CHILDREN’S DAY OUT

PARENT HANDBOOK

2016 - 2017

If a child lives with criticism

HE LEARNS TO CONDEMN

If a child lives with hostility

HE LEARNS TO FIGHT

If a child lives with ridicule

HE LEARNS TO BE SHY

If a child lives with jealousy

HE LEARNS TO FEEL GUILTY

If a child lives with tolerance

HE LEARNS TO BE PATIENT

If a child lives with encouragement

HE LEARNS CONFIDENCE

If a child lives with praise

HE LEARNS TO APPRECIATE

If a child lives with fairness

HE LEARNS JUSTICE

If a child lives with security

HE LEARNS FAITH

If a child lives with approval

HE LEARNS TO LOVE

CHILDREN LEARN

WHAT THEY LIVE

2025 BAYOU BLACK DRIVE

HOUMA, LOUISIANA 70360

(985) 876-3131

mulberrychurch.org

Jonathan LaFleur Assoc. Pastor: Admin & Youth

Bobby LeCompte Music Director

Mary Dowden Children’s Director

Courtney Gautreaux CDO Director

Christy Barnes CDO Committee Chairman

Susan Waldron Preschool Director

Melissa LeCompte Administrative Assistant

Anita Carpenter Financial Secretary

CHILDREN’S DAY OUT

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.”

Isaiah 26:3

NOTES AND NUMBERS

Mulberry Baptist Church CDO 876-3131

Courtney Gautreaux, Director cell 209-3476

Mulberry Baptist Church 876-3204

Teachers

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the Mulberry Baptist Church Children’s Day Out pro-

gram. We are thankful to each of you for the opportunity to be a part

of your child’s preschool years. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere

of love, security, and reassurance for children while they are in our

care. Our prayer is that their learning experiences here will be very

positive, happy, and wholesome ones.

“But Jesus called the children to him and said “Let the little children

come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs

to such as these.”

Luke 18:16 NIV

The CDO Staff is made up of Christian ladies who genuinely love

children and love working with preschoolers. I truly believe these la-

dies are called to this as a ministry. They understand your need to

have a safe and comfortable place to leave your child and your child’s

need to play and learn and grow.

Children’s Day Out is a service offered to you at a minimum of cost.

Our church is happy to provide this ministry to the Houma commu-

nity. If you do not have a local church home, I would like to take this

opportunity to invite you to worship with us. Our church staff is al-

ways available to you and your family. If we can serve you in any

way, please contact us. You are part of the Mulberry family.

Sincerely,

Courtney Gautreaux

CDO Director

THE CHURCH AT WORK

Following is a list of the programs and services offered at Mulberry.

If you are interested in any of these, feel free to contact a staff

member or the church office for further information.

Sunday School—classes available for all ages 9:15AM

Sunday Morning Worship Service & Children’s Church 10:30AM

Sunday Evening Life Groups (once a month) 5:00PM

Wednesday Night Fellowship Supper (Sept.-May) 5:30PM

Awana, 3 yr.—6th Grade 6:00—7:30PM

Youth Ministries (7th-12th Graders) Wednesday Evenings

Adult Bible Study Wednesday 6:00PM

Children’s Day Out September-May

Vacation Bible School June 26th-30th

Ladies Bible Studies Spring & Fall

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 5:00 PM

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP

For a child’s first experience at CDO to be happy and meaningful, a major re-

sponsibility is in the hands of the parents.

1. Become familiar with CDO policies and cooperate in every way possible. We are

eager for your child to have happy experiences here and trust you are willing to help.

2. Begin to talk to your child positively about going to CDO. Use the child’s teachers’ and

friends’ names frequently about happy times at CDO.

3. Children should WALK into the classroom. It is harder to separate from you if they

are in your arms. Big boys & girls walk into their class room.

4. Children are concerned about what they may be missing when you leave them. Don’t

let them think that you are going somewhere special without them.

5. If you forget something and must return to your child’s room, please try to stay out of

sight, knock quietly and whisper to the teacher, and leave quickly. Try not to let your

child see you, for this again, may trigger his/her inner clock into thinking it is time to

go.

.6.. Discourage the bringing of toys, books, guns/swords, etc. Special items are permitted

if the child needs them for security. Please label these and other items with your child’s

name. Special toys and items should be left at home. Children do not always want to

share their treasures and we do not want to see anything get lost or marred.

7. Please do not make us be the “meanie”. If something is inappropriate, make a deal to

leave it at home or in the car, but do not bring it with the idea that we will take it away.

That causes distress for all and leaves a bad feeling with the child about CDO and his/her

teachers.

8. Please be on time to pick up your child at 1:30 P.M. Children don’t like to be left be-

hind when all their friends have gone home. Even well adjusted children find this stress-

ful. This can lead to them not wanting to come back to school.

9. Please READ all calendars, newsletters, and notes that go home. These contain im-

portant information that you need to know. No child wants to be the only one without a

swim suit on water day or be without a bike on bike day, and no parent wants to make

another trip home for these items.

10. If there is a problem, please feel free to talk with the teachers or with the director. We

want to make all adjustments as smooth as possible. We are always open to your sugges-

tions and comments.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of the CDO program is to provide each child

a happy, loving, Christian

environment so he or she can grow mentally, physically,

spiritually, socially, and emotionally and to encourage a

learning experience

appropriate for his or her age and ability.

TUITION AND REGISTRATION FEES

Tuition must be paid monthly, regardless of holiday or child’s attendance. Fees

must be paid to meet the on-going cost of operations. There will be no refunds for

temporary absences. Tuition is averaged over the course of the year. There are

no tuition changes in months that have fewer or more days.

Tuition is due the first week of each month. You will receive a monthly tuition

envelope stating fees due. Please return tuition in envelope each month. There

will be an extra $5.00 charge for any late tuition unless arrangements have been

made with the director.

Discounts for more than one child per family only apply on days when both chil-

dren are enrolled.

Tuition unpaid for more than 3 weeks will result in re-registration (including regis-

tration fee), if space permits, unless arrangements have been made with the direc-

tor.

A one month notice is required when withdrawing a child from CDO. You will be

responsible for tuition to that point. If a child is to be taken out of the program in

May, we need notification by April 15 or you will be responsible for May tuition.

Our budget is based on all tuition being collected.

Registration fees must be paid when a child is registered. This fee helps cover the

cost of supplies, equipment, training, etc. These fees are not refundable unless we

are notified that you are moving out of the area prior to CDO beginning in the fall.

Charges for children coming on a day which they are not enrolled is $20.00 per

day. Check for space availability before bringing a child on an extra day.

There will be a charge of $25.00 on all NSF checks due to our account being

charged by the bank. Fees are according to bank charges.

Registration Fee $90.00 per child

Monthly Tuition per Child

One day per week $75.00 per child

Two days per week $140.00 per child

Three days per week $200.00 per child

Monthly Tuition—Two Children per family

One day per week $70.00 per child/per month

Two days per week $135.00 per child/per month

Three days per week $195.00 per child/per month

2016-2017 CDO SCHEDULE

Wednesday, September 7, 2016 First day of CDO—9:10AM

Thursday, September 8, 2016 Parent Orientation—12:00PM

November 22, 23 & 24, 2016 Thanksgiving Holidays

December 15, 2016 Christmas Holidays begin at close of day

January 3, 2017 Welcome back to CDO

February 28 & March 1 and 2, 2017 Mardi Gras Holidays

April 18, 19 & 20, 2017 Easter Holidays/Spring Break

Sunday, May 21, 2017 CDO Commencement

Wednesday, May 21, 2017 Last Day of CDO

Party days and special activities, such as Bike Day, will be scheduled by

teachers and you will be notified in advance on monthly calendars. If special

party supplies and treats are needed, teachers will send home a note with your

child in addition to posting it on the boards outside classrooms. If your child

is not enrolled on a day when there is to be a special event, and you wish his/

her to attend that day, see the director for space availability and fees.

HEALTH POLICIES

1. All immunization records must be kept up to date.

2. For the protection of your child and the other children, parents are re-

quested not to bring in a child who appears to be ill: Upon the recommen-

dation of the Committee on Control of Infectious Diseases of the American

Academy of Pediatrics a child should not be taken from home when any of

the following exists:

a. Fever—within the previous 24 hours.

b. Vomiting or diarrhea—within the previous 24 hours.

c. Any symptom of childhood diseases such as

scarlet fever, German measles, mumps, chicken

pox, or whooping cough.

d. Common cold—or runny nose (mucus thick or

with color)- If a child has allergies and appears

to have a cold, he/she may attend CDO with a

note from a doctor, currently dated, stating

that the child is not contagious.

e. Sore throat

f. Croup

g. Any unexplained rash.

h. Any skin infection—boils, ringworms, impetigo.

I. Pink eye or other eye infection.

j. Thrush

(When in doubt, apply the “Golden Rule”)

3. If a child becomes ill or shows symptoms of illness during CDO, he/she

will be isolated and the parents contacted to take the child home.

4. Medication will not be given at CDO. This policy is for the well being of

all children.

5. Parents should report any allergies to the teacher immediately—especially

food related. There is a lot of food and treats brought to CDO.

6. All toys used by preschoolers are washed before each session. We

know children put almost anything in their mouth and we try to hold down

the spreading of germs as much as possible.

7. Please notify the CDO director if your child has an infectious disease.

When it is known that a group of children has been exposed to an easily

spread disease, we will notify parents.

SECURITY AND SAFETY

1. Preschoolers must be brought to the classrooms and picked up by par-

ent or other responsible adult. Your child will not be allowed to leave

with anyone other than those people listed on your registration

form without your consent. This may be done by telephone or ver-

bally to the director or one of the teachers. Additional permission slips

are available from the teachers. If by phone we may ask for the code

word you selected on the registration form to verify with whom we are

speaking. The individual picking up the child should be prepared to

present picture ID to the teacher if asked.

2. We do not have the legal authority to deny either parent access to his/

her child without a court order. If there are custodial questions, we

must be presented with the legal document stating such.

3. Messages to the teachers must be in written form or by telephone. Ver-

bal messages by a child will not be accepted. We have asked you to

name a code word on your registration form so that in the event that you

do call us about some change, you can use the code word to confirm

your identity.

FOOD POLICIES

1. All children should bring their lunch (including drink) to CDO. Please

be sure that all lunch boxes are labeled with your child’s name. If items

such as apples or oranges that need to be sectioned or peeled are

brought, please have these ready to eat. Food such as grapes or hot

dogs need to be quartered to prevent choking.

2. Children under the age of 2 will only be fed what parents have pro-

vided. Please label everything with the child’s name. Highchairs are

provided for each child in this age group.

3. Lunch should consist of things that your child likes to eat. Refrigerators

are available for any perishable item. Please advise the teachers if this

is needed.

4. We ask that you not send food that needs to be heated. While we have a

microwave, we do not have time to warm lunches for all the children.

There are small thermoses available in the stores that are good for keep-

ing soup and that type food warm.

5. Snacks will be provided and served each morning. Birthday and party

treats will be served after lunch.

RECEIVING AND DISMISSAL

Nursery– P2, and P3

1. Children must be escorted to the classroom and received by

the teacher. They cannot be dropped off at the door.

2. No child should be in the Preschool area except under the su-

pervision of a preschool teacher. Never leave your child in

an unsupervised room. 3. Children will be accepted promptly at 9:30AM. We will be in

the building by 9:00, but have a short prayer time and are then

gathering supplies. We will be in and out of the rooms prior

to 9:30.

4. A preschool teacher will receive the child at the door of the

room. When a child enters the room, teaching begins imme-

diately, so we ask that parents do not linger where they can be

seen or heard. Please do not block doorways.

5. It is best not to slip away from a child. Tell him/her in a firm

kind voice that you are going but will be back to get him/her

at 1:30. Then leave immediately. If your child continues to

be upset, we will come for you or call you immediately. If

you need to check on your child, please do so through the di-

rector or carefully look through the glass or windows. If your

children see you, be prepared to take them, because many

times they will believe you are there to take them home.

6. Children must be picked up from CDO by 1:30PM.

(Sometimes even the most well adjusted child will become

anxious if he/she is left after the other children have gone.)

There will be a $1.00 per minute late fee for any child left

after 1:30PM.

RECEIVING AND DISMISSAL

P4, P5 and C1

1. Children will be driven by their parent into the back parking lot of

the church. We have cones that designate spot 1, 2, & 3. These

are rhe 3 spots for drop off. Parents will wait until they have a

teacher escort at their vehicle to release your child. We use

“from your hand to my hand ,” with the children.

2. No child should be in the Preschool area except under the supervi-

sion of a preschool teacher. Never leave your child in an unsu-

pervised room. 3. Children will be accepted promptly at 9:30AM. Please wait in

your vehicle until the teachers are in place outside at the cones.

4. A teacher escort will receive the child at the vehicle. Tell him/her

in a firm kind voice that you are going but will be back to get him/

her at 1:30. Then leave immediately.

5. Children must be picked up from CDO by 1:30PM. There will

be a $1.00 per minute late fee for any child left after 1:30PM.

6. Teacher escorts will bring your child to your vehicle. A teacher

will be at the head of the car line to announce via walkie-talkie of

your arrival.

7. We will have the 3 cone system in the afternoon. Routine helps

the teachers and the children have a good flow of their day.

8. If you need to check out your child early, please come to the front

doors of CDO and ring the bell.