Welcome to Ohana Preschool School! Thank you for the wonderful opportunity of being a part of your child’s early years. I have been working with children in some facet for the past 25 years. I have a Bachelor of Education from the University of Hawaii, and a Master of Education from the University of Cincinnati. Our goal is to provide every child entrusted to us a loving, healthy, stimulating and safe environment. Our curriculum will nurture your child and allow him/her to explore, discover, have new experiences and prepare them to enter elementary school. During these early years, we believe instead of a classroom setting, it is more effective to use nature and creative arts to foster curiosity and excitement that will instill in them a desire to be lifetime learners. The age range of the children provides the preschool children with a chance to learn responsibility and leadership and the younger children benefit by watching and learning with positive role models. We use a wide range of indoor and outdoor toys, equipment, and activities to encourage your child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth. We have activities and projects that will encourage your child to explore nature. Each spring we hatch chicks, watch caterpillars turn into butterflies, watch the ladybug lifecycle and many more exciting things. We provide interactive learning through art, music, and movement. We incorporate singing, story time, dancing, and playing to foster your child’s development. We follow a thematic style of teaching and design our themes to encourage curiosity. I want your child’s experience at Ohana Preschool to be wonderful. I want you to be involved in that experience and look at this as a partnership to create that experience. You are welcome to visit, volunteer or have lunch. I regularly communicate with you and encourage you to do the same. I welcome any questions in regards to your child’s care and education and encourage you to share any information or concerns that can help make this a better experience for your child and you. Ohana Preschool is registered with the State of Washington as a home-based childcare facility/preschool. To ensure the safety of your child, all caregivers have had background checks, a Child Protective Services check, and have been certified in CPR and First Aid. All caregivers stay current in early care and education by participating in additional training each year. I look forward to getting to know your child and your family and again welcome you to Ohana Preschool. Sincerely, Susanna Suiter Director

Ohana Preschool currently accepts children from ages 2 to 5 years. It takes time for your child to get to know us and for us to learn about your child and build a new relationship. We allow a two-week trial period. During this time if the relationship is not working for you, or for us, we can discontinue childcare for your child. It will be important for us to work together and communicate to make the transition smooth for all of us, but especially for your child. Upon enrollment, Ohana Preschool will have a signed acceptance from the family of our policies and procedures, a signed contract, immunization records, any necessary feeding schedules, and any medical forms for each child.

Ohana Preschool will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 5:30pm, excluding holidays. Ohana Preschool will be closed for the following dates: September 2 (Labor Day) September 6 (Teacher Training) November 27-29 (Thanksgiving) December 23-January 6 (Christmas & New Year) January 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) February 17 (President’s Day) February 18-21 ( Mid-Winter Break) April 14-18 (Spring Break) May 26 (Memorial Day) June 19 (Juneteenth) July 4 (Independence Day) July 28-August 1 (Summer Break)

Our programs include: Self Esteem Building Positive Social Interaction Skills in Self Care Gross & Fine Motor Development Sensory Development Gardening Baking/Cooking Nature Exploration Math Science Geography Art Music Creative Movement Language Skills Pre-reading / Reading Skills Japanese

The rate for attending Ohana Preschool is as follows: Monday - Friday: $1525/month Payments can be made at the beginning of the month for the monthly amount or can be split into two payments on the 1st and the 15th of the month. The monthly tuition reflects all closure dates. If the family enrolls a second child, a 10% discount will be given on the second child’s tuition. Unless prior arrangements have been made, if tuition payments are made later than the end of the 2nd day of the month, a $20 fee will be applied to the next tuition bill.

Parent or guardian must sign child in and out each day with a signature and time. We do have planned activities through 4pm every day, if you need to pick up your child before that time, we ask you to notify us. On your contract, we ask you to list all individuals you authorize to pick up your child. If we are not familiar with these people, we may require them to show photo identification before allowing them to take your child. If you need to change this list, please provide us with an updated signed and dated form listing the name, address, and phone number of the people authorized to pick up your child. If you have shared agreement for the custody of your child, we must have a copy of the court order on file. We will not deny parental requests to pick up a child without court papers indicating who has the right to do so. Verbal requests cannot be honored without these court papers on file. Ohana Preschool is open from 7:30-5:30; please make the necessary arrangements to have your child picked up by 5:30. We do not charge a late pick up fee. If an unforeseen issue arises, please contact us as soon as possible if it will prohibit you from picking up your child on time. If this becomes a repeated problem, we may need to reevaluate if Ohana Preschool is a good match for your family.

Ohana Preschool will serve a mid-morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack. All of our meals will feature organic healthy choices. We believe that meals are a part of a child’s education, not a break from school. We like to involve the children as much as possible in the preparation, serving, and clean up. We learn about where the food comes from and how it is used. Ohana Preschool has a garden the children help to plant, watch grow, and when the time comes, harvest and eat. As Japanese is our second language here, once a week the children are served an authentic homemade Japanese meal. We believe that all of this gives the children a sense of gratitude, learn to appreciate different foods and to learn social manners.

Our facility follows the recommendations put forward by the Washington State Department of Health. Children who are ill with the symptoms listed on the policy below will not be permitted to attend childcare until they are symptom free or have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours. We will check your child’s health status each day as he/she arrives. A child showing any symptoms of illness cannot stay in childcare. Please notify us if your child has been exposed to someone with Chicken Pox, Measles, or other communicable diseases so we can notify the families of the other children. This policy will prevent the spread of illness to the other children. According to Washington state childcare regulations, no child may remain in childcare if he/she shows the following symptoms: Fever greater than 101 within the past 24 hours Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours Strep throat, scarlet fever, impetigo, skin infections, generalized rashes Pinkeye Head lice, ringworm or scabies Children with symptoms of severe illness, such as uncontrolled coughing, breathing difficulty or wheezing, stiff neck, irritability, poor food or fluid intake, or a seizure, must be evaluated by a health care provider before they may return to the child care facility.

Most medications that children need, such as an antibiotics, are prescribed for twice a day and can be given before and after childcare hours. If this is not the case and the child requires medication during childcare, you will be asked to fill out a Medication Authorization form giving permission to administer the medication. The medication must be in the original container with the written instructions attached. If the medication is long term you will need to provide a physician’s current written instructions script. Over the counter non-digestible medication such as diaper rash ointment, bug spray, or sunscreen, etc. must be labeled with the child’s name and a written authorization form for the over the counter products must be on file. All medication brought to the facility must be in the original container. We do not administer Tylenol or Ibuprofen, if the child needs this type of medicine, the parent will need to administer this.

Our staff is certified in Adult, Child and Infant CPR, First Aid, and AED. We will handle minor injuries with Band-Aids and ice packs. We will inform you of any injury when you pick up your child. If we feel that the injury is more serious, we may call you and inform you of the situation to let you decide which action should be taken. If your child is seriously injured, we will call 911 and administer first aid until emergency personnel arrive. We will call you and inform you of the situation. We will accompany the child if he/she must go to the hospital. There will be sufficient staff member to stay with the children left behind if the need arises.

We spend time outdoors every day except in the most extreme weather. Please make sure your child has the appropriate clothing to play outdoors, including shoes, coat, hat, mittens, snow pants and boots, and in the summer time, water attire. Please also provide a change of clothes, including socks and underwear, in case your child needs to change for any reason. If your child uses sunscreen or insect repellent please provide with their belongings. Please provide a water bottle to be taken home at the end of the day. All items should be labeled with your child’s name.

If your child is in diapers you are responsible for supplying a sufficient number of disposable diapers for your child’s stay at childcare. We will supply diaper wipes. We also ask that you have diaper rash cream labeled with your child’s name. We will change diapers as necessary but no less than every two to three hours. When your child is ready for toilet training, we will work with you through this process. Consistency is important for the success of any toilet training program. When the time arrives, we will provide a copy of our potty training policy and will work with you to achieve the greatest success for your child.

If your child has a special stuffed animal or blanket he/she like to sleep with, please bring it to childcare labeled with your child’s name. They can keep it in their cubbies until naptime. On Mondays and Thursdays, the children will be allowed to bring a special item from home to show their friends during show and tell. It will be put back in their cubby after that.

We will not be providing any transportation services at this time.

Under Washington state law, the indoor and outdoor areas of a childcare facility are non-smoking.

To provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child and others, our school uses methods of positive reinforcement, redirection, and a stimulating environment. We believe that using these guides, we will help the children learn to take care of themselves, be sensitive to others, promote a high self-esteem, and become aware of the world around them. Corporal punishment, isolation, shaming, or humiliating a child in this school will not take place and are against Washington state licensing rules.

We require families to call when their child will be absent. For health and safety purposes, the Washington child care regulations require us to ask the reason your child will be absent. In some cases, you may need to bring a note from your child’s doctor before your child can return to childcare. If there is going to be a permanent change in your child’s schedule at Ohana Preschool, we ask that you give us at least a two-month notice so we may make the necessary arrangements for the change. If your child will no longer be coming to Ohana Preschool we will need a semester notice. We do have a waiting list, but need to make sure the family will be able to take the slot. If we are given less than a semester notice and are able to fill your slot right away, that will be great. If we are not able to fill your slot right away, you will be responsible for three months of your child’s tuition or until the slot is filled, whichever is less.

As a state registered childcare provider, we are required to report any suspected child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services. Child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the state’s policy on licensing requirements, please visit their website at http://www.dcyf.wa.gov.

As your child is with us during the day, potty training needs to be a partnership between school and home. We believe the process works better if there can be consistency at home and school. From experience working with this age group, research and feedback from parents, we have put together a policy that I believe everyone will benefit from. GETTING READY At school we do a few things after the children turn two to start to get them thinking about potty training: We read at least one book every week about potty training. We teach them how to do hand washing by themselves. We practice pulling pants up and down when we change diapers. As time gets closer, we start setting them on the toilet at diaper changing time. ARE THEY READY? We believe the most important part of the potty training process is determining if your child is ready. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the initiation of potty training should always be based on the child’s developmental level rather than age. Doing it too early can create stress and anxiety for the child and lengthen the amount of time it takes to potty train. The following signs are recommended before the process is begun: The child expresses an interest in using the toilet. The child tries to imitate the behavior of using the toilet. The child wants privacy when filling their diaper. The child expresses discomfort when their diaper is wet or soiled. The child can pull clothes up and down. The child is able to communicate when they have to use the toilet BEFORE it happens. Once your child has shown these signs, we ask you to talk with us before you begin the process so we can have a plan and be on the same page. CLOTHING Once the process has started, please make sure your child comes to school in clothes that are easy for them to get off and on by themselves. Please no belts, onsies, overalls or buttons on their pants. This will help them be able to make it onto the toilet once they feel the urge. REWARD We want the potty training process to be a positive experience for your child. Every time your child uses the toilet, we give them a sticker. This not only encourages them to want to use the toilet, but other children see it and this encourages them as well. We believe the most effective way is for this process to be low key and not have them stress about accidents. If they do have an accident, we make it a very minor issue. HOME VERSUS SCHOOL Depending on the child, sometimes they do better at home and sometimes at school. This is completely normal, but the more we can have consistency between the two places, the easier it will be for them. DIAPERS, PULL UPS, UNDERWEAR Once it has been determined that your child is ready to potty train, we believe pull-ups are the easiest for them. In the beginning there will be accidents and for sanitary purposes we will not go straight to underwear at school. We have other children and babies walking and crawling around on the floor and if the urine or feces makes it onto the floor, we have to remove everyone to sanitize the area. We will set your child on the toilet at diaper changing times, which are every two hours. In between that time, we will remind them to tell us if they need to use the toilet. Once they are telling us when they have to use the toilet and have been accident free for 5 days in a row at school, we will allow them to wear underwear to school. We will still put a diaper or pull up on them at naptime. In communication with the parents and after 10 days of no accidents during naptime, we can let them wear underwear during naps. If you have any questions or concerns about anything in this policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

All childcare providers at Ohana Preschool will follow safe sleep recommendations for infants to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 1. Infants will always be put to sleep on their backs. 2. Infants will be placed on a firm sleep surface in a crib that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission safety standards. 3. No soft objects, loose bedding, bumper pads, positioning devices, or any objects that could increase the risk of suffocation or strangulation will be in the crib. 4. Sleeping areas will be ventilated and at a temperature that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. Infants will not be dressed in more than one extra layer than an adult. 5. If additional warmth is needed, a sleep sack may be used that does not restrict arm movement. 6. Infants will not be swaddled. 7. The infant’s head will remain uncovered for sleep. Bibs and hoods will be removed. 8. Sleeping infants will be actively observed by sight and sound. 9. Infants will not be allowed to sleep in any place other than the crib. If an infant falls asleep anyplace other than the crib, the infant will be moved to the crib right away. 10. An infant who arrives asleep in a car seat will be moved to a crib. 11. There will only be one infant per crib. 12. Infants may be offered a pacifier for sleep, if provided by the parent. 13. Pacifiers will not be attached by a string to the infant’s clothing and will not be reinserted if they fall out after the infant is asleep. 14. When able to roll back and forth from back to front, the infant will be put to sleep on his back and allowed to assume a preferred sleep position. 15. In a rare case of a medical condition requiring a sleep position other than on the back, the parent must provide a signed waiver from the infant’s physician. 16. Our childcare program is a smoke-free environment. 17. Awake infants will have supervised “Tummy Time”. 18. All staff, substitutes, and volunteers will be trained in safe sleep policies and practices and be sure to review these practices often.