Special VT Reopening Newsletter
Vermont Forward!
Starting on Monday, June 21 parents will drop off and pick up children at the center following the below guidance. Please bear in mind that changes, even exciting ones, can be stressful for children, and we suggest taking the weekend to consider and plan what drop-off and pick-up will look like for your family.
Masks
Our staff will not inquire about vaccines.
Vaccines are not yet available to children under 12. Masks are recommended for all children who are over 2 years old who are able to wear them while inside this summer. If you have a particular request about your child's mask, please discuss this with a teacher.
Drop-off 101
- You may use either the step entrance or the ramp entrance.
- The code to both doors is XXXX Then, you can use the handle. Please do not allow your child to push the buttons or pull on/ hang from door handles!
- Wash your child's hands in the bathroom.
- Put outerwear, extra clothes, etc. in your child's cubby.
- Diapers & wipes can go into your child's classroom or the bathroom for preschoolers.
- Nap sheets and blankets, washed weekly, can go in preschool cubbies or toddler nap boxes located in the quiet room.
- Go to your child's classroom.
- Check in with your child's teacher.
- Put lunchbox in the refrigerator and cup on the door.
- Settle in your child with an activity or teacher.
- Always say goodbye!
Parting is Such Sorrow... But It Doesn't Have To Be!
2. Establish a drop-off routine - Children thrive with predictable and enjoyable routines. Reading a book, coloring a picture, or playing peek-a-boo behind the door curtain are a few examples of time-tested routines. To encourage healthy attachments, we ask that you always say goodbye. If you forget something after leaving, please do not return to your child's room. Seek out a teacher in another room (we can call other rooms) or message your child's teacher later.
3. Call/ message for an update - Even with the best transition routines, there are days when drop-off can be difficult. If you are concerned about a particularly tough drop-off or are wondering about how your child is doing, you are always welcome to call the center or message via Slack.
4. Put on a Smile! - Children perceive their world by how trusted adults react and respond to it. It is important to demonstrate that RNCC is a safe and welcoming environment. You do this through your words and body language. It's not easy to swallow that lump rising in your throat as you say goodbye, but it shows your child that you trust teachers with their care.
No Phones Please
Pick-Up 101
- Collect your child's belongings in their cubby and the refrigerator. Staff may still pack bags for a while this summer to wait for outside departures.
- Check your child's chart/ the classroom chart.
- Greet your child to let them know you're ready to pick them up
- After you have greeted your child at pick-up, you are responsible for their care. Please help your child continue to follow our center'ss rules.
- Give your child an idea about how long they have until you need to go.
- Check-in with a teacher to say that you are headed out.
- Use the information from the chart to start a conversation about your child's day on the way home.
Pick-Up Tips & Requests
- Take a photo of your child's chart for later reference.
- Practice patience - Your child may act upset at your end-of-the-day arrival. This is NOT because they are unhappy with you. They get engaged in play, and you're interrupting! It usually takes less time to allow your child a few minutes to finish playing rather than wait through a tantrum.
- In a rush? - If you know that you will not have time for a lengthy transition, call ahead to tell us you're on the way, and we can help prepare your child for your arrival.
- When you have greeted your child at pick-up you are responsible for their care. Please help your child continue to follow our rules.
- Read the room - Literally, take a peek around our classrooms to see what has been going on, but also see what is going on with other families. Is another parent trying to get their child to leave? It might be helpful to move your child along as a model to help them out.
- Move adult conversations - It will be exciting to have conversations with other parents while inside our building! Please move your visits to the hallway or outside and be mindful of how long you are talking if your children are waiting to go home.
- Manage parent-teacher expectations - The end of the day can be challenging for teachers. The balance between providing activities that are fun but not so fun that kids don't want to go home is tricky! Sometimes the closing teachers have switched groups and may have only been with your child for a short time. This is when you could at least get some information about the last hour or refer to your child's chart.
- Closing time (you don't have to go home) - As part of teachers' closing duties, classrooms may be tidied and prepared for the next day. Please respect that work by staying out of those empty rooms at the end of the day or keeping your child beside you if you need to enter.
- Time to go! - If you give your child a 5-minute warning, stick to it! Children need boundaries, and reeling out more and more time makes it easier for them to keep pushing, and it will become harder for your pick-up transitions. It's okay to pick up your screaming, kicking child to get them home. In the moment, they don't want to go, but they are likely hungry for dinner, tired, and ready to be home.
- 5:15+ pick-up - If you are picking up between 5:15 and 5:30, please recognize that it is the end of the day. Teachers still need to close the center and cannot do so until you exit.
- Adult arrival = Leaving - Do not arrive at RNCC then give your child the option to return in an hour or two.
- Never pretend or threaten to leave without your child.
- If you continually have difficulty with the pick-up routine, please get in touch with a teacher for suggestions on strategies that will work for your family.