PARENT HANDBOOK
Tuition is due every Friday for the upcoming week of care. Full tuition is due year-round regardless of child's attendance due to closure, illness, vacation, holiday, weather or other. All tuition, registration and supply fees are non-refundable.
Matthew 4:4 ~ "People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word for God."
Adventures Preschool
every day is an adventure ~ License # C20CH0056
Adventures Preschool – Parent Handbook
Georgia Trehuba, Preschool Director/Owner – 941-474-0171
Mission Statement:
Our mission at Adventures Preschool is to ensure the success of every child as an individual by offering a secure yet child-friendly center that promotes self-respect and respect for others, encourages self-help skills and spiritual growth and stimulates a desire for learning and exploration through a literacy-rich, hands-on learning environment.
Hours of Operation:
Adventures Preschool is open year-round from 6:30 am – 6:00 pm Monday – Friday. However, the toddler room hours are 7:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday and the infant room hours are 7:30 – 5:00 Monday – Friday. All children must be checked into their classrooms by 9:00 am
Drop-off & Pick-up Procedures:
Parent responsibilities at drop-off:
Please use a slow, safe speed as children and parents may be crossing the driveway.
Parking in the attorney parking lot or in the drive thru area is prohibited.
There is no smoking on preschool property and please do not extinguish or discard butts in the parking lot.
For safety reasons, children must be walked into the designated classroom each morning and delivered to an Adventures staff member. Please do not leave your child in an unattended area. Make sure the teacher sees you, so your child can be properly marked in and counted as they arrive.
Children are not allowed to touch, open, or close any door in the building, especially the front door. Parents/guardians MUST see that this rule is followed at all times.
Children must be signed in every day by person dropping off. There is an attendance tablet located at the front desk. Parents must sign in with full signature every day! Please do not pick up or remove tablet from the counter.
Preschool cut-off time for dropping off children is 9:00 am. All children must be checked in by 9:00 am. Late drop-offs without a prior notification to the Director will not be permitted. If your child will be late due to an emergency or unforeseen circumstance you must notify the preschool prior to 9:00 am. If this courtesy is abused with daily late calls, late arrivals will not be granted. **(Children with doctor/dentist appointments can be dropped off as late as 10:30 but arrangements must be made ahead of time between parent and Director, not child’s teacher). Messaging on Brightwheel is not an acceptable way to call in late, you must call the preschool and speak to the Director 941-474-0171.
Parent responsibility at pick-up:
For safety reasons, adults may need to show identification to the staff member in charge at time of pick-up, so please have I.D. available.
No child will be released to an unidentified person regardless of who they say they are.
Children must be signed out every day by the person picking up. There is an attendance tablet located at the front desk. Parents must sign out with full signature every day.
Children must be picked up by 6:00 pm. There is a $4 per minute charge for every minute past 6:00 that a child is picked up. This fee is charged even if the parent calls to let us know they will be late. This fee is considered tuition and must be paid immediately. (Toddlers must be picked up by 5:30, same policy and fees applies.)
Children can be picked up any time during the day.
Children must stay with the person picking up at all times. Please do not allow your child to run ahead or go to class by themselves to collect items.
Children are not allowed to touch, open, or close any door in the building, especially the front door. Parents/guardians MUST see that this rule is followed at all times.
Rates, Payment, Fees and Registration:
Adventures accepts children at the age of 12 months (1-year-old) through age 5 with a Before & After school program for K-5th graders.
Active-duty military families NEVER pay registration or supply fees. It is our honor to be able to give back to those that make the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for your service.
Our weekly tuition rates are as follows: **tuition rates will be going up on May 27, 2024. See new rates below in red.
Preschool : F/T (Mon-Fri) MWF T/Th
Infants (3 – 12 mos): $215 ($225) $175 ($185) $155 ($165)
1-year olds: $200 ($210) $160 ($170) $140 ($150)
2-year-olds: $190 ($200) $150 ($160) $135 ($145)
3- & 4-year-olds: $180 ($190) $150 ($160) $135 ($145)
5 morning rate (6:30 – 12:00): $165 per week ($175)
VPK: F/T (Mon-Fri) M/W or T/Th
VPK with wrap around: $160 ($165) $110 ($115)
VPK only (M-Th, 9-1): Free
K-5th grade weekly rates: Beginning August 2024, Adventures will no longer provide morning bus service for Myakka River Elem.
Before & After Just Before Just After Full day county closures Spring Break & Summer 2024
$95 $65 $85 free for enrolled students $125
(Vineland only) (Vineland and Myakka)
~ Sibling discount is 10% off the oldest child for children enrolled full time. There is no sibling discount for the 5-morning program or part time. There is no sibling discount for K-5th.
~ Registration is $85 per family, one time.
~ Supply fee is $50 per child, all ages, due annually by July 1st of each year
~ All tuition, registration fees and supply fees are non-refundable.
~ Tuition is due every Friday for the upcoming week of care. The tuition drop box is in the lobby. We accept check, cash or money order only. Please make checks payable to: Adventures Preschool.
~ When paying with cash please make sure you get a receipt. Do not drop cash in the drop box.
~ Tuition not paid by 9:00 am on Monday will be charged the $10 late fee. All tuition must be current by Tuesday drop off. Children cannot be dropped off on Tuesday morning without tuition being current.
~ Full tuition is due year-round regardless of child’s attendance due to illness, holiday, vacation, bad weather, preschool closure or other. Adventures does not offer a “vacation week.”
~ Due to the number of students our after-care bus will hold, enrollment in the K-5th grade before and after care program is not guaranteed from year to year. It is done lottery-style annually in January.
~ A 2-week notice is appreciated when removing your child from our program.
-
Calendar of Holidays:
Our calendar of holidays changes yearly and is updated annually in January for the entire year, in advance. It can be found hanging on the parent board in the lobby and online at our website www.adventureslearningcenter.com.
Medicine:
Adventures does not administer medicine of any kind. Children cannot attend school if they have been given any kind of over-the-counter medicine. Antibiotics are acceptable if the child has been on them for at least 24 hours and the school is notified.
Illnesses, Injuries:
At Adventures Preschool we will do our very best to provide a safe and healthy learning environment but sometimes accidents happen even with close supervision. When an accident occurs involving minor injuries an incident report will be filled out and must be signed the same day by parent and staff. In cases of more serious injuries, a parent will be notified by phone and in writing with an injury report. In the event of an emergency the preschool will call 911 as well as the parent.
If your child is not feeling well in the morning before coming to preschool, please use discretion in keeping them home. To provide a healthy environment for the children and staff, children with the following symptoms will not be allowed to stay in preschool that day and/or will be sent home if symptoms occur after being dropped off:
Severe or excessive coughing
Difficult or rapid breathing
Diarrhea (more than 1 abnormally loose stool within a 24-hour period)
Temperature of 101 degrees or higher
Conjunctivitis or pink eye
Vomiting
Head lice
Unidentified rash
Ringworm
Runny nose with yellow or green discoloration
Any other contagious illness with or without accompanying fever
Children are not allowed to be dropped off at the preschool if they have been given ANY over the counter medicine. This includes but is not limited to Tylenol, Benadryl, Advil, etc. Prescription medicines are acceptable provided the Director has been notified.
*If a child is sent home with any of the above symptoms, the child may not return until he/she has been medicine and symptom free for 24 hours. In some cases, a note from the child’s pediatrician may be required. However, if the Preschool Director feels that a child should not remain in care for the day or should not be dropped off due to symptoms that they feel may be spread to others in the school, director reserves the right to turn that child away until the symptoms are completely gone. Director has final say in whether a child may stay, regardless of doctor note or symptoms.
Forms & Documents - These documents are due by the 1st day of enrollment:
Physical Examination – Each child must have a valid health examination certificate (Student Health Exam Form HRS – 3040). The certificate must be signed by a medical professional and is valid for 2 years from the date the exam was conducted.
Current Florida Certificate of Immunization (shot record) – Form 680.
If your child has any medical concerns or diagnosis', these must be listed in your child's file as well as accompanied by a note from a doctor. Parent diagnosis' is not accepted.
**It is the parent’s responsibility to keep these forms current. These forms are due by the first day of enrollment.
Discipline Policy and Expulsion Policy:
At Adventures Preschool it is not only our job but our privilege to nurture the children in our care and provide them with a very consistent, routine-based environment that is safe, fun, and age-appropriate.
Positive redirection is the first step in our discipline process. Redirecting a child’s negative behavior before a bigger problem develops. Using positive language to provide guidance to a child when negative behavior is noticed such as, “blocks are for building” rather than “don’t throw blocks.” “Where are your walking feet?” rather than “Stop running!” We teach “gentle touches, kind words, walking feet and helpful gestures.” We do not use “time out.” If a child needs to be moved away from his/her peers to avoid injury or to just calm down, they are seated near a teacher within sight and sound until he/she cools off and is ready to rejoin the group in the daily activity taking place. Children are spoken to regarding good choices and teachers help them to understand that bad choices can hurt them or others. Discipline is never associated with potty learning, eating, or napping. Corporal punishment is never used. Each child is treated with respect, and they are taught to treat others with respect through the teachers’ positive example in the classroom environment.
In cases of biting, our first objective is to find out what is causing the child to bite, and our second objective is putting a plan in action to stop it from happening again. Through parent/teacher meetings the preschool works closely with parents to establish such plans. Our staff will “shadow” known biters, this can help stop the biting before it takes place and can help us get an idea of what may be causing it. For privacy reasons names of biters will never be released so please do not ask. Any child that bites and breaks the skin of another child will be sent home for the remainder of the day. The parent of the child that was bit will be contacted as well as a courtesy.
In cases where a child’s behavior is dangerous or harmful to others, the Director will be informed immediately, and the child removed from the classroom to avoid hurting themselves or others. In these cases, the parent will be notified of the situation and the child possibly dismissed for the remainder of the day, if the Director feels it necessary. A brief parent/Director meeting will take place at time of pick-up to go over the day’s incidents. Sometimes our program is not the best fit for a child and it becomes necessary to remove the child from the program.
Student Expulsion Policy: A child can be permanently removed from the program for continuous misconduct or aggressive behavior towards children or staff or if the Director feels that the program is not a good fit for their child. This can be done with or without notice by the Director. When possible, measures are taken by the preschool staff to remedy the situation before a child is removed from the program including parent/teacher, parent/director meetings. However, sometimes a child may still be removed if other parents complain or if the child becomes too big of a disruption to the classroom learning environment. Parents must work with the staff to help the child’s behavior if they wish them to continue attending Adventures. The preschool reserves the right to final decision and refunds are not given.
Parent Communication:
Communication by teachers and parents is a critical tool in the success of every child. Adventures uses the free Brightwheel app to keep parents in the daily loop. Teachers can send notes, videos, pictures, and messages directly to parent’s phones with the click of a button. Parents must download this free app in order to sign their child in and out daily as well as receive the messages sent from school.
Although communication between parents and teachers is important it is school policy that teachers and parents do not have communication outside of the preschool setting. This is for the safety and privacy of everyone. This includes Facebook, Instagram, text messaging and email. Upholding a professional level with our parents is our top priority and that can be compromised with personal contact outside of the preschool setting. Our preschool staff handbook also reflects this policy, so teachers are aware. All communication between teachers and parents should be conducted at the preschool or through the Brightwheel system and should be limited to information regarding the enrolled student. For safety and liability reasons, staff are not allowed to babysit children that attend Adventures.
Snacks and Lunches:
Adventures does not provide snacks or lunch. On occasion we serve a pizza or chicken nugget lunch and notice is given ahead of time.
“Early bird” children arriving between 6:30 & 7:00 may bring a nutritious breakfast item with them to eat at school. Children arriving after 7:00 am need to eat breakfast at home before arriving in the morning.
Parents provide a morning snack consisting of 2 food groups if their child will be in attendance before 8:15. Morning snack is at 8:00 am. For parents of 1 year-olds you must provide a morning snack daily as the toddler snack time is 9:00 am for the whole class. Parents must also provide an afternoon snack consisting of 2 food groups for children in attendance between 2:30 – 3:00 pm. Afternoon snack is between 2:30 & 3:00 depending on the class. All snacks are served with water unless the child is provided a disposable drink for snack from home.
It is the parent’s responsibility to pack a healthy lunch of 4 food groups and a drink for their child daily. At lunch, please limit sweets to 1 small item, but no candy or soda is permitted. Please no sippy cups. We do not store lunch boxes in the refrigerator so please put an ice pack in your child’s lunchbox if packing items that need to stay cold. Children are not allowed to come in with soda, gum, or candy.
Program/Curriculum: (*updated February 2023)
At Adventures Preschool we provide a Christian program filled with opportunities every day for learning in the areas of music, Bible, math, reading, writing, art, building, dramatic play, motor play, outdoor time, music & movement, sensory play, and hands-on science exploration. The classrooms are designed to provide inviting learning centers with multiple areas for large and small group play as well as cozy areas for individual quiet time. The Toddlers and Twos teachers develop their lesson plan using “Innovations: A Comprehensive Preschool Curriculum.” The 3’s, 4’s and VPK Teachers develop their weekly lessons using the Creative Curriculum for academics. All teachers use the Kindness Curriculum for our character development and the Essentials Curriculum, along with the Children’s Bible are used for teaching Bible stories and verses.
*Potty training is done in our 2 year old class. Children must be fully potty trained in order to advance into the 3 year old class.
*Children enrolled in the 3 and 4 year old program and VPK must be fully potty trained.
Security Features and Rules:
Adventures is all about providing a fun, inviting, age-appropriate environment for the children but we take safety very seriously too. Beginning on the first day of school and carrying on throughout the school year, the children learn and are expected to follow the preschool rules. These rules are set for everyone’s safety and must be followed. Parents must also take part in this by assuring that their children follow the preschool rules during drop off and pick up times.
Walking feet inside at all times.
Stay with an adult at all times, especially in the parking lot.
Do not allow your child to hang on, swing from, climb on, open, close or touch any door or gate on premise. Do not allow your child to touch the front door keypad or the attendance tablet. These are security features and not toys and if a child breaks it, it will be the parent’s responsibility to pay to have it replaced.
Miscellaneous Policies:
- Please do not allow your child to bring toys to school unless otherwise specified by the teacher.
- For health reasons and to promote self-help skills, please do not pack sippy cups for your child. All drink containers must be disposable. The only exception to the cup rule is our toddler room. Children enrolled in the toddler room may have a sippy cup, but it must be labeled with the child’s first and last name. 5-ounce disposable cups are provided by the preschool for water throughout the day as well as snack time. A drinking fountain is also available.
- For safety reasons, children must wear comfortable, closed-toed tennis shoes to school. Please no flip-flops, sandals, crocs, boots, slippers, shoes with heels or dress-up shoes.
- Adventures has an open-door policy.
Recap: Please do not EVER park in the attorney’s parking lot or in the drive thru area, even if you think you’ll only be a minute.
Thank you for choosing Adventures Preschool, we are so happy to have your family join ours. I am always available for questions, concerns or comments so please feel free to connect with me regarding your child.
Georgia Trehuba ~ Preschool Director & Owner
Sylvie Simis ~ Assistant Director
3155 S access rd - Englewood, FL 34224
941-474-0171