Sonora Parent Nursery School
251 South Barretta Street
Sonora, CA 95370
(209) 532-1736
This handbook has been designed to anticipate some of your questions and to help serve as a guide to a most rewarding preschool experience for you and your child. Please read through the handbook and become familiar with it. If you have any questions please feel free to consult with Teacher Diane or a Board Member.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 SCHEDULE
2 DIRECTOR’S
3 DOING YOUR PART, HEALTH GUIDELINES, SAFETY GUIDELINES, MEGAN’S LAW SCREENING
4 YOUR WORKDAY
5 DISCIPLINE
6 PROCEDURES & GUIDELINES
Parking, meetings, arrival procedures, substitutes, promptness, hours sheets, lunches, school photos, siblings, libraries, involvement opportunities

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1 WEEKLY PROGRAM SCHEDULE

PRESCHOOL MORING PROGRAM
M-W-F 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 
Lunch is from 11:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m. All children are welcome to stay for lunch and need to bring bag lunches from home.

PRESCHOOL AFTERNOON PROGRAM
M-W-F 12 p.m. -2:30 p.m. 

TODDLER PROGRAM
T-TH 9 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

THE SONORA PARENT NURSERY SCHOOL IS A NONPROFIT COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOL WHICH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION OR ANY OTHER BASIS. ANY APPLICANTS WHO ARE ABLE TO MEET OUR PARENT PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS (SEE SECTION 3 OF HANDBOOK), PAY THE REQUIRED FEES, AND PASS OUR “MEGANS’S LAW” SCREENING ARE TREATED ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE.

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2 DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Welcome to our co-op!
We have a long and rich history of parents and children playing and learning together. Our school has a unique and nurturing environment that supports children and moms & dads.
May this handbook guide you in your time with us and help you with the variety of questions that come up. Our focus and curriculum is centered around the children, their interests and their loves. May your experience here be full of friendship and caring.
Thank you for all that you give
With love, Teacher Diane

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3 DOING YOUR PART

As our name implies, we are a parent participation nursery school or co-op. Our active participation in this program is what makes it work. Parents participate in the running of the school at every level. Actively participating moms, dads and even grandparents keep our school open. The children benefit directly from your involvement because the time you spend with them here is so enriching. But, because our school receives state funding for the time parents spend in the program, parent participation time also converts to money for the school. The hourly requirements below are designed to keep the school running smoothly and generate enough parent time to receive our state funding.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PARENT MEMBERS OF THIS SCHOOL:

1. Work a scheduled workday with children at the school a minimum of once per week. The required number of workday hours will vary depending on the number of enrolled children in the family and the number of sessions the children will attend.
2. Attend a minimum of two Monday night parent meetings per month.
3. Work four hours per semester doing maintenance at the school. Maintenance days are scheduled regularly and other special maintenance projects can always be arranged.
4. Spend a minimum of 8 hours per semester participating in nursery school fundraising activities. Our fundraiser includes selling beverages at the Sonora Celtic Faire and the Spring Calaveras Celtic Faire.

5. Spend a minimum of 16 additional hours on activities related to the school. There are many ways to make up these hours, including working extra hours during school sessions, attending field trips on non-work days, attending extra meetings or school social functions.

Pay your fees! Our school fees are paid monthly and are $10 per school session. For example, if your child is enrolled three mornings a week, fees will be $120 per month. Fees for a second enrolled child of the same family are half again as much. Tuition is due on the 1st of the month and is delinquent on the 10th. Arrangements can be made to provide scholarships for income-eligible families. Arrangements, however, must be made in advance. See the director

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3 HEALTH GUIDELINES

Please be considerate of other parents and children. Do not send sick children to school. In accordance with state law the children will be checked by our director each day for colds, sore throats, etc. Sick children will be sent home.
CHILDREN MAY CONTINUE TO ATTEND SCHOOL IF:

1) Temperature is below 100 degrees (oral)
2) Runny nose is clear
3) Cough is nonproductive
4) Strep or staph infections have been treated medically for 48 hours
5) Exposure to a communicable disease is being closely watched during the incubation period
6) Poison oak is non contagious
7) Pink eye with clear eyes
8) No fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
9) Chicken pox scabs have healed over for 3 days

If you have questions about sending your child to school, please contact Teacher Diane. The child should be well enough to participate in all aspects of the program. Well enough to play outside!
In unusual circumstances, the director has the authority to close the school for a limited time due to outbreak of infectious disease. The judgment of the director is final in all health matters unless the parent presents a written statement from a health care provider giving a different diagnosis.

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3 SAFETY GUIDELINES

No child will be released to any person without prior written notice.
Any accident or injury, no matter how minor, must be reported to the director immediately.
All first aid will be administered (band-aids, washing an injury, etc.) and the child’s parent will be contacted immediately if injury warrants medical intervention.
Please designate your child’s doctor and preferred hospital to contact in case of emergency.

MEGAN’S LAW SCREENING
Our school is a parent participation school and to maximize the safety of our children, we check the Megan’s Law list each time a family joins. Teacher Diane views the names on the current Megan’s Law disk at the Sonora Police Department to insure that no sex offenders registered in Tuolumne County join our school. Anyone registered as a sex offender may not participate in our school and will not be allowed on school grounds.

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4 SO, IT’S YOUR WORKDAY

DAY TO DAY PROCEDURES
On your workday plan on arriving at school 15 minutes before the official beginning of the session in order to prepare for your activity; also plan on staying 15 minutes after the session ends to finish cleanup.
Dress your child and yourself in comfortable, washable clothes. Expect to get dirty and painted!
Make sure to check the schedule in advance so you will know what station you are responsible for and so that you may plan appropriate activities. While we do not follow rigid themes in our curriculum, we do encourage those working in the school to listen to the children and try to build the activities around their interests. And while holidays are downplayed (so as not to alienate those who do not celebrate them) seasons are celebrated. All participating parents rotate through all the stations in turn. Cards outlining specific duties are posted in each area. The areas are as follows:

SCIENCE & MATH
This station aims to provide the children with experiences in basic science-related concepts. Activities can be very simple such as using our senses or planting seeds, playing with magnets or exploring creatures with magnifying glasses. The cupboards are filled with games, pictures, fossils, magnets, and even a bug or two! After all, everything is science!

NUTRITION
This station involves the children in the preparation of their midsession snack. They love to mix, slice, stir, grate, peel, push the buttons, turn the handles, pour and serve. The parent in charge of this station plans the snack and brings the food. The preparation of the food is done, at least in part, with the help of the kids. Please keep it simple and healthy with an emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, cheese and the like. Please keep sugary and processed foods to a minimum! No candy or soda, please. Nutrition time is a good time to encourage good health habits such as hand washing before eating. It is also appropriate to encourage good table manners:
Please and thank-you are happily accepted.

CRAFTS
Our school encourages open-ended craft and art projects. That’s to say that children are allowed to explore materials such as paper, glue, scissors, collage materials, crayons, fabric and anything else they can turn into art. We have drawers and cupboards full of potential masterpiece materials. The process is more important than the product. There is no right or wrong way to do art. Creativity is the goal, as well as promoting dexterity in using various materials. Our craft projects should not aim to produce a whole class of identical products. Again, there are lots of ideas to be found in books in the craft area, as well as tried and true suggestions posted by Teacher Diane.

PAINTS AND PLAYDOUGH
Playdough is always on hand and always popular. Various kinds of paints are available and just about anything can be used to apply it. Fingers, brushes, marbles, matchbox cars, printmaking materials of all kinds. We have easels, paper and even an art lathe. Dive in and don’t hesitate to try something new. Usually a parent sticks to one activity in this area per session, but at times people put out playdough for the kids as a
starter activity then moves on to a painting activity later on when interest in the playdough has waned. Keep it open-ended.

QUIET AREA/PLAYHOUSE
Quiet area is home to a huge library of children’s books, puzzles and games. It’s a place for quiet play with manipulatives, such as Legos, peg boards, Tinkertoys and lots more. The large cupboard is full of fun things to explore and build with. Caution: Some of these smaller manipulatives are not appropriate for toddlers and should be kept out of their reach on the higher shelves. Skills honed in this area include fine muscle control, eye-hand coordination, size and shape relationships. The play house is practice in living, with dress-up and kitchen activities. Dramatic play such as this develops socialization, language and creativity.

BLOCKS & MUSIC
This is the inside place to be active. Games can be organized and fun exercises led. Block structures can be built and made to tumble. There are various floor toys available, as well. We have music tapes and instruments for an impromptu rhythm band. There are books available for floor and circle game activities. This is a good place to encourage movement, body awareness, taking turns and playing cooperatively.

OUTSIDE
Our outside area is often the most popular spot at school. We have a play set, a new climbing set, balls, trikes and other vehicles, sand and all its accessories, as well as opportunities for some small scale gardening. A lot of motor and social skill development takes place out there. It is important to be especially attentive to the children outside to avoid risk of injury. A few rules to keep in mind outside:
Sand, rocks & dirt are not for throwing.
Play is not allowed on the steps or walls, or on the slopes above the walls.
No climbing on fences.
Children may not “crash” into each other on trikes or other ride-ons (“use your brakes!”) Children unwilling to comply should be asked to get off the trike.
Carpentry tools stay at the work area. Supervision is required at all times!

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5 DISCIPLINE

The preschool environment is specially designed to promote pro-social behavior. Being able to directly and effectively communicate with others to resolve conflict is one of the most important life skills we can impart to our children. By stepping back we encourage independent problem solving. But it doesn’t always work. When confronted with decisions about whether or not to involve yourself in children’s play or conflict, ask yourself the following questions:
Will the child hurt him or herself?
Will he/she hurt someone else?
Will he/she damage property?
WHEN YOU DO HAVE TO INTERVENE, HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES:
ANTICIPATE before you go into a situation.
HESITATE before rushing headlong into a situation. Take a deep breath and quickly evaluate what is needed. Immediately stop the action if hitting, biting or other hurting is taking place.
INVESTIGATE the situation. Listen to what the children are telling you. Repeat it back to them to be sure you are hearing what they’re saying. Encourage children to “use their words” and give them time to talk it through.
COMMUNICATE verbally with the children explaining why the behavior is unacceptable. Speak kindly and with authority. Offer alternatives-give them words to say. Redirect play.

If a child is not calm it will be necessary to get the child calmed down before you can go on. Do not hesitate to ask for help from Teacher Diane or another adult in dealing with conflict situations. Make sure all the children involved are taken care of.

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6 PROCEDURES & GUIDELINES

ARRIVAL PROCEDURE
Please bring your child all the way into the school and sign him or her in. Do not leave your child at the top of the stairs or at the door.
Fill in your time sheet. Be sure to indicate any school related hours on your time sheet. Check your time sheet folder regularly for notices, book order forms and other communication.
Please check the bulletin boards for upcoming events and activities. Sign-up sheets are posted here for field trips and social events. Board agenda and minutes are also posted there as well as notices about upcoming events in the community of interest to families.
If you are unable to come to school on your scheduled workday due to illness or for any reason, it is your obligation to arrange for a substitute to work your shift. The school can function well only when there are enough adults to keep the children engaged and safe. Trading workdays with another parent at the school works well. Or you may pay a substitute $10 per session. This must be arranged by the absent member.

PROMPTNESS
Promptness is important! The day proceeds more smoothly for
children and adults when they arrive on time for school.
Please make this effort.

HOURS SHEETS
We keep track of hours members spend at the school and on school related activities on time sheets. These sheets are located in a file box next to the kitchen counter. Teacher Diane or any Board member can help you with hours reporting questions. The important thing is to keep track of your time: It means funding for the school!

LUNCHES
Children enrolled in the AM or PM programs often stay for lunch at school. Lunches are NOT provided for the children. They must be brought from home in a lunch box or bag. Lunches with perishables may be kept in the refrigerator. Warm lunches can be heated in the microwave by an adult (leave a note). Please try to pack a lunch that you believe your child will eat. Candy and soda at lunch are discouraged.

SCHOOL PHOTOS
Early in the year a professional school photographer will be at the school to take individual and class pictures. You will be notified of the date as soon as it is set. Participation in photos is voluntary.

PARKING
According to District policy, parents must use the lower parking lot at Cassina High or park on Barretta Street. Because of fire regulations, DO NOT DRIVE UP THE DRIVEWAY to the top to unload or pick-up children. Extremely short term parking is allowed at the top for loading and unloading of large & heavy objects. Cars must be moved immediately after loading is completed. “Parking up top (next to the propane tank only) is permitted for moms carrying infants, pregnant moms and those with a permanent or temporary physical disability.”

MEETINGS
Monday night parent education meetings are an informative and entertaining aspect of our program. Parents are required to attend two meetings per month. Meeting topics are generally of interest to families with young children.
One meeting per month is usually reserved for our Reading Circle book discussion group. One parenting related book is chosen per semester. Those participating in Reading Circle come ready to discuss the book.
Childcare is available for most meetings. Parents must sign-up in advance for childcare as capacity is limited. Please bring your child to Monday night childcare fed!
Dinner is not included

The Executive Board meets on the last Monday of the month. Board meetings are open to the membership. All meetings are from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and are held in the school,, unless otherwise noted. Please let Teacher Diane know ahead of time if you will be attending a Board meeting.
Since board meetings are held in the preschool, no childcare is available. Please do not bring your children to board meetings because they cannot be adequately supervised and are often disruptive to the meeting process.
If a parent member does not meet his/her obligation of two meetings per month, make-up meetings can be arranged by attending an extra meeting the next month. Once per semester a meeting can be made up by checking out (and viewing) a parenting video from the SPNS library. A missed meeting can also be made up by bringing a guest from one’s immediate family to a meeting during the following month. If missed meetings are not made up within two months a member may forfeit his/her deposit and may be asked to terminate their membership.

SIBLINGS
Younger and older siblings are welcome on your workday if they are able to fit in with daily activities. Parents are responsible for care of siblings. Parents are responsible for care of siblings. A high chair and porta-crib are available for use.

LIBRARIES
Our school has extensive adult and children’s libraries available for members’ use. Parenting and other books for grown-ups are located on shelves near the entrance to the school. Some of the books can be very helpful for planning workday activities. An honor system check-out procedure is in place for everyone’s convenience.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT
While there is a minimum level of parental involvement required by the program, there are many more opportunities for those seeking to get more involved in the school. You may want to join the board or serve on a committee. If you have special interests or skills you can bring to the school, either to the children, or the adults in a Monday night meeting, or to the school environment, please talk to Teacher Diane or a Board member. Our school has been built on 50 years of love brought by generations of families. You are most welcome here.