HARVARD YARD CHILDCARE CENTER

YELLOW DOOR ROOM PARENT MANUAL

(2010-2011)

This is a short guide to help you and your family with your transition into the Yellow Door Room (YDR). It may be helpful to save this for re-reading throughout the year. This guide will describe both the practical and philosophical aspects of the Yellow Door Room.

Material Aspects

1. Clothing; each child should have at least two extra sets of clothing that are labeled, to be left in their own cubby, located in the hallway outside the classroom. Please be sure that there is weather appropriate clothing (i.e. shorts and pants, long and short sleeve shirts, an extra sweatshirt) Extra socks and underwear should be in abundance since socks can be misplaced and toileting often causes accidents. Labeling is extremely important so clothing doesn’t become lost or misplaced. There are permanent markers available in the YDR to assist in labeling. Soiled clothing will be sent home in a small plastic bag.
2. Lunch box; please provide a lunchbox with your child’s name clearly written on it. Having each container labeled will also be helpful. Although we will become familiar with your child’s lunch items, please keep in mind that other adults, like subs/floats or other parents, may not. Also, please send lunch prepared with an ice pack in the lunchbox, have food in bite size pieces and items to heat in prepared containers. If you have any special instructions with food, feel free to add a note in the lunchbox. Any uneaten food will be sent home. Please be aware that although we offer milk at snack time, we do not offer anything else but water at lunch, so if you would like your child to drink milk with their lunch you can send it in a thermos. There are water cups with each child’s name available in the room that the children are able to use whenever they are thirsty.
3. Nap needs; each child will have their own mat for Rest Time. Children will need to bring in a crib sheet, light blanket, a pillow with a pillowcase if they use one and any special items needed (i.e. their ‘snuggly’). We will wash the bedding weekly at school. Please make sure it is labeled.

Saying Goodbye

Always, always say good-bye to your child before you leave. This is very important for building trust and security. Please let a teacher know that you are leaving and if you need any help.

11:30am-2:30pm

Parents are asked not to bring children into the center during these hours as it interrupts lunch and naptime. Doctor appointments seem to be the main thing that creates problems, so try to schedule around this time. If an unavoidable appointment occurs, please talk to the YDR teachers before hand to see if something can be arranged.

Adult conversations

It is not safe to have too much conversation in the classroom. This can leave children unattended. During work time, please come in ready to be physically and emotionally available to the children. Anything that is really concerning you, should be given some peaceful space for discussion. This can happen by phone calls, a special conference at the center, or putting your concern on the agenda for the next room meeting. Milder concerns or wishes are shared best early in the morning or by slipping a note in the teacher’s mailboxes.

Home visits 

Home visits are an essential piece to building strong relationships with children and their families.  We will schedule a half hour home visit with each family to get an insight of home life and environments. We will document these visits with photos that will be displayed in the YDR as a connection from home to school. 

Philosophical aspects

1. How children feel about themselves is a primary concern in the YDR. Arranging activities and surroundings give children a sense of security and trust, and fosters a positive self-image, feeling of competence and self-worth. We believe children should create and make discoveries through the materials and information that are provided for each activity. Therefore we do not provide models for creative experiences, nor are children forced to learn material that is more suited for grade school. It is the process rather than the product that we believe is important. Environment is also a teacher, through the conscious use of space, color, natural light, other lighting, displays of children’s work and attention to nature and detail.
2. Play and laugh a lot! Young people are full of life. Often we feel that we have to have serious conversations or do something educational. Play, laugh, be silly, enjoy each other and let go of any inhibitions you might have about play. This is one of the quickest ways to build relationships. Play to have good contact and notice the child’s level and challenge them on that level.
3. Speak to the children with complete respect. If you can show them that you respect their thinking, with listen carefully and take their feelings and what they have to say seriously, it will be empowering to you and the children around you.
4. Appreciate them. Simple appreciations make a huge different. Often our attention tends to go to the ‘problems’. Specifically and sincerely notice the things and actions that you enjoy and love about the children and let them know.

Big feelings

Crying is an outlet of frustration, sadness, anger or hurt. Whenever possible, we try to stay with the child when something bad happens, acknowledging what they might be feeling. Allowing children to express their feelings is crucial to emotional development and helps us as teachers to understand where children need to strengthen their abilities.

Manners

We model using “thank you” and “please”. Through modeling children naturally learn to be polite. For example, if a child asks for more snack, we would say “I would like some more snack please”.

Hitting, biting, grabbing and pinching escalate the 2^nd year of life. The most important thing to keep in mind is that any aggressive behavior is a form of language. When aggressive behavior occurs we use this as an opportunity for role modeling appropriate behavior/actions. The parents of the children involved will be notified by telephone as soon as possible and an injury report will also be filled out.

We encourage children to communicate with each other.  This will help them develop respectful relationships with there peers. 

Medication

If your child requires to be given medication at school, it will be kept in the locked medicine box in the YDR.  If refrigeration is required, it will go in the fridge in the YDR.  Please refer to the handbook for the proper procedure and paperwork for medication.  If your child needs diaper creams or moisturizers, they need to be labeled with your child’s name.  Each child needs to have a labeled bottle of sun block for application after nap.  Parents are responsible for applying sun block prior to arrival or upon entering the YDR.

Work Time

Work time usually consists of preparing snack, cleaning up after snack and of course playing with the children. Please let us know your strengths. Some parents may feel comfortable focusing on the cleaning aspect, while other parents may feel exited about playing or even leading an activity with the children. Open communication is the key to successful teamwork. Often times, children experience difficulty sharing their parents with their peers. It can be confusing for a child to have their parent in the classroom.

Your presence in the classroom is very important to both the teachers and the children, so please make sure if you cannot make it, you call the sub caller or try to switch work times with another family if it is a planned absence, and please call the office if you are going to be late.

We welcome you and your family to the Yellow Door Room!

Mary S., Ymke, and Mary A.