Greenhouse is an equal opportunity provider of child care services. Applications for enrollment are accepted without regard to race, religion, sex, or national origin. Children whose parents are employed by the center and in-house parents (parents who already have one child enrolled in the center) are given preference when openings are available. We reserve the right to refuse the enrollment of any child or to ask parents to make alternative arrangements for the care of a child enrolled in Greenhouse. We request that you read this parent handbook and that you complete and sign all enrollment forms. The non-refundable registration fee is due on or before the first day of your child’s attendance.
The following documents are required to complete the enrollment for all children:
Greenhouse has an open door policy for parents. We welcome and encourage your visit at any time. You have unlimited access to the center during business hours for the purpose of contacting your child and assessing the care provided. In the event of parental separation, we usually allow parents to visit with their child in their classroom. By law, we cannot prevent a legal parent from picking up their child without court orders. Therefore, in the event of such situations, please discuss arrangements with the director. We request that you do not drop off or pick up your child during the rest period from 12:00 until 2:00 so as to not disturb other children.
No form of physical punishment is allowed at Greenhouse, which reflects the laws of the state of North Carolina. We will use constructive, positive techniques for managing behavior and maintaining a child’s self-worth. Positive discipline teaches children self-control and self-respect. We encourage children to use their language to resolve conflicts whenever possible, or are redirected to alternate activities. Employees are required to sign a discipline statement, as well as the parents, to acknowledge our discipline policy. This handbook includes a list of Preschool Limits and expectations for children. Expected behavior is based on the child’s developmental level.
Greenhouse provides a sitter list of employees who are willing to care for your child outside of working hours. Please do not retain these employees to care for your child during their scheduled Greenhouse hours. In the event that you enter into an arrangement with a Greenhouse employee to babysit for your child outside of the employee’s work hours and/or outside of center hours, it must be done away from the center with the full knowledge and understanding that the sitter enters such an agreement as a private citizen and not as a Greenhouse employee. Greenhouse cannot be responsible for its employees away from the center, outside of their working hours and will not be liable for their acts or behavior when not on Greenhouse property.
If you enter into an independent agreement with a Greenhouse employee to care for your children and this arrangement results in the person leaving Greenhouse’s employment, Greenhouse will charge you a finder’s fee of $500. Therefore, parents are discouraged from such acts. While we appreciate that our employees are favored, we do find it highly disrespectful.
Greenhouse Preschool is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00p.m. Children may arrive and depart during these hours. We do require parents to notify us before 10:00 a.m. if their child will be arriving later in the morning, so we can adequately prepare for lunch. We also have a no arrival and departure period from 12:00 until 2:00 pm. as not to interrupt classroom rest periods.
As you enter the parking lot, parking is provided to the left and right side of the circle drive, as well as in the gravel parking areas. There is to be no parking in the center section of the circular drive. Please leave the center section of the circle drive for constant flow of traffic as to avoid traffic congestion. All vehicle engines should be turned completely off. Please do not leave any vehicles running while in the parking lot for safety concerns.
To ensure the safety of all children, we ask that you sign in/sign out your child using your full name and time. Older children may not sign themselves in and out.
Upon entering the building, you should escort your child to the room, put their belongings in the appropriate places, and notify the caregiver of his or her arrival. Sign your child in and record the time. No child may be left at the center without completing the sign-in process. Please do not leave your child unattended or unsupervised for any reason.
At the end of the day, when you pick up your child, check your child’s folder and storage space for notes, artwork, or soiled clothing. Notify your child’s caregiver of his or her departure and sign out. Accompany your child to your car. Please encourage the children to walk and remain with you while entering and departing the building.
If an individual other than the parent is picking up a child, the parent must notify the director and/or teacher. The individual must show proper identification in order to pick the child up from the center. The child will not be released to anyone without your authorization or without presenting identification. If custody is an issue, we must have a notarized court order on file outlining the custody arrangement.
No person under the age of 18, including older siblings and family members, may pick up a child from the center. The only exception to this policy is that emancipated minors who are parents may pick up their own children from the center.
We ask you to make every effort to pick up your child before center closing. Just as you, our staff has families and responsibilities after center closing time. If an emergency situation occurs and you cannot pick up your child by 6:00 p.m., you must notify the staff. We impose a fee of $2.00 per minute after 6:00 p.m. Please remember that only adults previously specified in writing by the parents will be allowed to pick up your child, even in emergencies. If your child has not been picked up by 7:00 p.m. and we have not heard from you or a family member, we are required to contact the Department of Social Services. Please remember key fobs do not open the doors after 6:00 p.m.
Greenhouse Preschool follows the Pitt County school system decisions about closings in the event of inclement weather. The staff administration will, however, evaluate road conditions and the availability of adequate staff that can safely report to work to determine the possibility of opening. Our decision will be announced on WNCT-TV Channel 9 in Greenville. Channel 9 does not allow broadcasting if we are on a normal schedule.
Evacuation drills are held regularly at Greenhouse. Should an emergency occur, which requires an evacuation of the center, you will be notified as soon as possible and you will be asked to pick up your child if the emergency is expected to last a significant length of time. If you are at the center at the time of a drill or an emergency, you are requested to follow our procedures and evacuate the building immediately along with the children. We have emergency evacuation plans posted throughout the center.
If your child is injured while at Greenhouse Preschool and requires medical attention, Greenhouse has a policy that will pay for treatment for your child to the extent that such costs are not covered by your primary health insurance.
Biting occurs as a natural part of a toddler’s development. Toddlers often use biting as a form of communication. Greenhouse will strive to minimize biting accidents. However, it is highly likely that your child will be bitten at some time. If this should occur, we will do our best to comfort your child and care for his or her needs immediately. We will also inform the parents of the biter and work with them and their child to eliminate biting behavior.
Although we acknowledge that biting is a developmental stage, it is very serious and is unacceptable. In order to control the possibilities of passing infection from one child to another due to biting, Greenhouse must adhere to the following policy. If your child bites another child we will complete an incident form stating that your child has bitten another child and ask you to sign the form. This will be our method for keeping up with the number of bites and informing the parents. The maximum number of bites is four within a two week period. After four bites within a two week period Greenhouse Preschool will have the right to terminate the child from the center, either temporarily or permanently. If your child is temporarily suspended for biting, you are still responsible for paying tuition for the week(s) he or she is absent. The staff will do their best to keep these accidents from happening. We have several suggestions for curbing the biting problem and will discuss these methods with the parents to determine the best course of action for each child. We do not focus on punishment, but on alternate behaviors for the child.
Greenhouse respects the right of each family to privacy and confidentiality regarding all health, behavioral and developmental records and information concerning their child. If your child is involved in an altercation or biting incident with another child, Greenhouse will not reveal the biter’s identity to the parents of the other child without prior written consent from the biter’s parents. However, we cannot be responsible if the children discuss such situations.
All staff members of Greenhouse Preschool are required to comply with the provisions of the Child Abuse Reporting Act by bringing suspected cases of abuse or neglect to the attention of the Director. The Director will report any suspicious cases to the Social Services Department.
Greenhouse Preschool has a security system that will monitor and prevent unauthorized people from entering the building. All doors will remain locked at all times, except when the children are on the playground. Staff will maintain each classroom door and will lock and unlock the back doors according to the needs of the class.
The main entrance door will remain locked at all times. Each parent will be issued a key-fob. This will permit entry during business hours only. Parents’ key-fobs will only allow entrance at the front door. Employees’ key-fobs will open the side entrance as well as the main entrance doors.
There is a $25.00 non-refundable deposit required for each key fob issued. There will be a replacement charge is a key-fob needs to be replaced.
Each key-fob will be programmed into the office computer and can be deactivated at any time. This will serve to maintain security.
There will be a doorbell/intercom system at the main entrance that will be used to screen people before they are given access to the building. We will not permit entry to any unknown person whether they are salesmen or relatives of children.
Parents must let the staff know when someone else will be coming so that we can “buzz” them in when they arrive. Please remind anyone coming to pick up the child that they must have a picture ID before we will allow entrance. No one will be given entry unless we have been notified. DO NOT give your key-fob to people to use.
When parents are entering the building, please do not allow others to enter the building with you unless you personally know that person has a child enrolled. Also, please do not be offended if someone shuts the door because they do not know you.
Students will be videotaped and monitored by security cameras within the classroom and playground setting. The purpose of this is for the security of the children and may also be used for behavioral purposes for parent/director conferences if requested, teacher evaluations, and parental viewing. The video monitors are located in the director’s office.
Pictures may be taken during birthday parties, special occasions, holidays, and special activities in the classroom.
All parents should make certain that their child is immunized according to the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to protect against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, and bacterial infections. Without the required immunizations, these childhood illnesses can cripple or even kill. If your child’s immunizations are not completed following the recommended schedule, Greenhouse may suspend your child for the protection of the other children until such immunizations are current.
For the protection of all children and staff, we ask that you notify the center within 24 hours after your child has developed a known or suspected communicable disease, or if any member of the child’s immediate household has a communicable disease. When your child has a disease requiring exclusion, we ask that you inform the center director of the diagnosis.
If we become aware of a communicable disease affecting children in the center, a health alert will be posted. We will attempt to communicate to you the earliest symptoms so that additional exposures can be detected and, hopefully, avoided.
The following describes various symptoms and our policies on each illness. With each illness, our policy states that a child must be FREE from symptoms before returning according to the stated time frame below.