CLICK HERE FOR ENROLLMENT/ADMISSION INFO

Revised August 2009

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES:
Each family will receive a policy and procedure manual as well as written enrollment information. A signed agreement will be kept in each child’s file. Admission is open to all children regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin or religion. All forms contained in the enrollment packet must be filled out completely and returned to the school prior to the child entering our program. Children entering the Preschool 3 or 4-year-old classes must be toilet trained and meet the age requirements established by Humble ISD.

HOURS/DAYS/ MONTHS OF OPERATION:
Holy Comforter Mother’s Day Out and Preschool programs operate Monday through Thursday from September through May according to the Humble ISD holiday schedule.
Starting time for preschool is 8:45am
Starting time for MDO is 9:30 am

Children should not arrive before then in order for teachers to prepare their classrooms. Parents are required to accompany children to the classroom to insure safe arrival in the classroom and that a staff member is present .Children must be signed in and out each day. We have found it best for the child to have the parent leave immediately after drop-off to help ease transition into classrooms.

The preschool morning session ends at 12:00; Stay and Discover ends at 2:15 and Mother’s Day Out ends at 2:30pm. Please be prompt in picking up your child. A $1.00 per minute late fee is payable to the teacher in charge if you are late to pick up your child. Please supervise any siblings that may accompany you at drop-off or pickup.

DISCIPLINE POLICY

-Discipline must be:

1. Individualized and consistent for each child;
2. Appropriate to the child’s level of understanding
3. Directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self control

A caregiver may only use positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage self-esteem, self control and self direction which include at least the following:

1. Using praise and encouragement of good behavior instead of focusing only upon unacceptable behavior
2. Reminding a child of behavior expectations daily by using clear positive statements
3. redirecting behavior using positive statemements
4. using brief supervised separation or time out from the group when appropriate for the child’s age and development which is limited to no more than one minute per year of child’s age

There must be no harsh, cruel or unusual treatment of any child. The followign types of discipline and guidance are prohibited:

1. Corporal punishment or threats of corporal punishment
2. punishement associated with food, naps or toilet training
3. pinching, shaking or biting a child
4. hitting a child with a hand or instrument
5. humiating, ridiculing, rejecting or yelling at a child
6. subjecting a child to harsh, abusive or profane language
7. placing a child in a locked or dark room, bathroom or closet with door closed
8. requiring a child to remain silent or inactive for inappropriately long periods of time for the child’s age

              Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Chapters 746 and 747, Subchapter L, Discipline and Guidance

CHILD/STAFF RATIOS:
Holy Comforter strives to provide low teacher/ staff ratios

CURRICULUM:
Each school day is planned with developmentally appropriate activities to provide an opportunity to grow intellectually, physically, spiritually while helping to nurture social confidence, good self image and self control.

Indoor and outdoor play are important skills parts of each school day and help to develop coordination and gross motor skills. Once children enter our Preschool program, auxiliary gymnastic classes are offered twice monthly.

1. Social Studies- the meaning and value of self, family, community, health and safety, holidays, multicultural studies, our flag, state and country. Spanish classes are taught weekly in our Preschool classes.
2. Science- an appreciation of animals, insects, plants, water, weather seasons and respect for our environment.
3. Math- counting, classification, sorting, identifying shapes and forms, puzzles, measuring
4. Language- age appropriate speech development through show and tell, storytelling group interactions, name recognition, letters and sounds, exposure to print rich environment, books and authors.
5. Creativity- exposure to various mediums (paper, wood, cloth, cardboard, paints, clay, playdough) and varied techniques (pasting, cutting, tearing, rubbing, finger painting, drawing).
6. FYI: Art experiences help develop eye hand coordination and left to right tracking necessary for the reading process!
7. Music- singing, finger plays, listening, rhythm instruments musical instruments
8. Drama-dress-up, role playing, puppetry
9. Religion- blessing before snacks and meals, Chapel time with the Pastor weekly, bible stories and songs.
10. Indoor play – blocks, trucks, housekeeping, manipulatives, games. Kids in Action , a local gymnastic company , provides bi-weekly classes for our Preschool classes.

PRESCHOOL FIELD TRIPS:
Field trip experiences enrich and enhance a child’s education and we schedule several of these each year to go along with our curriculum. Permission slips are issued for signature before children can attend these outings. If for any reason your child cannot attend a field trip, he/she is to be kept at home. If your child is ill the day of the trip, please notify the school before 8:45 am. Parents are encouraged to attend and or drive on these field trips. All field trips are chaperoned by teachers and approved parent drivers. If you are driving on a field trip, a copy of your driver’s license and current insurance information is to be kept on file in the Director’s office. A fire extinguisher and first aid kit must be in your car during the trip. Children must be secured in seat belts during these trips. If you plan to attend an event, please make other arrangements for siblings. Under no circumstances are siblings allowed to attend scheduled field trips.

STAY AND DISCOVER PROGRAM (PRESCHOOL ONLY)
Our extended day curriculum will provide additional hands on learning experiences in the areas of art, science, music and gross motor skills. Children enrolled in this program should bring their lunch and a comfortable, washable rest mat – the mat should be labeled top/bottom or front/ back to enable teachers to determine which faces the floor for sanitary purposes. The State
requires a mandatory rest period after lunch followed by planned activities. The hours for Stay and Discover are 12:00-2:15pm. Parents will be charged $1.00 per minute late fee payable to the teacher in charge of children are picked up late from this program.

RELEASE OF CHILDREN
Children will be released to parents only unless written permission is given for someone else to pick up. Any other person who picks up the child should be listed on enrollment form. Any person given permission to pick up your child will be required to show proof of I.D. (Drivers License). Children must be signed in and out each day.

PRESCHOOL PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Preschool parent/teacher conferences are held on a scheduled basis, usually early in February. Your child’s progress will be assed on a regular basis and periodically you will receive these reports. If there are any concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the Director.
Parents may view child’s records at any time.

TERMINATION OF ENROLLMENT
If tuition is in arrears and late notices have been ignored, a child will not be admitted to school until the account is brought up to date. As stated in our contract, if a parent decides to withdraw a child for any reason, a written letter of intent and explanation is required 30 days in advance. Otherwise, parents have the responsibility of paying one additional month of tuition. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS REGISTRATION FEE EVER REFUNDED! The school reserves the right to terminate enrollment if after two incidents and parent consultation, the child continues to bite, scratch, kick or exhibit behavior that the teacher and Director feel threatens the safety of the other children or the teacher. The school strives to meet the needs of its students,however when a child’s needs cannot be met, Holy Comforter Church School reserves the right to terminate enrollment. Written notification of the effective date of termination will be sent to parents.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
   Inclement Weather/ Evacuation- Holy Comforter Lutheran Church School will follow the Humble ISD schedule for weather related closings. If the schools open one hour late, we will start on time. If the schools open 2 hours late, we will be closed. In case of school closing due to bad weather, flooding or disaster, parents are requested to pick up their children as soon as possible. If we are forced to evacuate our building, children can be picked up at Kingwood United Methodist Church, 1799 Woodland Hills Dr. If the Kingwood area is evacuated, parents will be notified and children will be transported to Lamb of God Lutheran Church 1400 E. 1960W, Humble
    Illness: We encourage you to use good sound judgment in deciding whether to send your child to school. Children are not to be sent to school if they have a contagious disease (such as conjunctivitis-pink eye), running a fever, have green mucous, heavy coughs, earache, chills, sore throat or are on medications that cause drowsiness. If your child becomes ill at school, parents will be notified and must pick up the child at once. While awaiting parent’s arrival, child will be separated from the group in the Director’s office but still under adult supervision. Children may not return to school until they have been fever, diarrhea, and symptom free for 24 hours unless a signed physicians statement is given.
   Accident/ Medical Emergency: In the event that a child is injured or a medical emergency occurs, 911 will be notified and parents called at once. An Incident/Illness Report form will be filled out for any injury requiring attention by a health care provider or any situation that places a child at risk. This form will be provided for parents to sign immediately.
  Medication:  NO medication is given at Holy Comforter . This includes over the counter remedies (fever reducers, cold medicines, sunscreen, insect repellants) as well as any prescription drugs. If necessary, please put sunscreen or insect repellant on your child before sending them to school.

SNACKS/MEALS/BIRTHDAYS/HOLIDAYS
 Snacks: Parents are asked to provide the daily mid morning snack for your child. We encourage you to send a healthy snack each day, however, Holy Comforter Preschool and Mother’s Day Out programs are not responsible for the nutritional content of these snacks. Occasionally, the 4-year-old parents sign up for the letter of the week snack for the whole class. Your child’s teacher will explain this procedure when the time comes. The school provides water for the children to drink each day.
 Lunches: all Mother’s Day Out classes and Stay and Discover classes will bring their lunches each day. Please make sure that items do not have to be refrigerated or heated. Holy Comforter Preschool and Mother’s Day Out programs are not responsible for the nutritional content of these lunches. Please do not send sodas, candy or other sugary treats. We encourage you to send healthy food with your child, as nutrition is an important part of learning and growth.
 Parties- Class parties will be held for Halloween. Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter and End of Year. Other celebrations may be added per your child’s teacher. A sign up sheet will be available to volunteer to help with these parties. This is a volunteer function and no money should be collected.

SOLICITATION POLICY:
Parents and staff members will not engage in any solicitation or fundraising unless it is a sanctioned school event or fundraiser.
The Church’s facilities will not be used as a meeting place that involves any solicitation and/or distribution of materials.

** Holy Comforter Lutheran Church is a non-profit organization and strictly prohibits  using the facility or Early Childhood Program for any activity that profits either themselves or any other organization or person. No solication materials are to be put in cubbies, backpacks or passed out in hallways.

SECURITY
The safety and security of the children enrolled in our programs is most important to us. The doors in the back of the building will remain locked during our hours of operation. All parents must enter using the double door in the front of the building. You may exit through back doors if necessary. Any person entering the building during hours of operation are required to check in with the Director.

CLOTHING/SUPPLIES
Play clothes are recommended for both Mother’s Day Out and Preschool classes. Children will paint; play in sand, run and tumble. Clothing should allow maximum movement by the child and should not inhibit active participation in any activities. Shoes with rubber soles are required. Cowboy boots, flip flops, sandals and high heeled shoes are NOT permitted and children wearing these will not be allowed to play on the playground equipment as they pose a safety hazard. All jackets and sweaters should be labeled with your child’s name. All children are required to have a backpack as well as an extra set of clothes in a Ziploc bag labeled with your child’s name. Children will go outside each day, so dress your child accordingly. Diapers and wipes should be sent from home each day. Children in diapers are changed 2 times during the 5-hour period of MDO, unless it is necessary to change more frequently.

TOYS FROM HOME
Please do not bring items from home unless they directly relate to the curriculum in our Preschool program or Mother’s Day Out children can bring items such as special blanket or lovey to help them transition or rest. Toy guns swords, etc are strictly prohibited. Please understand that we do our best to see that items are not broken or lost, but accidents do happen. If the item is valuable (monetarily or sentimentally) it should stay home.

PARENT SUPPORT/CONCERNS
Parents are encouraged to participate in field trips, parties and any other scheduled events. The teachers have sign up sheets available on orientation day if you choose to participate. If you sign up to help with a party or event, please make other arrangements for siblings.
Parents are able to observe the classrooms and activities at any time during our hours of operation without prior approval. A copy of Minimum Standards for Childcare Centers is available for review at any time in the Director’s office. A copy of Holy Comforter’s most recent inspection is posted on the board outside the Director’s office. Please check the board periodically for announcements or other important information.

If you have concerns or questions, please come to the Directors office or contact:

Colleen Engel
Director of Early Childhood Education
Office #281-358-9337
home #281-359-8331
Church #281-358-6500
cell phone#713-417-4716

Parents may contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Childcare licensing by:

Phone: Conroe Office 936-756-1551
Houston Office 713-940-3009
Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-252-5400
Or visit www.dfps.state.tx.us

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