For Parents

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

Appointments will be scheduled before / during / after school hours.

The purpose of our Fall conference  is to help the teachers get to know your child better.  Online sign up for a 20-minute appointment will be open the week prior to conferences. If these are not a convenient days for you, the teachers are happy to accommodate you at another time. Just ask! We will provide childcare during the conferences.

School Policies

School Closings and Delayed Openings

When Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS) are closed due to inclement weather, LPP will also be closed.  When LTPS has a delayed opening, LPP will delay opening until 10:00 a.m. Dismissal time will remain 12:00 noon. Closings and delayed openings for LTPS are announced on the LTPS website—www.ltps.org.

Parent Notification Policy

During school hours if we need to reach you urgently, we will text or phone your listed mobile number(s). Other communication will usually be via email. If your child receives a head injury at school, we will notify you immediately by phone and/or text.

Children’s Health

Sick Children

Do not bring a sick child to school under any circumstances!

Sometimes a child does not exhibit any of the symptoms listed below, but he/she may appear tired, listless, or irritable. In this case, it is preferable for the child to remain home and recover. A child who is not feeling well cannot readily join in the school activities and feels even worse.

A child is considered sick when he/she:

  • has not felt well the night before school or on the day of school. Keep the child at home as a general precaution.
  • has a fresh cold (under 3 days)
  • has a fever. Wait until the child’s temperature has returned to normal for at least 24 hrs. without use of fever-reducing medication.
  • has experienced nausea and/or vomiting. Wait at least 24 hrs. until these symptoms have abated.
  • has experienced diarrhea. Wait until the child has at least one normal bowel movement.

Policy on Dispensing Medication and the Provision of Healthcare

Lawrenceville Presbyterian Preschool will provide reasonable accommodations for the administration of medication or health care procedures to a child with special health care needs, if failure to administer the medication or health care procedure would jeopardize the health of the child or prevent the child from attending the center.

All parents must sign the Health Emergency Instructions form to allow staff to contact professional care, should an injury or other health concern warrant it. The Director or staff member shall be designated as the only persons authorized and instructed to administer prescription medication or health care procedures at the school.

Any prescription medication or health care equipment:

  • shall be supplied by the parent of the child with special health care needs.
  • shall be administered/used at school only upon completion of the Health Emergency Instructions form by the child’s parent/guardian.
  • shall only be used by designated staff members as described above
  • shall be stored either in a locked cabinet or in an area that is not accessible to children.
  • must be prescribed specifically for the child, and stored in its original container labeled with the child’s name, the name and expiration date of the medication, the date it was prescribed or updated, and directions for administration.

Though the LPP staff has been certified in First Aid and Infant/Child CPR, it is still required that the parent of a child with special health care needs instruct the staff on the use of any health care device (such as a blood glucose monitor, inhaler, epinephrine pen, etc.) before such a health care device may be administered by the staff.

Policy on Management of Communicable Diseases

Each family must maintain up-to-date health and vaccination records on all children attending LPP. This information must be given to the Director before the start of school in September. Please be advised that these records are required by the State and must be in our files in order for your child to be admitted to class. In addition, health forms and TB test results for the staff must also be kept. All children are required by the state of New Jersey to have a flu shot administered sometime between September 1 and January 1.

Discipline Policy

  • We recognize that each child has individual abilities, needs, and orientations for learning.
  • Acceptable behavior will be stressed by a positive approach, action, and language.
  • Standards and limits will be upheld so individuals will have freedom and rights within the group.
  • Guidance is needed to achieve self-direction and self-control.
  • Basic human values such as trust, respect, honesty, and caring interactions with others will be nurtured.
  • We will help children appropriately express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
  • The classroom atmosphere will be one of acceptance, tolerance, and patience.
  • We feel that touching a child can provide security, a feeling of accomplishment or help him or her refrain from an undesirable act.
  • Independent behavior, work habits, and decision-making will be encouraged.
  • A time of renewal for the child may be provided by temporary exclusion from group or activity.
  • Daily conversations, conferences and newsletters will maintain close contact with parents.
  • Each adult in the cooperative classroom shares the responsibility for classroom behavior.
  • We will stress the importance of the home and school providing structure and accountability so that children can take responsibility for their choices and actions
  • We will not use corporal punishment, abusive language, frightening treatment, witholding food or emotional responses, withholding active play, nor will we make a child stay silent for a lengthy period of time. We will not discipline a child for failing to eat, sleep or for soiling him/herself.

 Policy on the Release of Children

  1. Each child may be released only to the child’s custodial parent(s), or person(s) authorized by the custodial parent(s), to take the child from the center and to assume responsibility for the child in an emergency if the custodial parent(s) cannot be reached. The provision that a child shall not be visited by or released to a non-custodial parent unless the custodial parent specifically authorizes the center to allow such visits or release must be made in writing. This authorization, including name, address, and phone number, shall be maintained in the file. If a non-custodial parent has been denied access to a child by a court order, the center shall secure documentation to that effect and maintain a copy on file.
  2. Written procedures to be followed by staff members if the parent(s), as specified in section A above, fails to pick up a child at the time of the center’s daily closing are as follows:
  3. The child is supervised at all times;
  4. Staff members attempt to contact the parent(s) or person(s) authorized by the parent(s); and
  5. An hour or more after closing time, and provided that other arrangements for releasing the child to his/her parent(s) or authorized person(s) have failed and the staff member(s) cannot continue to supervise the child at the center, the staff member(s) shall call the Department’s State Central Registry Hotline (1-877- NJ ABUSE / 1-877-652-2873) to seek assistance in caring for the child until the parent(s) is able to pick up the child.
  6. Written procedures to be followed by staff member(s) if the parent(s) or person(s) authorized by the parent(s) appear to be physically and/or emotionally impaired to the extent that, in the judgment of the director and/or staff member, the child would be placed at risk of harm if released to such an individual are as follows:
  7. The child may not be released to such an impaired individual;
  8. Staff members attempt to contact the child’s other parent or an alternate person(s) authorized by the parent(s); and
  9. If the center is unable to make alternative arrangements, as noted in section A above, a staff member shall call the Department’s State Central Registry Hotline (1-877- NJ ABUSE / 1-877-652-2873) to seek assistance in caring for the child.

Policy on Screen Time in School

The children engage in active, hands-on learning through play while attending our program. Our school does not own a TV or flatscreen, and it is our policy to not use screen time in any part of our programs. Teachers or helping parents may occasionally use a smartphone or tablet for children to view short, informational videos relevant to classroom projects or inquiries directed by the children.

Social Media Policy for Staff and Parents

Parents and staff are permitted to take photographs or videos of children in the school.  These may only be shared privately among friends and on the private LPP Parents Facebook page. Any public posting on social media is permitted only with parents’ permission (as indicated on the signed Permissions form in each child’s file). All photos and videos on personal staff phones, tablets or cameras are to be permanently deleted at the end of the school year. Parents, likewise, will permanently delete photos or videos of children other than their own, except with permission of other parents, when the children are no longer enrolled at LPP.