PARENT HANDBOOK

1. HOW OLD DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO BE TO ATTEND PRESCHOOL AT THE LIME LIGHT? We will serve children between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. Children must be completely potty trained to attend. 2. WHEN ARE YOU OPEN? Regular Session

August – May Monday – Friday 8:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Doors will open at 8:40/late pick-up fee charged after 11:50)

3. WHEN ARE YOU CLOSED? HOLIDAYS

For your convenience, The Lime Light will follow the Meriwether County School System calendar as closely as possible. A copy of our calendar can be downloaded from our website. INCLEMENT WEATHER In case of inclement weather and the Meriwether County School System closes, we will also close. Please watch the local news for information regarding school closings. 4. I REALLY NEED TO BRING MY CHILD EARLIER THAN 8:45 AND/OR PICK THEM UP LATER THAN 11:45. IS THIS AN OPTION? Possibly. Let us know your situation and we will work with you if at all possible. Although we arrive early, we need this time to prepare for the day. The doors will not open until 8:40 in the mornings. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please be aware that there will be an additional fee for students who arrive earlier than 8:40 and/or remain later than 11:50. Arrangements must be made in advance and must occur on a regular basis.

5. WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY AT THE LIME LIGHT LOOK LIKE? DAILY SCHEDULES Daily schedules are designed to include a balance of quiet/ active periods, free choice/teacher-directed activities, and large/small muscle activities. Our schedule will allow for weekly activities that include arts and crafts, music and movement, language and reading, science and nature, dramatic play and math manipulatives. OUTDOOR PLAY The children will play outdoors daily, unless we are prohibited by inclement weather. Children NEED to play. When the weather is extremely hot or cold, we will limit the outside time, but we will make up for it by choosing an indoor activity that provides lots of movement. Please send a jacket with your child in the winter months and always dress them in clothes that you do not mind getting dirty!!! 6. CAN I VISIT THE LIME LIGHT? YES! PLEASE DO! Parents of currently enrolled students are welcome and encouraged to visit The Lime Light any time. We want you to look often into our busy, happy, noisy, creative program and see what your child experiences. We want you to realize the validity of those experiences, as well as the importance of the enrichment and socialization that they provide. It is important to us that we build a close partnership with the parents of the children that we serve. We would love for you to participate in, as well as facilitate activities at the center. If you are interested in volunteering, please ask us about scheduling a time to come. If you need to talk with us concerning your child, please see us after all of the students have left or schedule an appointment. Mornings are especially busy and interaction with and supervision of the students is our main focus during this time. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Parents of prospective students are asked to call and make an appointment to visit. We want to be sure that we are adequately staffed on the day of your visit in order to show you around and answer any questions, while continually meeting the needs of our currently enrolled students.

7. CAN MY CHILD CELEBRATE HIS/HER BIRTHDAY DURING THE SCHOOL DAY? Absolutely!! They will be treated like royalty the entire day ☺. They will wear a Birthday Crown as well as a special Birthday Vest and will be the Leader of all activities! If you plan to provide the snacks for that day, we eat at 10:15----any later and they get vicious!!!! Please plan to arrive no later than 10:00 to set up. We recommend that you bring a sweet and salty treat along with a pre-packaged drink. A list of suggested snacks is available on our website. 8. WHAT CAN WE DO AS A FAMILY TO ENSURE THAT THE LIME LIGHT CONTINUES TO THRIVE? We have several big celebrations throughout the year. We ask that you sign up to serve on two of these committees. You can head the committee, participate in set up/break down, or simply contribute monetarily. Any help will be greatly appreciated. You will choose from the following committees: Grand-Parents Day

Parades (Homecoming, Veteran’s Day, Christmas) Smaller Special Holidays (Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day) Christmas Easter Graduation Also, if you are able to provide any service that would help us to be better in

any way, we would love to talk to you. In the future, we hope to add a parking lot, spruce up the landscaping, build a shed and enlarge the fenced playing area. If you are willing to help with any of this, physically and/or monetarily, please let us know.

Perhaps the most important thing that you can do for us is to continue to let us know what we can do to better serve your family and your child’s needs.

9. DO YOU HAVE FUND RAISERS AT THE LIME LIGHT?

Yes. We ask that you do all that you can to support us in this endeavor. We are always open to your suggestions for quick and easy ways to raise money for the school.

We have decided to have an on-going fund raiser in order to continually make improvements to our playground. We will have a jar located at the entrance labeled “PENNIES FOR THE PLAYGROUND”. You can bring in your loose change every day or week and place it in the jar. When the jar is full, we will roll the coins and either make a small purchase for our playground or save the money and add to it for larger improvements later. 10. HOW SHOULD I HANDLE CONCERNS THAT I MIGHT HAVE? We want your child to enjoy basking in The Lime Light. If at anytime you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss them with us. Word of mouth is our best or worst advertisement. We want to do everything that is absolutely possible to ensure that your family’s experience at The Lime Light is nothing less than exceptional. Your comments, questions, concerns and ideas are invaluable to our success and to your child’s well-being. If you are happy with our services, please tell others. If you are not, please tell us! We are available for individual conferences; however, since interacting with and supervising the children is of utmost importance, we ask that you schedule a conference. Drop off and pick-up times seem to be especially hectic and it may be difficult to discuss anything of great importance ☺. If you need to schedule an appointment, we will be more than happy to work around your schedule. 11. WHAT SHOULD MY CHILD WEAR EACH DAY? We will very often be painting, gluing, cutting, using crayons and markers, as well as playing outside….. where dirt is their favorite thing!!! Please dress your child accordingly. Children love to play on their knees, so keep this in mind when dressing your. Also, please send your child in closed-toed shoes. No flip-flops! If your child wears flip flops to school, they will not be able to play outside. Tell them this when they are begging you!!! 12. WHAT ABOUT PERSONAL BELONGINGS?

The children will be provided with plenty of toys from which to choose. Please do not allow them to bring their own, as this tends to cause problems. We do appreciate your cooperation here.

Please label any of your child’s belongings, such as jackets, hats, etc…, with his/her name.

13. WILL MY CHILD NEED TO BRING A SNACK?

No. Each family will sign up for a time to bring snacks for the entire class. 14. WHAT SUPPLIES DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BRING? All students need to bring a change of seasonal clothing, including socks and underwear. Place in a clear Ziploc bag and label with your child’s name. Students will not need a book bag.

Boys Girls Wet Wipes Wet Wipes

Kleenex Toilet Tissue 15. HOW DOES THE WAITING LIST WORK? In most cases, preschool openings are filled from the Waiting List. To get your child on the Waiting List, please complete the Registration Forms and return them to The Lime Light~410 Chafin Drive~ Manchester, GA 31816. When an opening becomes available, if your child’s registration packet is complete, you will be contacted for a preliminary interview and screening. This does not guarantee your child a spot. Preschool openings for the following year are filled during January and February. Decisions are made with regard to the following considerations: Required: All students must be potty trained and three years old. First Priority: Currently enrolled three year-old students who are on the Waiting List. Second Priority: Siblings of currently enrolled students who are on the Waiting List. Third Priority: Siblings of former preschool students who are on the Waiting List.

16. WHAT IS THE POLICY REGARDING FEES? Below is a list of fees. Non-payment of any fees will result in disenrollment from The Lime Light. PRE-PAYMENT POLICY The Lime Light has a pre-payment policy that requires payment of tuition the month prior to services rendered. NO EXEMPTIONS The Lime Light does not make fee exemptions for holidays, closings due to inclement weather or your child’s absence. Tuition is the same whether your child attends every day or not. LATE PAYMENT FEE ($35.00) If payment is not made by the due date, a late fee will be added. If the tuition and late fee have not been paid within 5 days after the last day of the month, your child will be unable to return until all fees have been brought up to date. RETURNED CHECK FEE ($35.00) A returned check fee will be charged to your account if a check is returned from the bank for insufficient funds or any other reason. We will not run the check back through a second time. After two checks are returned from the bank, tuition must be paid by Certified Check, Money Order or Cash. LATE PICK-UP FEE ($1.00 per minute/$5.00 per minute after the 3rd time) The Pre-School Program ends at 11:45. Please pick your child up by 11:50. We understand that from time to time things happen that make late pick-up unavoidable. If you are going to be late picking up your child, please notify us immediately so that the staff is aware of the situation and can alleviate any concerns that your child might have. If this situation should arise, please notify another adult, whose written authorization is on file, to pick up your child. There is a fee for late pick up from the school and it is due when you arrive. The clock located near the front entrance will be considered official time for this purpose. 17. HOW DO I ENROLL MY CHILD IN THE LIME LIGHT?

Once you have secured a spot for your child, you will need to • Pay the Registration Fee and the first month’s Tuition • Sign up for two Committees • Sign up for the Snack Rotations