PURPOSE

Eastwood Christian Children’s Center is a Parent’s Day Out ministry of Eastwood Christian Church.  We seek to create a loving, joyful, and diverse environment reflective of our East Nashville community.  We believe that the work of a child is play, and we strive to provide a rich experience for each child.  Our goal is to help lay a foundation that will enrich a child’s social and emotional well-being.

Eastwood Christian Church sees the Children’s Center as a strong outreach to East Nashville – serving families in our community and providing a warm, loving place where everyone is welcomed, regardless of race, income, or sexual orientation.  Not every family can afford our program, so part of our ministry is to make available tuition assistance to families who need it.

RELIGIOUS STATEMENT

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) advocates freedom and respects diversity.  Our vision is to be a faithful, growing church – one that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality, and a passion for justice (Micah 6:8).

Disciples congregations celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.  The table is open.  That means that all Christians are invited to respond to Christ’s invitation to draw closer to Him around the communion table.  For Disciples, the open table is a powerful symbol of our deep commitment to Christian unity.  The open table honors diversity even as it celebrates unity in Christ.

 

SERVING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

We are committed to creating an environment where all children thrive, including children with special needs. A child with special needs is one whom it has been determined requires special attention and/or accommodations that other children in a group setting do not require. These determinations may be based on physical, cognitive, or behavioral challenges that the child may face.

Our program specializes in group childcare and is an inclusive program that recognizes each child’s uniqueness. Our desire is to work with every child and family so that their child succeeds in our program. We will make reasonable accommodations in our program toward that goal, but we must note that there are some circumstances where we cannot effectively meet the needs of a child.

EC3 staff will decide whether the child needs one-to-one care and what program accommodations can be made. EC3 is not able to provide one-to-one staffing. This does not mean that children who require such care are excluded from the program, but only that EC3 cannot provide additional staff to meet that need. Where providing one on one-care would allow the child to reasonably participate in the program, parents have the option of providing one-to-one care at their expense.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

We operate our Children’s Center from mid-August through May.  We have two separate sessions:  one meets every Monday and Wednesday, and the other meets every Tuesday and Thursday.  By law, no one child may attend both sessions.  Our hours are 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the days we meet.

 

Our classes are divided as follows:

· Chickadees – A Chickadee will be between 18-30 months old on or before August 15 and will be a steady walker.  There are two teachers for this class of 8 children.

· Bluebirds – A Bluebird will be 2 years old on or before August 15.  There are two teachers for this class of 10 children.

· Cardinals – A Cardinal will be 3 years old on or before August 15 and fully independent in the restroom.  There are two teachers for this class of 12 children.

· Eagles – An Eagle will be 4 years old on or before August 15 and fully independent in the restroom.  There are two teachers for this class of 12 children.


ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL

If you have more than one child, please drop off at the younger child’s designated area. At pick-up parents will enter through the front door.

Arrival times: 9am to 9:10am

We have a short window during which the exterior doors stay unlocked to permit children to enter the building. We ask that families please arrive on time to minimize the amount of time the doors must remain unlocked.

Arrival Procedure

Chickadees and Bluebirds will drop off at the side glass doors.

Please only enter from Eastland Ave to the church parking lot closest to the church sanctuary.  Go back behind the church sanctuary and turn left, parallel with the alley, to the covered area with glass doors on the side of the school.

Cardinals and Eagles will drop off at the red front doors.

Please only enter the small parking lot in front of the double red doors (next to the playground), from 16th Street.  When you exit the small parking lot, keep pass the church sanctuary and exit on Eastland Avenue

This way we will have a one-way flow of traffic during drop-off and pick-up times – much safer!

Please go VERY SLOWLY through the parking lots.

Dismissal 1:55 – 2:10 p.m. 

There is a fifteen-minute window for parents or caregivers to arrive at school and sign out their child.

All families will enter through the front doors at dismissal and will collect children directly from their classroom.

LATE POLICY FOR PARENTS

Please bring your child to school on time.  Teachers and children are eager to begin the school day, so it is very beneficial for children to arrive on time.  A late child often misses some of the morning ritual and often has more difficulty joining the class. 

If the child has to miss school, please send a message through ChildPilot or text us in the morning to let us know.  It helps us to be aware of sickness and symptoms to look for in our other children.  Also, we just want to know if they’re okay!

We appreciate our parents’ efforts to be timely in picking up their children from school.  It is important to the teachers and staff to have time to work in their rooms after the students have gone.  They clean and get ready for the next day and may conference with other teachers or speak with the director about any concerns or issues. 

Late Fees

· Parents will be considered late if they sign out their child after 2:10.

· Parents will be given one warning, in the form of a letter, the first time they are late.

· After the first warning, parents will be charged $1 for each minute that they are late after 2:10.

· If parents have more than one child in the program, they will be charged for both children if they are late.

· All fines will be billed on a weekly basis. 

· Emergency circumstances will always be taken into consideration.

If a parent needs to speak to the teacher, please arrange to meet or speak by phone.  Pick-up or drop-off time is not a good time to have a meeting with a teacher.

 

DISCIPLINE

The Children’s Center teachers and staff strive to help our children develop self-control.  We use positive reinforcement and redirection of a child’s attention to change behavior.  Each classroom has its own simple rules that make sense to children of that age, and also simple consequences for breaking the rules.  At all times, we desire for the children to have a feeling of self-worth and self-acceptance as well as compassion for others’ feelings.  We never at any time use physical means to discipline a child.

Our teachers study child development and age-appropriate behaviors and effective discipline for each age.  We are constantly discussing ways to help each child grow and learn in ways that are best for that child.  As the ones who know your child best, we welcome you sharing with us your understanding of your child.  It helps us get a more complete picture so we can be the most loving, encouraging, and effective presence we can be in your child’s life.

 

PARENT PARTICIPATION

We value the involvement of our parents in the program.  Please contact the director or your child’s teacher, if you are interested.

 

WHAT TO BRING

  • Vinyl nap mat (found at Kmart, Wal-Mart, and Target)

We ask that you do NOT use a cloth nap mat. Please bring a vinyl mat as it can be wiped down daily to sanitize and can stay at school.

  • Backpack (to carry nap items such as a pillow or special blanket and extra clothes)

  • Lunch box with healthful lunch, snack in a separately labeled bag

  • Several diapers in your child’s size, labeled with his or her name (Chickadees and Bluebirds only)

  • Seasonally appropriate and labeled change of clothes inside plastic zip-lock bag

 

Only at the beginning of the year:

  • One liquid hand soap (refills or pumps)

  • One box of facial tissue

  • One pack of baby wipes

 

It is VERY important to clearly label your child’s belongings – clothes, backpack, lunch box, nap mat – with his or her name!

 

CLOTHING

We believe the work of a child is play, and so our children are very active during their day at Eastwood.  We ask that you send your child in clothes that are comfortable and sturdy.  Especially for the children in the Bluebirds, Cardinals, and Eagles classes, we need for them to be dressed in clothes they can handle themselves in the bathroom – easy, elastic waists on pants or shorts are the best.  Overalls, belts, snaps, and buttons are all difficult for most children just learning how to take care of themselves at school.

Shoes are an important part of a child’s clothing.  In our years of experience here, we know that sandals and shoes with slick soles are dangerous and just not fun for your child on the playground.  The mulch is notorious for getting in the cracks of crocs and sandals, and cowboy boots or other slick sole shoes slip on the playground equipment, making the child’s regular, healthy play dangerous.  Please dress your child in closed-toed shoes with rubber soles.

 

FEE COLLECTION

All tuition payments are due the first regular school day of each month, August through May (ten months).  They can be paid via credit card on ChildPilot, Venmo @EC3Nashville or by check.

Please give checks to the director.  Families can access their payment records and tax statements through the ChildPilot app.

 

TUITION ASSISTANCE

It is part of the ministry of Eastwood Christian Church to provide tuition assistance to families who need it in order to be able to send their child to our Children’s Center.  Applications are available from the director’s office during the spring and early summer.  If during the year you find that your family’s financial situation has changed and you are not able to make your tuition payments, please contact the director and we will try to work things out.

 

REGISTRATION

The Children’s Center holds registration for fall in January and February of the same year.  We do not hold waiting lists for future years.  Current students and Eastwood Christian Church members have priority for class spaces over the general public.  After the initial registration period, classes will be filled according to a lottery for each classroom.

 

WITHDRAWING

If, during the school year, a family needs to withdraw their child from the program, a month’s tuition will be due unless we can find another child to fill the space.  If the family has paid the tuition deposit at the end of the past year, that will be used as the month’s tuition due.

 

LUNCHES AND SNACKS

We strive to create a healthy environment that includes good eating habits.  Please send healthful snacks and lunches for your child that are free of sweets and treats but instead include items such as fruit, yogurt, raisins or other wholesome foods.  Good quality protein and whole grains are essential for the child’s well-being and growth.  No sugary sweet drinks are allowed; water is very healthful for children as well as milk or 100% juice. 

Very messy items like drinkable yogurt give our teachers (and the kids) much trouble!  We like to encourage independence with food, but we want the children to feel successful in their efforts – not covered in their lunch!

We are peanut-free in all of our classes.  Several of our children are allergic to peanuts.  This is a serious health situation – potentially life-threatening – and we appreciate the effort you will make to remember not to send peanut butter.

Per The American Academy of Pediatrics, we also ask that you not send children under four years of age with popcorn or whole grapes in their snack or lunch as both are serious potential choking hazards.

Please alert your child’s teacher to any allergies.  Donations for snack items are welcome as we like to have extra snacks for children who forgot a snack or are extra hungry.  Suggestions for donated snack items:  whole-wheat crackers, hard cheese and cheese sticks, graham crackers and rice cakes.

POTTY TRAINING

Most of our youngest class of children come to school not yet potty trained. Our policy is that, when you decide to potty train, you child must be 72 house accident free before coming to school in underwear. We also require the child to wear a diaper (or side opening pull up) during school nap time until child has been dry for at least two weeks during nap.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

The school building remains locked at all times except during pick up and drop off when children are arriving and departing from school.

Both school entrance doors are bullet-resistant, hollow core steel with auto-locks.

  • All teachers have a key code to the building, walkie talkies and panic buttons which they carry on their person at all times.

  • The entire school property is covered by video surveillance which can be viewed by the church administrator and director at all times.

The staff at EC3 has plans in place in the event of emergencies. Teachers receive annual training on tornado, fire and lockdown procedures. 

All teachers are CPR and First Aid certified.

 

IMMUNIZATIONS

A current medical form from your child’s pediatrician must be on file BEFORE your child can attend school.  “Current” means that the form cannot be more than twelve months old.  Please have your pediatrician complete the health form “Tennessee Daycare Immunization Certificate” at each yearly checkup or at any appointment scheduled for the purpose of receiving immunizations.  The doctor’s office should have these forms.

For more information on required immunizations please visit:

https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/immunization-program/ip/immunization-requirements.html


HEALTH AND ILLNESS

 

Your child is required to stay home from school if he or she has had a fever, has thrown up, or has had diarrhea within 24 hours of the school day.  A contagious skin rash or a severe cold with a continuously runny nose are also all reasons to keep your child home.  Beyond this, if your child is uncomfortable and overly tired with allergies or asthma, the best place for them might be at home.  Feel free to call the director’s office if you have a question about whether or not to send your child to school.

Please see our Sick Procedures for latest information on when to keep your child home from school.

WEATHER AND AIR QUALITY

We will stay inside for playground time if the heat index is 95 degrees or higher or if the chill factor is 32 degrees or lower.

If there is an air quality rating rating of red or above, we will play inside rather than going to the playground. For yellow or orange (moderate ratings), playground time will be taken earlier in the morning and we ask that parents with children with asthma let us know if they have any special requests.

CONFERENCES

Regular parent/teacher conferences are scheduled in the fall.  Teachers will notify you of dates and times for these conferences through sign-up sheets.

 

GRIEVANCES

It is important that the concerns and grievances of parents, teachers, and staff are addressed.  If you are concerned or have a grievance that you would like to be addressed, please ask for a private meeting with the teacher and/or director to discuss the matter.

 

BIRTHDAYS

Parents are welcome to share their child’s birthday with the other children in the class.  Parents are strongly encouraged to provide nutritious treats for the birthday celebration.  Items such as banana bread or carrot muffins can be festive without giving the children too much sugar.  Please talk to the teacher in advance in order to make sure that will work for their day and to find out about any possible allergies in the class.  If you would rather celebrate your child’s birthday by donating a book or toy to the class, please feel free and contact the teacher or director.

 

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

We will follow Metro Nashville Public School closings in the event of dangerous weather or icy roads.  We will notify parents through the ChildPilot app in the event of a closing.  If the weather seems bad, please check the local TV or radio news stations – if they announce that Metro Nashville Public Schools (Davidson County) are closed, then we will also close.