|
Basic School Information
back to home page
Philosophy:
Skillman Child Development Center strives to provide opportunities for children to grow physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually and to develop their senses of self-worth and identity.
We believe that the Lord is the center of our lives and include Christian education and prayer in our curriculum. Because we believe that God created all people, we enjoy units on different cultures and admit children of any race, color, religion, or national origin.
Staff:
The staff of Skillman Child Development Center treats children with love and respect and knowledge of child development that helps them enrich every day. Throughout the year our teachers attend many hours of in-service in child development, teachers’ meetings, curriculum planning and evaluation sessions. Our staff has many years of child enrichment experience.
Curriculum:
Our curriculum includes all the academic readiness activities necessary to encourage your child
to continue to expand his/her knowledge of the world, explore safely, and delight in the beauty and wonder
of God’s creation. We include Music, Spanish and Chapel weekly to encourage self-expression, tolerance and knowledge of our Spiritual roots and hope for our present and future. Language, literature, science, math, art and physical activity are part of the daily schedule for all classes. The Computer Lab is part of the weekly curriculum for all Pre-K classes.
Special programs for the family, sponsored by Skillman Church of Christ include a Fall Festival, Thanksgiving service, Christmas and Easter celebrations, Neighborhood Bible Study and Sunday and Wednesday worship services. The family at Skillman welcomes your presence at any of these activities.
CDC Schedule:
Pre-Kindergarten:
Five-day (Varsity) Class: 9-2 Monday and Wednesday, 9-12 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Three-day (Junior Varsity) Class: 9-2 Monday and Wednesday, 9-12 Friday
5-Day Fours: 9-2 Monday -Thursday and 9-12 Friday
3-Day Preschool: 15 months (must be walking) – 4-year olds
9-12 Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Lunch Bunch (optional) 12-2 Monday and Wednesday
2-Day Preschool: 15 months (must be walking) – 3 years, 9-2 Tuesday and Thursday
Skillman CDC, open from September to mid-May, generally follows the Dallas Independent School District’s schedule. Deviations from this schedule are on the calendar and announced in newsletters.
Financial Information:
Tuition is due the first school day of each month, September through May. We do not send statements. After the 7th a late notice is sent and a $30.00 late fee per child is assessed. Tuition rates are available upon request and published on admission forms. A registration fee for each student is due annually at registration for each school year and is NON-REFUNDABLE. Registration fees are refundable only if we cannot place your child in a class.
Parents must meet all financial obligations in connection with their child’s enrollment at Skillman CDC. Failure to meet all financial obligations could result in your child’s dismissal from school and/or the pursuit of any and all legal remedies available to Skillman CDC under State laws.
Financial accounts and all required student records must be current before information such as tax information, student recommendation letters, or annual re-enrollment will be processed.
Policies:
1. Enrollment Forms:
The following must be completed, current, and on file for a student to be enrolled:
- Registration Form
- Registration Fee
- Admission Information (TX. Dept. of Family and Protective Services, Form 2935), which includes the updated immunization record and additional health information
- Acknowledgement of Skillman CDC Operational Policies – last sheet needs to returned
- Authorization for Emergency Medical Care
- Authorization for Release of Child
- Getting to Know You
- Web Site Authorization Form
- Authorization for dispensing medication, Form 7238, if needed (i.e. auto-injectors, EpiPen)
The above listed forms are required not only by Skillman CDC, but by the State of Texas as
mandated by law. Failure to provide all required information may result in your child being excused from class until all forms are completed and returned to the CDC office. All required forms, as well as financial obligations, must be current before requested information, such as tax information, student recommendation letters or annual re-enrollment will be processed.
2. Immunization:
All children enrolled in Skillman CDC must meet the applicable requirements set out by the Texas Department of Health Immunization Requirements in Texas Elementary and Secondary Schools and Institutions of Higher Education or religious exemption. This requirement applies to all children in care from birth to 17 year of age. Current (within the last year) immunization documentation must be on file prior to a child’s first day at CDC. This includes TB testing if required by your child’s physician, and all scheduled booster shots.
3. Illness/Health Policy:
For the protection of children and staff, Skillman CDC will not allow ill children to remain at school. Children who exhibit symptoms of illness will be removed from class, a contact will be notified for pick up, and the child will be supervised in the Director’s office while awaiting departure. Illness may include, but is not limited to, fever above 100 degrees, diarrhea, vomiting, green, runny nose, listlessness. Please avoid bringing siblings that are sick into the school when dropping off your child. Please see attached Health Policy for additional details.
4. Medication and Medical Authorizations:
All medications and medical authorizations must be on file in the CDC office allowing the Director to administer medication when symptoms occur. Parents will be notified immediately upon such administration and the child’s file will be documented. Instructions for all medications (i.e. auto-injectors, EpiPens, benadryl, inhalers, etc.) must be provided to the CDC Office, by the parent/guardian. An Authorization for dispensing Medication, Form 7238, must be on file in the Skillman CDC office.
5. Medical Emergency:
In the event of a medical emergency:
- 911 will be called immediately. (A completed Authorization for Emergency Medical Care form must be on file allowing the director to authorize emergency care.)
- First aid and/or CPR will be administered.
- The child’s physician will be contacted.
- Parents will be notified.
6. Emergency Phone Numbers:
When parents are needed during the school day, Skillman CDC will call the contact person on the daily sign-in log at the number left for that day, this number must be legible. It is vital that this contact number be a working number that will be answered at any time during the school day. For the care, safety and comfort of your child, Skillman CDC requires a dependable contact number daily for all students. If no one is available, the individuals designated on the Authorization for Emergency Medical Care Form will be contacted.
7. Emergencies-Fire/Tornado/Severe Weather/Health Alert/National Threat:
Skillman CDC monitors news and weather conditions. In the event emergency procedures are needed the following measures are implemented. Teachers carry the daily sign-in log in order to ensure that every child is present and to have a current phone number for potential early pick-up. In the event early pick-up is needed, children will be released to parents or designated person on the Daily sign-in log or Authorization for Release form, one at a time, at the school entrance.
Skillman CDC has monthly emergency drills. During fire drills, or if there is a fire, all classes move to a safe and distanced, designated area, following the route displayed in each classroom.
In the case of tornadoes or severe weather, children and staff will proceed to the middle of the building, to the stairways that border the podium area of the auditorium, away from windows. Teachers carry the daily sign-in log in order to ensure that every child is present and to have a current phone number for potential early pick-up.
If a health alert is issued, such as the Avian Bird Flu, H1N1 influenza, or other severe illness, you will be contacted as to the nature of the alert, early release and /or school closing.
In the case of national threat, school will continue as normal. However, in the event such a threat endangers the Skillman CDC area, children and staff will precede to the middle of the building, to the stairways that border the podium area of the auditorium, away from windows. Teachers carry the daily sign-in log in order to ensure that every child is present and to have a current phone number for potential early pick-up.
In the event of the need to evacuate the building, children and staff will be transported via Skillman Church of Christ vans to: Greenland Hills UMC, 5835 Penrose Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75206, 214.828.4614. Teachers will carry the daily sign-in to ensure every child is present and have a current phone number for communication and directions for pick-up.
8. Release of Children:
Children will be released only to those designated in writing by the parent on the Authorization for Release Form which must be on file in the Skillman CDC office prior to the child’s first day at school. Skillman CDC will require a driver’s license and will note the DL# of all individuals that the staff does not know. Any deviation from normal pick-up plans must be made in writing to insure the safety of the children.
9. Discipline and Guidance Policy:
Discipline must be:
1. Individualized and consistent for each child.
2. Appropriate to the child’s level of understanding
3. Directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self-control.
A caregiver may only use positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage self-esteem, self-control, and self- direction, which include at least the following:
1. Using praise and encouragement of good behavior instead of focusing only upon unacceptable behavior
2. Reminding a child of behavior expectations daily by using clear, positive statements
3. Redirecting behavior using positive statements
4. Using brief supervised separation from the group, when appropriate for the child’s age and development, limited to no more than one minute per year of the child’s age
There will be no harsh, cruel, or unusual treatment of any child. The following types of discipline and guidance are prohibited:
1. Corporal punishment or threats of corporal punishment
2. Punishment associated with food, naps, or toilet training
3. Pinching, shaking, or biting a child
4. Hitting a child with a hand or instrument
5. Humiliating, ridiculing, rejecting, or yelling at a child
6. Subjecting a child to harsh, abusive, or profane language
7. Requiring a child to remain silent or inactive for inappropriately long periods of time for the child’s age
8. Placing a child in a locked or dark room, bathroom, or closet with the door closed
9. Putting anything in or on a child’s mouth
10. Food, Snacks, Nutrition:
Snacks are part of the morning school schedule. Parents are asked to provide snacks for the entire class twice a year, during the fall and spring semester. Skillman CDC will provide them when needed. Snacks include foods from the fruit-vegetable group, milk, or grain groups.
Lunches are provided by parents and Skillman CDC is not responsible for their nutritional value or for meeting the child’s daily food needs.
Water is always available to each child and is served in a safe and sanitary manner.
Food allergies must be noted on the Health Form and the Getting to Know You form.
Nuts and Nut products – Skillman CDC is a nut-free environment. Please do not send these products for lunch or snacks.
11. School Attire:
Skillman requests that all children wear comfortable clothing appropriate for active play. Shoes should be closed-toed and snug fitting. Crocs, sandals, rain boots, and flip-flops are not appropriate school wear. Long dresses or skirts can hinder safe stepping on the playground ladders.
12. Hearing and Vision Screening:
All children, four years and older, will be screened for possible hearing and vision problems. These screenings are offered in the fall at school or may be done privately. Documentation of these screenings must be on file within 120 days of enrollment. Parents will be notified immediately concerning results.
13. Animals:
Any animal used in a Skillman CDC classroom must be accompanied by a statement of health from a local veterinarian or have documentation of having been vaccinated.
14. Procedures for Scheduling Parent Visits:
Skillman CDC encourages parents to visit our school to review or discuss policies and procedures, or to participate in special events and activities. Please contact any CDC staff for such a visit. Appointments that require more time can be scheduled during the school day or at the earliest possible time convenient to all parties. For security reasons, we ask that all guests check in at the Director’s office upon arrival.
15. Safety Practices:
Skillman takes seriously it’s commitment to provide a safe environment for students and staff.
Our practices include:
1. Administrative staff, teachers and maintenance personnel passing required background checks
2. Individuals employed by Skillman CDC passing required fingerprint check
3. Building entrances equipped with panic bar hardware, locked and monitored by CDC staff
3. The CDC facility being equipped with panic buttons and monitored by our security system
4. Notifying parents prior to the start of the school day if CDC is closed due to inclement weather
16. Gang Free Zone:
Skillman CDC is a gang free zone. Gang related criminal activity or engaging in organized criminal activity within1000 feet of Skillman CDC is a violation of the State Penal Code and is therefore subject to increased penalty under Texas law-71.028 71.029 of the Texas Penal Code.
17. State Licensing:
A copy of the minimum standards and Skillman CDC’s most recent licensing inspection report are always posted and available for review in the Director’s office.
Texas Department of Family and Protective and Services
Phone: 214.951.7902
Web Site: www.dfps.state.tx.us
TX Dept. of Protective and Regulatory Services: 1.800.252.5400
|
