Tableof Contents  1.

    Welcome                                                                                            Pg.2.    Introduction/Philosophy                                                                      Pg.       3.

    Recruitment                                                                                         Pg.4.    Training for Staff                                                                                Pg.5.

    Personnel Policies and Procedures                                                      Pg.6.    Expectations for Collaboration                                                            Pg.7.    Professionalism                                                                                   Pg.8.    Conflict Resolution                                                                             Pg.

9.    Guidelines for Employess                                                                   Pg.10.

  EmployeeEvaluation/Discipline                                                          Pg.                   IntroductionWelcome to the LeapFrog Educational Center. Thepreschool is an educational program staffed by professional teachers.

Pleaseread this handbook prior to beginning employment. This handbook has beenwritten to orient you to the preschool program and to provide you with thestaff policies and procedures. It is important for you to be aware of thesepolicies. The administration of the preschool reserves the right to modify oramend this handbook and its policies at any time. If you have any questions,concerns or suggestions please feel free to see us. We hope your experiencewith us is a positive one! We look forward to working with you.Philosophy            At LeapFrog Educational Center, we believe in thevalue and uniqueness of each child we serve.

Our childcare experience isdesigned to promote each child’s own individual social, emotional, physical,and cognitive development. As caregivers and educators, our mission is toprovide a safe and developmentally appropriate learning environment, whichfosters a child’s natural desire to explore, discover, create, and become alifelong learner. The LeapFrog Educational Center’s philosophy createslearning conditions that enhance thinking through expressive, communicative andcognitive languages. Project work is an important aspect of this curriculumapproach. We believe that children, their families and society all benefit froma high-quality, early childhood program and that there is a critical linkbetween a child’s early experiences and later successes in life. The mission ofthe preschool is to provide a model program responsive to the changing needs ofchildren, parents, faculty, staff, and community. The goal of the program is toprovide a high quality, affordable program for children 2.9 to 5 years old,opportunities for parent involvement and high education and training requirementsfor staff.

Building positive relationships is considered fundamental andessential for the well-being of the children. The program supports a strongworking relationship among children, teachers, parents, and the community.·     For the children,we strive to maintain a safe, healthy and nurturing environment where thedevelopmental needs of the children are addressed. ·     For the parents, westrive to keep the program affordable and available. It is our goal to serve asa resource for support and education. ·     For staff, westrive to provide an atmosphere that will attract and retain well-trainedpersonnel by maintaining good working conditions. We encourage a sense ofcooperation and open communication among members of the preschool community.

The program maintains high educational and training requirements for staff.            Children will experience growth andlearning in their social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitivedevelopment, and families will feel supported and nurtured in their childrearing efforts. The preschool program has set goals for the program that aretied to specific outcomes for children as well as families and are assessed onhow well these goals are met through the assessment of child progress andthrough family evaluations and other input.Recruitment Training for StaffStaff trainings are held twice a year. The requiredfirst aid training is held in October and a teaching-oriented training is heldin February. Staff meetings are held monthly for two hours or more. The staff isrequired to attend both of these full day trainings, as the preschool will beclosed. These trainings are required by the NAEYC and are designed to enhanceyour skills for working with young children.

Meetings are documented and followa written plan. Attendance is taken. Topics possibly focused on during stafftrainings:• Documentation• Project Work• Health andsafety, nutritional guidelines• Personality ofthe child• Child development• Studio arts• Gender/racialstereotyping• Parent-staffrelationships• Environment ofthe classroom• Multi-culturaleducation/curriculum• Social andemotional growth of the child• Child’sperception• Innovativeclassroom and project ideas• Comparisons of ideasamong staff • Grievances amongstaff• Handling ofemergency situations• Speaking tochildren about current events• Review of allpreschool policies and regulations A special meetingis held in September for all parents and staff. The purpose of the meeting isto discuss preschool policies and curriculum, meet the staff, sign up forparent committees, discuss fundraising projects, parent responsibilities andopportunities for participation, as well as discuss campus involvement andorganization structures. Establishing a trusting relationship with parents andstaff is important to us. Knowing and Understanding Our PreschoolFamilies Basic Personnel Policies/Procedures Expectations for collaboration Professionalism Each LeapFrog staff member is a child careprofessional and is expected to act as such.

The following general regulationsfor professionalism should be executed at all times: ·     Arrive on time andstay entire shift, if needed.·     Is not absent fromwork on a regular basis and finds a substitute when necessary.·     Dress appropriatelyfor interaction with children.

·     Take directions,suggestions and criticisms, and follow through to improve performance.·     Respectconfidential information regarding children, families, and co-workers.·     Display a positiveattitude toward the entire center·     Attend staff meetingsand other Center events.·     Complete requiredtraining courses.Dress CodeStaff members areexpected to respect the 3 C’s for appropriate attire at work as follows:   ·      COMFORTABLE – Staff is expected to play with thechildren and be down at their level whenever it is appropriate. To do this,staff must be dressed in comfortable clothing that allow free movement andactivity.

Staff members should wear clothing they feel comfortable gettingdirty or stained, as staff members are expected to participate alongside thechildren during all daily activities. Flip-flops and sneakers are appropriatefootwear. ·      CLEAN – All clothing should be clean with no stains,rips or tears, and must smell appropriate. This also applies to personalhygiene. ·      COURTEOUS – Staff members interact with children andparents on a daily basis and should dress professionally. Clothing may notcontain alcohol, drug, or cigarette references.

Vulgar sayings or suggestionsare forbidden.  Certain clothing garmentsare NOT appropriate for the work environment, including: halter tops, strapless”tube” tops, short skirts/shorts (must hit at fingertip length or below),sweatpants, excessively torn jeans/shorts, and low-rise jeans/shorts whichexpose undergarments.  It isexpected that all staff members will present themselves and LeapFrog EducationalCenter in a professional, respectable manner. Any staff member not adhering tothe dress code may be asked to leave and return dressed appropriately. Conflict resolution Guidelines for employees Employee evaluation/discipline