Preschool policies and procedures

Pickup/Drop-off 
  • Preschool programs are currently 9:15 - 11:45 am. The hallway doors will not open until 9:10am for morning classes.
  • Children should not arrive to school before 9:15 am.
  • Teachers and/or Teacher Aides will walk your student into the building. Please do not leave other children/siblings unattended in your car. 
  • For the safety of the children, please park only on the school side of the building, so that children do not need to cross the street.
  • Punctuality in pickup is absolutely necessary. Morning classes close at 11:45 am. 
  • If someone other than a parent or regular caregiver is to pick up a child, the staff must have a written note, giving permission to that person.
  • Please inform the staff of any changes in childcare arrangements. Make sure you include telephone numbers, addresses and any other pertinent information.

Health and Safety
  • Circle Nursery School requires a health record for each child enrolled in its program. This record must include an up to date immunization record acquired before the start of school, as well as any specific medical and/or educational needs the child may have. Failure to provide such a record will result in the child’s removal from school and forfeiture of the registration fee. This regulation is in compliance with the N.Y.S. Department of Health guidelines.
  • If your child has been ill within the past 24 hours, do not bring him/her to school. This policy is to benefit the sick child as well as to protect the other children and staff. Your signature on the Medical Release Form indicates your understanding and compliance with this policy. Please notify the school by 9:00 am if your child will be absent.
  • Our teachers are not authorized to dispense medications or perform medical procedures. If medications or medical procedures are necessary, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to make arrangements. If the teachers deem your child is not well enough to complete the day, you will be notified using the information provided by you on the Family and Child Information sheet to arrange for early pickup.
  • Your child should be toilet-trained during the day in order to attend CNS. This means that the student comes to school in regular underwear, are able to tell the teacher they need to go, and goes to the bathroom by themselves. If your child does have an accident at school, the teacher will call you to come and do the wash-up and change. We will not let your child remain in dirty clothes. Children not meeting these benchmarks by November 30th, risk being suspended until he/she can consistently use the bathroom.  Our policy of “being trained” frees our teachers to spend quality time with each of the children in the classroom. 
Tuition
Tuition is a set fee and is based solely on budgetary considerations. You are responsible for the full annual tuition, regardless of attendance.  
  • Make checks payable to Zion Episcopal Church and write your child’s name and “Circle Nursery School” on the memo line.
  • *A $20 late fee will be assessed if a payment is more than ten days past due.
  • Tuition payments that are more than one month overdue may lead to dismissal of the child. 
  • All checks returned to CNS because of insufficient funds, the account was closed, or for any other reason will be subject to a $35 bank fee.
  • Please contact the treasurer in the event of an unforeseen financial hardship.
  • Circle Nursery School offers a 10% tuition discount to members in good standing of Zion Episcopal Church, or for families with multiple siblings enrolled at CNS concurrently, applicable to the lesser rate (one discounted tuition per family).
  • A portion of your CNS Tuition may be tax deductible. The CNS Employer Identification Number (EIN) is  22-2511719.
​Snacks
Each child will have opportunities to bring healthy snacks for the class on a rotating basis. Providing snack also gives families a chance to plan a snack together, talk about eating nutritious food, and to participate in your child’s nursery school experience in a small way at home. We ask that you send healthy snacks from the list below, and a package of paper napkins or a roll of paper towels when your child brings in snack. Please be sure that all snacks are PEANUT-FREE. 

CNS snack policy complies with Livingston County Health Department Regulations.  Children need to bring unopened commercially packaged snacks or commercially prepared baked goods.  You may send the ingredients for a peanut-less snack mix, but we need to open and mix it at school. Fresh fruit or vegetables are OK if we can wash them (i.e. apples, celery, etc.) or peel them (i.e. bananas, oranges, etc.) at school.  In accordance with the Health Department, we wear plastic gloves when serving the snack to the children. Please let us know if you have any questions.

No fuss favorites include:
  • Popcorn-bagged and popped, or unopened microwave packets.
  • Snack mix -an assortment of unopened boxes to mix together at school.
  • Graham crackers 
  • Carrot sticks * Dip 
  • Pretzels 
  • Crackers (all kinds) 
  • Muffins 
  • Rice cakes 
  • Cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Please reserve cupcakes or cookie cakes for birthday celebration​
Birthdays
​Your child’s birthday is a special day and will be celebrated in school. He or she should bring a snack for that day and we will make a special birthday crown and sing Happy Birthday. If your child’s birthday falls during the summer months, we will designate a “Nursery School Birthday” so that everyone gets a chance to celebrate in school.

One of our goals for the children is to help them develop a love of books and reading that will continue throughout their lifetimes. Parents and teachers both play an important role in modeling reading behaviors and in reading to children. We would like to enlist your support in encouraging reading both at school and at home, and ask parents who are interested to donate a new book to the classroom library.

The book should be gift-wrapped so that your child may open it here with the class at story time. You may print your child’s name and birth date in the book. It can be a simple Golden Book or maybe a copy of a favorite that your family especially enjoys. If it is a duplicate of one that we already have that is fine. Sometimes it helps to have multiple copies. Our hope is not to make this a burden for anyone, but simply to add some fun to each child’s birthday and to add to our classroom library in a meaningful way. 
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