| About Us |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| About St. Christopher's Preschool This will be our 11th school year in operation. Each year, our program runs more smoothly. As with all businesses, especially those involving children, things change as we learn what works and what does not. We will do our very best to stay true to our policies and guidelines; however there may be changes made, if necessary. We will keep all families informed of any changes to the school’s policies, guidelines & calendar as soon as they arise. St. Christopher’s Preschool Staff looks forward to working with your child this upcoming year. Please help us by doing your best to uphold the policies and guidelines stated in our Parent Handbook. Communication and cooperation between teachers, families and administration is absolutely vital to our program’s success; as well as your child’s. Please take the time to thoroughly read this information - We expect you to hang on to your handbook and refer to it whenever necessary. Please feel free to call the preschool office at any time throughout the year with any questions, comments or concerns. The office hours vary, so please leave a message and I will get back to you ASAP. Thank you, Lisa Heath, Director Licensing SCP is licensed by the Maryland State Department of Education Office of Child Care. We have been issued a Letter of Compliance license. This means that we must comply with all of the health and safety standards and regulations put forth by the state of Maryland. We have regular inspections to make sure that we are in compliance with all regulations; this includes inspections by the State Fire Marshall and an inventory of all children’s Health Inventory Paperwork. All of our classes and classrooms are covered under our license. Staff Requirements SCP requires each of our staff members to have criminal background checks from a Parish service, as well as State Police & FBI. All staff also have a medical exam, TB test and are certified in First Aide and CPR. Our head teachers have at least a 90 hour certification certificate in Early Childhood Education. We try to take at least 6 hours of continuing education classes throughout the school year. We use Professional Days throughout the year to complete continuing education classes and prepare our curriculum. Curriculum The staff at SCP uses resources from teacher books and magazines to create their own curriculum. We have worked over the years to implement a 3 year revolving curriculum, which means that children returning to the program the subsequent year, will not repeat activities. A few times each year, there will be themes that are repeated, but the projects will be different. After trying different curriculum in the past, we have decided that working with our own curriculum is best for our program. We have a designated theme for each week. The books that we read, crafts, centers and activities are centered around the weekly theme. We also focus on specific letters, numbers, shapes and colors each month. In preparing our own curriculum, we can implement religious themes, work with our schedule and modify projects for our broad range of age groups. Newsletters and calendars will help to keep parents informed of the themes and basics that we will focus on each month. Field Trips SCP does not go on any children only field trips. We feel that the expense and transportation trouble, outweighs the value of most trips at the preschool age. We invite special guest to come to the classroom in relation to our weekly themes or for special school events. We try to plan at least one family trip during the school year. In the past we have visited the zoo, the aquarium or the circus, as family outings - these are optional trips. Children that attend, must be accompanied by an adult - families are welcome. There is usually an additional fee (group rates) and transportation is not always provided. You will be responsible for your child and for reserving your space on the trip by the scheduled deadline. Please remember that family trips are not always a part of our curriculum. Please note that parents are asked to provide transportation and accompany their child on these trips organized by SCP! |