Our Program
The Center has four major programs: the Infant program, the Toddler program, the Jr. Preschool program and the Preschool program. Your child will be moved to the next older program when he/she has reached the age to be moved to the next program, if space permits and he/she is developmentally ready. The number of teachers in each classroom will be determined by the need to respect the Staff-to-Child ratio for each program. The following are the various programs we offer and ratios we observe:
INFANTS
2 Groups of 6 with 1:3 ratio
TODDLER 1
2 Groups of 6 with 1:4 ratio
TODDLER 2
1 Group of 12 with 1:4 ratio
JR. PRESCHOOL
1 Group of 12 with 1:8 ratio
PRESCHOOL
1 Group of 16 with 1:8 ratio
Program Transitions
The following are the approximate age groups enrolled in each of our programs:
INFANTS
3–12 months
TODDLER 1
12—18 months
TODDLER 2
18—30 months
JR. PRESCHOOL
30—36 months
PRESCHOOL
36—Departure for Kindergarten
Indoor Playground & Outdoor Walks
Play is the essence of being a young child; not only is it lots of fun, but it is also the way in which children learn and develop. We are fortunate to have an indoor playroom for running, climbing, triking and jumping. Weather permitting, your child will be taken outside twice each day.
Infants and toddlers will take walks in the neighborhood in strollers, and specially designed wagons. Jr. Preschool and Preschoolers will walk with their teachers in the neighborhood or to nearby parks to play.
Field Trips
Field trips are exciting opportunities for fun and learning. Whether it is visiting a fire station, seeing the spring flowers or reading a new book at the library, we encourage you to participate in field trips when you can. A variety of field trips may be planned. Payment for particular field trips may be required and specific permission will be requested prior to the event.
Special Classes
US Kids incorporates additional, age-appropriate activities for children to enrich their education and development. Current special classes include Spanish and music.
Parent Involvement
Your participation is an important part of what makes our Center a special place for both parents and children. We strongly encourage you to volunteer in your child’s classroom as often as possible. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as reading a story, attending a field trip, assisting in fund-raising construction, painting, toy fixing, grocery shopping, etc. Additionally, parents can volunteer to be Classroom Parents, who help coordinate special events in classrooms and celebrations for teachers, or members of the US Kids board of directors.
Each month we distribute a newsletter describing the activities at our Center. Daily notes will either go home and/or be posted describing activities in your child's program. Individual news items will be placed in your child's cubby.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held twice a year and on an as-needed basis. We encourage you to talk with teachers on a regular basis; you should feel free to call the teachers and the director at any time during the day. If a teacher is unavailable, your phone call will be returned at the earliest opportunity.
Licensing
Our Center is a licensed child development center in the District of Columbia and must comply with extensive regulations in order to maintain its license. D.C. licensing regulations requires many of the procedures in this handbook. Copies of the licensing regulations are filed in the Center's office.