Overview

The physical and emotional health and safety of everyone on the Fort Hill campus is of the utmost priority. All staff follow the Smith College, CECE Health Care Policy, and Massachusetts EEC regulations regarding health and safety practices and policies, as well as the regulations of community agencies such as the Fire Department and the City of Northampton.

Teachers confirm that any plant, animal, or substance poses no health or safety hazard before bringing it into the school. The school is peanut-free and tree-nut-free at all times; depending on the individual needs of the children and teachers in the school, other foods may also be restricted. All teachers are responsible for correcting and/or reporting any incidents or situations that endanger the physical or emotional health of any member of the Fort Hill community. The classroom teams ensure that the classrooms and playgrounds are free from all hazards prior to the opening of school. For example, teachers check that the playgrounds are free of debris or hazards and that the gates are operational, that the electrical outlets in the classrooms are covered, that all fire exits and hallways are free of obstruction, that materials and substances intended for adults are appropriately stored, etc.

We consider emotional safety to be as important as physical safety. The school follows a “If Two Can Play, All Can Play” philosophy and teachers intervene immediately if children are being excluded or physically or emotionally hurt. If a staff member is concerned about the emotional safety of an adult, she may communicate directly to the people involved or to the director.

This section includes a few of the questions and issues that arise most frequently. Please see the Fort Hill Handbook and EEC regulations for additional information on health and safety.

Preventive Measures

Staffing Ratios

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care licenses the program and regulates the group size and teacher:child ratios. Our typical staffing patterns exceed the Massachusetts regulations and, at the same time, there may be occasions when we meet the regulations. Our EEC license allows following groupings:

Facility Maintenance and Repair

The facility is maintained by the College; any person seeing an unsafe condition should repair the situation immediately and report the issue to the office coordinator, who will contact the Smith College Facilities Department for a permanent repair.

Fire Prevention

All teachers are responsible for maintaining classrooms and shared areas in a manner that is compliant with the fire safety regulations. The local fire department conducts regular inspections of the building to ensure compliance.

The following are examples of some of the regulations that affect classroom environments:

• The 18″ area between the top of a shelf and the ceiling must be void of any materials.
• A 3′ clear pathway to the exit door must be maintained.
• No flammable materials are allowed on or near exit doors.
• Evacuation routes must be posted near the exit doors.
• The area surrounding the fire extinguishers must be clear.
• Classroom and school furnishings must meet fire safety regulations.

Handwashing and Gloving Procedures

Handwashing and the use of protective gloves are important measures  in reducing the spread of disease. Please see the Health Care Policy for information on handwashing and gloving procedures. Handwashing procedures are posted near every sink.

Playground Safety

Please see the Playground section of this Handbook for guidance on supervising the playground to ensure safety.

Emergency Situations

Emergency telephone numbers are posted next to every telephone and are carried whenever children are taken off the Fort Hill campus. All educators must maintain First Aid and CPR certification according to EEC regulations.

The chain of command in an emergency situation is:

Director
Assistant director
Level Coordinator
Studio Supervising Teacher

Emergency Public Address System

To broadcast a message throughout the entire school using the public address system, pick up any telephone receiver and dial 1-2-3-2-9-0 (i.e., 1,2 + the Fort Hill main extension number 3290).

Emergency Response Plan and Evacuation Drills

Please see the Emergency Response Plan (the username is cece and the password is forthill). We practice evacuation drills monthly (the Northampton Fire Department participates in these drills twice during the year) and we practice on off-site evacuation once during the year.

Evacuation Protocol: Ensuring that all children are accounted for specifically because of our visiting program. — Infants and toddlers will exit through the front door and meet in the grassy space where preschool is. A, B, and S is all at trees. I/T is going to assign rooms to each be near one of the preschool spaces. — Children always exit with the group they are visiting. Teachers are responsible for all children in their room in their care at that time. When you get outside you take attendance and then a teacher from the host classroom will help to deliver the child to their appropriate room. First make sure you have all of the children from your room (including visitors) and then deliver them and communicate that they have been delivered to their home room teacher. IF CHILDREN ARE OUT ON THE PLAYGROUND: –Scenario #1: Everyone is on playground and a fire drill happens: -Whoever is closest to the gate takes charge of getting children out other teachers fall into helping that teacher. Teachers in the middle help get the kids to the gate, and grab the playground IPad. The last one or two teachers are sweeping the playground. Communication is key. Once you are outside of the gate, keep all children together until you have enough teachers to begin separating children into their classroom groups. The person with the IPad will help to look at the attendance and put children in their correct rooms. –Scenario #2: Part of your class is inside and part of your class is outside – Teachers are responsible for the children in their area. If you are a teacher alone in the classroom send children to the door while you shut door, sweep room, get clipboard, backpack, and ipad then meet children at the door to exit. – If you are trying to get a large group out the door, you can prop the door open so that you don’t need a teacher to hold the door. The last person out needs to make sure they shut the door. – We will maybe start practicing this more often. – If we need to leave the building and walk down the road in the winter, we are allowed to walk in the street rather than the unpaved sidewalk.

Medical Concerns

Teachers and children fulfill the EEC regulations for regular physical examinations and appropriate immunizations. The assistant director maintains these records.

There are various laws surrounding the issue of immunizations, as well as certain allowable exemptions.  Under those laws, a child shall not be required to have any immunization if the child’s parents objects to the immunization in writing on the grounds that it conflicts with their sincere religious beliefs or if the child’s physician, nurse educator, or physician assistant submits documentation that such a procedure is contraindicated.

At any point in time the number of children enrolled at Fort Hill with an exemption may vary from zero children to several children.  If a child has an exemption, it may be related to one, some, or all of the recommended immunizations.  In addition, some of the children at Fort Hill have not yet been immunized for certain diseases due to their age.

Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

All teachers complete an emergency contact and information sheet during their orientation period. This card includes a space to record pertinent health information, such as allergies. The cards are maintained in a notebook with the children’s emergency information at the office coordinator’s desk and should be updated as necessary. If a staff member has a particular need, such as Epi-Pen injection in response to an allergic reaction, she may wish to communicate the need to other staff members.

Families complete an emergency contact and information sheet and provide required medical information prior to their child starting the program. The assistant director maintains children’s medical records and provides each classroom with a confidential list that includes the names of the children with significant medical issues, the medication they receive, as well as other pertinent information. The office coordinator maintains a confidential notebook with children’s medical information on her desk and teachers maintain confidential emergency medical information in the First Aid cupboards of the classroom.

Emergency medications accompany children when they are outside on the playground or visiting another wing of the school.

If a parent communicates a medical need to a teacher, the teacher immediately conveys the information to the assistant director to ensure that the appropriate documentation is on file.

Allergies

Illnesses

Please see the Fort Hill Health Care Policy for detailed information about illnesses. If a child appears ill at school, the teacher may access the thermometer in the office and take the child’s temperature, repeating the process a minimum of two times with 10 minutes in between to ensure accuracy. If the child has a temperature or is unable to function well at school, the teacher informs the office that she will be calling the family to ask them to pick up the child.

Teachers follow the procedure detailed in the Time Off section of this Handbook when they are ill. Teachers may return to work once the symptoms of the illness are no longer present (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc.) and they are feeling well enough to fulfill their responsibilities.

Human Bites that Break the Skin

If a child receives a bite that breaks the skin, please:
• wash the area with non-bacterial soap, working up a good lather without applying pressure.
• contact the child’s family and let them know you washed the wound and they should contact their physician for further guidance.
• complete an injury report for the child who was bitten.
• complete an incident report for the child who did the biting.
• maintain the confidentiality of the child who did the biting and who received the bite.

Head Injuries

Teachers call parents immediately if a child receives a head injury. The teacher completes and injury report, and an incident report if indicated, and informs the office and director-in-charge immediately.

Communicating Injuries and Emergency Situations

All injuries to members of the Fort Hill community should be documented and reported promptly. All forms to report injuries are available in the Google Drive Fort Hill Teacher folder/Forms and Guidelines/Health, Safety, and Licensing forms.

Notifying EEC

State regulations mandate the program notify EEC (1-413-788-8401) in the following events:

• Death or serious injury
• Reportable diseases and medical errors
• Legal proceedings
• Change of location or telephone number
• Change of program space
• Denial of required inspections
• Change of location in case of emergency
• Law enforcement activity
• Response by the Fire Department
• Notification of a 51A report
• Action by the Internal Revenue Service
• Motor vehicle accident
• Notice of intent to close
• Change in water source

Employee Work-related Injury

If a staff member is injured at work, please immediately report the injury to your supervisor and to the administration and complete both pages of the First Report of Work-Related Accident form, which is available on the HR website and in Google Drive/Teacher Folder/Forms/Health and Safety. The form requires information from the injured employee, the employee’s supervisor, and the director or administrator-in-charge and must be submitted to Human Resources within 24 hours.

If the injury requires immediate attention, the employee may call AEIOU, 413-461-3530, 170 University Drive, Amherst to arrange for a medical appointment. AEIOU operates extended hours.

If the injury is life-threatening, please call x800 to access Campus Police and emergency services.

Injuries to Children

All injuries, including seemingly minor injuries, must be documented and reported on the Injury Report Form. Please see the Reporting Injuries to EEC Policy. Any injury that requires overnight hospitalization must be reported immediately to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education (EEC) and care by telephone. Any injury that requires medical treatment must be reported to the EEC within five business days, along with the First Aid cards of the educators and the hospital report, if applicable.

Parents should be contacted by telephone immediately in the event of head injuries or a bite. Please be sure to make personal contact with the parent and let them know of the injury.

Teachers witnessing or responding to the incident complete and sign an injury report the same day as the incident occurs.

• The incident should be recorded in the classroom communication notebook so that all teachers in the room are aware of the incident.
• The Injury Report form, with the teacher signature, should be copied*
  • The copy should be submitted to the office coordinator.
  • The office coordinator will log the injury in the Injury Log, which is maintained in the office.
• The parent should be given the original report, with the teacher signature, and asked to sign and return the form.
• The signed original should be returned to the office coordinator to file.

* Please note that if the parent signs the form immediately and gives it back, there is no need to submit the copy to the office coordinator. The copy is given to the office coordinator so that she can immediately log the incident and as a record in case the parent fails to return the form.

All significant injuries or illnesses should be reported, in person, to the director or the person assuming the director’s responsibilities at the time.

Please follow the EEC Reporting Injuries to EEC to determine when and how to report injuries to the EEC.

Incident Report and Action Plan

Please complete an Incident Action Plan for unusual or serious incidents. These may include, but are not limited to, emergencies, accidents, behavioral incidents and property destruction. Please notify the director immediately if you complete an incident report. An injury report should accompany the Incident Action Plan.

Security and Personal Safety

All Fort Hill staff members comply with the College Policy on Safety and Well-Being of Minors and complete two trainings included in the College Child Safety Certification program as part of their orientation as a new hire and again every three years when Background Record Checks are resubmitted.

We maintain accurate documentation of all persons who enter the school. All visitors must be approved by the director prior to their visit and must sign-in and -out at the register in the alcove in the common. We strive to warmly welcome all visitors and follow protocols to ensure the safety and security of the children and teachers at all times.

We welcome a wide range of visitors to our program, including students enrolled in courses, colleagues from other schools, prospective families, researchers, consultants, service providers, non-custodial parents, former staff members, family members of staff, children’s extended family, etc. The office coordinator communicates formal visits (e.g., observations by prospective parents and students) to the supervising teacher in writing in advance of the visit.

Security at Exterior Doors

All exterior doors remain locked at all times. Teachers are issued proximity cards with 24/7 access to all doors; they carry these cards on their person when they go outside and maintain the card in a secure location while outside. 

All families receive two access cards that allow access from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm to the front door only. When a visitor or person without a card arrives at the front door, s/he rings the doorbell to request entry. The button to release the lock, an intercom system, and a monitor showing the front door are to the left of the reception desk in the office.

All persons responding to the bell must determine if the person requesting entry is a familiar person before releasing the lock. If the person responding to the bell recognizes the person on the monitor, s/he may release the lock. If s/he does not recognize the person, s/he does not release the lock. In that case, s/he takes the “Front Door Admittance” clipboard and greets the person at the door, following the protocol below.

• Greet the person warmly
• Ask the person to identify him/herself and the reason for being at Fort Hill
  • Ask the person for the name of the child and the classroom
• If you have any doubts about the validity of the visit, please request assistance from the closest regular staff member
• Request that the person sign the clipboard and show an identification card

Procedure for Releasing the Front Door Lock

If the doorbell rings, the person responding visually monitors the door using the screen in the office. If the person does not recognize the visitor at the door, she will not release the lock and will instead greet the person at the door with a “Front Door Admittance” clipboard in hand.

Before allowing the visitor to continue to the child’s classroom, she will then ask the person to:

• identify themselves, the child they are picking up and the child’s classroom;
• show an official identification (as we do with all persons who are unknown to us);
• Sign-in on the “Front Door Admittance” clipboard.

The person at the desk will then visually monitor the person as they go to their destination

Background Record Checks

All adults with the potential for unsupervised contact with children provides consent for a Background Record Check (BRC) with the Department of Early Education and Care, as well as with the Smith College office of Human Resources. The check includes the following: CORI, SORI, DCF, and fingerprinting.

A teacher who is not EEC certified as a teacher but has completed a background record check (typically Smith College student assistant teachers or new employees in the process of completing certification requirements), may be alone with children for “brief periods” of time, e.g., if another teacher needs to go to the bathroom or if a child needs to be brought in for toileting. The teacher may not regularly be alone with children, even if certified teachers are in an adjacent space.

All Smith College student assistant teachers and researchers follow all policies and procedures, including mandated courses, on the Office of Compliance and Risk Management’s  Smith College Child Safety website.

Please see the BRC policy in the Fort Hill Parent Handbook.

Child Abuse and Neglect

All educators are mandated reporters and comply with Massachusetts law and College Policy regarding the reporting of child abuse and neglect. Please see the Child Abuse Policy in the Fort Hill Handbook for more information.

Confidentiality Policy

Please see the EEC Confidentiality of Family Information Policy.

As of September 2015, parents sign a consent form to allow unrestricted use of photographs. A list of the children whose parents restrict photo permission is in the Teacher Folder on Google Drive. Children whose permission is restricted are never photographed at Fort Hill. Parents may bring in photos of their child to use for cubby pictures, etc. The guidelines for the size of the pictures are written in a document filed in the Teacher Folder on Google Drive.

Please confirm that a current Release of Information form is on file in the office before speaking to any outside agency or professional about a child. The office coordinator manages all informed consent forms. Please see the Referral section for information on the referral process.

We maintain confidentiality in our interactions with children, their families and with colleagues both in the workplace and in the community, except as specifically identified (see Photography/Recording Policy) or otherwise mandated by state law. All CECE staff are expected to maintain confidentiality and respect children’s families’ and colleagues’ rights to privacy. Staff refrain from disclosing confidential information and discussing families and children outside of the professional venue. If a staff member believes a child’s welfare is at risk, she will share that information with the supervising teacher or the administration.

Teachers do not, and we ask parents not to, speak about children in front of them.

Photographs of children are shared within and outside of the CECE on electronic media, in presentations, in publications, and in local print publications, unless parents restrict permission by indicating such and signing the Observation Agreement & Photograph/Video/Electronic Posting. Many of the images are posted on password-protected sites managed by the CECE as part of our communications with enrolled families. The security of these sites is not guaranteed. We ask families to limit sharing the links with immediate family and not to share the password with anyone other than currently enrolled families. Images from the CECE, whether taken by the parent or posted on a CECE site, should not be posted or re-posted on social media sites.

Student workers sign a confidentiality agreement upon hire.

Photographing/Recording Policy

Teachers are responsible for ensuring that all children have the appropriate permission before recording or photographing the child. A document with the names of children whose parents have restricted permission for photographing and recording is in the Google Drive/Teacher Folder/Permission Exceptions. The Photographing/Recording Policy reads:

The Center for Early Childhood Education (CECE) reserves the right to record the voice, image, and products of enrolled children and identify by name the children in connection with the recording for educational, publicity, archival, or any other purposes deemed suitable by the CECE administration, including presentations at conferences and lectures; promotional brochures; classroom documentations, blogs, portfolios, Smith College or CECE websites and other media. “Publicity” includes articles or publications by Smith College or the CECE, posting of recordings to Smith College or CECE web sites, and articles, recordings or publications by outside entities. An example of publicity by an outside entity is a community interest story about the CECE published by the Hampshire Gazette. Usually their stories are accompanied by photos of the Center, the children and staff. The Gazette’s policy is to print the names of all persons in any published photograph.

Parents may sign an Observation Agreement & Photograph/Video/Electronic Posting form restricting permission for the CECE or any other party to record their child’s voice, image, and products. The CECE will not record your child’s voice, images, or products in any way, or permit any third party, including parents of enrolled children to record your child’s voice, images, or products in any way if you choose to restrict the use of the recordings. Restrictions will also apply to classroom publications, class photos and other official school photos or publications.

Parents frequently ask if they may take photographs or videos in their child’s classroom. We allow families to photograph or record videos only for personal use and with the permission of the Director. Families may sign an Observation Agreement & Photograph/Video/Electronic Posting form restricting permission to photograph or video their child. Families recording images on personal devices must check with the classroom teacher or an administrator to identify which children may not be photographed and must refrain from capturing images of those children. The CECE reserves the right to review any recordings or photographs and require that they be erased, if, in the sole opinion of the teacher, administrator or Director the recordings or photographs are inappropriate or capture a restricted image.

This policy does not apply to any research that may be conducted at the CECE. All research at Smith is governed by policies on research. See the Office of Institutional Research for more information.

Supervising and Monitoring Children

EEC regulations require that all children be seen and heard at all times. All staff members are equally responsible for monitoring children and ensuring their safety. Teachers warmly greet and say good-bye to each child when they enter and leave the program and continually count children to ensure that all children are present.

Teachers ensure that the EEC mandated staff ratios are met at all times.  Ratios may be reduced during the first and last hours of the day.

Infants: 1:3
Toddlers 1:4 (in a mixed group of toddlers and preschoolers the ratio is 1:5)
Preschoolers 1:10

All families are responsible for accurately recording the time they drop-off and pick-up their children.The sign-in clipboards accompany the group when they leave the building, e.g., to the playground or on a walking trip and are used to confirm attendance in the case of emergency. If a family member neglects to sign-in or -out, a teacher records the information and initializes the entry. If a child does not arrive by 9:30 am and the family has not called to report her absent or tardy, the office coordinator calls the family to verify the child’s well-being.

Teachers sign-in and -out when taking children on walking trips. The clipboard is in the office.

Visiting Classrooms and Studios

We support children’s autonomy and provide opportunities for children to move among the classrooms and studios at certain times of the day and to visit in different classrooms. All teachers maintain an awareness of the location of each child. Preschool teachers maintain a system to monitor children while they “visit” in other classrooms and the studios. The system involves individual picture magnets; teachers mount a picture of each child on a magnetic square, which attaches to a removable board in the classroom. Children bring their picture magnet with them when they move to a new location and place it on the board in that location. If we conduct an emergency evacuation or drill, the teacher takes the entire magnet board with her to verify the children for whom she is responsible.

Teachers frequently accompany children to visit a classroom in another wing, e.g., children in the Infant/Toddler Program begin to visit the Preschool Program accompanied by their classroom teacher(s) when they reach the age of 2.9 years, and teachers may accompany siblings to visit one another in their classrooms.

Infant/Toddler teachers document the names of children they take to visit in the preschool, preschool playground, art studio, and music studio. The teachers maintain two clipboards to document the children’s visits. One clipboard stay in Infant/Toddler classroom and one accompanies the children and teacher(s) to the new location.

Examples of Infant/Toddler Charts

Chart one: To sign out children from classroom; this chart stays with the Parent Sign In chart and will be taken by remaining teacher(s) in any occurrence of emergency evacuation.

Chart Two: To be taken with teacher(s) and children to visiting location along with emergency contacts for each child. In the occurrence of an emergency evacuation, Infant/Toddler teacher(s) will evacuate and remain with the Preschool.

Combining Classrooms

Classrooms frequently combine, especially at the end of the day when enrollment is reduced. Teachers bring the sign-in clipboard to the new classroom with the group.

Outside/Inside Choice

When staffing allows, teachers may offer children the choice of playing inside or outside. Teachers maintain a system near the door to the playground to document the location and movement of each child, noting the time a child goes out to the playground and returns to the classroom.

Food Program

The program provides children with morning and afternoon snacks; families provide lunch. Please see the Fort Hill Handbook for details about the food policy, preparing food, and allergies. Please also see the Fort Hill Handbook for details on afternoon routines. Children’s allergies are noted in the classrooms in the First Aid cabinet and in a binder on the office coordinator’s desk. The office coordinator publishes a document of all allergies, special diets, and health conditions. This document is filed in Google Drive, Teacher Folder, Allergies. Fort Hill is a peanut-free school.

The assistant director manages the food program. All food served to children at Fort Hill must be purchased through the assistant director – supervising teachers may request specific foods for snack or cooking projects, or may plan to grow food in the garden or purchase food on field trips to the local farmer’s market.

The assistant director prepares the snack menu, which emphasizes whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. Snack menus are posted on the Parent Bulletin Board in the front entrance and in the kitchen. If the menu changes, or if a parent is providing food for the classrooms, classrooms communicate a list of ingredients to families one week in advance. Teachers wear food service gloves whenever handling or serving food to children. Children frequently participate in preparing food for snack and teachers ensure safe food handling procedures. Filtered water for drinking is obtained in the kitchen and is always available to children. Cloth napkins and reusable silverware and dishes are provided for snacks.

If a child does not want to eat the planned snack, teachers offer an alternate snack of rice cakes. The only exception is for infants and young toddlers who are not yet able to eat rice cakes – we offer Cheerios as the alternative for the youngest children. Older toddlers and preschoolers have a choice of the two items on the snack menu, and rice cakes if they do not want the daily snack. Children who have special dietary restrictions may bring their own snack.

Teachers monitor children while they are eating at all times.

Food Storage Guidelines

1. Please label any newly opened container with the date it is opened. Food should not be served after being open for longer than seven days. Masking tape and marker are on top of the fridge.
2. Please be cognizant of serving small portions on the table in preschool and toddler classrooms (in an effort to not waste too much food).  Keep the larger container on the counter and filling bowls on table as needed.
3. Snack foods that have been on the snack table in preschool or toddler classrooms should be thrown away following snack.
4. Snack foods that have only been handled by teachers – and not kept out of the fridge for long periods of time – can be stored in the fridge and re-served. Please label these clearly with the date on which they were first opened/served.  These should not be re-served after five days.

Bottles

The EEC Safe Sleep for Infants policy states: “Bottles must never be propped and babies should not sleep sucking on a bottle of milk. Propping the bottle increases the risk of choking and of ear infections. Falling asleep with milk pooled in the mouth leads to serious dental caries in developing teeth. After feeding and before putting an infant to sleep, gently wipe any milk residue from her gums. A pacifier can be offered instead of a bottle.”

Please see the EEC Bottle Warming Safety policy. When a bottle of breast milk has been warmed and a baby drinks some, but not all of it, the milk should be used within two hours. If the bottle has been refrigerated after a partial feeding, it may be warmed again one time, however it should not have been left on the counter for an extended period of time. The bottle must be very clean.

Additional Health and Safety Policies

Please see the Fort Hill Handbook for a comprehensive list of policies.

Oral Health

Please follow the EEC Oral Health Policy.

Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting

Please follow the EEC Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting Policy.

Procedure for using PureGreen24

Changing table:                                               (Clean after each use)

1. Clean changing table with soap and water using a disposable paper towel, please compost!
2. Spray with PureGreen24 until the table is completely wet (just a nice even coating will work) to disinfect the surface.
3. Allow the spray to sit on the table as long as possible to kill the germs.
   1. 2 minutes is the minimum but 10 minutes is required to kill everything.
4. After 10 minutes has past, or if you need to change another child, wipe the table dry with the Microfiber cloth. Hang cloth to dry.
5. Put the cloth in the laundry at the end of every day.

Trays:                                                              (Clean after each use)

1. Wash the tray in the sink and place to dry.
2. Spray with PureGreen24 until the surface of the tray is completely wet to disinfect it.
3. Allow the spray to sit on the tray for at least 10 minutes.
4. Wipe off excess with the Microfiber cloth hanging by the sink.
5. Put the cloth in the laundry at the end of every day.

Counters, tables, and other furniture:            (Clean tables before each use; counters at least once a day; furniture at least once a week)

1. Clean the surface with soap and water.
2. Spray with PureGreen24 until the surface is completely wet to disinfect it.
3. Allow the spray to sit on the surface for at least 10 minutes.
4. Wipe off excess with the Microfiber cloth hanging by the sink.
5. Put the cloth in the laundry at the end of every day.

Toys:                                                               (Clean after being mouthed or at least once a week)

For many toys:

1. Wash everything in the sink with soap and water. (Unless the toy is wood, then wipe with a damp cloth).
2. Leave in the sink and spray everything with PureGreen24.
3. Allow the spray to sit on the toys for at least 10 minutes.
4. Rinse off with soap and water then move to the counter to dry.

For single toys:

1. Wash with soap and water.
2. Spray PureGreen24 onto a Microfiber cloth, then use the cloth to wipe the toy until it is wet.
3. Let toy sit for 10 minutes and then wipe off any excess PureGreen24

Sleep Policy

Please see the EEC Safe Sleep for Infants Policy and Alternative Napping for Infants 12 – 15 months Policy.

Transition to Rest and Nap

•  Teachers set out mats with help from children

• Children who have finished lunch and toileting select a book and settle on their nap mats at an individualized pace.
  • If a child departs 12:45 – 1:00, he will look at books independently or play with puzzles in a quiet space, beginning at approximately 12:45.
  • To the greatest extent possible, children who depart by 3:00 nap in one room and children who depart by 4:45 nap in another room so the children who sleep are not disturbed by the transition.
    • If a child naps in another room, she goes to that room after toileting/diapering and selects a book and settles on her mat.

• When several children are on mats, the teacher lowers the shades and an audible “sleep cue” is played, this may be a sound machine, chants, or instrumental music

• Teachers may assist children in relaxing
  • Teachers remain seated or standing (teachers do not lie down with children)
  • Children are not restrained on their mats

• Children remain on their mats for a period of time in order to allow children who are tired adequate time to fall asleep.
  • Children who do not nap participate in quiet activities
  • Children may opt to go outside or stay inside between 1:30 and 3:00, as staffing allows.

• Sleep cues (music, shades) are removed at 2:30

• We do not wake children; nap continues until a child wakes independently
  • If a child is consistently sleeping later than 4:00 pm, we will initiate a conversation with a family to discuss the child’s daytime and nighttime sleep
  • An afternoon snack is available after the 2:45 departure is complete.

Plan sent to EEC June 2014:

1:00 – Children to to their napmats – they bring books and stuffed animals. The teachers initiate “sleep cues” – they turn out the lights, lower the shades, and turn on soft music. Most children lie down and look at their books until they sleep. Some sit up, and some do not ever sleep. 

1:45 – Children who are not asleep pack up their nap mats and stuffed animals/security items, put away their books, and gather in the back of the room at two tables for quiet activities. As other children wake up, they transition to the quiet activity.

2:15 – Children are offered the option of going outside in addition to the quiet activities.

2:30 – Teachers initiate “wake promotion” cues – the shades go up, the lights go on, and the music is turned off. The room, and outside, are open for choice activities, with the restriction that children respect the space of children who are still asleep. 

From Afternoon Team meeting notes 1.31.17

Awake children should spend 1 hour max on their mats resting, wake promotion for sleeping children should happen after 45 min (~2:45) This means shades up, lights on, music off.

From Rebecca Spencer 10.9.14

You may not have to go ‘cold turkey’ from 3+ hr naps to <2 hrs, but you should do it week by week.  The first week, restrict him to 3 hr naps, the second to 2.5, and then down to 2, and if he’s still having troubles sleeping overnight, you may even go down to 1.5 hr naps at least until he’s appropriately consolidating his overnight sleep.  At that point you can gradually go back up but at 2.5 hrs, I wouldn’t let him go more than 2/2.5 hrs if he has troubles getting his overnight sleep (his circadian development might be a little behind causing his sleep to not naturally fall to night time).

A few other questions in there – how do you wake him up from those naps?  It’s a great question.  I would get him up, try to work him to the point he’ll drink some water.  Try to engage him in an activity.  Alternatively – if the nap opportunity starts at 12:30 or 1, I would delay the nap onset.  Try to keep him awake until 1:30 or so (as opposed to trying to end the nap sooner, start it later) that way the classroom activity might be starting to build to engage him in too.  Or time his nap such that he could go straight to a snack as he wakes up.  

Rebecca also wrote about strategies for keeping in his bed at night, such as rewarding positive behavior of staying in his bed and providing explicit activities on the bed for him to engage in while staying in bed – things he may fall back asleep doing (like flipping through books).

From Martha: We have a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy in our toddler room whose sleep has been altered since he moved out of his crib into a “big bed.” He now wakes up at 4:30 in the morning , gets out of bed, and his parents are not able to get him back to sleep. When he was in his crib, he would wake up, couldn’t get out of the crib, and would go back to sleep.

He has always been a long napper at school (he was here last year, too), averaging perhaps 3 hours. Since he has been getting up at 4:30 he is sleeping more than 3 hours. His parents have asked the teachers to wake him after 2 – 2-and-a-half hours because they find that he needs a total of 11-12 hours of sleep and if he has more sleep at school, he doesn’t sleep long enough in the morning. The teachers tried wake cues – lights and music on, children playing in the room, and he was still sound asleep after 3 and a 1/2 hours. 

What do you think about the teachers picking him up and holding him after 2 – 21/2 hours, as the parents request?

And Rebecca’s response:

I certainly agree with the parents request – if he sleeps too long at school, he won’t have the sleep pressure necessary to fall asleep at night, so then he’ll have short sleep overnight, and need a longer nap the  next day, etc.  See how this is a spiral?  So for that reason, after a month or two of the new routine, this problem should go away, but at the moment, you need to help him get enough sleep at night by not letting him shift his sleep to the day.  

So, the way this will play out is by continuing to work with the parents.  You may not have to go ‘cold turkey’ from 3+ hr naps to <2 hrs, but you should do it week by week.  The first week, restrict him to 3 hr naps, the second to 2.5, and then down to 2, and if he’s still having troubles sleeping overnight, you may even go down to 1.5 hr naps at least until he’s appropriately consolidating his overnight sleep.  At that point you can gradually go back up but at 2.5 yrs, I wouldn’t let him go more than 2/2.5 hrs if he has troubles getting his overnight sleep (his circadian development might be a little behind causing his sleep to not naturally fall to night time).

A few other questions in there – how do you wake him up from those naps?  It’s a great question.  I would get him up, try to work him to the point he’ll drink some water.  Try to engage him in an activity.  Alternatively – if the nap opportunity starts at 12:30 or 1, I would delay the nap onset.  Try to keep him awake until 1:30 or so (as opposed to trying to end the nap sooner, start it later) that way the classroom activity might be starting to build to engage him in too.  Or time his nap such that he could go straight to a snack as he wakes up.  

Another question in there is perhaps one from the parents – how to keep him in his bed.  If he’s a ‘cognitive’ child, try rewarding the positive behavior – the later he stays in his own bed, then he gathers rewards later in the day.  Try providing explicit activities on the bed for him to engage in while staying in bed – things he may fall back asleep doing (like flipping through books).

EEC Regulations

Sleep, Rest and Quiet Activity 7.11 Health and Safety:  (a) The licensee must provide an opportunity for children to rest or engage in quiet activities in a program where children are in care for less than four hours. (b) During sleep, rest or quiet activities educators must ensure that children are easily accessible during an emergency. (c) Restraints may not be used on sleeping children under any circumstances. (d) The licensee must include, as part of the daily schedule, an extended period of sleep, rest or quiet activities for children in care for longer than four hours. 1. The length of the sleep, rest or quiet activity period must be appropriate to the needs of the children. 2. When children choose not to sleep or awaken early, they must be offered quiet activities for the remainder of the sleep or quiet activity period. 3. The licensee must: a. minimize noise and disturbance; b. provide a separate mat, cot, sofa, portacrib, playpen, bassinet or bed, and blanket for each child present at any time during the day; c. provide sleeping materials that are individually marked and in good repair and clean; and d. ensure safe and sanitary storage of blankets and bed linens. 4. Educators must ensure that: a. there is a distance of at least two feet between each crib or cot, or there is a distance of at least three feet between children’s faces while resting or napping; b. there is appropriate space and adequate lighting for quiet activities for children who do not sleep; c. there is adequate lighting to allow proper supervision. (e) Programs serving infants must: 1. place infants on their backs for sleeping, unless the child’s health care professional orders otherwise in writing; 2. nap infants in an individual crib, portacrib, playpen or bassinet; 3. ensure that cribs have firm, properly fitted mattresses with clean coverings, and do not contain any potential head entrapment areas. 4. ensure that slats on cribs are no more than 2- 3/8 inches apart. 5. ensure that cribs, portacribs, playpens or bassinets used for sleeping infants under the age of 12 months do not contain pillows, comforters, stuffed animals or other soft, padded materials.

How can we best support children in becoming independent in soothing themselves and going to sleep independently, similar to other self-care and behaviors, e.g., toileting, eating, dressing, solving social conflicts, gathering materials for a project, cleaning up after lunch, etc.

How long is an appropriate amount of time to ask an awake child to wait on a nap mat with only a few books?

How long should a child rest (stay on a mat) before deciding s/he is not going to sleep?

How long is an appropriate length for a nap before intervening with the nap or nightime sleep schedule?

Shoe Policy

All children should be dressed so they can enjoy outdoor play every day. We request families respect the following “rules” on footwear:

Only shoes with a secure back are allowed on the playground. Sneakers are preferable. Children must have secure footwear to use the climber.

Crocs may be suitable for inside shoes, however they are not suitable for the playground as they fall off easily (they are sized to be “loose”) and debris easily gets into the holes.

Sandals must have a secure back, and preferably an enclosed toe.

Every child should have rainboots as we go outside every day. Rainboots are not allowed on the climbers on the preschool playground.

Research Policy

Based on the mission of the program to support the research and academic mission of the college, teachers support students and faculty in recruiting participants for studies and facilitate children’s engagement with the researchers when they are at Fort Hill. All research studies must be approved by the Smith College Institutional Review Board and meet the EEC policy on Research, Experimentation, and Unusual Treatment.

The office coordinator notifies parents and teachers of upcoming studies and distributes consent forms. All staff at Fort Hill support approved research to the greatest extent possible; this may mean encouraging children to participate, rearranging a schedule to accommodate the research schedule, completing checklists or participating in interviews, etc. The administration maintains a file in the Administration Folder in Google Drive detailing the research conducted at Fort Hill. Please see the Research Practices and Policies section of this Handbook for more information.