This

handbook is intended to be a supplement to the Parent Handbook, which can be found anytime at www.tbcc4me.org. The purpose of this handbook is to introduce the Rainbow Fish Room teachers, and our philosophy working with babies, in addition to clarifying policies, and procedures that are unique to our classroom. We would love your feedback and suggestions.

The Rainbow Fish Room Hand book

Rainbow Fish Room

Index
Philosophy, Observation and Documentation.. Curriculum... Room Parent(s), Parent Meetings, and Parent Volunteer Hours For New Families Feeding and Napping Schedule... Infant Questionnaire. The First Day (Supplies to Bring)... The First Week Transition... .. Policies and Procedures Infant Sleep Policy... Diaper Changing Procedure...
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Rainbow Fish Room

Philosophy
The Rainbow Fish Room believes that high quality, relationship-based early care and education is critical to healthy development. We seek to work in partnership with families to support a whole childs development through promoting healthy relationships in our classroom community. Our goal is to foster attachment relationships and engage children in opportunities for growth that is developmentally appropriate. The Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) philosophy, which emphasizes respectful and responsive care, inspires our practice. Infants in the Rainbow Fish room are appreciated for what they can do, and not hurried into the next developmental milestones. We recognize that every child will grow and reach developmental milestones at a time that is right for his or her individual development. Rainbow Fish Room teachers document childrens development with the goal of improving opportunities to support each childs development to the best of our ability, as well as to observe if a child is in need of additional resources to further support his or her growth.

Observation and documentation

Rainbow Fish Room

Curriculum
Our curriculum is respectful and responsive to childrens needs and developmental abilities. One definition of curriculum for infants is an environment that supports the development of a childs mind (cognitive skills), body (motor skills), and feelings (social-emotional skills) through structured and unstructured activities. Communication and language skills are more complex skills that are developed with time, and are supported by a firm foundation of cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skills.

Younger Infants (6 months and under)

Through planned activities like diaper changing, feeding, and napping, very young infants start to develop a sense of trust in their worldthe first step towards healthy social- emotional development! At the same time, they are also learning about verbal and non-verbal communication through the interaction during these activities, and developing their cognitive skills. Young infants also learn about their world through unstructured activities and play. For example, infants learn about objects and their properties (supporting cognitive and motor development) when they handle and mouth toys. As they practice rolling and push themselves up during tummy-time, infants are developing their large motor skills. When they cry or smile and coo and are responded to in a respectful way, infants learn they are important in the world (supporting social-emotional development), and at the same time are also learning cause and effect (If I cry, then my needs will be met), which supports cognitive development.

Older Infants (over 6 months)

Older infants develop best when they are allowed to practice emerging skills, such as crawling and exploring the world, at their own time and in their own way. Rainbow Fish Room teachers will provide opportunities for children to explore, learn, and develop their cognitive, motor, social-emotional, and communication skills through structured and unstructured play. Older infants can benefit from more structured activities, such as songs, finger plays, and sign language (supporting communication, small motor and cognitive skills), crawling slides and peekaboo boxes (supporting large motor, communication and cognitive skills). The Rainbow Fish Room teachers use the Buttercups curriculum as a guide to planning more structured and developmentally appropriate activities for our older infants. Younger infants are encouraged to observe and participate in these activities to the best of their ability. Structured activities are made available throughout the course of the day, and will be implemented when the children show signs of interest.

Room Parent(s), Parent Meetings,

and

Parent volunteer hours

Room Parent(s)
Each room is assigned room parent(s) for the school year by the end of September. For the school year 2012-2013, the Rainbow Fish Room Parents will be Caitlin (Williams mom), Chrissy (Lucas mom), and Vivianne (Andreas mom). These room parents are be responsible for organizing food for parent meetings, presenting ideas to parents at the parent meetings, and organizing an email list and phone list for classroom contact purposes that will be distributed to each family. A room parent is like a cheerleader for the room. An ideal room parent is someone who is excited about school functions, their childs classroom, and making contact with other parents; by providing a sense of community to their room. A room parent works closely with the teachers of the classroom they represent and is a team player. A room parent will also be asked to be a part of planning committee for school-wide events/ functions, by the director, throughout the year.

Parent Meetings

Parent meetings may be held every month or when most parents are available in each room. Parent meetings are for all parents of each room to attend. The function of the parent meeting is to connect with each other about areas of greatness and areas that could use improvement. Teachers can attend these meeting and should be invited by the room parent. Parent meeting do not have to take place at TBCC. Parent meetings are to be informative, uplifting, and appropriate critique and impute. Parent meeting are also designed to build a sense of community amongst the families in that classroom.

Mandatory Parent Volunteer Hours:

All parents are expected to complete a total of ten volunteer hours every traditional school year (September to June). The summer months are not designated for completing parent volunteer hours. If parents need to complete these hours in summer please speak to the Director. Parent volunteer hours are for completing a job from a list organized by the director, staff, and preschool board. Please see the director before volunteering hours to obtain a sign off sheet.

Feeding/ Napping Schedule

Please fill out before the first day The average day for my child looks like this:

Feeding Schedule

What

(example: Breastmilk bottle)

How Much
(3-4 oz.)

How Often

(Every 2- 2 1/2 hours)

Napping Schedule

How Often

(example: every 2 hours)

How I put him to sleep at home*

(rocked, shhh noises, swaddled)

*See TBCC Infant Sleep Policy

Infant Questionnaire
Please fill out before the first day

Childs Name:

Your Name:

Childs Birthdate: Relationship to Child:

1. Please tell us a little about your family. Who are the primary caregivers in your family (mom, dad, grandparents, auntie, uncle, etc)? Does your child have siblings? What does your family do for fun?

2. Please tell us about your childs personality. What makes him laugh? What makes him cry? What does he like most? What does he really not like?

3. Does your child have any special soothing objects (blankets, toys, pacifier)?

4. What are your childs strengths and challenges?

5. What is your history of childcare? Why did you choose TBCC?

6. What would you like to see your child be like in one year? Five? Ten?

The First Day

Supplies to Bring
Clothes Three sets of clothes (labeled) A set of clothes in a zip lock bag (kept in shed in case of emergency) (labeled) Diaper Supplies Supply of diapers, labeled wipes and diaper cream Napping/ Soothing Supplies Labeled Nuk/ Pacifier (if needed) Crib sheet and blanket. Food Supplies Labeled bottles, breast milk, formula, and food (as needed for your child). Labeled bottles Labeled powdered formula or formula prepared in bottles. If you cannot prepare formula at home, please bring bottles so the teachers can prepare the bottles. Labeled dry food. Labeled baby food jars. Breastfeeding is welcome and encouraged at any time of day. If mom cannot come to breast feed, please bring breast milk in a seal n go freezer bag labeled and with the expiration date. Other A picture of your family, 2 pictures of your child Feeding/ Napping Schedule & Infant Questionnaire filled out

Please label all items with your childs name!

The First Week Transition

Please fill out before the first day It is important to us that you and your child feel comfortable in our classroom from the very beginning. We expect that it will take a full week for your child to fully transition into our classroom, and will work with you to create a schedule to make that transition as seamless as possible. The First Day On the first day, a parent will be with the child the full day. The first day will be a great opportunity for you and your child to observe our classroom and get to know your childs new friends and teachers. After the First Day Every day after the first day, we will ask you to leave the classroom for longer periods of time. For example, on the Tuesday, you may leave for 2 hours; on Wednesday, you may leave for 3 hours; on Wednesday, you may leave for 5 hours; on Thursday, you may leave for 6 hours; on Friday, you may leave the full day (but stay nearby). During this time, we ask that you stay near or at TBCC, and will update you regularly about your childs progress. Please fill out the transition calendar below to give us an idea of your schedule. Because infants feel more secure when their schedules are the same everyday, it is best the five days are continuous (Monday through Friday for one week). Hours to stay: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Comments

Friday:

Trinity Baptist Preschool Infant Sleep Policy Infants are always put to sleep on their backs to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), until the child turns one-year-old, or is developmentally ready to be placed in a different position (for example, if the infant can comfortably roll onto his/her back from his/her stomach).

What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age 1 in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death. Prevention Revised American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) guidelines, released in October 2005, recommend the following: Always put a baby to sleep on his/her back. (This includes naps.) DO NOT put a baby to sleep on his/her stomach. Side sleeping is unstable and should also be avoided. Allowing the baby to roll around on his/her tummy while awake can prevent a flat spot (due to sleeping in one position) from forming on the back of the head. Only put babies to sleep in a crib. NEVER allow the baby to sleep in bed with other children or adults, and do NOT put them to sleep on surfaces other than cribs, like a sofa. Let babies sleep in the same room (NOT the same bed) as parents. If possible, babies cribs should be placed in the parents' bedroom to allow for night-time feeding. Avoid soft bedding materials. Babies should be placed on a firm, tight-fitting crib mattress with no comforter. Use a light sheet to cover the baby. Do not use pillows, comforters, or quilts. Make sure the room temperature is not too hot. The room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly-clothed adult. A baby should not be hot to the touch. Offer the baby a pacifier when going to sleep. Pacifiers at naptime and bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. Doctors think that a pacifier might allow the airway to open more, or prevent the baby from falling into a deep sleep. A baby that wakes up more easily may automatically move out of a dangerous position. If the baby is breastfeeding, it is best to wait until 1 month before offering a pacifier, so that it doesnt interfere with breastfeeding. Do not force a baby to use a pacifier. Do not use breathing monitors or products marketed as ways to reduce SIDS. In the past, home apnea(breathing) monitors were recommended for families with a history of the

 Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002533/ Infant Room

condition. But research found that they had no effect, and the use of home monitors has largely stopped

Diaper Changing Procedure

1. Get supplies ready before changing a child (sanitizing paper, gloves, diaper, wipes, cream, plastic bag). Use new gloves for every child. 2. Place child on a clean changing table. 3. Keep a hand on the child at all times. 4. Clean childs bottom from front to back with a fresh wipe. 5. If needed, apply diaper cream using small wipe with new glove. 6. Dirty diapers go in plastic bag with used wipes and gloves. If BM, diapers are double bagged. 7. Take off glove and throw it away. 8. Put clean diaper on child. 9. Wipe childs and your own hands with sanitizing wipe. Remove child from changing table. 10. Disinfect table with disinfectant solution (located in cubby above table).

Wash Hands!