Class begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 1:00 p.m. Teachers will open their doors at 9:00 to welcome the children. At 9:10, there will be a prayer, the pledge to the flag, a short Bible story or value lesson, and attendance taken.
PLEASE be on time to deliver and pick up your child (1:00 p.m. for morning contracts; 3:00 p.m. for drop-in; 5:45 p.m. for fulltime care). If your child is not picked up within five minutes after the contracted time, he/she will be taken to the office and your account will be charged a $5 late fee. The time before and after class is the teacher’s preparation, and planning time. We ask that you please respect this time set aside for planning.
The teachers will send home a calendar each month so that you can be aware of special days, themes, projects, and holidays when the school is closed. Please check the calendar page in this handbook for more information.
DROP OFF
Children must be brought directly to the classroom. The school requests that children should always be brought to the classroom by an adult or a sibling sixteen years of age or older. For the morning class, teachers will open the classroom doors to welcome the children at 9:00. Between 8:30 and 9:00 the teachers are preparing for the day’s activities (exception would be the early morning teacher). Please respect their preparation time by waiting until the classroom door is opened.
TARDINESS
Children are considered to be late to class if they arrive after 9:10. It is very disruptive to the class as well as the child if they miss the first part of the day. At 9:10 teachers will have a brief welcome time with the children, an opening prayer to introduce the day, and a Bible story. Then children are dismissed to the centers or other activities.
SIGN-IN AND SIGN-OUT PROCEDURE
Please write the exact time your child arrives and the time they are picked up each day on the appropriate roll-call sheet located in your child’s classroom.
PICK UP TIME
Children must remain with the parent and not be allowed to wander off after leaving the classroom. Pick-up times are according to the contract that was signed.
RELEASE OF CHILDREN
Children will be released only to those persons designated on the registration forms. Please notify the school in writing if anyone other than the designated persons will be picking up your child. For your child’s protection, a photo I.D. will be required if we are not familiar with the person picking up.
PARKING
For safety reasons, we are encouraging all of our parents to park in the parking lot on the west side of 4th Street. A crossing guard will be posted at the crosswalk each morning from 8:50 to 9:10 and in the afternoon from 12:50 to 1:10, which will help insure the safety of children crossing the street. Parents must accompany their child to the classroom.
CAR SAFETY
All children should be buckled up in the back seat with the recommended child restraints:
Infant carriers – Birth to 9 months or 20 lbs.
Children’s car seats - Nine months to four years
Booster seat – Four to seven years (over 40 lbs.)
Lap belt and shoulder belt – 55 inches tall.
CLOTHING
Children need to wear comfortable clothing that they can easily get on and off for bathroom use. Sturdy shoes should be worn (tennis shoes are perfect!) and socks rather than party or beach shoes. Please no cowboy boots (except for special dress-up days). Every child needs to bring a change of clothes. Please label all belongings with your child’s name. BUMCELC will not be responsible for valuables worn or brought to school.
DIAPERS AND POTTY TRAINING
Every child should have a backpack or bag with diapers or underwear in addition to a complete change of clothes. Please dress your child in comfortable, washable play clothes that can be easily removed for diaper changing and potty training. All children in the three and four-year-old classes must be completely potty trained. Our teachers will be happy to encourage and help with potty training children in the one and two-year-old classes. Please keep us informed of any potty training at home so that it can be reinforced here at school.
TOYS AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Children in the three and four-year-old classes may bring one personal item on Show & Tell day. Your child’s teacher will assign a specific Show & Tell day for your child. Children in the one and two year-old classes may bring a comfort or security item if needed. Toy weapons and toys that encourage violent play are absolutely not allowed at school. If toys of this type are brought to school, they will be kept in the school office until the child is picked up.
SNACKS AND LUNCH
ELC provides a mid-morning snack for all students and an afternoon snack for fulltime care children. The parent is responsible for providing a complete, nutritional lunch. Lunch boxes or bags should be labeled with your child’s name. Lunches should be simple and easy for children to handle. Please do not send soft drinks. Candy will only be allowed for special events such as birthdays and holidays, and will be sent home with each child. Chewing gum is not allowed at school.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
If Duval County schools close for hurricane, storms, or flooding, ELC will also be closed. If this occurs after your child has arrived at school, please be prepared to pick up your child early. If in doubt, check the local news channel or radio, or call the school office. Hurricane make-up days are listed on the calendar page.
