This is a general guideline. Some specifics may vary depending on the class. Please ask your teachers for guidance.

Having parents assist in the classroom is a very important part of the entire Park West experience. It gives parents a rare opportunity to spend time with their child and their child’s classmates in a large group context, it gives teachers an opportunity to get to know families better, and it provides valuable assistance to the teachers. Please note that only parents can assist, not caregivers or others. Parent adult medical forms, including results of a negative TB test, must be on file in the office before parents can assist in the classroom. There are some specific assisting procedures that parents must follow.

BEFORE CLASS BEGINS

• Wash hands (yours and your child’s) upon arrival.
• Put on your Park West apron. There are child-size aprons for your child to wear if they choose.
• Unload dishwasher and sink dish drainer to retrieve your classroom's pitchers and serving bowls or baskets. (We will now be using disposable cups and napkins located in your snack set up area.) School is in the process of buying a new dishwasher. Parents will be notified of new procedures and dishwasher loading instructions once the dishwasher is installed.
• Fill hand washing basins with warm water
• Fill sanitizing bottle, adding a capful of bleach to the water. Keep out of reach of children in the classroom. This will be used to clean off tables before and after snack time. Children may not use the spray bottle with bleach.
• Hang up nametags in the cubby area.
• Begin to prepare your snack. Fill pitchers with your beverage and water (don’t forget the lids); Fill baskets and large bowls with snack (cut fruit right before snack during class). Store the snack in the prep area until snack time (or in the refrigerator in the 3rd floor conference room if snack requires refrigeration).
• Help teachers with any classroom preparation as needed.
• Five minutes before the class begins, the director will gather all assisting parents to help with arrival. When outside, you will be escorting children from their cars to other assisting parents or to their hand washing areas where a teacher will be stationed. Having your assisting apron on lets the drop-off parents know that you are a trusting adult. Please stay outside until the director releases you to your classroom. Please be sure to introduce yourself to parents as they are dropping off their children.

DURING CLASS

• During free play, you may participate in tabletop activities, read to and play with small groups, and spend time with your child (s/he may prefer to play just with you, or may just want to touch base once in a while. Some children like to help you with your jobs, but others prefer not to. It’s ok to follow his/her lead.)
• Supervise bathroom visits including hand washing.
• Wash tables before snack as well as your child’s and your hands.
• Set-up snack, sit with a table of students during snack and then clean up.
• After snack sweep floor under and near snack tables.
• During gym time, the teachers may ask you to supervise a certain area of the gym. Participate in gym activities.
• Sit with group at story time.
• Help put on jackets, boots, etc. and help distribute artwork per teachers’ instructions.

AFTER CLASS

• Load dishwasher. See graphic at dishwasher on how to load
• Empty, wash, and sanitize hand-washing basin and return to the classroom.
• Spray tabletops with bleach solution to sanitize. Allow to air dry.
• Drain water table using the spout and buckets located under the water table. Please be aware when draining, so that the buckets do not overflow.
• Sweep floors and sand area.
• Vacuum rugs. Children may not use the vacuum.
• Put nametags away.
• Empty all smaller wastebaskets into one large garbage bag. Place that garbage bag outside the first floor classroom. Replace the garbage bag with a new one.
• Tidy up room as needed
• Some children enjoy helping after class while others get tired of it.  Helping your child find a quiet activity, like a puzzle or a book, or providing a snack that meets all of schools snack guidelines (Please refer to snack guidelines to ensure your child snack is safe to have in the classroom) while you clean may help.

PLEASE REFER to the assisting procedures posted in the classroom for specifics about your child’s class. If you have any questions ask your teachers. They will be happy to clarify anything for you.

ASSISTING SCHEDULE

Your room parent puts together the assisting schedule. Once it is published, it is up to you to take care of any changes. If you are unable to assist at school on the day you are scheduled, it is your responsibility to find another parent in your child’s class to switch assisting days with you. Parents are usually very accommodating. After you find someone to switch assisting days with, you must contact your room parent. The room parent will make the change on the class calendar at school. If you have a last minute change or a sick child, you are still responsible for finding a replacement. That replacement must be another parent from your child’s class.

If you are unable to find another parent to assist for you, please contact the school office.  The director will try to secure a substitute teacher.  The cost of $60.00 will be the assisting family’s responsibility.

The Board has found it necessary to impose fines if the assisting guidelines are not followed. Those are:

1. First Failure to Assist: $60.00
2. Second Failure to Assist: $200.00
3. Third Failure to Assist: Change to Non-Assisting Tuition for the balance of the year.
4. Late arrival for Assisting after 1 warning: $25.00

Snack Guidelines

Our goal is to serve children nutritious foods.  Snack at school is just that, a snack, not a meal.  Snack can be a lively, but calm time for children to sit together with a teacher for some nourishment and conversation.  We will not serve high sugar treat-like snacks, such as cookies, cakes, etc.  (This means no chocolate.)  We find a few crackers, some fruit and/or juice will suffice children for a snack. Filtered tap water is available at school and served with every snack.  Food that needs to stay cool can be stored in the refrigerator in the 3rd floor conference room until snack time. 
 
Park West, like other schools, has many children with allergies.  Some of these allergies are life threatening.  In order to do the utmost to protect all of the children in our care, meet Illinois State licensing regulations, and serve healthy, nutritious foods, Park West has thoughtfully developed the following snack guidelines: 

• At Park West we do not serve any snacks that contain nuts (peanuts, tree nuts), nut oils, or nut particles or have been made in a facility that may cause cross contamination.
• Hummus or products with sesame will not be served due to the possibility of cross reactivity in children with allergies.
• Due to severe contact and ingestion allergies to dairy, no dairy products will be served for snack.  This includes milk, cheese, cream cheese, dairy dips, yogurt, go-gurt. 
• Due to the inconsistency of accurate (and changing) information available on the ingredient labels of crackers only very specific crackers will be allowed for snack.  No substitutions will be allowed even when ingredient labels read the same.  The approved crackers are listed at the end of the snack guidelines.
• All juices must be 100% fruit juice: no added sugars, sweeteners or artificial sweeteners.  (Think beyond apple juice.)
• All food must arrive at school in sealed packages with a legible ingredient label.  (We cannot accept any foods from salad bars)
• All food preparation must take place at school. Fresh produce must be whole and uncut.  Produce that is sliced and packaged at the store will not be served due to possible cross-contamination.  Produce must be washed and cut on premises; packages and jars can only be opened on premises.  Canned or jarred produce, with no added sweeteners is acceptable.
• Due to the possibility of choking, popcorn will not be served in any class.

• FOR ALL CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FOUR

Do not bring grapes, raisins, hard pretzels, raw peas, raw carrots, or dried fruit.  These foods are considered a choking hazard.  This applies to the Parent/Toddler groups, the 2AM, 3AM  3PM and 4AM groups.

So what can parents bring for snack?  Crackers from the following approved list, fruits or vegetables (that are not on the choking hazard list above), and/or 100% juice.

We understand this may feel too restrictive, and some of you may feel we are being overly cautious.  Our goal is to keep every child at school as safe as we can.  Park West has no nurse on staff.  Allergy issues around food are complicated, serious, and an added duty and concern for parents and teachers.  We have worked to create a snack policy that is clear, understandable, and practical so that adherence is manageable by parents and teachers. Thank you for your co-operation and vigilance.

ALL SNACK GUIDELINES ARE MANDATORY.
.
CRACKER LIST:

Wheat Products

Nabisco Brand – Wheat Thins Baked Snack Crackers Original Flavor ONLY

Nabisco Brand – Triscuit Baked Whole Grain Wheat Crackers Original Flavor ONLY

Nabisco Brand – Premium Saltine Crackers Regular or Mini size Original Flavor ONLY

Wheat Free Products

Healthy Times Brand – Teddy Puffs Whole Grain Finger Food or Cereal for Toddlers
Original Flavor ONLY

Edward & Sons Brand – Brown Rice Snaps Whole Grain Rice Crackers
Vegetable Flavor ONLY

Kellogg’s Brand – Crispix Cereal Original Flavor ONLY

Please note:
The 3rd floor conference room/library is NOT an allergy free zone.  This area may contain nut products, dairy, and wheat or other items to which children may be allergic.