive juice or water, a fruit/vegetable, and a type of carbohydrate (e.g., crackers, pretzels, etc.). PLEASE READ LABELS AND DO NOT BRING ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS NUTS OR MAY HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH NUTS. It is also important that fruit is not prepared at home (it is possible that some cross-contamination with nuts may occur). One parent will be assigned to bring snack for each day. Please bring a can/bottle of juice and two fruits/vegetables. An example of a snack served to your child would include: apple juice (the “chef” will dilute with water), pretzels, a whole cantaloupe, and a cucumber.
If your child is having a birthday and would like to celebrate with his/her playschool friends, you may bring in a store-bought cake to celebrate if you wish. McCain’s cakes are safe to bring (e.g., do not contain nuts).
Diapers
For sanitary reasons, we would ask that you take home soiled/wet diapers. Duty-parents will bag soiled/wet diapers and leave them in your child’s basket for you to take home.
Parent Meetings
Because the playschool is cooperative in nature, we rely on parents to help run the program and to give us feedback. Parent meetings will be held throughout the year. Please plan to attend since your input is needed. We will ensure that there are sufficient adults to run the program during the morning meetings so that parents are on duty may attend as well.
Disseminating Information
There are several means by which we communicate information to parents. There is a parent bulletin board on the grey divider in the playroom as well as information on the Welcome Table. Please check these areas each week for notices, duty schedules, etc. Further, we will regularly post information on our blog (http://christiancoopplayschool.blogspot.com/). We may also email or call you with updates or notices of upcoming events. If you feel that you are not well informed, please do let us know (or if you feel you are over informed, that is useful for us to know as well). Please also see the Welcome Table and your child’s basket each week for crafts/artwork that your child has completed, colouring sheets, or parent information sheets that correspond to our curriculum, etc.
Cost
We ask that parents give $2.00 a week ($1.00 for each additional child) for their child’s participation in the playschool to cover the costs of playschool supplies (e.g., sand/rice for sensory table, paper & paint for easels, flour/salt for play-doh, etc.). We will not be “collecting” the money, but there will be a “toonie basket” on the welcome table each week. If you prefer, you may pay $25/term if you find this easier than trying to remember to bring change each week.
Fundraising
Little Seedlings hosts the Mother’s Market (a large indoor yard sale of used infant and children’s clothes, books, toys, equipment, etc.) twice a year as a fundraiser for the playschool. The Mother’s Market is an enormous amount of work both before and during the event. As a cooperative playschool parent, you will be asked to help out in some way so that all the work does not fall on just a few parents. The dates are set months in advance to facilitate planning.
Little Seedlings tithes to a charity (e.g., Compassion) from what we earn at the Mother’s Market. All other funds are used for purchasing toys, art supplies, equipment, etc. for playschool. At the Parent Meeting on May 12, 2011 we decided that should Little Seedlings disband in the future, any funds/toys/equipment would be given to the Parent-Child Ministry team to distribute for children’s ministries at the church.
Discipline
All parents are expected to help children deal with social conflicts and self-expression appropriately. When a child is hurting him/herself or another child or otherwise misbehaving, please help redirect the child in a firm, but friendly manner to help him/her reach acceptable alternatives. This should be done in a way that respects the child and demonstrates Christian love. If you are uncertain how to intervene, please feel free to seek out another parent or teacher to help.
Siblings
If you are on duty and have other children who are not preschool or kindergarten-aged (e.g., older siblings who are home-schooled, infant siblings, etc.), it is your responsibility to arrange for their care. If you wish to do so, you may bring the siblings to the playschool; however, you and not the other duty parents are responsible for their care. If you wish to bring an infant, you may want to take on the responsibilities of the chef so you may care for the child in the kitchen while preparing and cleaning up from the morning snack.
Courtesy
Playschool ends at 11:15 am, sharp. It is important for you to be on time to pick up your child. Children need to know that their parents will be there to pick them up. If all of your child’s friends have already left, s/he will likely become concerned about you. Further, being on time to pick up your child is respectful to other parents and volunteers. If you are consistently late, we may ask you to take an extra duty day the following month.
Playroom Duties
Each duty parent has specific responsibilities throughout the morning. These job descriptions are on the Welcome Table and in the pockets of the aprons.
“EASEL” (Easel/Sensory Table Area)
J put on children's smocks, roll up sleeves, help to wash hands, take off smocks
J label all artwork with child's properly spelled name, date and hang to dry
J ensure sensory (sand, water, jello, etc) stays on table
J if there are no children at your station, feel free to help out in other areas of the playroom
J at tidy up time, put paint lids, containers, brushes and sensory toys into bucket with hand-washing rags and take into kitchen for washing
J remove paint trays to wash, wipe up easel and floor area
J put paint cups/brushes back in playschool cupboard after they are washed
J take the easel outside the double doors so it can be stowed in the closet under the stairs
J take sensory bin to the kitchen for cleaning
“CHEF” (Kitchen Area)
J provide towels for hand-bucket at the easel station at start of day (on right hand side of metal playschool cupboard)
J make sure the soap & water spray bottle is full & at the easel station for the start of the day (on top of the fridge in the kitchen)
J log what snacks were served
J check for allergies (if there are any, they will be listed in chef book)and prepare individual snack if necessary
J prepare snack & place into correct number of bowls and cups
J wash dirty cups, dishes and lids & let air dry if time allows
J wash paint containers, brushes and let air dry in racks if time allows (if not, just wipe with a rag)
J sweep kitchen floor if necessary
“PLAY” (Gross Motor Area)
J monitor and interact with children at gross motor area
J for the safety of all the children, please redirect children who ride tricycles, plasma car, etc out of the large motor area
J encourage children to share the ride-on toys and to take turns (may want to use a timer)
J encourage children to use toys safely
J help the children to put activities away at tidy up time
J take activities from station (e.g., tricycles, climbers, hoops) and put them outside the double doors so they may be stowed in the closet under the stairs
“FLOAT”
J Assist teacher/coordinator with set-up
J Help with craft, sensory table or floor toys (teacher/coordinator will direct)
J Assist children who need to use the washroom or need a diaper change during free-play
J Help with tidy up, help with teaching time (younger class)
J Assist with serving snack and seconds
J Help clean up playroom & return all toys & activities to the playschool cupboard or to the closet under the stairs
J Wash tables after snack and stack them by the wall between the classrooms once they are dry
Jobs
You will be asked to sign up for a specific job for which you will be responsible for the year. These may include:
J Making play-dough once/month
J Washing rags, costumes, etc.
J Welcome table (e.g., make sure parents sign in/sign out & leave a contact number if leaving the church, give parents duty aprons, bring parents’ attention to any sign-up sheets, schedules, etc. on the table, direct children and parents to the corner to read or do cart activities until opening circle time, give new parents a copy of the Parent Handbook and introduce them to either Lezlie or Linda, etc.)
J Prayer coordinator
J Advertising
J Newsletter/blog
J Bookkeeping/financial accountability
J Leading children in worship
J Setting up for playschool
A TYPICAL DAY: WHAT YOU AND YOUR CHILD CAN EXPECT
We have attached a sample schedule for what a typical day will look like for our children. Although the times may be flexible, we will endeavour to keep the routine consistent from week to week so children will know what to expect. Within this schedule, children will have the opportunity to play, learn and interact through both free-play and structured activities.
When you arrive
Please come in through the office doors of the church and go downstairs to the basement. Outdoor clothing may be left on the hooks at the bottom of the stairs. Feel free to bring slippers or indoor shoes for you and your child. As you enter the playroom, there is a shelf on your left. Each child has their own basket in which to leave personal belongings. Baskets will also be used for your child’s crafts and artwork, newsletters, and other parent information. Please direct your child to the corner beside the kitchen. If you are on duty, retrieve an apron from the Welcome Table then join your child as he/she waits for his/her friends to arrive. There are lots of books to sit and read with your child as you wait for the morning to begin. There will also be a variety of activities (e.g., puzzles, manipulatives, etc.) on the cart beside the kitchen for you and your child to enjoy before our opening circle time at 9:30. At our opening, we will sing the “Good Morning Song” and find out from each child how they are feeling. We will introduce the day’s theme/lesson, share announcements for parents and pray. After our opening circle time, the children may move into free-play in the playroom. At this time, non-duty parents may say good-bye to their children and reassure them that they will be back.
Free-Play
A playroom with different stations is set up each week in the basement of the church. These stations will include easels for painting, a sensory table (e.g., sand, jello, cotton balls, rice, water, etc.), a book rack, books and mats for reading, play dough, an area for pretend-play, a gross-motor area with ride-on toys, a ball tent, bean bags, etc.
Themes
The playschool has both weekly and monthly themes. The weekly themes correspond with the curriculum (e.g., “God Creates the Heavens and the Earth”) and the monthly themes (e.g., “Apples” for October, “Red” for February, etc.) reflect what our children are experiencing in their everyday lives. Sensory activities, crafts, songs, stories, etc. will be based on these themes. One January, for example, our theme was “Winter” because it something our children experience each day in January, especially in Thunder Bay! We played with ice cubes and made snowmen with play dough and potato head parts in our sensory area and did finger plays and crafts reflecting snow and winter, all the while emphasizing that God made winter. Our weekly themes are reflected in the story/teaching time, in our worship/music time, in our crafts and in the playroom in general. For example, on the tables on which the children do their crafts and play with play dough are written themes that reflect Biblical truths (e.g., “God is Big”, “God Made Everything”). Children making play dough animals and be reminded by parents, volunteers and parents that “God made all the animals. God made everything!”
Teaching Time
Our children are taught a God-centred and Christ-exalting age-appropriate curriculum (Generations of Grace) that compliments the Sunday school curriculum at Fort William Baptist. Although the team of duty parents changes from week to week, the teacher’s presence is consistent. This helps children know what to expect and helps them feel safe during their playschool time.
During teaching times, children will be expected to sit with their peers and to participate. We understand that some children are still learning this skill and so teaching times will be age-appropriate in their length and content. Duty parents will help redirect children who are struggling to sit still. We will have at least two classes, divided by age (18 months- age 3 years and 3 years 6 months – kindergarten) for snack, lesson and craft time to better meet the needs of individual children and so the teaching may be more developmentally appropriate. The two classes will meet in different classrooms during this time.
How You May Prepare Your Child for Playschool
Your child will likely adjust to playschool more easily if they know what to expect. To facilitate this, you may want to explain the approximate routine s/he will follow while at playschool:
J You will take off outside clothes & put on indoor shoes
J You will play inside with toys, play dough, do a craft or painting
J Other children will be playing too
J You will help your friends put the toys away when playtime is over
J You will join a circle with our friends for stories, songs & games
J You will go to the washroom to wash our hands before snack
J You will sit with your friends, thank God for your food and eat your snack (e.g., crackers, fruit, juice, etc.)
J You will learn more about God & Jesus
J You will sing songs
You may find a book at the library or bookstore to read to your child that shows a child’s first nursery or playschool experience.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
9:20 am Arrive, take off outdoor clothes, sit in the circle & wait for our friends to arrive
9:30 Sing opening circle songs, introduce themes for the day, pray
9:40 Non-duty parents may leave
9:50 Free-play in the playroom
10:20 Hand-washing/Bathroom (younger children first, then older children). Float and 2-3s teacher take younger children to bathroom and then to classroom for snack while Easel and Play duty parents help older children finish tidying the playroom. Easel and Play duty parents take older children to bathroom; 2-3s teacher waits for children and directs them to a seat at the table. JK/SK teacher waits for children and directs them to their classroom. Chef delivers snack.
10:30 Snack/Lesson/Prayer Time/Memory work/Craft
11:00 2 classes come together into large room to worship together
11:15 “Good-Bye” Song, say “good-bye” to all our friends and clean up
REGULAR SONGS
We’ve included the lyrics for the songs that we do each week so you may both familiarize yourself with them and sing them with your child through the week.
“Good-Morning” Song
Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning to you
Good Morning, God’s children and how do you do?
Your faces like sunshine, they brighten our day.
Good Morning, Good Morning
We’re glad that you came!
Good Morning!
“How are you?” Song
Friends, Friends
How are you?
You are my friend and God loves you!
Friends, Friends
How are you?
Jesus loves me, He loves you!
Bigger than Big (Group Publishing)
God, You made our big blue sky
You made the oceans deep and wide
God, You made the trees so tall
Your love is bigger than it all
God,You’re bigger than big
Stronger than strong
You’re mightier than mighty
Louder than this song!
Your love for me stretches farther than far
And I can’t imagine just how big you are
Just how big you are
“Clean Up Clean Up”(from Barney)
Clean up clean up everybody everywhere. Clean up clean up everybody do your
share.
Clean up clean up everybody everywhere. Clean up clean up everybody do your
share.
Clean up clean up everybody do your
share.
Clean up clean up everybody everywhere. Clean up clean up everybody do your
share.
Clean up clean up everybody do your
“Make a circle” Song (Tune: “Frere Jacques)
Make a circle, make a circle
Big and round, big and round.
Everybody join hands, everybody join hands.
Let’s sit down, let’s sit down.
“Jonny Appleseed” Grace
Oh the Lord is good to me and
So I thank the Lord
For giving me, the things I need
The sun and the rain and the apple seed.
The Lord is good to me
Jonny Appleseed, Amen!
“Good-Bye” Song
Good bye _________ (child’s name) x3, we’ll see you another day!
