2026-2027 PECC Parent Handbook

admission & withdrawal policy

Children must be three years of age and be completely toilet trained to enroll. Your child must be 3 years old by September 1st of the current school year for our 3-year old programs. Our 4-year old programs require your child to be 4 years old by September 1st of the current school year. A non-refundable enrollment fee is due at the time of registration; in addition to the State of Michigan required paperwork and signed Policy agreement. 

All children enrolled in preschool must be fully toilet trained and able to use the bathroom independently. This means your child should be able to go to the bathroom, pull down clothing, sit on the toilet, wipe, get dressed again, and wash their hands without adult assistance. Children wearing pull-ups are not considered toilet trained.

Bathroom breaks are built into our daily schedule, and children may also use the bathroom whenever they need to. Teachers will encourage children to wipe themselves after a bowel movement, and we ask that families practice this skill at home as well. If a child is unable to clean themselves after a bowel movement, parents will be contacted to assist, as staff are not able to clean children.

Children who have frequent bathroom accidents may not yet be ready for the preschool classroom. Frequent accidents are defined as more than two accidents within a three-week period of attendance. If this occurs, families will be asked to take a two-week break from school to focus on toilet training at home.

Accidents are tracked based on a child’s overall attendance pattern and will not reset if a child temporarily withdraws or takes a short break from school. In addition, the preschool administration reserves the right to require a temporary training break at any time if a child is not demonstrating consistent toilet independence in the classroom setting.

If accidents continue after the training break, the child may be dismissed from the program.

We request a two-week notice before withdrawing from our program. Should you decide to re-enroll, there must be a spot available. A $50 re-enrollment fee will be due at that time.

our philosophy

This is a child centered program. We let kids be kids. We believe children are curious, eager learners who can be guided to be independent, self-reliant problem solvers. Children can help make decisions about their daily activities. We believe children learn best when allowed to explore, experiment, and actively participate in the use of a variety of materials and learning experiences. We feel children develop best in a classroom with clear, consistent, yet fair limits, where staff allow children to learn through their mistakes and are guided in a nurturing way in how to choose acceptable behavior. We believe the center and families should establish effective two-way communication to meet the learning and developmental needs of children.  

transitioning to the program

In July, there is a parent orientation meeting to learn about the policies of the center and the goals and activities for your child’s particular classroom. This is a very important meeting to attend so you can learn more about what will be happening each day with your child. There will also be a family open house before the start of school. At this time the children are invited to come meet the staff, get acquainted with their classroom, and see other parts of the center.  

Parent/guardian responsibilities

1. Read the Parent Handbook and the Rockford Preschool Policy Book. 
2. Provide up-to-date emergency information and let us know about changes in phone numbers, addresses, emails, and parent work place.
3. Send your child well rested, healthy, and with appropriate clothing for playing outside.   
4. By attending family functions that our center sponsors, you will get to know staff better and meet the families of other children in your child’s room. You will become more familiar with our center, our philosophy, and our policies. 
5. Giving feedback to the staff and program director helps to build a strong bond with your family. 
6. Be sure you are aware of how we can best work with your child. We want to know what they like to do, their special interests, new fears, anything that worries your child, and/or health changes. 
7. All art is refrigerator worthy! Displaying your child’s art shows that you value their work. We stress the process over product art.  Learning and pride comes from doing their own creation. 
8. Keep up to date on what is happening in your child’s classroom so that you can ask specific questions about their day.  Each classroom has a parent information board with reminders, photos, and highlights of the day.  Monthly newsletters will provide information about unit themes, dates to remember, and activities you can do at home to enhance what your child is doing in the classroom. 
9. Cell phone use – please finish your conversation, verbal or text, prior to entering the building.

Communication with Parents

As stated in our philosophy, we believe the center and families should establish effective two-way communication to meet the learning and developmental needs of the child. The lead teachers will keep you informed of your child’s adjustment to the program. If there is an event during the day that we feel you should know about, we will contact you or message you on Class Dojo. It is important that you communicate any concerns that you have with the lead teacher of the classroom. It is also helpful to know of any events at home that may change your child’s normal disposition.   

Tuition

Tuition is charged on the basis of enrollment, not attendance. Parents will be charged tuition for scheduled days whether or not the child/children attend. We pre-bill tuition for all programs. Sibling discounts are not offered. As a self-supported program, timely payments are necessary to support and sustain the standards of the program. Tuition invoices will be issued on the 20th of the month preceding the billing period. Payment is due by the 25th of that same month. A late payment fee of $25.00 will be assessed for payments made 7 days past the due date. Non-payment of tuition will result in dismissal from the program. Please refer to the Rockford Preschool Policy Book for details outlining Rockford Preschool’s Tuition Payment Policy.

To Make a Payment

Log into your Arux account and select “Your Invoices.”  Follow the prompts to pay your bill.

• $48.00 Per Day – Preschool Enrichment Child Care Program Only - Minimum Enrollment 2 Set Days
• $38.00 Per Day - Dual Enrollment Full Day Enrichment along with the Spanish or Montessori program

Hours and Days of Operation

The Preschool Enrichment Child Care center is in operation Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm year-round. The center is closed for major holidays, a few days around Christmas and the New Year and during Mid-Winter Break. 

For Winter and Spring Break only, you will have a designated period of time to notify the office if your child will not be attending during those break days. If the office is contacted within the specified time frame, you will not be charged for the days your child will be absent. If you notify the office of an absence after the deadline, you will still be charged for those days, even if your child does not attend. Please note this only applies to the official Winter and Spring break dates listed on the preschool calendar. 

Please check the Preschool Enrichment Child Care Center calendar and if dually-enrolled, your other program calendar for additional closure dates. The State of Michigan law requires no child be left at a child care center for longer than 11 hours.

Discipline Policy 

The emphasis of our discipline policy is to assist a child in learning to develop inner control of his/her own behavior. Children are disciplined in a positive manner at Rockford Preschool. We encourage the development of self-direction and cooperation. Expectations and routines are explained and practiced at the beginning of the year. We encourage positive behaviors by providing a variety of developmentally appropriate activities for the children. When children are busy and challenged, they usually do not display undesirable behaviors. We are careful to let the child know that it is the behavior that is unacceptable, not the child. If the child’s behavior is unacceptable, the child will be redirected to a different activity. Appropriate strategies will be implemented to help the child and adjust their behavior. In cases in which a child displays a repeated problem behavior and is not showing progress toward improving the behavior, we will notify parents. If it becomes apparent that the child is not ready for this kind of environment, we reserve the right to ask the parent to find other childcare. A child might have to be dismissed sooner if he/she is jeopardizing the safety of anyone. If we feel the program is not meeting the needs of the child or if the child is not fitting into the group, we will contact the parents and try to work out the problem. If after two conferences and follow up periods, it is apparent that the child is not going to fit into the group we reserve the right to give the parent a two-week notice of termination of services.

Health Care Policy

The health and safety of the children and staff is a top priority for our program. Rules have been established to help keep everyone safe and healthy. Parents will be contacted in the event that a child falls ill, is involved in an accident or injury, or requires emergency care. Children who become ill at the center are able to rest in the office health room within sight or sound of a staff member until a parent can arrive within one hour to take the child home. If parents are unavailable, persons indicated on the emergency card will be notified. In the event none of the above can be reached and it is an extreme situation, the child will be taken to the hospital listed on the child’s information sheet. The parent or guardian will be responsible for any incurred expenses. All serious injuries requiring medical attention are immediately reported to the office of Child Care Licensing.

Procedures are in place to stop the spread of infectious disease and information is given to parents to inform them about certain common illnesses, how to detect them, and how to stop them from spreading. Parents will be notified if a communicable disease has been reported in your child’s classroom. The notification will provide the name of the illness, signs & symptoms, incubation period and when an affected child can return to the center. If your child is ill, please contact the Parkside office with your child’s symptoms and/or diagnoses, as we report all illnesses to the Kent County Health Department. Please contact the Parkside office with any confirmed cases of communicable diseases, i.e., strep throat, pink eye, flu, head lice, etc. 

If your child has a temperature of 100.4 or higher, has thrown up, or has diarrhea in the last 24 hours, they cannot be brought to the center. Your child must be fever free without fever reducing medication or on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before they can return to the center. Coughing should be treated as contagious and the child needs to recuperate at home. A rash is also a reason to keep the child from the center. A child with a rash cannot attend without a doctor’s note saying the rash is not contagious. If your child attends our program, then they are well enough to participate in all indoor/outdoor activities. 

Children’s Health Records and Immunizations:

Children must have a current Health Appraisal signed by a physician (or P.A.) on file before they can attend the program. Immunizations must be up-to-date within 30 days of the start of school. If you chose to waive your child’s immunizations, you must make an appointment at a Kent County Health Department Immunization Clinic to speak with a nurse. The Child Care office must receive a certified waiver from the Health Department before a child can attend our program. If the Health Department electronically enters the waiver into MCIRS, a physical copy of the waiver form is not needed.  

Allergies:

In the case of an air-borne and/or seasonal allergy, parents will be asked to fill out a form so that medication can be administered to that child if necessary. In the case of a food allergy, the parent will indicate which food(s) the child is allergic to, which will be noted on the Child Information Record. Parents will also fill out an “Allergy Alert” form outlining the procedure to follow in case the child should ingest that food. All staff will be alerted to any food allergies and the child’s picture and allergy information will be posted in the classroom, the kitchen, and the office. Substitute teachers will be given this information as well.  

Staff Health Care and Training:

Staff is encouraged to have the Hep. B series of shots and have up-to-date immunizations. All staff are trained in CPR for children and pediatric first aid and blood-borne pathogens. The teaching staff participates in 24 hours of professional development annually.  The center requires all staff and unsupervised volunteers to have a comprehensive background check. 

For children with special needs, parents will be asked who may have access to the information about those needs. If a child requires an epi-pen or other special equipment the district nurse will train the staff on its use.

No Smoking or Vaping:

Please be aware there is no smoking or vaping allowed on Rockford Public schools property or during school field trips.

Medication:

All medication must be signed in on the Medication Permission form in the front office. It must be in the original prescription bottle and have a pharmaceutical label providing the following information: Name, Date, Dosage and Instructions for administering the medication. Staff may administer medications with written permission from a parent or guardian. Instructions from a licensed health care provider must be included. Staff will be trained in administration of medication. Two staff members will verify and witness that the correct child receives the right medication, the correct dosage, and the correct time and method. Documentation of each procedure is kept on file.