The number of children in a group is limited in accordance with NAEYC criteria to facilitate adult-child interaction and constructive activity among children. Alpha School maintains an 8 to 1 child/staff ratio. Alpha Tots will maintain a 4 to 1 child/staff ratio for our toddlers. Our two-year old classroom will be a 5-1 child/staff ratio. Alpha Babies will maintain a 3 to one child/staff ratio. Research has demonstrated that limited group size is related to positive outcomes for children, such as more frequent interaction with adults and more involvement in activities. Every attempt is made to have continuity of the adults who work with our children within each and over extended periods of time.

The program is organized and staffed so as to minimize the number of group transitions a child experiences during the time period the child is enrolled in our program. Every attempt is made to maintain continuity of relationships between teachers and children and among groups of children. Young children develop optimally through close, affectionate relationships with a limited number of people, particularly adults. Alpha School, Alpha Tots and Alpha Babies organizational structure contributes to maintaining continuity of relationships an individual child would experience over a number of years of enrollment in our program.

Policies and Procedures

Preschool hours are 8:30-11:30 Am Class, and 12:30-3:30 Pm Class. Full time children may attend between 7:00-5:30 each day, and no more than a total of nine hours per day. A child may arrive later than the start time if it better meets his or her family's needs.

• Prompt pick-ups are important.
• If you must be more than a few minutes late, please give us advance notice or a call.
• Please let us know is someone other than the parents or regular carpool driver is to pick up your child: A written note is required before a child will be released.
• Alpha School admission form allows parents to list authorized pick ups for their child.
• Adults picking up children are required to show an ID to verify they are authorized to pick up a child from our program.
• Attendance is taken when your child arrives each morning. Please plan on bringing your child into our classroom.
• Important: Parents are required to sign their child in and out of our program. The sign in sheet is located on our front counter. There will be a $5.00 daily fee for not signing your child in & out of our program.
• Each child is required to have an enrollment contract, health form and a health examination form completed by your child's physician, copy of immunizations records, and the CACFP income eligibility form required by the state & the federal government. The information form we provide helps us know your child better.
• Please update your child's file when phone numbers change, addresses, or emergency contacts change. This information is required by our state & necessary to protect your child at all times.
• Immunization Records must be kept up to date.
• Comfortable, washable clothing is the most appropriate for school. The children are expected to play outdoors, weather permitting, and so will need to be dressed appropriately to the season.
Extra clothing may be sent and placed in a zip-lock bag to have for your child, just in case. Please mark the bag and all clothing items and toys sent to school (coats, sweaters, jackets, and so forth) with your child's name.
• The State of New Mexico considers "sunscreen" medication. Children are required to have permission from parent's to apply sunscreen at school. A permission slip is attached at the end of this Parent Handbook. Please complete & return for your child's file.
• Each parent provides diapers and baby wipes. A special place will be set aside for diaper storage in individual classrooms.
• Parents will provide clean bottles for their child. Alpha School,Inc. will provide formula and food for all our children. Prescription formula will be provided by the family. Breast Milk is recommended and proper safe storage is available.
• Infants, Toddlers and Twos will provide a blanket for nap-time. Blankets will remain at school for daily use. Blankets will be washed weekly and when needed. Sheets will be changed daily and washed. Infants, toddlers and twos may bring a comfort toy to school each day.

Alpha School, Inc. has a Parent Board for our families located in each classroom. On this Board you will find reminder notes, snack & lunch menus, tuition rates, and the school calendar. Please check this board often for reminder messages. Monthly Scholastic Book order forms will be sent home for our families to select wonderful reading materials at inexpensive prices.

Parent involvement is an important part of Alpha School , Inc. curriculum. Open houses, Holiday Sing A Longs, Special lunches, art shows, parties, field trips and parent workshops will take place throughout the school year. Plan on starting NOW to be involved with your child's early education. Each family at Alpha School & Alpha Tots will receive our newsletter to keep you informed about all of our activities and trips. Please read them so that you can participate! Look on the Parent Board for reminders as events approach. If you need more than one newsletter, please notify the Director. Newsletters can be mailed to a parent not living in the child's home if requested.

Alpha Tots will not take field trips. Children will enjoy these activities after the age of three. Alpha Tots will have special family activities throughout the year for our families to enjoy, too.

In January, Alpha School , Inc. will hand out an evaluation for our parents to fill out and return. This form allows you to tell us how you feel, and your opinion is valued and appreciated.

The school provides work and play materials, but your child may bring a toy from home to share if he wishes. Please do not allow your child to bring money, candy, gum, balloons, guns, small balls or marbles, or any other war toys: These items cause problems.

Special Celebrations

Birthdays may be celebrated at the school by sharing a special food treat with friends at school. Please make arrangements with a teacher ahead of time. We often have children with allergies to certain foods, so please check with us about that.

Tuition

Tuition payments are due by the tenth of each month starting January 1. Statements will be sent only if tuition is not received by the tenth. Tuition is paid monthly. Refunds cannot be made for absences. A registration fee is required; this payment reserves your child's place in our program and is nonrefundable. All checks should be made out to Alpha School. Tuition payments may be given to the Director, or left in the basket on our counter. All cash payments require a written receipt. A late fee of $10 will be charged for payments made after the tenth of the month. A returned check fee of $35 will be charged for all returned checks. Alpha School, Inc. is a private corporation and tuition is paid monthly , regardless of scheduled school closings. A school calendar is attached. Co–Payments are due by the 15th of each month.

Sick Children

Keep a sick child at home. Neither he nor the other children will benefit from being in school. Please call the school if your child is absent due to illness. If your child gets a contagious disease, please notify the Director so that the parents of other children can be notified. If medications are required during school hours after an illness, a permission form for the medication is required and must be filled out and signed by a parent, and must be accompanied by a physician's directions for administering such medications.

Notifiable Diseases: By law, facilities shall report any notifiable diseases occurring in the children to the local Public Health Department (diseases such as measles). Our school shall post the current list of notifiable diseases published by the Health Services Division. Alpha School and Alpha Tots shall not admit or allow the continued attendance of children who are ill or who are know or suspected of having a notifiable disease. This helps epidemics from occurring. After a child has had a notifiable communicable disease, he or she shall be readmitted to our facility only upon written approval of the attending physician.

A child who becomes sick at school must be separated from the rest of the children until the child leaves the facility. Parents will be promptly notified and must return to school for their child.

Chicken pox will be handled according to the guidelines followed by the Public School System: Once the pox appears, blisters, then scabs over completely, the child is no longer contagious. This process has no exact timetable, and may take anywhere from three days to two weeks. All blisters must be scabbed over. The parent of the affected child may be required by the Director to provide a written approval from the attending physician stating the child is no risk to the other children.

The Director reserves the right to refuse to admit or allow the continued attendance of children who are ill or suspected of being contagious and a risk to other attending children. This is for the protection of both the ill child and all of the Alpha School, Inc.

Disciplinary Practices

• Each child is to be guided with positive methods.
• Each child will be told the rules to be followed while in school.
• Each child will be treated as an individual, and discipline will be handled on that basis.
• There will be no spanking.
• If a child breaks a rule, the child will be told so. Teachers will listen to the children. Teachers will explain reasons for rules so children can understand.
• If a child is being aggressive in a group situation, the child may be removed from the group. Although separated from the group, the child will either remain in the same room, and given the opportunity to decide when he is ready to return to the group and follow the rules, or be removed by the teacher to a space where his behavior can be discussed with him. The child will always be given an opportunity to choose when to return to the group.

Nutrition

Snacks and lunch are provided each day for our children, with a "family style" approach. Children sit together with a staff member, enjoy quiet conversation, soft music, and an appealing variety of nutritious foods. We encourage children to pour their own juice, pass food baskets to one another, and be able to choose how much they would like to eat. Good manners are modeled and encouraged.

Child Care Food Program

Alpha School and Alpha Tots participates in the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. Each family is required to comply with the requirements of the CACFP by completing, signing and returning the Income Eligibility Application. This information is necessary so that we may receive CACFP reimbursement for the snacks served to children in our program. This form will be placed in our files and treated as confidential information. All children in our program receive their snack free of charge, but the determination of eligibility category affects the amount of Federal funding received by us. All snacks served to children under the Child & Adult Care Food Program are served free regardless of race, color, sex, age, disability or national origin. Any complaint of discrimination should be submitted in writing to the Secretary of Agriculture. Washington, D.C. 20250.

Weather

Just a quick note on bad weather: If the Public Schools close due to bad weather, Alpha School and Alpha Tots will also be closed.