Back to School

We are happy to have your family at ACH for the 2022-2023 school year! It is hard to believe that we are already talking about the start of school, but it will be here before we know it. There are some exciting changes this coming year, so be sure to read through the newsletter. I will send out an additional newsletter in August with more details about Meet the Teacher and what to expect on the First Day of School.

ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER!

Reanna Eddy

Director

Meet the Teacher: Thursday, August 25th at 5:45

First Day of School: Monday, August 29th

Holiday/ School Closure: Monday, September 5th

Spanish: Young children learn a second language much like they learn their first: through songs, stories, talking, and playing. Once a week, our Spanish teacher will come into your child's class to teach Spanish basics through engaging hands-on lessons.

Music and Movement: We are excited to add a Music and Movement program that children will attend once a week with our Music and Movement teacher. This will not replace the daily dancing and movement activities provided by your child's classroom teacher but be an additional activity to support their physical development. This is an important part of growth for all children to develop and refine their gross motor skills.

These two programs will alternate on Mondays and Tuesdays through out year so every child will be able to enjoy Spanish and Music and Movement class no matter what schedule they attend school. If your child attends Monday-Thursday, they will have the benefit of attending both programs each week.

Our curriculum emphasizes a “hands on” approach to learning. Classroom lessons provide active involvement, meaningful exploration, and reinforcement through repetition. Daily schedules are designed to balance structure and free choice, as well as active and quiet times. Skills are introduced through materials and activities which are both child-centered and teacher-directed. Activities are planned which emphasize the process instead of the product, fostering a sense of achievement and self-worth. Equipment, materials, and activities are chosen based on the appropriate ages and stages of the child’s development. We follow the Texas Early Childhood Guidelines in our younger classes and the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines in our Pre-K class.

This year we will be using the program, ChildPilot to streamline our communication, registration, and tuition into one place.

Using a computer or mobile device through the app, parents will be able to sign children in and out, message admin and staff, pay tuition, obtain yearly tax statements, update and sign childcare forms, pre-register, and more.

You will be receiving a parent portal invitation by the end of July to setup your account and complete any needed registration paperwork. Once you receive the email, check out the user guide below to get started.

We will have multiple payment options the year. You can pay by:

• Cash or check to the tuition drop box
• Zelle
• Credit Card through ChildPilot (automated or one time payment options available)

To pay cash or check: If paying in cash, please place money in envelope labeled with your child's name. If paying by check, make checks payable to A Child's Haven and include your child's name in the memo line.

To pay through Zelle: This can be done through the app or often times, through your bank. Please include your child's name in the description line of the payment.

email:director@childshaven.net

phone: (830)370-4659

To pay by credit card: Login to your ChildPilot account. There will be a 3% service charge added to your payment.

Your child will need to bring a back pack with:

• Filled water bottle
• Snack
• Lunch
• An extra pair of clothes (or two if potty training)
  
  

Please label all items with your child's name.

If your child is in the Toddler One or Toddler Two class and is not potty trained, we have a small space to store a pack of wipes and diapers for each child. You do not need to bring these back and forth daily.

(updated 1/19/2022)

Masks: Masks will be a personal choice for all staff, parents, and students.

It is your choice on whether or not you would like your child to wear a mask during the day. If you are sending your child to school in a mask, please communicate with your child's teachers on your expectations for mask wearing, and they will help carry it out to the best of their ability. Consider purchasing a mask lanyard to help keep your child's mask off the tables during lunch/snack and from possibly falling on the floor. I encourage you to work with your child on putting on and taking off their mask as well as wearing a mask for an extended period of time prior to the start date of school.

Vaccine: Per Governor Abbott's order, we can not require staff members to get vaccinated. At this time, the State of Texas has not added the COVID-19 vaccination to the required immunizations. Staff members are not required to disclose if they have or have not received the Covid-19 vaccination.

Notifications: You will be notified via email if your child’s class has an exposure to COVID-19.

Signs and Symptoms: Please be vigilant about your health, your families health as well as the health of the people around you. We all have to work together as a team to make this year successful and keep our kids learning. The following are signs and symptoms that we need to keep close eye on to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

· Cough

· Shortness of breath

· Chills

· Repeated shaking and chills

· Muscle Pain

· Headache

· Sore throat

· Congestion or runny nose

· Loss of taste or smell

· Diarrhea

· Feeling feverish or measured temperature of 100.0 degrees F or above

· Known close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have Covid-19

If anyone in your home is exhibiting symptoms or in general not feeling well, please keep your child home from school and notify your child's teacher and director. This will help reduce the number of exposure that we have in our school.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be sending children home from school if they are exhibiting multiple symptoms even if they are fever free. A doctor's note to confirm allergies vs. Covid may be requested.

Exposure: Students or staff members who have reported close contact/ direct exposure with a person who has Covid-19, while not wearing a mask, will be encouraged to:

-stay home and quarantine for 5 days

-monitor for symptoms consistent with COVID-19-

- test or continue to stay home (5 days for staff/ 10 for students) if symptoms occur

It will remain your choice on whether or not you will send your child to school if there has been an exposure in the classroom. (Aligns with LISD policy)

If you become symptomatic, stay home, test, or seek guidance from a medical professional on what the next steps should be.

If the direct exposure is a person in the household where constant contact is unavoidable where the COVID positive person cannot isolate, we encourage you to:

-keep your child home for 5 days

-have your child tested and receive a negative result before returning to school.

Student Positive Test: The child will be asked to stay home and can return to ACH once all the following are met:

-10 days out from the start of the symptoms

-Fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication

-Symptoms have improved.

Staff Positive Test: (Change per CDC guidelines and LISD policy) The staff member will be asked to stay home and can return to ACH once all the following are met:

-5 days out from the start of the symptoms

-Fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication

-Symptoms have improved

-Staff member is feeling well enough to return

The staff member will be required to wear a mask upon return until 10 days from the start of symptoms.

Research, backed by CDC, is showing that a person can test positive without being able to transmit the virus for up to 3 months after the original diagnosis. “Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after illness onset. However, replication-competent virus has not been reliably recovered and infectiousness is unlikely.” -CDC. Students or staff members who contracted Covid do not need to receive a negative test to return to school after the 5 or 10 day period.

Additional Measures: We will continue with cleaning and disinfecting protocols throughout the day and will repeat this process on toys and frequently touched surfaces again at the end of each day. A cleaning crew will come once a week on Fridays. Handwashing is one of our best preventive measures. We will continue frequent handwashing per CDC guidelines.

The church installed touchless soap and paper towel dispensers as well as hand sanitizer dispensers which are located by the front and back doors of the school. Thank you CPFUMC!

ACH Families, you are our first line of defense against Covid-19 in our school. If you are questioning whether or not you should send your child to school because of not feeling well or a family member is not feeling well, please consider keeping them home for the day to watch for additional symptoms. This is a team effort and we are blessed with amazing families and teachers to work with during this time.

I am always happy to talk with you about any questions or concerns that you have, so please don't hesitate to reach out.

During the summer, I will be working the majority of my time from my home office. The best way to contact me is through email. Please allow me 24 hours to get back with you Monday-Thursday. If you me contact me on the weekend, I will return your message on Monday.

I will be on vacation July 22-July 31. I will return to office Monday, August 1st.

Have a great summer!

Kind regards,

Reanna Eddy

Director

A Child's Haven

Email: director@childshaven.net
Website: https://childshaven.net/
Location: 600 W. Park St.
Phone: 512-335-9540
Facebook: www.facebook.com/childshaven.net/