Policies

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Allergies or Medical Conditions Requiring Special Attention Policy

Our preschool has been faced with a growing population of children with allergies and/or medical conditions requiring special care and attention. Cherry Preschool’s mission involves providing a safe, consistent and inclusive environment for all children.

If your child has allergies or a medical condition, DCFS requires that we have an Emergency Health Care Plan on file.

A Medical Consent Form must be completed if your child needs to take medication during school hours.  No medication (including sunscreen) will be given unless a parent/guardian has completed this form

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Snack and Lunch Policy

A healthy, peanut free snack will be provided each session that your child is in school.  Cherry Preschool will provide a basic snack of fruit (raisins, oranges, banana, etc.) or dairy product (small yogurt, cheese, etc.) and some type of healthy cracker/carb product.  We will serve snack size portions of these foods as well as water to drink.

If your family chooses to celebrate your child’s birthday at school, he/she will be able to choose the snack for the class from our special birthday snack supply (Oreos’s, pudding, popsicles, ice cream, etc).

Children attending the lunch program may not bring food items that contain peanuts or peanut butter.  Children whose food restrictions can be accommodated by seating at an allergen-free table will be seated accordingly.

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Child Guidance and Discipline Policy

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and NAEYC require that all licensed schools have a written guidance and discipline policy.  Staff members and parents/guardians are required to read the policy and sign a document stating that they have done so.

The goal of discipline is to teach children to function in a social setting with civility and respect.  Discipline is not punishment, but rather a way to help children maintain self-control, follow the agreed upon rules for classroom behavior, and treat one another with kindness and acceptance.  At Cherry Preschool, we believe discipline involves teacher planning to prevent problems, simple and clearly stated rules and expectations, redirection when problems arise, and appropriate adult intervention when necessary.  Each classroom, under the guidance of the teachers, develops and posts its own rules for the protection and welfare of the group.

The teachers work with children to help them understand and verbalize their feelings.  Limits and consequences are clearly explained, consistently enforced, and discussed with children as part of any disciplinary action. Warren W.Cherry Preschool staff will never use physical punishment such as shaking or hitting, psychological abuse or coercion, abusive language, threats or derogatory remarks, withholding or threatening to withhold  food or bathroom privileges, threats of any sort, public or private humiliation, discipline for toileting accidents, emotional abuse (shaming, rejecting, isolating) in disciplining a child.

DCFS requires that all schools have a written discharge policy for the termination of a child’s enrollment related to disciplinary issues.  We recognize that all children develop social skills and adjust to the school environment at their own individual rate, and that there is a wide range of normal behavior in adjusting to the preschool setting.  If a child is having an unusual amount of difficulty assimilating into the group setting, the school will work with the child’s family to try and solve the problem through the use of our Child Development/Inclusion Coordinator or Executive Director, a staff consultant, and parental conferences.

 

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Immunization and Health Policy

Every child must have a current medical form (with the initial form dated no more than 6 months prior to the first day the child started school) on file at the school.  This form must list immunization dates and be completed by both physician and parent/guardian.  All subsequent immunizations must be reported for inclusion in the file.  In accordance with NAEYC recommendations, new forms must be completed every year.  DCFS monitors our compliance.  New students must have their forms on file before they begin school. 

Following the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Warren W. Cherry Preschool requires all enrolled children to be vaccinated in order to attend our preschool.  If your child is on a delayed vaccination schedule, we will require a letter from your child’s doctor stating and approving the delayed schedule. Children attending Cherry Preschool must have received the following immunizations/tests, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Illinois Department of Public Health:

  • DTP (4 doses)
  • Polio (3 doses)
  • Hepatitis B (3 doses)
  • HIB (3 doses)
  • Varicella or proof of chickenpox (1 dose)
  • MMR (1 dose)

A lead screening blood test is required of all enrolled children.  The date and result must be noted by the doctor on your child’s medical form.

If your child has had a TB test the date and result must be noted by the doctor on your child’s medical form.  If the doctor does not recommend a TB test, they must indicate this on the medical form.

Sick children with flu or cold like symptoms – runny nose, excessive coughing, fever, nausea or diarrhea must be symptom free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.

Parents/guardians whose child has contracted a communicable disease (COVID-19, strepthroat, head lice, pinworms, conjunctivitis, chicken pox, etc.), are required to notify the school immediately so we may inform the families of children who may have been exposed.

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Respiratory Virus Policy

The CDC released updated guidance in response to the decreasing risk that COVID-19 poses to the population. Following this guidance, Cherry Preschool’s COVID and RSV Policy, as of March 5, 2024, is as follows:

Contact Cherry Preschool

If a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 or RSV is made, please notify the preschool immediately.

Stay at home.

If a child or staff member tests positive for COVID-19 or RSV, stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after both

1. Symptoms are getting better overall and

2. They have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

Resume normal activities and use prevention strategies for COVID-19.

After being fever free for 24 hours with improving symptoms, the child or staff member with COVID may return to school, but must wear a well-fitting mask for

five days.

Classroom Exposure

Classmates and staff are no longer required to wear masks after exposure to COVID-19. A health notice will be sent to the staff and families of children that were exposed so that they can be watched for symptoms. Parents can choose to send their exposed child to school in a mask for 10 days, but it will no longer be required.

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Pick Up Policy

For the protection of your child, all children are signed out at the end of the day by parents/guardians or by someone you have authorized in writing.   No child will be sent home with anyone other than the parent/guardian unless his/her name is listed on the Release Form.

If your child is to go home with someone whose name is not on your list (i.e.: a friend’s parent), we must have your written permission.  Anyone picking up a child who has a special circumstance requiring help should contact the office to make appropriate arrangements.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires that all licensed schools have a written late pick up policy.  Parents/guardians are required to read the policy and sign a document stating that they have done so.

It is Cherry Preschool’s responsibility to protect and look out for the well being of all children until they are picked up when school has ended.

If you are late for pick up, we will begin calling all phone numbers available for the child’s parents/guardians five minutes after the class has been dismissed.  If we cannot reach you within 10 minutes after dismissal, we will continue to call all emergency contacts listed on the general release form. If we are not able to get in touch with any of the emergency numbers within 1 hour after dismissal, we will contact the appropriate outside authorities to request assistance.

The staff will not hold the child responsible for any late pick- ups.  That discussion will only be with the parents or guardians, never with the child.

Fines for late pick ups are donated to the Staff Appreciation Fund and are assessed as follows:

            $1/minute for the first 15 minutes

            $5/minute after that

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Children's Product Safety

Child care facilities licensed to care for children age 6 and under may not use or have on the premises any unsafe children’s product as described in the Children’s Product Safety Act [430 ILCS 125]

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) maintains an ongoing list of unsafe children’s products as defined in the Act on their Internet website, which may be accessed at:

http://ss.dph.illinois.gov/webapp/SRSApp/pages/index.jsp

OR

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls