Treehouse Handbook

                 Treehouse, a preschool, is a non-profit organization which provides an enrichment program for children ages three through five years.  Tuition fees which are collected pay only the expense of educational supplies and equipment, rent, insurance and the salaries of teachers and teacher aides.

             Treehouse Preschool reflects the concern for the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of the children in the community.  Children learn by being involved in the learning process, by exploring the world about them, and by being directed by sensitive teachers who help them verbalize their discoveries and stimulate their thinking.

             Treehouse is open to any child between the ages of 3 and 5 years of age.  Children must be 3 years old as of September 1^st.  No eligible child shall be discriminated against because of sex, race, religion, creed or national origin.

 Curriculum:

             The curriculum includes training in the areas of:

            1.      Gross and fine motor skills

2.      Visual skills

3.      Auditory skills

4.      Field trips

5.      Social behavior

6.      Self-image

7.      Language development

8.      Evaluation

 Hours are as follows:

 Age 3 and 4                 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon Tuesday and Thursday

                                    1:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.               Tuesday and Thursday

 Age 4 and 5                 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon Monday, Wednesday & Friday

                                    1:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.               Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Starting dates and Schedule:

             We will start school August 25, 2005 and will follow the same schedule as the Chamberlain Elementary School.  We will also follow the elementary school regarding holidays, snow days and teacher conferences, along with days for teacher in-services, useless noted on the calendar.  If the ROCS bus is not in service, but the elementary school is, we will have school but it will be the parent’s obligation to get their children back and forth from school.  School cancellations are usually announced on KWYR Magic 93 radio.  For emergency closings, such as funerals at the church, you will be contacted by the parent representative of the Board of Directors.

 Tuition and Payment:

             Registration Fee:  $25.00 non-refundable or non-transferable

             Tuition: Tuesday and Thursday                          $55.00 per month

               Monday, Wednesday & Friday                       $65.00 per month

             Tuition payment and any busing fees are due the fifth (5^th) of each month.  It may be given to the teachers or mailed to Treehouse, PO Box 312, Chamberlain, SD  57325.  Please make all checks payable to Treehouse.  Tuition is pro-rated for a 9 month period, and is not based on the number of days a child attends.  There are no tuition refunds.  For any non-payment of tuition, there will be a 30-day grace period allowed and then the child will be dropped from classes unless other arrangements are made with the Treasurer and the Board of Directors.  Payment is considered tax deductible if used as a child care expense and if both parents work or attend school full-time.  Our tax number is available upon request.

 Busing:

             Public busing is available for enrolled students through the ROCS bus.  The fares are $1.00 each way in town or $1.50 each way from Oacoma and the outskirts of town, when feasible. Darla Viereck (bus phone 730-1436) is the bus driver.  All arrangements are to be made with her.  If you wish to make any changes or corrections with the bus, please contact her. 

 Board of Directors:

             We are grateful for the people who are currently serving on the Board.  Feel free to contact any of the Board members with any concerns you have.  Parents are welcome at the first half hour of our Board meetings as noted on the monthly calendar.

 Supplies:

             All children should bring a backpack and wear comfortable clothing and soft-soled shoes.  Please make sure your child wears a hat, gloves or mittens and boots in the winter.  The parents will be asked to bring a treat along with a drink about once a month or so.  Some examples are at the end of this booklet.  The purpose of the snacks is to teach the children good eating habits and good manners.  The school supply list for this year is:  Back pack, labeled and large enough to hold papers (no wheels); extra set of clothes, one subject notebook for journaling, 3-ring binder (1") for portfolio, box of tissues, paper towels, baby wipes, and napkins.

 Arrival and Departure:

             Children should arrive no sooner than 5 minutes before Treehouse begins and depart no later than 5 minutes after dismissal time.  Your help in this area is truly appreciated.  Children must be accompanied by an adult to and from Treehouse.

 Notice of Termination:

             Please notify the teachers that your child will be leaving preschool three to four weeks in advance.

 First Day at Treehouse:

             Children are sometimes anxious the first few times they are left at school.  This is normal and even expected.  Usually, it is easier on all involved if the “good-bye” is short, affectionate, but firm.  Delaying departures is hard on the child and parent as both become more upset and reinforce each other’s fears.  Most children quiet down quickly as they are reassured by the teacher and become interested in the day’s activities.

             During the first few weeks of school, we will be conducting vision and hearing screening along with a lice check.  We will try to work around our normal school day.  If any problems are noticed, the parents will be contacted. 

Health Policy:

             Treehouse requires that your child’s immunizations are up to date.

             Treehouse is equipped to render only simple first aid.  Parents will be notified and requested to assume the responsibility for any health care that goes beyond simple first aid.  If your child is running a fever, you will be called and your child will be sent home.  Please do not send your child to school if he or she is not feeling well.

             Please also keep the teacher informed of any changes in day care providers or person to contact in case of an emergency.  This is especially important if the parent will be out of town or unavailable during a particular day.

 Behavior:

             The Treehouse teachers use time-out discipline if the child’s behavior is unacceptable.  If the child requires additional help, the teachers will notify the child’s parents. 

            Children attending Treehouse should be toilet trained of both bowel and bladder.  We understand accidents occur.  If an accident does occur the parents will be called.

 Grievance Procedure:

             In the event of misunderstandings, personality conflicts or specific complaints against the Treehouse staff or about policies, parents are encouraged to make an appointment with the teacher or contact any of the Board members.  Complaints may also be aired at Board meetings in order to work on positive solutions.  Good communications and interpersonal relationships make solving problems much easier.

 Volunteering: 

            Any volunteer work you can do gives you a first hand opportunity to participate in your child’s activities at Treehouse and to become better acquainted with your child’s friends and teachers.  Treehouse greatly appreciates your concern and use of talents in the benefit of the children.

             Your parent representative will notify you when we need your help for activities or driving on field trips.  We plan to do some fundraising such as bake sales and raffles and will ask all parents to help with those projects.

 Treehouse ROCS Busing Policy:

             We are pleased to be able to offer Community Transportation Service for Treehouse students again this year.  Busing policy is as follows:

 1.      Any pickup or delivery changes should be called in after 7:30 a.m. that day.  Call Darla Viereck at the bus phone: 730-1436. 

 2.      Adults only may authorize changes.  Please do not leave it up to another child at your sitter’s to tell the bus driver that your child is not riding the bus.

 3.      All treats carried on the bus must be carried in a covered container – NO GLASS CONTAINERS!!

 4.      Darla’s route is very busy, please let her know ALL of your child’s schedule changes as soon as you know them.

5.      Please have your child ready when the bus arrives so that everyone’s schedule may be met.

 Thank you for your cooperation.  If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact either Darla or the Treehouse teacher.

TREAT SUGGESTIONS

Each class has a student leader.  The leader brings a snack and drink for the entire class and teachers.  We try to give our students good eating habits and would prefer no sweets (candy, cupcakes, pop, Kool Aid, etc.)  All snacks need to be prepared and need to be resealable to send back on the bus.  Please do not send glass containers.  Please send a few extras as there are always little accidents.  The following are suggestions only and there are exceptions to the rule:

                         apple wedges                                       bananas

                        berries or grapes                                   peach wedges

                        carrot sticks                                          orange sections

                        English muffins                                      bagels

                        hard boiled or deviled eggs                   finger jello made with juice

                        fruit cocktail                                          cornbread

                        banana bread                                        pumpkin bread

                        carrot bars                                            cake doughnuts

                        raisins                                                   pudding

                        meat slices                                            cheese cubes or slices

                        celery w/peanut butter or cheese           sandwiches

                        pretzels                                                 Rice Krispie bars

                        Crackers such as graham, Club, Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuits or cheese

Certain cookies are acceptable such as oatmeal, peanut butter, raisin and Newton cookies (fig, strawberry & apple).

Please do not send peanuts, Gummi Bears or Gummi Worms, Fruit Roll-Ups or Fruit Wrinkles as they may cause choking.

You will also be asked to bring a drink.  Here are a few suggestions: 

            Milk                                         Pure Juice (any flavor)

Amounts suggested for snacks (select 2 of these 4 items)

                        Mild (fluid) – ½ cup

                        Meat or alternate – ½ oz.

                        Juice, fruit or vegetable – ½ cup

                        Bread or cereal product – ½ slice or 1/3 cup

****   PLEASE NO JUICE BOXES *****

TREEHOUSE, INC.

Philosophy:

 Treehouse, a preschool, is a non-profit organization which provides an enrichment program for children ages three through five years.  Tuition fees, which are collected, pay only the expenses of educational supplies and equipment and the salaries of teachers, aides, rent, and insurance.

 Treehouse preschool reflects the concern for the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of the children in the community.  It is based upon the philosophy which recognizes the uniqueness of each child, and his or her right to be himself or herself.  Treehouse recognizes the importance of the early years in developing a positive self image, satisfying social relationships, language development, creativity and concept formations.  Children learn by being involved in the learning process, by exploring the world about them and by being directed by sensitive teachers, who help them verbalize their discoveries and stimulate their thinking.

 No eligible child shall be discriminated against because of sex, age, race, religion, creed or national origin.

Objectives

 Objectives of Treehouse are social development and a readiness for school.  The program outline includes what preschool children should be learning in social behavior, social acceptance, basic concepts and motor skills.

Curriculum

 The Curriculum includes training in the areas of:

 I. Motor Skills

1. Gross Motor Skills

•  can recognize body parts

• is able to balance

• is able to walk

• is able to run

• is able to jump

• is able to hop

• is able to skip

• is able to throw

• is able to ride a tricycle

• can move rhythmically to music

2. Fine Eye-Hand Motor skills

•  is able to paste

• is able to cut

• can trace a drawn pattern

• can copy a pegboard pattern

• can copy shape

• can reproduce simple designs

• can work puzzles

• movements when performing writing skills

 II.      Visual Receptive and Comprehension Skills

•  understands the use of objects (categorization)

• knows colors

• knows shapes

• knows the letters in their name

• demonstrates understanding of size differences

• can identify the concepts of top, middle, front & back

• can recognize his or her written name

• is able to reproduce visual sequential patterns

• can recognize objects by matching

• can recognize common labels and symbols

• can recognize visual similarities

• can recognize visual differences

III.    Auditory Receptive and Comprehension Skills

•  can recognize environmental sounds

• can discriminate sound similarities and differences

• can repeat a sequence of five words

• can repeat simple nursery rhymes

• is able to retell a short story (plot, main ideas and characters)

• understands analogies (opposites)

 IV.              Field Trips

V.                 Social Behavior

VI.              Self Image

VII.            Language Development

VIII.         Evaluation

Implementation:  How you accomplish items in curriculum

 I.                    Motor Skills

 A.     Gross Motor Skills

        1.      Films, songs & records with motor skills & body parts

2.      Bean bag toss, throw ball in basket and catching ball

3.      Walking on a line or balance beam

4.      Physical exercises such as hopping, skipping & jumping

B.     Fine Eye-Hand Motor Skills 

1.      Art Projects

2.      Puzzles

3.      Printing on birthday cards

4.      Objects & lines to trace

5.      Cut a picture and put back together

 II.                 Visual Receptive and Comprehension Skills 

A.     Categorization of animals, homes, holidays, etc.

B.     Playing color games

C.     Marking objects with a specific color crayon or crayons

D.     Identifying games, oral exercises on shapes

E.      Choosing his or her name for roll call

F.      Child naming the letters in his or her name

G.     Object exercises on matching

H.     Object exercises on visual patterns; similarities and differences

I.        Arranging objects according to size (big-little, short-tall)

J.       Looking and telling from memory the sequence of objects

K.    Looking and naming the missing object

 III.               Auditory Receptive and  Comprehension Skills 

A.     Identifying sounds on records

B.     Blind fold games to identify sounds, direction of sound and intensity of sound

C.     Name a sequence of five or less words for child to repeat

D.     Learn numbers through counting games, calendar, number of students and songs

E.      Ordinal concepts applies to days of the week forming a line

F.      Following directions through listening activities and games

G.     Listening to stories and discussions at story time and show and tell

H.     Teaching nursery rhymes and short poems

I.        Retelling fairytales to teacher

J.       Rhyming songs and records

K.    Teach children opposites

IV.              Field Trips (4-5 year old groups) – These are options: 

A.     Fire Station                                                                                     K. Post Office

B.     Dentist                                                                                            L. Hospital

C.     Clinic                                                                                              M. Barber Shop

D.     Veterinarian                                                                                    N. Movie Theatre

E.      Nature Walks                                                                                 O. Farm

F.      Learning about different animals through observation                        P. Library

G.     Bank                                                                                              Q. Kindergarten

H.     Grocery Store

I.        Restaurant

J.       Sunset Valley or Riverview Retirement House

V.                 Social Behavior 

A.     Show and Tell

B.     Visiting playground park

C.     Holiday Parties

D.     Games

E.      Sharing toys during free playtime, art and classroom activities

F.      Learning table manners at snack time

G.     Learning to share teachers’ time with others

H.     Teaching social graces through observation of teachers and peer contact

VI.              Self Image 

A.     Films, songs and records on body parts

B.     Show and tell to build self confidence

C.     Express emotions

D.     Giving praise and compliments to child for good work or behavior

VII.            Language Development 

A.     Show and Tell

B.     Using proper grammar to express ideas

C.     Social graces/use words such as please, may I and thank you

D.     Is able to use complete sentences

E.      Can answer questions

F.      Uses functional vocabulary

VIII.         Evaluation 

A.     Parent/Teacher conferences (none with 3 year old group unless requested)

B.     Eye and hearing tests done first 2 weeks of school

C.     Dial test at kindergarten round-up at public school

D.     Treehouse evaluation sheet for individual student

E.      Annual end of the year program for parents

F.      Organize school programs including contacting parents for refreshments

G.     Pre-registration evening in May to meet parents

H.     Open house in August to meet students and their parents.

I.        Speech/Language evaluations for 3-4 year olds and 4-5 year olds who have not been tested previously.  Parents may request ST test at anytime.

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