Gingerbread House Preschool Handbook

Welcome

The Staff of the Gingerbread House welcomes you and your family.  The day your child enters our Early Childhood Program, we share in the responsibility for his/her mental, social, physical and emotional development.  It is important to us that your child’s first school experience be positive and rewarding.  We strive to help each child develop a healthy self-concept through “active learning” in a peer group setting.  In addition, each child is nurtured to improve his/her social, emotional, intellectual, and physical capabilities.  We are glad you have chosen Gingerbread House Preschool, and look forward to the partnership we will enjoy during your child’s time with us.  Welcome!!!

Gingerbread House is a private preschool program that leases space at Zionsville Christian Church.  We are a non-faith based preschool.  We welcome all children and their families.

We do all we can to facilitate communication between parents and teachers.  At the first of each month parents receive a calendar listing the highlights of the upcoming month’s activities for each class.  These calendars are also posted on our website.  There are weekly group emails for each class.  Every weekend parents receive a message from their child’s teachers.  Parents receive the email addresses and cell phone numbers of their child’s teachers to enable open and direct dialog.

Our Professional Educators

Gingerbread House is very proud of its warm, caring, experienced and professional educators.  They have been chosen for their patience, sensitivity, and understanding of how young children learn.  There are two teachers in each classroom setting.  Our classes use the team-teaching approach with two lead teachers.

Prior to every month, the age level teachers from each room, hold planning sessions to establish the curriculum for the upcoming month.  Parents and students receive a monthly calendar outlining daily activities and upcoming special events.  If you misplace your monthly calendar, you can always print out a new copy from our website.

As professionals, we are always seeking new information in the field of Early Childhood Education through conferences and workshops.  We look forward to getting to know you and your child.

Our Teaching Philosophy

Our program is flexible, enabling each child to learn at his/her own pace, socially, emotionally, physically, and academically.  Our goal is to educate the whole child, by trying to meet each child’s individual needs.  Knowledge is not something that is given to children as though they were empty vessels to be filled.  “Children acquire knowledge about the physical and social worlds in which they live through playful interaction with objects and people.  Children do not need to be forced to learn; they are motivated by their own desire to make sense of their world.”  Position statement of NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children).

Our Approach to Discipline

The goals of Gingerbread House Preschool include helping each child to develop a feeling of positive self-worth, competence, and mastery.  Discipline is approached from a realization that children need to learn self-control.  Clear rules for behavior and clear directions for compliance are established.  Positive reinforcement is given for compliance.  The teachers convey an attitude of firmness, respect, and kindness when stating expectations for children’s behavior.  Guidance involves establishing rules for safety, general health, and social interaction.  A safe, caring atmosphere, and consistent daily routines, provide a feeling of security and confidence in each child.

Specific strategies for discipline and guidance include:

  1. Using redirection and diversion rather than negative reinforcement.

  2. Changing the learning environment when it interferes with positive behavior.

  3. Setting clear, consistent, and reasonable limits, and following through on enforcing those limits.

  4. Avoiding negatives, by stating expectations in a positive way.

  5. The teachers contact parents when necessary, regarding a child’s inappropriate behavior.

  6. Bullying is not tolerated. If you think that your child is being bullied verbally or physically, please talk to a teacher immediately. This Australian parenting website has good information about: Bullying at Preschool.

  7. Parent-Teacher conferences occur 2 times each school year.

Health Guidelines

Sick children must be free from fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. A child with pink eye or strep throat must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.  If there is suspicion of a communicable disease, such as pink eye, please keep your child at home.

**Please call the school to let us know when your child is sick.

***No dispensing of medications, even over-the-counter medications.

Potty Training

Children in the 3, 4, and 5-year-old classes must be potty trained. For more information click this link.  Parents will be notified in case of a poopy accident to take care of the situation.  Children in the 2’s class are not required to be potty trained.

Dress

We would like children to wear play clothes to school.  Despite precautions on our part, play dough, glue, and paint often get on clothing.  Make sure your child’s clothing is washable.  Please do not allow your child to wear a costume to school.  Choose clothing that is easy for your child to fasten and unfasten.  This will aid in their independence when using the restroom.

School shoes:  We prefer athletic or rubber soled shoes for climbing and running outdoors. Please do not send your child to school wearing crocs, flip flops, or slides. These types of foot wear fall off the children’s feet on the playground and inside the school during Music and Movement class.  If your child wears boots to school in the winter, please also send regular shoes.

Dressing for the Weather:  Children should be prepared to go outside, unless it is raining.  Please dress your child for the weather.  If the temperature or wind chill is 15 degrees Fahrenheit or below, we will not go outside.  In the winter months, your child should have an appropriate winter coat, boots, mittens, and hat.  Please label these items with your child’s name. No umbrellas, please.

Weather Delays and Cancellation of School

When the Zionsville Community Schools (ZCS) cancel school, GBH is cancelled. When ZCS have a delay, GBH will have school at its regular time.  It is your choice whether to bring your child to school, or not.  The GBH staff will hold classes as usual.

**Please call the school (317-733-1105) if your child will be absent for any reason.

Snacks and Parties

Snack time is a regular part of each day.  Classroom snacks are provided by parents on a rotating schedule.  A “snack bucket” will be sent home with your child prior to his/her turn.  We ask that the snacks be simple and nutritious.  The children will have water to drink.  If a child has special dietary restrictions, you will be informed so that this can be taken into consideration when you make your snack selection.  Snack time is a learning situation and an important part of our curriculum!

*If your child has food allergies or special dietary needs, please alert his/her teachers.  Also, send in alternative snacks in case your child is not allowed to eat the snack of the day.

We love birthdays. If your child would like to bring a special snack and a drink for his/her birthday, please plan with the classroom teacher in advance.  Summer birthdays will be observed during the school year.

If your child is having a birthday party outside of school, please do not distribute party invitations at school (including in the hallway prior to or following class).

Arrival and Dismissal

At arrival time parents will not enter the building. Children in the yellow room will enter through front glass doors on the south side of the building. Children in the blue room will enter through the side door on the east side under the overhang. Children in the green room will enter through the back doors on the north side of the building. Each class will be dismissed at their drop-off entrance.

If anyone other than parents will be picking up your child, please send a note, a text, or an email stating who will be picking up on that day.

It is important to be prompt for arrival and dismissal. This effort will help your child feel secure during this transition time.  If you are running late, please leave a phone message at:  317-733-1105, so that we will know you are on your way.

Late Pick-up fee:   A fee will be charged for Late Pick-up at the end of your child’s school day.  There will be a 5-minute grace period, followed by a $1.00 per minute late fee.  Your child’s teacher will fill out a form to document your arrival time.  You will need to pay this late fee directly to the teachers who have waited with your child.

Payments of Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the school year is divided into equal monthly payments.  Payments are due the first week of school each month.  The payment is late if received after the first week of each month.  There is a $25.00 late fee assessed for a late payment, if other arrangements have not been discussed with the director.  We trust that when you register, you are doing so for the entire nine plus months of the school year.  If you should find it necessary to withdraw, please give us one month’s notice in writing.  If we do not receive written notice, you will be held responsible for the following month’s tuition.

There is no reduction in tuition for absences due to illness, inclement weather, vacations, pandemics, etc.  Snow days will not be made up at the end of the school year.  Any matter concerning tuition and fees, should be discussed with the director.

Make checks payable to: Gingerbread House Preschool tuition payments should be handed to your child’s teachers.  You may also mail your payments to: Gingerbread House Preschool, 120 N. Ninth Street Zionsville, IN.  46077

*There is a $25.00 late fee for all payments made after the first week of school each month.

**There is a $35.00 fee for all returned checks. (This is the amount the bank charges GBH for returned checks.)

***Tax ID number: 35-1677232 (Early Childhood Educators, Inc.)

“When relocating to the area a few months into the school year we found Gingerbread House and I was amazed at how quickly and easily our daughter adjusted to the new class and teachers. The teachers did a wonderful job of providing a nurturing environment for the kids while ensuring they grew to be prepared for Kindergarten - and beyond! Our child loved the time she had and the friends she made. We are lucky to have found Gingerbread House and look forward to our younger daughter also attending in a couple of years!”

Excerpt from parent review on Google search