Everyday School Policies for Families

Parent Participation

Educational research has shown that the most effective schools are those that have full and meaningful parental participation. This is particularly important in the first years of schooling as children make the transition from home to school.  Parents and teachers working together in a variety of ways provide children with security and a model of cooperative behavior. Parental participation is an integral part of the Bennington Early Childhood Center’s educational program. Parents are encouraged to volunteer their time and expertise to further the educational, social, and aesthetic goals of the Center.

Parent involvement can take many forms.  It may mean accompanying your child’s class on a fieldtrip, donating needed items to the school, sharing your talents with your child’s class, organizing a family night, volunteering your time and energy to help take care of our grounds, etc.  

We encourage you to participate in as many ways as you can!

Additionally, we strive to have each classroom represented by a parent who serves on the Board of Directors.   

Field Trips

Fieldtrips are a fun addition to our part of our program.  When a trip is scheduled, we will coordinate transportation on a trip-by-trip basis and will utilize the cars of parents who volunteer to accompany us, following an approved adult to child ratio. The fieldtrip ratio in the preschool groups is one staff member for every four children. There are always at least two adults on any trip (excluding some kindergarten transition visits). Anyone who will be transporting children other than their own must fill out a Trip Driver Form (available from your classroom teacher or the Director).

Toys & Objects from Home

Children are discouraged from bringing toys from home to the Bennington Early Childhood Center. The toys may get lost or broken, which is upsetting for the child and difficult for the group.  Additionally, it can be difficult for children to share personal items.  However, we understand that children often need an object, such as a toy or blanket, to help ease the transition from home to school. Such small or special items may be brought to the Bennington Early Childhood Center, with the understanding that the item will be put in the child's cubby and that it is the child's responsibility to take care of it. There will be times during the year when groups will have theme-related days on which the child may bring toys, books or other objects related to the specific theme. The teachers will inform parents of these days.  Children who stay for the Afternoon Programs are encouraged to bring a small blanket, pillow, and/or soft toy to rest with (after rest time the item will be placed back in the child’s nap bag or cubby and items will be sent home regularly for washing).

Clothing 

Clothing and shoes appropriate for active, messy play and weather conditions should be worn to school.  Please send at least one complete change of clothing to the Bennington Early Childhood Center. Be sure to label all clothing with your child's name. Please check the extra clothes periodically for seasonal and size changes. Any clothes that your child borrows from school and wears home should be washed and returned promptly, so that other children can use them when needed. 

Character costumes (superheroes, princesses, etc.) from home have the same inherent sharing issues as toys from home and must therefore follow the same classroom rules as stated above.  Additionally, costumes frequently change the behavior of a child as the child might take on the persona of that costume.  There may be opportunities announced by your child’s teacher during the year to wear special attire, for example: pajama day, funny hat day, or special color days.  There are sufficient dress-up clothes within each classroom for the children to share.

Although we have full-sized plastic smocks, we urge parents to send children to the Bennington Early Childhood Center in clothes that are meant for work and play. We want the children and teachers to feel comfortable in the use of sand, water, paints, and clay materials that may spill on their clothing. 

Children who attend Afternoon Sessions are provided with a crib sheet for their rest mat.  A blanket can be brought from home, if desired. Personal items should be marked with the child's name and removed regularly for laundering. Crib sheets are laundered weekly at the Center.

Children’s Birthdays

Children’s birthdays can be acknowledged in the classroom. Often, a birthday snack is made by the children in honor of the birthday child. As this is usually a very exciting day for children, celebrations are kept low-key. Any alternative arrangements for the child's birthday need to be made privately with the teacher. If you provide a birthday snack it MUST be in line with our food policy (i.e., no junk food).  Appropriate suggestions are blueberry muffins, banana bread, corn bread, carrot muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc.   If you send in cake, cupcakes, or cookies we reserve the right not to serve them and send them back home with you.  Invitations to birthday parties should be sent by mail or email, not delivered in the classroom. Invitations have been known to get lost before parents are aware of their existence and feelings are hurt when someone believes they are not invited.  If not inviting your child's entire group, we request that you be sensitive to uninvited children's feelings by not talking about the party in front of others.

Holidays

Holidays offer an opportunity to talk about celebrations in other countries and cultures as well as our own. Winter holidays are a particularly good example of a time when we can stress multi-cultural celebrations through activities and stories.  However, our tendency is to not address holidays unless the children express interest in doing so.  We feel that the children are exposed to so much holiday stimulation outside of school that school should be a safe haven of continuity, expectations, and routine.  

Halloween may present certain problems of over-stimulation resulting from costumes and sweets. Although dressing up is fun, young children may feel confused or threatened by the variety of costumed strangers coming to the door or encountered on the streets at night.  Young children often need reassurance at this time to deal with the masked identities they encounter. We help children address these issues by talking about the pretend aspects and possibly by making simple types of masks and costumes around this time. We ask that children do not bring any of the treats they may have collected to the Center.

Valentine's Day provides an opportunity for children to talk about friendship and caring for other people. The staff emphasis is placed on the children's expression of feelings through their own activities. This may be through the making of cards in one group or a friendship mural in another.  We ask that you do not send Valentine cards to be distributed at the Bennington Early Childhood Center. Distribution of cards at school can lead to hurt or confused feelings due to lost cards, not everyone participating, and lack of understanding of what the cards mean.