August 2022 Newsletter
August 19, 2022
Jack & Jill Families,
We hope you are enjoying the last days of summer!
Fall School Year Placement
We are excited for the 2022-2023 school year, which begins September 6th!
Each year our children start the school year in a new classroom setting.
New infant families who have recently joined our program, and those that join during August, will stay in the classroom they are placed in.
Separately, you will receive an email informing you of your child’s classroom and teachers for the fall. You may find out more information about your child’s classroom by following the link and selecting your child’s program.
http://jackandjilledu.com/programs/
Staffing Updates
Many of you may have seen new faces at Jack & Jill. We are excited to announce that we have new infant staff joining us at our Saint Anthony program as our two newest infant rooms are expanding enrollment and welcoming many new families for fall.
Jack & Jill is pleased to continue to provide staff with a quality benefit package including retention pay, bonuses, mental health compensation, pay increases and additional time off. We have been recruiting new staff to join our team to continue to provide the highest level of early childhood educators for our families. The quality of compensation and benefits is reflected in our employee retention. We strive to provide our families with consistent & outstanding staffing.
Listening to and supporting our staff is essential. Earlier this year, our teachers & staff asked for additional time to prepare for the start of the fall school year, beginning Tuesday, September 6th. This year our program will be closed on Thursday, September 1st and Friday, September 2nd to allow for staff preparation and to provide continuing education materials needed for licensure. We appreciate your understanding in our investment in quality hardworking teachers and desire to support their needs.
We are excited to announce that we will begin introducing iPads to our classrooms in the Fall. Each classroom will have an iPad in their class to use for learning, music, curriculum, assessments, and daily attendance, and more.
Empty Your Child's Locker by 08/31 Please!
All items should be out of your child’s locker by 8/31 in preparation of the new school year beginning on Tuesday, 9/6. Your child will have a new locker near their new classroom.
Recent babies that have started in our program and are not changing classrooms do not need to remove their items.
On Tuesday, September 6th, please plan to send your child’s weekly nap item and extra clothing in your child’s backpack or bag. These items will get stored in your child’s new locker assigned.
School Release Days Update
JJ's Jam offers full day programming throughout the school year.
School release programming & registration for Monday, September 26th has been sent out. Mounds View, Wilshire Park, and Minneapolis all have this day off of school. The form is linked below.
October and November school release registration will be sent out in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions on school release days, please email info@jjsjam.com.
Center Hours
Our center is only licensed for children during our hours of operation, which are listed below.
St Anthony Center: 7:00am-6:00pm
Blaine Center: 6:30 am-6:00pm
We are unable to have children in the building before and after these times. Please do not drop off your child until opening time and be prepared to pick up your child from their classroom no later than 6:00pm. While staff may be in the classroom before or after these times, they are preparing their classroom for the day. Late fees will be charged for pick up after 6:00pm at a rate of $15 for every 15 minutes you are late.
Upcoming Closed Center Dates:
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Staff Professional Development Day
Friday, September 2, 2022
Staff Professional Development Day
Monday, September 5, 2022
Labor Day Holiday
The 2022-2023 School Calendars are posted on our website and are linked below:
St. Anthony Calendar
Blaine Calendar
Tuition & Payment via Credit Card
On September 1st, our credit card processing contract renews. The revised terms will include a 3.5% processing fee in addition to your monthly tuition.
We are pleased to announce we will be adding American Express credit card payments, in addition to VISA, Mastercard & Discover.
If you want to change your card on file, please complete the attached form and return to us. Otherwise, you may call Owen directly with updated card information at 612-431-1694.
Credit Card Form
If you no longer desire to pay your tuition via credit card as of September 1st, please let us know by emailing: accountsreceivable@jackandjilledu.com to arrange an alternative payment method.
Tuition, Billing, and Vacation Requests
Invoices are sent via email to the addresses we have within our system. Please direct all questions regarding billing via email to accountsreceivable@jackandjilledu.com.
Tuition is due the week of attendance prior to your child’s care beginning. Checks may be dropped in the locked black mailbox in the entry way. Flex plan forms may be placed in the box or emailed and will be returned to your child’s folder or sent electronically. Thank you!
Each family may use one week of their normal schedule per calendar year as vacation time. Eligibility is effective after six consistent months of attendance. We appreciate receiving notice 30 days in advance of your vacation. You may submit your vacation request via email to: info@jackandjilledu.com or by completing this form.
Phone & Email Communication
Our offices are synced with our phone and email systems at both locations to better serve your needs. To keep Jack & Jill informed of any questions, concerns, and absenteeism, please email us at info@jackandjilledu.com. You may also call the offices directly. The phone systems are synchronized to provide better coverage and calls will be transferred to your child’s site as needed.
St Anthony:
612-455-8955
Blaine
763-784-1451
Fax:
763-757-2942
For specific requests or inquiries, please contact the following people:
For child absence, vacation, general inquiries, daily communication: info@jackandjilledu.com
For invoice questions, email our office team: accountsreceivable@jackandjilledu.com
For credit card payments and updated card information, email Owen: owenm@jackandjilledu.com
For any school age inquiries, email Giles: gilesk@jackandjilledu.com
All family newsletters and updates will be sent via Mail Chimp using the info@jackandjilledu.com email. Please be sure to add this email to your contact list so that you consistently see emails in your inbox.
Texting Notification System Sign-Up
If you have not already signed up for our text notifications, please follow the link below to sign up for emergency notifications and closure reminders.
You may also sign up by texting jandj to 833-222-3029.
Upcoming Curriculum Themes, Letters, and Items from Home
Each week, the children in the program learn about a specific theme from the world around them. Many weeks we encourage children to bring in an item associated with the theme to aid in home to school connection. Preschool aged children will also be asked to bring in an items weekly that starts with the letter of the week (Please see info about the Letter Tray below). Here is a list of our upcoming curriculum themes, items to bring from home, and the letter of the week.
For a full calendar of our curriculum please follow the links below:
Curriculum Calendar
Pre-K Curriculum Calendar
Enhanced Language & Music Focus:
Spanish, Music and STEAM activities are already a part of our weekly curriculum. Beginning with our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms this September, we will have specialty times for specific instruction for Spanish, Music and STEAM activities.
Spanish:
Hola Amigos! Hello Friends! Learning new things is what we do best!
Spanish instruction will focus on basic language acquisition through songs, stories, and sound.
Music:
A different musical instrument is introduced monthly as part of the curriculum. Children will learn where each musical instruments falls in the instrumental families. Children will engage with various musical instruments through songs, rhythm activities, and learn how to play each of the musical instruments.
STEAM:
Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics
A STEAM activity uses elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math to introduce new ideas and solve problems.
STEAM learning is all about asking questions and encouraging independent thinking. STEAM encourages problem solving and hands on experiences and creativity.
Friendly Program Reminders
Repetition and consistency allow our children to grow. We want to keep our children safe in during drop off and pick up and throughout the day. Some friendly reminders are as follows:
Children must be with an adult at all times
Please keep your child close at all times while in the building and parking lot.Parents are responsible for their child’s care and safety until they are dropped off directly in the classroom with their teacher. Please do not allow children to run ahead to enter/leave the building, to lockers, or to classrooms as it may put them out of sight and arm’s reach and it increases the chance of accidents.
Doors are teacher touch or teacher work
You may have noticed these little stop signs by the door handles that says Teacher Touch. We teach the children that doors are a teacher touch or teacher work to help them understand that only teachers and parents open doors.Please do not allow your child, no matter what their age, to open and close doors in the program.This helps to protect from pinched fingers and head bumps.
Outside food is not allowed in the building or classrooms
Jack & Jill has a catering contract with our onsite kitchen, Premier Catering who holds a food license with Hennepin and Anoka counties respectively. With a licensed food program, we need to prepare all food on site by our catering company to be served to the children in the program. Substitute food may not be brought in from outside of the program for food service. If your child has a current Allergy plan for substitute milk, it may be brought in unopened, properly dated, and labeled with your child’s first and last name.
We have several children with severe allergies, and we are unable to control their exposure to allergens when outside food is brought into the classroom. Please finish snacks in the car so that drop-offs can run smoothly.
Family Handbook Review
Absent Children and Late Arrivals: All children over the age of 16 months must be dropped off by 9:00 am on each day the child attends the program. Jack & Jill Early Childhood Learning must preapprove all later drop-offs. For any drop-off that will occur later than 9:00 am, parents/guardians must email a request for late drop-off to info@jackandjilledu.com. Failure to obtain preapproval for a late drop-off may result in the child being denied attendance for that day. Parent/guardians must notify program staff if their child will be absent for any reason prior to 9:00 am on the day of the child’s expected attendance. If the child does not arrive as expected for the day, staff will make all necessary attempts to find out where the child is. Tuition fees are not waived for sick days or other absences.
Parking Lots: As Jack & Jill Early Childhood Learning’s parking lot is shared with other building tenants and community members, parents and staff are asked to take precautions when in parking lots, including but not limited to:
Drive slowly and stop for pedestrians.
Park only in designated parking spots.
Follow guidelines set by the MN Department of Transportation for safe driving practices, including stopping at all marked stop signs and before exiting parking lots.
Lock your cars and please keep valuables with you at all times (THIS INCLUDES YOUR CHILDREN). Jack and Jill is not responsible for any thefts that may occur.
Attendance & Daily Communication: Staff will sign your child in/out daily. Classrooms will be converting to an iPad system later in the fall. Daily communication sheets and your child’s school projects will be in file folders at each classroom.
Alternate Pick Ups: If you have an alternate person picking up your child, you must notify Jack and Jill Administration in advance. An alternate pick-up form can be found here to notify Jack & Jill that someone else will be picking up your child. Please DO NOT give out your family code to enter the building. We will meet all visitors at the door, check their ID, and escort them to the classroom.
Medications: Only medicine prescribed by a medical provider will be dispensed in our center. Non-prescription medicine will be dispensed with written medical provider approval. All medicine must be properly signed into the office and the medicine will then be stored in a locked appropriate storage area. All medication must be in its original container with the child’s full name and dosage written on it. Parents must provide a medicine cup or syringe for dispensing medicine. A member of the office or another designated staff member will dispense the medicine once a day at approximately 11:00 am. Medicine that is to be dispensed only twice a day will not be dispensed at the center. This does not include the emergency administration of necessary medications. If your child needs a medication administered at Jack & Jill please complete a prescription medication form or a non-prescription medication form.
Birthday Treats: All outside treats brought into the program need to be peanut and tree nut free due to child allergies. This includes any product made in a setting where peanuts are processed or handled. Our kitchen provides birthday treats made on site and should be ordered 24 hours in advance. Please submit this form to order birthday treats for your classroom. A separate invoice from the kitchen, Premier Catering, will be sent to you as prepared food requires sales tax to be applied. Remit payment to Premier Catering. If you pay tuition via credit card, your card on file will be automatically charged for the birthday treats unless advised otherwise.
Building Safety, Arrival, and Dismissal: We work hard to ensure that the building is safe at all times. Our secured entry allows us to know who is in the building and greet visitors upon their arrival. Thank you in advance for being mindful of who may be entering/exiting the building as you come and go. Help us to watch for visitors by simply stating that this is a secure building, and they should use the intercom system and a member of our team will assist them.
Parent & Child Morning Routines for Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten
One of our goals is that parents feel more connected with what is happening in their child’s classroom and for morning drop-offs to be smooth each day. We appreciate your participation with the following each day at drop-off:
Family Greeting Message:
Each day you will see a family greeting message just inside of your child’s classroom door. This message is for you to read to your child and tells what is happening in the classroom each day. Please help by reading this message to your child! It is a great way for them to become excited about what they are learning and a talking point in case drop off is difficult.
2. Child Sign in Boards:
Each preschool child will be responsible for signing in each day before they play. Children will have their own sign in board where they can work on tracing, copying, or independently writing their name. We know that some children may just be able to write one or two letters, and that’s okay! We look forward to seeing growth throughout the school year.
3. Letter of the Week and Letter Trays:
Every week we focus on a different letter of the alphabet, and we use our letter trays to highlight items that start with that letter. On Monday morning, the tray will be by the sign-in boards with the letter of the week laying on it. We encourage you to talk with your child about what the letter is, and then brainstorm about what they could bring from home that starts with that letter. The children can bring an item later in the week to share with the class. Typically these will stay for the week and go home on their last day of attendance.
CDC COVID Updates - August 2022
As you read this information, it allows an option for a shortened isolation without having to wear a mask. If you test positive for COVID you need to isolate for 5 days. If you have symptom improvement and no fever for the previous 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, you can come out of isolation and return to activities as long as you can reliably wear a mask for days 6-10. If you cannot wear a mask, you need to isolate for a full 10 days. The update to this guidance is that you can end isolation sooner than 10 days without wearing a mask IF you had mild symptoms that are now resolved, AND you test negative with 2 antigen tests 48 hours apart. You would want to continue to mask around or avoid contact with people at high risk for severe illness until at least day 11.
These are the most current guidelines we have as we prepare to get back into the school year routine.
These recommendations do not change based on COVID-19 Community Levels.
Jack & Jill's Mask Policies & Guidance
The following mask policies and guidance remain in place at Jack & Jill:
During learning time, masks are not required to be worn in the classroom by both staff and school aged children.
Masks will still be required to be worn in community and common area settings outside the classroom for school aged children and adults. These areas include, but are not limited to the hallways, the staff lounge, interaction between staff and parents, and other communal areas.
We still ask masks to be worn at drop off and pick up by staff, parents, and school aged children at Jack & Jill. Wearing a mask for just a few minutes a day while you drop off and pick up will help keep reduce the spread of germs within Jack & Jill!
As with the rest of you, we are looking forward to the day where we no longer need to wear masks and hope that day is here soon! Please reach out with any questions.
Additional program requirements and recommendations regarding masks are as follows:
Staff will be required to wear a mask if they are handling a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
We are supportive of staff or school age campers who choose to continue to wear a mask daily.
School Age children participating in JJ’s Jam programming will not be required to wear a mask in the classroom or outdoors while attending JJ’s Jam daily programming.
School Age children participating in offsite indoor field trips will be required to wear a mask at the offsite indoor field trip setting as required by the field trip destination.
School age children and staff transporting on buses to and from daily field trips will be required to wear masks.
Jack & Jill and JJ’s Jam will continue with its policies and strategies to maintain social or physical distancing in the program. Children will remain divided into small, designated PODS that stay together as much as possible throughout the day and from day to day.
Children will be limited to mixing between their assigned daily POD as much as possible for staffing and ratio requirements.
Jack & Jill maintains the option to modify the mask wearing policy as needed due to increased illness and necessary changes with increased COVID exposure.
We are excited for the new school year! Your children will continue to grow, learn, and mature throughout the school year! Please reach out with any questions regarding this newsletter. Your new teachers are excited to greet you on September 6th!
Warm Regards,
Carol L. Arens,
Owner/Administrator
carol@jackandjilledu.com