Mission and Vision

My values and beliefs are strongly influenced by the Montessori theory. It

is designed to promote a complete education by developing each child’s

social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development using the

philosophy that children learn best through play. My curriculum is built on

the idea that ALL children equally, no matter their culture, language, race, or

disability learn best through active exploration of their environment.

Dr. Maria Montessori designed a learning strategy that a child’s social, emotional,

physical and intellectual development are best learned through play. Montessori

learning focuses on the potential of the individual child to grow in all areas through

self-motivation, self-direction and self-discipline.

T. Berry Brazelton and Abraham Maslow believed that children need to have their

basic needs met, which include safety, belonging and esteem before they can learn.

Erik Erikson and Stanley Greenspan focused on the necessity of having supporting,

trusting relationships with adults, which increases social, emotional development.

Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky discussed how interactions with others are crucial in

cognitive development.

As a center, I use these principles to help make decisions about the care and

education of the children I teach. I will incorporate childhood development,

individual needs, strengths and interests, and the social and cultural context

within each child when developing the educational plan for your child.

Experience

* 1989 I discovered my passion for working with children in teen parent program

in Redmond, OR. I was both a high school student as well as a new mom. I

discovered that education was the great equalizer when it came to raising children.

* 1990 I began my advanced education at Central Oregon Community College taking

every class available in early childhood development.

* 1994 I Completed my A.A. Degree and transferred to Eastern Oregon University’s

Education Program with a major in psychology for Early Childhood Development and

brain research.

* 1997 I graduated with a B.S. and received my Elementary Teaching License. I

started working at Greenwood Elementary with a student in a special education

classroom.

* 1998 I taught kindergarten at Detroit Lake until the tiny rural school closed.

* 1999-2016, I became The Children’s Librarian Program Director for The Baker

County Library District. It was in this role that I began to focus on programs like

“Reading for Healthy Families”, “Every Child Ready to Read”, and “Start Making a

Reader Today” within my community. I realized that reading is actually the great

equalizer.

* 2016 I fulfilled my dream of starting my own private preschool where I could really

use my education in Early Childhood Development and make a real difference in the

lives of young children.

Curriculum

My Curriculum is based on setting developmentally appropriate goals and

objectives for children within four main categories of interest:

● The social/emotional stage helps promote independence, self-confidence and

self-control. Within this stage, children learn how to make friends, how to

have group interactions and how to follow rules.

● The physical stage is intended to increase children’s large and small motor

skills.

● The cognitive stage is associated with thinking skills. Children learn how to

solve problems, ask questions and think critically.

● The language stage deals with communication. Children learn how to

communicate with others, listen and participate in conversations, and

recognize various forms of print. In this stage, children begin to recognize

letters and words and begin writing.

I believe in a core list of traits that direct my lesson planning to best impact your

child’s path of learning.

● Build a trusting relationship with each child.

● Provide responsive, individualized care by keeping the number of students to

less than 10

● Create environments that support and encourage exploration with multiple

centers that rotate activities often

● Ensure children’s safety and health

● Develop partnerships with families

● Observe and document children’s development in order to plan for each child

and the group

● Recognize the importance of social/emotional development

● Appreciate cultural, family and individual differences

● Take advantage of every opportunity to build a foundation for lifelong

learning

● Support dual-language learners

● Include children with disabilities in all aspects of the program

● Provide many rich language experiences throughout the day by describing

what is happening, asking questions, singing and reading

● discover mathematical relationships through number and size, patterns,

objects, and shapes

● Learning through play experiences and pretending builds imagination,

promotes social skills and helps children gain a better understanding of daily

experiences

● Connecting with music and movement transforms moods and motivates us to

move our bodies

● Creating art by using different materials and exploring what they can do with

them is fascinating to children

● Using all 5 senses in our explorations allows the brain to be fully active and

retain information in all areas.

I encourage children to observe, take things apart, build and see what they can

discover about their world. The more active children are in their work, the more they

learn and remember. As children play, I watch how they use materials. I listen. I talk

with them to find out what they are thinking and trying to do. I observe what they do

and take note. Through those notes, I can plan activities that interest each child

individually and build skill in all areas.

Discipline

This age group is a transition group. Children are moving from parallel play to

group play. They are learning from each new experience what feelings are and what

it is like to have conscious control over their emotions. They are maturing quickly

in all respective developmental areas. It is important to give opportunities to make

choices. Respecting and understanding the child’s feelings is crucial in every

situation.

Conscious Discipline is the backbone of my program. All children are living with

stress and show the symptoms as behavior problems. I believe children should not

be removed or punished but rather meet their needs with a culture of inclusion,

healing and connection that builds resilience.

Conscious discipline is designed to teach effective social-emotional skills, and

embed resilience into the school culture as a way to counteract the stress and trauma

that are so prevalent in our society. When students show challenging or

maladaptive behaviors during the school day, I first question myself and assess how

I can adjust the preschool environment, routine, transitions, ect. to help students

function better rather than suspension or expulsion. If further action is needed I

reach out to community partners for support and/or further training.

Conscious Discipline is an evidence-based Social and Emotional Learning

methodology. It is recognized by SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based

Programs and Practices (NREPP). Conscious Discipline creates a compassionate

culture and facilitates an intentional shift in adult understanding of behavior via the

Conscious Discipline Brain State Model. It then provides specific brain-friendly,

research-based strategies for responding to each child's individual needs with

wisdom. This highly effective approach is proven to increase self-regulation, sense

of safety, connection, empathy and intrinsic motivation in both children and adults.

Parent Engagement

I believe in a school family. We need to work together to help encourage learning.

The importance of working together also extends learning between school and

home. Teachers and parents must communicate and share ideas so the child’s

interests are best met. Through this bond, we will develop an individual care plan

and update it as your child grows and changes. By pairing teacher and parent, I can

help your child acquire the skills, attitudes, and habits to do well in school and in life.

● Engagement Opportunities

I will begin the year with an open house to meet and greet all new students and

parents. I will establish and explain the policies and requirements of

Preschool Promise. I will also have many high quality, culturally responsive

family engagements throughout the year. This year the kids and I will

celebrate Day of the Dead, Chinese New Year, and Cinco de Mayo to learn about

other cultures, geography, and show-off our work to families with a party.

● Bulletin boards

Parent bulletin boards are located near the front entrance. Please check them

frequently for updates and information.

● Parent information area

There is a designated parent information area. This area will include the daily

sign-in and sign-out sheets, field trip information, weekly schedule and basic

lesson plans for the group as a whole.

● Daily communication with teachers

Daily oral communication with myself is always available to parents during

drop-off or pick-up times to speak with you about any concerns or questions

you may have. Additionally, you may call or text me at (541) 519-9729 to speak

with me after hours.

● Scheduled conferences/Assessments

All students will have an initial entrance interview with both parents and

myself. I will provide a development screening using ASQ-3 Ages and Stages

to determine current levels and gather information on any additional health

and development support that may be needed for your child and or family.

Assessments are done twice per year to track development and progress

towards the goal of kindergarten readiness. Scheduled Parent/Teacher

conferences will also be offered 3 times a year to keep parents actively

engaged in their child's progress. Please watch for times and sign-up for

individual conferences.. Parents may also request a conference with me at any

time to obtain or share additional information about their children.

Parents are always welcome to drop by and observe or participate in classroom

activities.

● Confidentiality

All written records about children, staff and parents are strictly confidential.

Days and Hours of Operation

The preschool center operates according to the public school year and observes the

same holidays. Calendars will be distributed to each family at the beginning of the

school year. Parents should bring and pick-up their child no more than 5 minutes

before and after each class. In accordance with licensing guidelines, children are not

allowed under any circumstances to remain at the center beyond closing time.

Children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian or emergency contact person

into and away from the center. The child must be signed-in and out of each class by

the guardian. If someone other than you is picking-up your child, this person must

first be identified on the emergency list. This person will be asked to show

identification. Children are not allowed to leave the center with anyone under the

age of 19 or anyone not on the emergency list without designation in writing by the

parent. This is to ensure your child’s safety and well-being.

Daily Schedule

8:00 Arrival/Breakfast/free play

8:30 Center

9:00 Story time

9:30 Arts & crafts

10:00 snack/quiet reading

10:30 outside

11:00 centers

11:30 craft

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Movie/rest time

3:00 Free Play

3:30 Pick-up

Lunch/Snack

Since I do not have a kitchen in the building, students will be required to bring a

packed lunch from home with breakfast if need be. I will be providing snacks and

have bottled water delivered from Blue Mountain Bottled water. I provide each child

a snack bag and water bottle with their names on it that stay at school.

Safety

All staff have first-aid/CPR training. The preschool is equipped with a first-aid

kit. The safety of your children in all activities is one of my first concerns.

*All visitors 18 years and older who are not enrolled or conditionally enrolled in CBR

will be required to sign-in and out in visitor log. These individuals will be supervised

at all times while in the center while in access to the children.

*If your child is injured or becomes ill, staff will quickly assess the situation and

decide what action/attention is required. Any emergency fee(including ambulance

fee), will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

*In the event of an emergency that requires the evacuation of the preschool, we will

meet behind school at Central Park.

*In the event of an emergency that requires evacuation of the immediate area, we

will meet parents at Baker County Library District. Parents will be contacted and

school will remain closed until the issue is normalized.

Illness

Please respect others in the preschool and do not bring your child to school if they

are not well. Children should be kept home if they have a fever, have been vomiting,

or have had diarrhea within the previous 12 hours.

Please notify the preschool if your child has come into contact with a

communicable disease. The child may not return to the preschool until he/she has

received medical attention and followed through with doctor’s recommendations.

Staff will notify parents if their child has been exposed to a communicable disease

and will notify the health authorities when any illness or condition specified by

regulation is present at the preschool.

Should your child become ill at preschool, staff will contact the parent or the

emergency contact person to come and pick up your child.

Should Miss Melissa become ill, every attempt will be made to have class continue,

but if no options are available classes will be canceled. All families will be notified by

messenger school group or text prior to school arrival. Fees will not be adjusted for

illness and missed school days.

Field Trips

The preschool will be taking trips to various locations downtown during the

school year. Most field trips are typically within walking distance and we will return

to school before the end of the school day. Parents are welcome to join us but not

required on walking trips.

Some trips will require transportation to and from location; these will be posted

with dates, times and other information on the parent bulletin board and school

messenger group site. Parents are required to drive their child and stay to supervise

their child during offsite trips.

Clothing

Please dress your child in “Ready-to-Play” clothes, as there is always the chance

of paints, glue, water, dirt, etc. getting on their clothes. This allows for full

participation by your child in any activity. An extra set of clothes should be provided

in a backpack for potty accidents or just in case.

To keep outside germs out of our play space, each child is required to take shoes

off at the door. They are able to wear inside shoes, slippers, or socks once at

preschool. Inside shoes or slippers may be left at preschool as long as they are

labeled.

Please ensure that there is appropriate outdoor clothing for your child as outside

play is part of the daily routine. We often play at Central Park when outside and play

in the grass, dirt, and rocks.

* Winter weather requires coats, gloves, boots, and hats. Sledding days also require

snow pants.

*Summer weather gives us a chance for water play so swimsuits or an extra set of

clothes are required.