CLOTHING AND TOYS
Please follow these guidelines for our clothing and toy policy. These are very important rules you must follow.
PLAY CLOTHES
Play clothes are encouraged—simple, washable, sturdy and easy-to-manage clothes are recommended The school has many activities that include paints, oils and solutions that stain clothes. Montessori environments are “hands-on” classrooms—clothes get dirty and stained. Clogs, “flip flops,” and other fashion driven footwear or jewelry are potentially dangerous and a deterrent to active participation in all aspects of school activity.
PACK EXTRA CLOTHING
Children can spill food on their clothes. They can have a potty accident or get water on their clothes. So, pack an extra set of clothes and some socks, and maybe even shoes. For wintertime, make sure your child has an undershirt or T-shirt under his shirt or her dress, and a warm jacket. A hat is also a good idea to keep them warm. Pack cool clothes for summer and a summer hat. Put on sunscreen before you send your child to school.
LAYER CLOTHING
When children play, they get hot. When they get hot, they take off their jackets! Unfortunately, without a jacket and with only one layer of clothing for protection, your child is more likely to get sick in winter. The best way to reduce illness from this problem is to dress them in layers of light underclothes. These cannot be removed in a hurry, absorb sweat, and provide a good degree of comfort and protection even if your child removes their jacket.
LABEL CLOTHING
Using a permanent marker, write your child's name on the inside label tag of your child's clothes. Mark it on every piece of clothing, whether it is a dress, shirt, jacket, or hat. Children in a preschool setting can get up to all kinds of mischief that may require us to change their clothing. When this happens to multiple kids simultaneously, properly marked clothing helps the teacher put the right clothing on the right child. Whenever you buy new clothes, label them with your child's name immediately. Mark all shoes, lunch boxes, and virtually anything your child might bring to school. It helps us to help you! And you don't have to spend a fortune on replacing lost clothes due to the lack of a label.
SLEEPING FACILITIES
The law requires us to provide sleeping facilities for children under 5 years of age. This takes the form of comfortable, foldable cots which are covered with a cot sheet and a blanket. Parents are required to supply and maintain one (1) cot sheet and one (1) blanket for their child. These items should be taken home every Friday, washed, and returned on the following Monday. Nap time typically occurs after lunch and lasts for a period of 2 hours. Sleeping facilities are available to all children, including Kindergarten students, although children in this group rarely need to sleep.
TOYS
Please ensure that your child does not bring toys to school. The reason for this rule is to ensure the safety of toys for your child and other children. When children bring toys to school, teaching the concept of sharing can become much harder. Additionally, searching for lost toys takes away from our teaching time. The school maintains an adequate supply of toys that are regularly cleaned and disinfected. We also have provisions for breakage and loss of these toys, but we cannot guarantee the same for toys that your child might bring to the school.
For those children starting school for the first time, we do allow your child to bring a favorite toy or item. This is to ensure a smooth transition into the school. Once your child becomes accustomed to school, we ask that you return to the no-toy policy.
