Green Door Room Parent Manual

Revised 7/10

First and foremost, welcome to the Green Door Room! We are glad you are here with us and we are looking forward to having an exciting year filled with community building, partnership, and fun.

Below is a list of things that are needed for each child while in the Green Door Room:

Clothing: We are a classroom that loves to explore and learn about our senses in many ways. We encourage this type of learning through painting, sensory tables filled with both dry and wet ingredients, play dough, and anything else that seems fun. Please provide your child with seasonal appropriate, extra clothing. All wet or soiled clothing will be sent home via the child’s cubby in a plastic bag. We recommend not sending your child in with precious or very important clothing.

Labeling: This is an extremely important thing to do for our classroom. Although we try our best, our classroom is a busy room, and it is very easy to lose track of children’s clothing and personal belongings. Please help us by labeling your child’s clothes, nap items, bottles, lunchboxes, food containers, special toys or security items, and anything else that your child brings to school.

Lunch: Each child needs to bring lunch from home in a labeled lunchbox with an icepack inside. Please have your child’s lunch prepared to eat. If you would like anything heated up in the microwave, please leave us a note. We will have space available in our classroom fridge for bottles and such.

Milk/Water: Each child will have a milk cup and a water bottle available to them throughout the day. Water bottles are kept out in the classroom and are color coded for each child. Milk cups are kept in the refrigerator and offered during snacks and lunch. If your child has other needs for milk and water please let us know.

Nap items: During naptime, each child will have their own mat that they will sleep on. Your child will need to bring in a blanket, and any special cuddly items they may need. Every Friday, these items will be washed at school, per state regulations.

Work time: Below is a summary of possible work time tasks and expectations:

Although the tasks we ask our work time parents to do are important, what is more important is making sure your child is secure and feeling safe while you do these tasks. If your child needs your attention, please let us know and we will be happy to do these tasks while you play with the children.

-Dishes: After each snack time the dishes need to be rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher. We will only run the dishwasher if it is reasonably full.  We share the dishwasher with the YDR.   At the end of the day milk and water cups will be loaded into the dishwasher.

-Supervision and support of children in their play: Please note that with 3 adults in the classroom it can feel crowded and uncomfortable for some young children. Please sit down or be at the children’s level while you are in our classroom. Parents are not counted in the ratio, and unless certified, therefore, are unable to be left alone with the children (other than their own) per state regulations. Parents can do diapers of other children if they wish. Doing diapers is not a task, but sometimes parents enjoy changing diapers. Just let us know if you would like to help out with diapering.

-Errand running: This is an important task for teachers if something is needed outside of the classroom or playground. Your child is always welcomed to go with you.

-Clean-up: This is helpful for keeping our floors clear for children toddling about.  When we notice that a child is done with a toy, we put it back on the shelf or in the special bag by the sink if the child used it as a mouth toy.

-Laundry: Our center now has a washer and dryer.  We may ask parents to do a load of laundry during worktime if needed.

-Play! Have fun, get to know the children, and have a good time. This should be your main goal during work time.

Again, children at this age often find it difficult to share their parents during work time. If this is happening, first realize that it is normal, second realize we understand this, and third communicate to us so we can help.

Communication and confidentiality: Communication is a priority for the best care of your children. Please feel free to tell us anything. Really important topics that you feel needs discussion, is better done at a scheduled meeting between you and your primary caregiver. Confidentiality is very important. Since parents do work time, they are witness to a lot of information that should not be shared outside of the classroom. Please help us establish a trusting environment within our classroom. Any questions or concerns can always be discussed with us or the office privately.

Saying goodbyes: Whether during drop-off or after your work time, this is can be a very hard part of you and your child’s day. Some tips on saying goodbye:

-Set up a routine

-Find a teacher to help

-When you say that you are going to leave, leave. Coming in and out of the classroom delays your child’s ability to cope with your leaving. Leaving your child crying can be extremely difficult. We understand. Kisses and hugs and using words like, I will be back to pick you up at the end of the day are helpful. Also saying goodbye to the teacher, who is holding your child, helps your child develop trust as well. We are always happy to give you a call to let you know how your child is doing. Please feel free to call the office at any point to have someone check in to see how your child is doing.  Don’t hesitate to call!

We look forward to taking care of your children and getting to know your family!!!