First Presbyterian Church Preschool

Welcome to First Presbyterian Church Preschool! We are committed to making this preschool an exciting learning experience for your child. Our staff is trained in early childhood development and education. It is our privilege to nurture and minister to your child.

This website includes some information about our program and policies.  Please do not hesitate to contact me at the preschool office if I can assist you or your child in any way.

Sherri Provencher, Director
909-982-8616 or ‎

 

You can download a printable copy of the information below here.

Philosophy

The First Presbyterian Preschool is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Upland. We believe that within a Christian atmosphere early childhood should be a time of fun, security, exploring, and discovery. Preschool children are creative and receptive; the staff strives to nurture and encourage these qualities in the children who attend.

The preschool's purpose is to provide an atmosphere that encourages social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth and development of the child as a whole.

Standards

First Presbyterian Preschool, established in 1966, is licensed by the State of California's Department of Social Services, and complies with all the standards put forth by that department. A volunteer Preschool Board and a paid Director govern its operation. A fully qualified teacher teaches each class. Our classroom ratio is one (1) teacher and one (1) assistant to fifteen (15) students.

Enrollment

Children are admitted regardless of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, or political belief. A child with special needs will be accepted if it is determined that the preschool is able to meet the individual needs of the child; and there would be no adverse effect upon other children due to either the direct behavior of the child or to the requiring of staff time needed by other children.

Children must be 2 years 6 months old to be enrolled.

Children must be fully potty trained. Pull-ups are not acceptable for preschool.

Separation of a child from a parent before the child is emotionally ready to adjust may be difficult. The chronological age is not the absolute criteria for admission. The staff will observe your child during his/her adjustment period at preschool and will evaluate the child's readiness for a school experience. The best interests of the child will be kept in mind in determining admission.

School Tours

Families are always welcome to tour our campus.  We have an open door policy when it comes to visiting our school and appointments are not necessary.  However, we do suggest visiting during class hours to get the best feel for how a regular session is conducted.

Days and Hours of Operation

The Preschool considers the Upland School District yearly calendar when determining its holidays and break schedules. Because of state regulations concerning class size and teacher ratio, missed days may not be made up on nonscheduled days.

Preschool Hours
Morning Session 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Afternoon Session 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Extended Hours
Morning Extended Session 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.(additional charge)
Lunch Club 11:35 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.(children bring lunch from home, additional charge)

Calendar for the 2011 - 2012 School Year

September 1 First Day of School for Tues/Thurs Students
September 2 First Day of School for Mon/Wed/Fri Students
September 5 Labor Day**
October 27 & 28 Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Patch
November 11 Veterans Day**
November 17 & 18 Thanksgiving Feasts
November 21 - 25 Thanksgiving Holiday**
December 13 & 14 Christmas Parties
December 15 & 16 Christmas Programs
Dec. 19 - Jan. 2 Christmas Break**
January 3 School Resumes
January 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day**
February 10 & 14 Valentines Parties
February 13 Lincoln's Birthday**
February 20 President's Day**
March 15 & 16 St. Patrick's Day Parties
March 19 - 23 Spring Break**
April 4 & 5 Easter Parties
April 6 Good Friday**
April 28 Open House
May 22 & 23 Last Day of School Parties
May 24 & 25 Prekindergarten Class Promotion Program

** Indicates the days the school will be closed

Curriculum

We strive to choose preschool curriculum that is fun, developmentally appropriate, academic, and stimulating to learning in all areas of development - physical, social, emotional, and spritual. Because we believe that children learn by doing, we provide "hands-on" activities that lead to concrete experiences, discovery, creativity, and interaction. Our curriculum includes sharing and conversation time; stories, songs, and finger plays; creative art activities and crafts; games and large muscle activities; food preparation; science and nature activities; readiness skills in reading, math and writing; exposure to shapes, colors, numbers, and letters; and celebration of holidays.

Chapel

Chapel is included in the curriculum weekly.  It is led by our preschool director.  It is simple, child-like and teaches about Jesus and His love for everybody.  We are an interdenominational preschool.  We do not teach doctrine.

Chapel is included in the curriculum weekly. It is led by our preschool director. It is simple, child-like and teaches about Jesus and his love for everybody. We are an interdenominational preschool. We do not teach doctrine.

Donations

We always welcome donations of the following items: toys, clothes, art items, strawberry baskets, empty soup cans, jello or apple sauce containers, paper towel/toilet paper rolls (especially before Thanksgiving), etc.

Health Information

Each child is required by state regulations to have on file a physician's report, which includes a record of up-to-date immunizations and the signature of the child's source of medical care. If a child's health care physical is not complete at the time of enrollment or within forty-five (45) days after enrollment, the child will be excluded from the program.

Children who arrive at preschool noticeably ill, with a rash or with a fever, will not be admitted for that day. Should a child become ill during the day, the parent will be notified immediately. For the protection of your child, as well as others, please keep your child home if he/she has symptoms such as runny nose, coughing, vomiting, nausea, headache, earache, ear discharge, abdominal pain, diarrhea, sore throat, skin rash, inflamed eyes, enlarged glands, or fever. Children should be well for 24 hours before returning to school.

Parents do not need to call the school office to report each absence. Please call the school if:

  1. Your child contracts a contagious disease or parasite (Chicken Pox, Measles, Lice, etc.)
  2. Your child is hospitalized or seriously injured.
  3. Your child has missed more than 2 school days in a row.

In the event our school children are exposed to a communicable disease, parents will be notified. The ill child will not be allowed to return to preschool until the contagious period has passed.  In case of a minor medical emergency during a preschool session, the staff will administer first aid. The parent or authorized adult will be notified as quickly as possible. If a child's parent or authorized adult cannot be reached and a doctor's attention is necessary, the child will be taken to San Antonio Community Hospital unless parents have indicated otherwise in the enrollment packet. 911 will be called for any major medical emergency.

If it is absolutely necessary to take medication at school, we must follow our licensing guidelines:

  1. The medication needs to be given to the director.
  2. It must be kept in the original prescription bottle.
  3. The parent will provide a dated and signed note including the child's name, name of medication, exact dosage, and time to be given.
  4. The doctor will also provide a note stating the name of the medication, exact dosage, and time to be given.

If your child will have an Epi-Pen or Inhaler on campus, please contact the office prior to your child's first day of attendance.  Our state licensing agency has special forms which need to be filled out for these medications that must be signed by both the parent and pediatrician.

Tuition - Standard Rate

2 day program Tues/Thursday $167.00 per month
3 day program Mon/Wed/Fri $199.00 per month
5 day program Mon through Fri $366.00 per month
Registration Fee $40.00 due annually

As an incentive to our families, when tuition is paid by the 7th of the month, a discount will be deducted from the standard tuition rates listed above.  Those rates are:

Tuition - Discounted Rate

2 day program Tues/Thursday $147.00 per month
3 day program Mon/Wed/Fri $179.00 per month
5 day program Mon through Fri $326.00 per month

Tuition payments are due no later than the 15th day of each month.  If tuition is not received by the 20th day of the month, your child may be dropped from enrollment.

A $40.00 Registration Fee is due at the time of enrollment. Early fall registration (during spring or summer) requires September tuition to be paid by August 5th.  Both of these fees are non-refundable and apply to new and returning students.

We accept Cash or Checks for payment.  Please make checks out to: First Presbyterian Preschool.  Make sure to write your child's first and last name on the memo section of your check.  Another option for payment is Electronic Wiring, which you can set up with your bank.  To assure your discount, be sure to notify your bank to get the payment in by the 7th of the month.

Our preschool operates on a 9-month pay period.  The yearly tuition charge is divided into 9 individual payments.  Your monthly tuition is not equated with the number of school days children attend each month.  Because tuition is an annual fee, no refunds are given for illness, vacations, or holidays, and those days are not made up.

Extended Care

Early Morning Care is offered daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  If you need to bring your child to school before 9:00 a.m., he/she may be taken to the Early Care room (classroom #104).  The cost for this Extended Care is $4.00 per hour or any part thereof.  This fee is to be paid to the Early Care teacher.

Lunch Club is offered every day from 11:35 to 12:30.  The children bring their lunches from home.  (Reminder - we are a NUT FREE school.)  The cost for Lunch Club is $4.00 per day for the hour.  This is to be paid to the Lunch Club teacher.  You may place payment in the child's lunch box, and a staff member will collect payments while helping your child open his/her lunch.  Children may not stay longer than 12:30 p.m. unless they are enrolled in an afternoon session.

Extended Care "Ticket" Payment

If you would like to pay for Early Morning Care or Lunch Club in advance with your tuition payment, indicate on the check the amount paid for extended care and you will be issued "tickets" with your tuition receipt. Each ticket is worth $4.00 and may be used as payment the the teacher in charge. Payment is expected each day a child attends an extended session either in the form of cash, check or ticket.

Late Pick Up Fees

Our school charges very high fees for children who are picked up late at the end of their session.

  • Our morning session ends at 11:30 a.m. (At 11:35 a.m. children who are still here will be taken to a lunchroom.  There will be a $4.00 charge for the hour or any part thereof.)
  • Our Lunch Club ends at 12:30 p.m. (Parents will be charged $1.00 per minute beginning at 12:31 p.m.)
  • Our afternoon session ends at 3:00 p.m. (Parents will be charged $1.00 per minute beginning at 3:06 p.m.)

Discipline

Giving positive verbal rewards encourages acceptable behavior. This reinforces a child's good feeling about his/her behavior and serves as an example to the other children to act in such a way as to receive this praise. Asking a child to stop and think about his/her unpleasant behavior enables that child to work at self control. If a child is not cooperating in a group listening situation, the child is seated by a teacher and reminded of acceptable behavior. Removal from the group for a period of time-out is the next tactic used for a child who continually demonstrates unacceptable behavior. This time-out in not a punishment, but rather a time when the child may calm down and think about the choices he/she is making.  The child may rejoin the group within a few minutes with appropriate behavior.

Corporal punishment is not considered to be an acceptable method of dealing with young children's behavior. Children will not be hit, slapped, or spanked in any manner while attending First Presbyterian Church Preschool. The preschool respectfully requests that all preschool families respect our policy of no corporal punishment while on church grounds.

If behavior problems persist, the child is brought to the director's office. Parents may be notified when a discipline problem exists. We need to maintain close cooperation between parents and school to work out the problem. If at anytime we feel a child has behavior problems so serious that we are not equipped to help, or, if we feel other students are being negatively affected, we will dismiss the child from enrollment.

Dress

Think of your child's comfort - and provide simple clothing that is free of complicated fastenings. Think of the art materials and other hands on activities - and provide clothing that is washable. Think of our playground - and provide clothing that is sturdy.  Also, provide shoes that are comfortable and safe.  Cowboy boots and dress shoes often have slippery soles and are not appropriate for preschool.  All shoes must have a back so they do not easily come off.  Think of the changeable autumn weather and dress your child accordingly.  Provide sweaters and jackets even on the first sunny fall days.The children may not need them, but in case they do, they will have them.  Be sure to label all outer garments including hats and umbrellas.

Drop Off and Pick Up of Children

The school gate will remain closed until it is time for the school day to begin.  When the gate is opened, the children are to be taken directly to their classrooms.  An authorized adult is to sign each child in and out each day.  A full signature is required, as is the time of drop off and pick up.  Children will only be signed out and released to persons who have been authorized to pick up the child. This authorization is stated in each child’s records. These authorized persons must be able to show the preschool staff a driver’s license or other acceptable identification before the child will be released.

The courtyard will be attractively prepared for the children’s daily recess time. Please do not allow your preschool child or siblings to play on the equipment when you are bringing your child to school, or picking them up.

Withdrawal

If a child needs to be withdrawn from preschool, two weeks notice is required so that another child can fill the vacancy. Should more notice be possible, it would be appreciated. Please give the notice, in writing, to the Director.

Emergency School Closure

Emergency school closure will be at the discretion of the director when it is determined that the health, safety, and welfare of the children is compromised due to the following conditions:
Loss of power, heat, telephone, inclement weather conditions or disaster. Tuition refunds will not be granted for less than two (2) consecutive days of school closure. The Preschool Board, if necessary, will consider refunds.

Snacks

In an effort to keep our tuition low, we have a sign-up sheet located in each classroom where the parents can sign up to bring snacks for their child’s class.  We appreciate our parents' help in providing snacks, and the children enjoy sharing what they have brought for their classmates.  Our school provides milk to be served every day with snack.  In order to keep our snacks safe for all the children to eat, and easy for the parents to bring, all the snack items are approved by our Preschool Board.  If you have any questions, please discuss this with your child's teacher or call the director.

Special Days

We vary our regular snack menu to make celebrations like Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. extra special.  Sign-up sheets for these special days are provided in the classrooms.

Nut Free School

Our school has students who are deathly allergic to nut products.  Their allergies are so severe that it is expected tht they would go into immediate life-threatening shock if they have any contact with these items.  Our staff have been trained specifically on how to provide immediate life-saving first aid if this were to happen.  One of the steps we have taken to protect these children is to make our campus a Nut Free School.  No nut products are to be brought for snack, lunch, birthday or holiday times.  Any items that are found to contain nut products will not be served at our school.

Birthday Parties

Children’s birthdays are very important!  Each month we have a designated "Birthday Celebration" day for all the children in each class who share a birthday that month.  A sign-up sheet for parents who would like to contribute to the monthly celebration will be in each classroom.  We love to sing the Happy Birthday song to our celebrating friends and they will be recognized in their classrooms with their classmates.  Please do not send cupcakes, cakes, donuts or any other food items or goody bags to school for individual birthday celebrations..
Invitations will only be passed out at school if all children are invited. Remember to be sensitive to the feelings of all the children in the classroom (and their parents). If all children are not going to be invited, please take care of the invitation off of school grounds.

Nut Free School

Our school has students who are deathly allergic to nuts, including peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and any other tree nut.  The severe allergy is also to nut oils, and any items that contain nut products. Their allergy is so severe that it is expected that they would go into immediate life threatening shock if the have any contact with these items. Our staff have been trained specifically on how to provide immediate life saving first aid if this were to happen. One of the steps we have taken to protect these children is to make our campus a Nut Free School. Children will not be able to eat items that contain nuts in the classroom.  Please check your  food carefully when preparing snacks and/or lunches that will be brought to campus.

Policy for Changing Children

Children must be fully potty trained in order to attend preschool. We understand that young children are still developing their bathroom habits and they do have accidents periodically.  We try to keep accidents at a minimum by taking all children to the bathroom after their outdoor playtime. We ask parents to please be sure their children use the bathroom before arriving at school. If child become wet or has a bowel movement accident during their time at preschool, the child is immediately taken to the bathroom. The child is handed a baby wipe and encouraged to wipe the wet area. Dry clothes are handed to the child.  From the point the soiled clothes are removed to the point the child is dressed, two adults are always present and ready to assist the child as necessary.  If a child is uncomfortable with staff assistance, parents may be called to ask if they would like to come to the school to change their child or if they would mind if a staff member cleaned the child.  All soiled clothes will be sent home with the child.

The school keeps a supply of dry clothes for the children to use in case of an accident.  If your child comes home wearing our preschool clothes, please wash and return the items to the school office in a timely manner.  We welcome donations of all sizes for our school's dry clothes supply.

Pre-School Board:

  • Voting Members:
    • Carol Griffin (Chair, Elder, Representative to Session)
    • Joan Schell
    • Janet Kaufman
    • Margaret Day
    • Sue Frazee
    • Meg Burke
  • Non Voting Members:
    • Helen Edmon (ex-officio staff treasurer)
    • Sherri Provencher (Preschool Director)

Faculty:

  • Mrs. Salinas
  • Mrs. Redwine
  • Mrs. Guerrero
  • Mrs. Struempf
  • Mrs. Haus
  • Mrs. Knight
  • Mrs. Vargo
  • Mrs. Patton
  • Director - Sherri Provencher
  • Bookkeeper - Nadina Rearte