Preschool Parents & Guardians

Letter to families - 2023-24 (Click to download the welcome letter)

Greetings to you! We hope you are having a wonderful summer.

We’re looking forward to the opportunity to have your children with us this upcoming school year! We have so many exciting things happening at the school!  We have two BIG announcements!

1. You might have noticed we have a new name. Yes, we are now, ORCHARD PARK PRESCHOOL.  We feel the new name caters to our direct audience and clarifies who we serve.

2. OPP is in the process of receiving our certification from the state of Indiana as an Unlicensed Childcare Ministry Ministry with the Family and Social Services Administration. What does this mean for you?  The staff will have more training required by Indiana. We have access to a liaison that will inspect our facility annually to make sure we are compliant with health and safety and other necessary certifications like CPR and First Aid. You will see more signage posted throughout the building.  All lunches will be refrigerated daily. Children will have a cot for rest time.

PARENT ORIENTATION for all age groups will be provided via Zoom meetings on

Tuesday, August 22^nd. Links will emailed and posted to Class Dojo closer to date of meeting

• Little Lambs: 5:15-5:45PM
• Teddy Bears:  6:00-6:30PM
• Jr. Preschool:  6:45-7:15PM
• Sr. Preschool: 7:30-8:00PM

It is our expectation that you will make every effort to attend this meeting as we share our procedures with you. A link to this Zoom meeting will also be sent via email. To prepare for this meeting, please read through our Parent Handbook and please come with any questions you may have.

We are hopeful that you will be able to join the OPP staff and families on Wednesday, August 23rd from 6:30-8 p.m. for Back to School Night. Families are invited to visit their child’s classroom and meet teachers. Fellowship will be held outdoors in the parking lot.

AFTER CARE PROGRAM: your registration form along with the $30 and first month tuition must be received no later than July 31^st to secure your child’s spot for the first month of childcare.

• Emergency Medical Information form: need to be on file by Aug 28^th, 2023 (child cannot start school until this form is received)
• FSSA Parent Notice
• Drop off and pick up procedures

Feel free to contact us with any questions!

Peace,

OPP Co-Directors

Emily Ward and Jennifer Witherbee,

eward@orchardpark.org       jwitherbee@orchardpark.org

OPP Parent Handbook 2023-24

Orchard Park Preschool Parent Handbook 2023-2024 Revised Summer 2023

Who we are:

The Orchard Park Preschool is a play-based, faith-based preschool that offers care for children from 18mo-5 years old.

Mission Statement:

OPP provides a loving and safe environment where children will develop emotionally, spiritually, physically and academically.

Guiding Principles:

• We believe each child is a unique and special gift from God.
• We provide daily bible lessons that give each child a strong Christian foundation.
• We believe that children learn best through play and discovery.
• We provide curriculum and activities that enhance and stimulate each child’s emotional and academic growth.

School Hours:

School begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 2:15 p.m. 

After Care Hours:

Begins at 2:15 p.m. and concludes at 5:30 p.m.

Drop off and Pick Up

We utilize a car line format for drop off and parent pick up in the building after school.

Drop off begins at 8:55 a.m. and continues to 9:15 a.m. Staff will help kids out of cars as they pull in front of the building. If you arrive for drop off after 9:15 a.m., please ring the doorbell (entrance 1; office entrance) and wait for a staff member to come get your child.

Pick up is at 2:05 p.m. for Teddy Bears and 2:10 p.m. for Jr Preschool, Sr Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten.

Our School Year/Important Dates:

We follow the Carmel Clay School (CCS) system in most ways (calendar and inclement weather). If they have delays/cancelations due to inclement weather, we will follow that as well. If CCS has a 2 hour delay, we delay our opening for 1 ½ hours (so we open at 10:30 a.m.). Please watch the news for delays and also please join our Class Dojo app to receive text messages.

Our calendar is available on the OPP website.

Communication:

We send weekly emails for the entire preschool using the address you supplied on your Registration Form.

Urgent communications will be sent through email and/or Class Dojo

Teachers will communicate with their classes through Class Dojo and in a variety of ways; your child’s teachers will share this information with you by the first week of school.

Health Procedures:

• Cleaning/sanitizing includes wipe down surfaces (ie, door handles, tables, sink faucets, toys) several times per day using the CDC approved bleach/water mixture.
• Hand washing for children is required upon entry to the classroom, after using the restroom, after recess and prior to eating.

Absences:

Absences MUST be reported by the State of Indiana law for children that will not be at school. Please call Orchard Park Preschool at 317-814-2487 to advise the reason for the absence and, if applicable, your child’s symptoms.

Possible Absence due to Emerging Health Crisis:

In case of a positive COVID test for a student or teacher: Our response will be guided by CDC and Indiana Department of Health protocols. This could include a 10-14 day quarantine/isolation for the entire class.  In the event that this happens, we will be in close communication with all families.

Face Masks:

Not required but are left to the discretion of parents.

Toilet Training:

Being potty trained is necessary for Junior. Preschool and Senior Preschool.

Medications:  If your child needs to receive medicine during the school day, please fill out the medication form and medicine will be administered by Learning Center staff and will be safely locked away.

In case of an accident/injury:

Our administrative staff will evaluate your child. In case of a minor scrape, we will send home a written report. In case of anything that causes us concern, parents will be called. In case of a serious health situation or injury, 911 will be called and parents will be contacted immediately.

Discipline:

The school community and each classroom have procedures in place to keep children safe, care for the entire community and organize our time together.  Teachers will share these procedures so we can create a safe, peaceful and nurturing environment that keeps children physically and emotionally safe. 

Teachers will encourage children to make wise choices and are also prepared to redirect unacceptable behavior. At no time will we use physical correction.

If behavior issues become repetitive, we will ask for a conference with the teachers, administrator and parents. The Learning Center reserves the right to dismiss a child if after conferences and interventions the child becomes a threat to the learning environment.

Children’s Daily Supplies for families to provide:

• WATER BOTTLE: Children should bring a water bottle each day; please label it with your child’s name.
• LUNCH: Children should bring a packed lunch each day; please label the lunchbox with your child’s name. For the first week, we ask that there are NO NUTS! Please note – lunches will be refrigerated.
• REST/NAP TIME SUPPLIES: All classrooms have a rest/nap time in the afternoon.

We provide cribs or cots and sheets for our Little Lambs which are washed daily.  Teddy Bears, Junior Preschool and Senior Preschool are provided cots which are sanitized daily. 

Students should pack a blanket (that fits in their backpack) upon which to lay during rest time.

All children are invited to pack one “lovey” for nap time.

• LITTLE LAMBS & TEDDY BEARS: Please provide 3 diapers/pull ups for use during the day; please send these in your child’s backpack.
• CLOTHING:
  • Please ensure that your child has weather-appropriate clothing; we will go outside whenever it is not raining or too snowy or cold (we go out anytime the windchill is 30 degrees or above).
  • Please have a complete change of clothing in your child’s backpack/bag (top, bottom, underwear, socks).
  • Please remember that your child will be playing and doing crafts, so comfy clothes that might get messy are an excellent choice!
  • We ask that you do not send children in sandals or crocs.
• BACKPACK: Children should bring a backpack that they are able to carry which holds their water bottle, change of clothes, rest time supplies and diapers/pullups (for Little Lambs/Teddy Bears).

Snacks:

The preschool provides a morning snack for our students.

Monthly Tuition:

Monthly payments are due by the 1^st of each month; we charge $10 per day for late fees. Tuition can be paid via cash or check that can be dropped off in the carpool line. Many families also choose to set up bank autopayments for monthly tuition.

If your child withdraws during the school year, the pre-paid May 2023 tuition will not be refunded unless another student takes your child’s spot. All other fees are non-refundable. 

Questions?

Please feel free to contact us at any time with concerns or questions:

Emily Ward:                eward@orchardpark.org

Jennifer Witherbee:  jwitherbee@orchardpark.org

Attendance Line: 317-814-2487

Orchard Park Preschool:       Orchard Park Presbyterian Church | Orchard Park Preschool

FSSA Parent Notice (Click to download the form)

This form must be downloaded and signed by the parent. 

This form states that you understand that this day care ministry is not licensed under the laws of Indiana. However, You understand that this day care ministry complies with State rules concerning sanitation and fire safety for the primary use of the structure in which it is conducted. You understand that it is your responsibility to ensure that the nutritional and health needs of your child are met while your child is at the day care ministry. 

This notice does not absolve a day care ministry from liability for injury to a child while the child is at the day care ministry if the cause of the injury is negligence or intentional wrongdoing on the part of the day care ministry or an employee of the day care ministry. 

OPP Calendar 2023-24 (Click to download the calendar)

Wednesday, August 23, 2023,                                 6:30 p.m. Ice Cream Social

Monday, August 28, 2023,                                       First Day of School

Monday, September 4, 2023,                                  No School; Labor Day

Monday – Friday, October 9 – 13, 2023,                 No School; Fall Break

Friday, November 17, 2023,                                     Friendsgiving

Monday, November 20, 2023,                                No School; Teacher Workday

Tuesday – Friday, November 21 – 24, 2023,        No School; Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, December 21, 2023,                               Last Day of School Before Break

Friday – Monday, December 22, 2023 – January 8, 2024,   No School; Winter Break

Monday, January 8, 2024,                                       No School; Teacher Workday

Tuesday, January 9, 2024,                                       School Resumes

Monday, January 15, 2024,                                     No School; MLK JR Day

Monday, February 19, 2024,                                  No School; Presidents Day

Tuesday, February 20, 2024,                                  No School; Teacher Flex Day

Tuesday, March 12, 2024,                                       No School; Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, March 19, 2024,                                        Spring Sing

Monday – Friday, April 1 – 5, 2024,                       No School; Spring Break  

Monday, April 8, 2024,                                             No School; Eclipse

Tuesday, April 9, 2024,                                             School Resumes

Tuesday, May 14, 2024,                                           Last Day of School