FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you have any questions or suggestions, please email the webmaster
(contact info)
to submit them.
What paperwork do I need
when first enrolling?
How do I know my child will be well taken care of?
Can I visit my child during the day?
Do the children go outside everyday?
How will I know what is happening during my child's day?
Is there a Director on site?
Will my child be challenged academically?
How does WSCCC define play?
What security precautions are
in place?

What paperwork do I need when first enrolling?
The two most important forms are the
Child Enrollment and
Health form and the
Child Medical
Statement. The Child Medical Statement includes a statement
that your child is healthy enough to be with a group of other children.
It is a required from that must be signed by your child's pediatrician.
We can not accept a list of immunizations only. This form must be updated
yearly.
Mostly self-explanatory, page three of the
Enrollment and Health form requires parents
to sign three times. Parents must list someone
other than themselves to contact in case
of an
emergency. This form also must be
updated yearly.
The Infant Schedule or the Orientation
Questionnaire help staff get to know
your child
and make your child feel more at home. Not all forms are necessary for every
child so
please read them to see if they apply.
Other forms, although important, may be
submitted after the first day of enrollment.
How do I know my child will be well taken care of?
West Shore has been enrolled in
Step Up to Quality, a
quality rating system for early
childhood education, for three years. WSCCC has a One Star rating.
To learn more,
please click on the link. You may view our center's last inspection and that of other
licensed
centers at
Ohio
Department of Job and Family Services.
Can I visit my child during the day?
Absolutely! Feel free to join your child at lunchtime, playtime -
anytime!
Do the children go outside everyday?
The children go outside in all seasons as required by Ohio state licensing
and as long as they will be safe; for example, if
there is no lightning, the
children all have appropriate clothing, the
temperature
is not extreme.
We take into account many factors, not limited to but including the amount
of sun exposure, the
wind-chill
factor or heat index and pollution index.
We have an indoor large muscle
activity
area for those times when we
cannot go outside.
How will I know what is happening during my child's day?
You are welcome to call or visit any time. The teachers write an Activity Note
every day for infants and toddlers. The infant and toddler
notes tell you when
your child slept and for how long, when your child's diaper was changed, and
for infants, how many ounces of their bottle they drank. The Young Preschool
and Preschool
teachers describe each class's daily activities on a dry erase board
located
outside
the classrooms. The school age children arrange special events
so that parents may have an overview of what the children have been doing.
Also the Toddler, Young Preschool, Preschool and
School Age program
write monthly newsletters.
Is there a Director on site?
Yes, West Shore's director is available to the staff and parents
daily and most
importantly the director is on site to oversee the environment. The director
is not regularly scheduled in a classroom and therefore free to
observe and
mentor staff and to help create a safe age-appropriate learning experience
for
your child. Whenever the Director is on vacation or is off site for any
reason,
the Assistant Director or another supervisor will be designated.
Will my child be challenged academically?
Studies show that 'best practice'
prepares each kindergarten child to be enthusiastic
and ready to learn. West Shore Child Care Center’s curriculum follows the
Early
Learning Content Standards developed by the Ohio Department of Education and
fleshes out these standards using the children's interests and play.
West
Shore believes it is important that children learn by doing and we encourage
hands-on experiences.
Teachers assess
where a child is developmentally and where
he/she might improve,
to set individual goals for each child
and to plan an
enriched, stimulating curriculum
around this assessment.
Activities
that develop literacy and language arts, art, science and math are all
incorporated into a theme-based
curriculum developed around the children's
interests. Research shows that social/emotional development is key to
success
in school, so teachers work with the children helping them to learn to share,
enter play, resolve conflicts and to feel confident.
Teachers are given planning
time each week in which to discuss with their
co-teachers
their plans and goals
for the coming week. Lesson plans are posted in each room
for
each week.
However, teachers reserve the right to change their activities
at any time so
that they might follow the interest of the children.
How does WSCCC define play?
We define play as it is defined within the Early Learning Content Standards,
page 56:
"Play: A dynamic process that
develops and changes, becoming more varied and complex,
allowing children to practice skills they will need later in life. Play is
the vehicle for
learning and development across domains, reflecting the social and cultural
contexts in
which children live."
What security precautions are
in place?
All of West Shore's children are in a wing of the church
whose
entrances are locked with a keypad security system that uses codes
to open the doors. The code is changed when needed for additional
security. Other emergency exit doors are locked from the outside.
Parents provide the center with names of people who have permission to pick
up
their children. However if we have not been notified by parents that
someone
other than themselves will be picking up, West Shore will call the parent for
confirmation even if the person is on their family's list. If the person
picking up
is unfamiliar to staff, they will also be asked to present photo I.D.
Parents of
school-age children need to inform the Center if their child will not be
returning
after school to the Center for whatever reason. If we have not been
notified
and a child does not arrive off of the school bus as expected, we will call
parents.