Gods Precious Angels

Child Development Center

Family Handbook

Director: Asia Kiniel

373 Stage Court Circle
Columbia, South Carolina, 28975
Phone: (843)725-6755 Fax: (843)7256757
Email: akiniel@pacdc.org

Hello Family!
We here at Gods Precious Angels want to welcome you to our school. We are excited
about your attendance here. The founder is my grandmother, Pastor Louise Kiniel. She strongly
believes in the family unit and practices what she preach. We want you all to grow with us and
help us become an open, inclusive, family oriented center. All input on how we can improve is
strongly encouraged; of course we cannot meet all the needs of your request, but we will do our
very best to make sure you are happy with the services we are providing for your child(ren).
Please feel free to peruse this handbook to see what we expect from you as the parents, and what
we will do for you to ensure your childs needs are being met. Again thank you for choosing our
center to start your childs early learning process!

Mission Statement:
We here at Gods Precious Angels, are an inclusive center. We encourage parental visitations and
creative expressionism. From entrance to exit, we are building character skills such as caring,
responsibility, and confidence. We want to raise a generation of children who are self-thinkers,
motivated, and responsible. We believe that special needs children benefit the most from an
inclusive classroom because, they get real world experience. They get to interact with typically
developing children and learn to adapt to the environment around them. We also believe that
through hands-on parental help, parents get to see how their child learns and children get bond
with their parents.

Our Philosophy:
Gods Precious Angels is firmly rooted in the teachings of the theorists Lev Vygotsky and
Robert Coles. Vygotsky believed that both biological development and cultural experiences
influenced childrens ability to think and learn. He stated that social contact was essential for
intellectual development. And Robert Coles believes and stresses the important role that parents
and other caregivers play by the examples they set, If you want a child to be moral, you must
behave in a moral way. By creating an environment rich in social activities, stressing the
importance of character building skills, and having parents engaged in the school setting,
children are able to grow and experience life with confidence and show integrity in their daily
works. We believe in having a staff that is prepared to build upon the four domains
(social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language) and create lesson plans and activities that
cater to each domain. We also believe in making sure that all children are learning at their own
pace so there is no one left behind!

Core Values:
We value the family unit. We know not all families are the same but LOVE brings us all together.
We value each child as an individual, we are here to protect, educate, and advocate on their
behalf.
We value the uniqueness that each child and parent brings into the center.
We value the input that we receive from each parent and child.
We value the community as a whole, for we know it takes a village to raise a child.

Program Goals:
We want the students to be prepared fully for kindergarten. We want to ensure parents that they
have reached their maximum potential during their time with us. We expect to have outstanding
teachers who continue to pursue educational goals. We expect to keep the thirst for knowledge
alive for all (children, families, and teachers). The goals will be assessed by the way the children
show excitement about what they have learned. They will come willing to share new facts and be
able to use word association (using thinking skills/cognitive development) to recall things that
may have happened, things they have seen, or heard. Employees are expected attend trainings
and learn new techniques to bring into the classroom. Another goal we have for this program is
to have a happy staff, making sure the needs of the staff are met. We want to show our
appreciation for the workers and it will be measured by the number of new employees hired per
year.

Curriculum Overview:
We here at Gods Precious Angels believe in having a rich learning environment. We
want to be sure teachers plan developmentally appropriate activities and lessons, catering to the
learning styles of the children. We expect teachers to encourage child exploration and try to get
them to try new things. In order for children to grow in confidence and try new things they must
feel safe within the environment, once they do they will explore their learning environment.
We follow the Creative Curriculum so we believe that children learn best through play. In
the dramatic play center we have diverse materials from cooking utensils to multicultural pieces,
to gender specific clothing and items. Through this children can take on the roles of parents and
learn how to care for babies. They can become chefs and cook exquisite meals. They can
understand that though we are all the same on the inside, we live life differently. It is our
differences that makes us unique. We have block center that has various materials: wood blocks,
colored lensed blocks, hard foam bricks, construction materials, tools, etc. We also have people
and vehicles that are included in the center for children become architectural structures. Learn
new vocabulary terms such as blueprints, and architecture. In the fine motor center, we have
numerous small muscle building materials to enhance writing and cutting skills. In the science
center we have brain developing activities. We want to engage creativity, self-exploration, and
thinking skills. In the book center, we have age appropriate books, we also include paper and
pencils so they can write their own stories or simply write. We have books from several genres
including fiction, scientific, and fairytale. We have a music and movement center that has all
sorts of musical instruments, also scarves, ribbons, and noise makers.

Responsibilities of the Program:

We will provide a safe and nurturing learning environment. We will provide nutritious and filling
meals. We will provide developmentally appropriate materials, lessons, and activities daily. We
will have a clean environment, sanitations is very important and we want to ensure that it is kept
up. We will be sure to report any and every incident that happens in our care. We will provide
plans and place them into practice, to ensure that in the event of an emergency we are prepared.
We will be sure to report any suspicions of abuse and neglect. We will treat all families with
respect, greeting them with warm welcomes. We will involve community, and gain valuable
knowledge through helpers and leaders. We will promote self-esteem. We will keep a continuous
line of communication open for staff and families. We will encourage family involvement
through different activities and events. We will advocate on behalf of the children and families
for a better system.

Responsibilities of Parents:
We expect the parents to have appropriate attire for children. We expect the parents to be sure
that extra attire (diapers and wipes included) are replenished when notices are sent home. We
expect the parents to uphold their financial responsibility to the center. We expect parents to take
their child with them if they have no extra clothes, diapers, or wipes. We expect the parents to
respond to notices and participate in parent conferences. To have the child to school on time and
picked up by the designated time.

Program Policies:
Enrollment:
Parents are responsible for bringing all necessary paperwork (immunization records, dental
records, etc). During the enrollment process. If they are not in by start date, the child may be
delayed on starting or dropped from the school until the necessary work is completed. Parent
must pay the $25 dollar, nonrefundable enrollment fee due once approved for starting. If there is
more than one child entering, the enrollment fee will be $40, which is also nonrefundable. The
center will need to know prior to enrollment if the child has any special needs, so we can do our
best to accommodate them.

Discipline:
We do not believe in negative disciplinary action (shaming a child, any form of hitting, using
negative words) to punish a child. We tell them what they can do instead of what they cannot. We
redirect their attention to something less destructive, and turn it into something constructive. We
will not make a child feel ashamed for acting as a child should.

Health and Wellness:

We will call you in the event of/your child may not come back to school if:
- The child has had diarrhea three or more times within a twenty four hour period
- The child has vomited two or more times within a twenty four hour period
- The child has an armpit temperature of 99 degrees

-The child has been diagnosed with conjunctivitis (pink eye), measles, mumps, chicken pox,
influenza, impetigo, scabies, head lice, strep throat or any other contagious illness
A child will be allowed to come back to school twenty four hours from the last diarrhea, vomit,
or high temperature. A child will be allowed to come back to school twenty four hours from
diagnosis of contagious disease with doctors permission and at least two rounds of prescribed
medication.

Operating Procedure:
Our hours of operation are from 7 am until 5:30 pm. We are closed for every major holiday
usually resulting in a 3 day weekend. We post signs as a reminder. We have a week off for the
fourth of July, and two weeks for Christmas/New Years. We announce special half days as well.

Pick up Policy:
All children must be gone by 5:30pm. If you will be late, call ahead!!! We do not charge for the
first 5 minutes of being late without a call. After 5:35p you will be charged a 5$ fee per minute
late (*This is for parents who do not call to let us know you will be late, and for parents who
make a habit out of picking up children late regularly). Please respect our time and we will be
courteous of yours!

Financial Policy:
Your payments are due Friday of each week. If you pay monthly, your payments are due the First
Monday of each month. I am flexible please talk to me and we will see what we can work out
(NO, THIS WILL NOT BE AN EVERY WEEK/MONTH THING!).

This is the payment schedule:

$25 nonrefundable enrollment fee for one child.
$40 nonrefundable enrollment fee for 2+ children

Rates per week:

Infants - $720/month or $180/week
Toddlers (1s and 2s) - $640/month or $160/week
Threes - $580/month or $145/week
Preschool - $520/month or $130/week
You are financially responsible for payments whether your child is there on his or her assigned
day(s) or not. You are financially responsible for days we are closed, as well.