Parent Orientation
A parent-only orientation for will be scheduled for a weekday evening during mid-August. You will receive notification of this by mail.  At this meeting, parents will have the opportunity to meet Teachers, Teacher’s Aides and Board Members. The Parent Handbook will be discussed and any questions from the parents will be discussed and addressed.

Classroom Visit
Also, a modified school day, for morning and afternoon sessions, will be scheduled at the end of August to allow each parent to spend time with their child in the classroom. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the other parents and students and for your child to become comfortable with the preschool environment.

Preparing for the First Day of School
Preschool is a time for play, learning, exploring and sometimes getting messy. Rocking Horse Preschool strives to teach your child to be independent, so please help by having your child wear clothing she/he can manage and that is comfortable and washable.
Note: In the Winter, please have your child wear mittens. It is very time consuming to glove 140 little fingers.

Backpacks
Please provide your child with a large backpack for school with her/his name on it. Each child should have a complete change of clothing (including socks and underwear) in the backpack during the entire year. Please be sure the clothing is appropriate for the changing seasons.
Note: Please check your child’s backpack daily as you will find the day’s work and information from their teacher.

2024-2025 School Year Monthly Rates

• 3 Year old – $165 Per Month
• 4 Year old – $190 Per Month

   Monthly Tuition payments are due the first school day of each month. Please place tuition in an envelope clearly marked with your child’s name and your name. An insufficient funds fee of $35 will be charged to the parents for any check returned by our bank for insufficient funds.

The Board reserves the right to withdraw a child from class if tuition payment is thirty (30) days delinquent. Exception to this policy would be due to serious illness. Each case will be handled by the Rocking Horse Preschool Board after a written letter from the parents is received. No pro-rated refunds will be given if your child is removed from the Preschool before the end of the month.

Anyone needing financial assistance through the Scholarship or Emergency Fund should request an application through a staff member.

Arrival 

There are 2 session start times: 9:00 AM & 12:30 PM.

Note: The Preschool remains locked until this time.

Dropping off is done at the front door via the carpool lane.

Dismissal

Dismissal times are 11:30 AM & 3:00 PM.

Note: You may be charged a late fee if you are repeatedly not present at dismissal time and your child has to be brought back into the preschool.

Pickup is done via the front entrance same as dropping off.

As with arrival, we respectfully ask that you note time constraints. Please understand that the staff has other obligations after school and should not be taking students back into the preschool after dismissal. Habitual tardiness in picking up your child may result in additional fees.

If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up your child, please inform us at the time of drop off or you may call/text the teacher directly.

Weather Cancellations & Delays

Rocking Horse Preschool follows the lead of Hempfield Area School District for weather cancellations or delays. Therefore, if Hempfield is closed for the day, Rocking Horse Preschool will also be closed. If Hempfield is operating on a 2-hour delay, Rocking Horse Preschool will operate as follows:

Morning Program: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Afternoon Program: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Note: Rocking Horse Preschool will make every effort possible to make up cancelled snow days.

Parents will receive a calendar each month with your scheduled snack day listed. Please provide a snack for the entire class on this day. Rocking Horse Preschool will provide the drinks and napkins. All snacks must be store bought & prepackaged. No homemade snacks are permitted.

Some Safe Snack Suggestions:

*  Fruits (cut grapes or cherries in half)

*  Fruit Cups

*  Cheese or Cheese Sticks

*  Yogurt

*  Pretzels

*  Pepperidge Farm Goldfish (any flavor)

*  Honeymaid Graham Crackers or Sticks

*  Vegetable Sticks

*  Raisins

*  Sunshine saltine Crackers

*  Teddy Grahams

Birthday Snacks

If your child’s birthday falls during the school year, you will be scheduled to provide a snack as close to your child’s birthday as possible, and it will be on the snack calendar.

In addition to providing the snack on this special day, your child will have a birthday crown available to them and will be recognized as the class leader for the day!

If your child’s birthday falls during the summer, it will be celebrated in May before the end of the year, if you choose to do so.

About Food Allergies

You will be given a list of food allergies in your child’s class during the first week of school. Please keep these allergies in mind when planning a snack for the class.

If you are a parent of a child with food allergies, please be as specific as possible regarding any sensitivities. Also, please ask every day regarding the snack choices available upon drop off.

We do our best to prevent incidents from occurring but it is always best for the parent to check the snack and let us know if it is safe for their child.

A child with a sensitivity may bring in her/his own snack if what is being offered is not suitable. The Preschool always has pretzels available for snack.

Rocking Horse Preschool strives to work with our students’ parents to gain a better understanding of the child and their needs and to add to the parents understanding of their child in the school environment.

Rocking Horse Preschool encourages parents to be an active part of our preschool through orientation and visitation, snacks and birthdays, field trips and the parent-teacher conferences. Parents are always welcome and are encouraged to participate according to their schedules. Simply inform the teacher or aide of your desire to do so.

Seasonal Parties

All classes will have Halloween, Christmas, Valentine and Easter parties. parties are planned by the parents, with the assistance of the classroom teacher. More information about these parties will be discussed at the parent orientation.  sign up sheets will be sent home prior to parties.

** No siblings can attend the parties. We understand that this presents a problem for some parents, but we would like to keep the parties for the enjoyment of the students.

Field Trips

Educational and fun field trips may be scheduled throughout the year. Parents will be required to accompany and provide transportation for their child. Any cost for the field trip is the parent’s responsibility.

A Field Trip Liability Release form will be sent home prior to the field trip. While the school will observe strict safety precautions, it will not assume responsibility for injury incurred at the school or on a field trip.

Please do not send your child to Preschool when he/she is not feeling well. Your child will recover more quickly at home and there will not be added risk of exposing others in class.  Your child should be free of fever for at least 24 hours before you send her/him back to school. For the protection of your child and others, please do not send your child to preschool with symptoms of any of the following:

* Upset stomach
* Running nose with a cold
* Sore throat
* Fever
* Rash
* Swollen glands
* Diarrhea
* Earache
* Persistent cough
* Red or inflamed eye(s)
* Lice
* Other communicable disease

MEDICATION POLICY
Our staff is not permitted to administer any form of medications to your child.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS
If your child is injured or becomes ill at preschool, the parent will be notified immediately. If parents are not available, then the person designated to be called in an emergency will be contacted.
Be sure to keep us updated of any changes in telephone numbers, addresses, place(s) of employment and emergency contacts.

MEDICAL RELEASE FORMS
Rocking Horse Preschool Board has approved medical forms which will be filled out at parent orientation.

LONG TERM ILLNESS
     If your child has a long term illness, please submit a letter describing the student’s illness, signed by her/his physician to the Rocking Horse Preschool Board. The Board will review and decide on an individual basis regarding the child’s absence and monthly tuition payments.

Rocking Horse Preschool believes it is the role of the teacher, teacher’s aide and volunteers to act as role models to help the children express their own feelings and respect the feelings to others. We believe in behavior modification through redirection (under no circumstances will corporal punishment be used to discipline any child). Even a young child can begin to understand the cause and effect of her/his actions.

 Unacceptable Behavior

The following are unacceptable behaviors for the Rocking Horse Preschool:

1. A child who constantly disrupts the classroom and requires individual attention because of the disruptive behavior.
2. A child who causes harm, physically or emotionally, to another child or adult.
3. A child who is unable to follow the rules of the classroom.
4. A child’s behavior hinders or disrupts the education of the other children in the class.

 Behavior Modification through Redirection

If the child engages in unacceptable behavior:

The teacher will redirect the child and provide other alternatives.

1. If this does not stop the behavior, the teacher will remove the child from the activity and place her/him in a place for a “time out”. This will give the child time to think about what has occurred. It also gives the teacher time to speak to the child and redirect her/him back to an appropriate activity.
2. If the behavior persists on multiple days, the child will then be observed by a member of the Preschool Board.
3. The teacher will ask the parents for their support and suggestions to help the child develop the appropriate skills for a learning and social environment. A conference with the parent(s) will be requested by the teacher. This conference will include members of the Rocking Horse Preschool Board.

Our goal at Rocking Horse Preschool is to help children work out their conflicts and find solutions in a most constructive way.