Anna Notation-Rhoades, Director  Megyn von Gal, President, Parent Advisory Board

Organization & Description	Tuition Information	Photos
Philosophy	Parent Rotation & Participation	Contact Info
Location	Attendance	Student Life
Admission Information	Health & Safety	School of Theology
Miscellaneous	Food & Supplies
Registration Form (pdf file)	2004-05 PMO Handbook (Microsoft Word file)
Registration Form (Microsoft word file)	2004-05 PMO Handbook(pdf file)

Organization& Description

The Parents' Morning Out (or PMO) program is offered to the staff, faculty, and students of the School of Theology as a branch of the St. Luke's Community.  This is one of the many services of the School to help members of our community adjust to life on the mountain more easily.  As a division of the St. Luke's Community, this program is operated by a Parent Advisory Board which is appointed under the provisions of the Executive Committee. Parental participation is not only encouraged, but crucial for the livelihood of the program. 

Philosophy

At St. Luke's Parent's Morning Out we are striving to create a Christian learning experience that is warm, caring and loving for students and teachers alike. Students should feel safe, loved and that teachers are in control of the environment. We encourage growth through play and games where exploration of new materials, concepts and skills are introduced and reinforced.  St. Luke's should be a place where a child learns confidence and a love for learning.

Location

The PMO facility is located on the campus of the School of Theology on the bottom floor of Hamilton Hall. This location is central to most classes and events of the school. Our room is filled with bright colors and active learning centers. Numerous windows give plenty of sunlight, creating a healthy learning environment. 

Admission Information

Registration Procedures

Enrollment of children at Parent’s Morning Out is available to the staff, faculty, and students of the seminary. Any remaining openings will be offered to community members who have contacted the director to be placed on a waiting list. This offer is only good for the current year, and all community members will need to contact the director again to be placed on the waiting list for the following year

Registration forms will be available in May.  In order to reserve a space for a child, returning students, faculty and staff must return registration forms with a nonrefundable $25 registration fee by June 30th.  Incoming Juniors to the SOT must return registration forms and fees by July 30th.  Other parties may return registration forms and fees as early as possible.  Available spaces will be offered to children outside of the SOT community on August 1st.  Parents who are interested in enrolling their children after this date must contact the director for registration possibilities.

A Parent Orientation will be held in late August. The parents of registered students will be contacted by the director and informed of the meeting date and time.  The director, teachers, and various board members will be available for discussion and questions.  At this time parents will complete emergency information forms, general information forms, and turn in shot records. Initial tuition payments will be due at this time as well as a nonrefundable supply fee of $25.

The Parents’ Morning Out is scheduled to open on the Tuesday of the first full week of SOT classes and will operate Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am to 12:15pm throughout the school year, following the School of Theology schedule of vacations and breaks. 

Tuition Information

Fee Schedule
Non-Seminarians:
Semester	$330.00
Monthly (Tues. & Thurs.)	$90.00
Seminarians:
Semester	$290.00
Monthly	$80.00

Tuition paid by the semester must be paid by the first day of classes each semester.  Tuition that is paid monthly must be in by the first Thursday of each month for that month.  Paying by the semester or monthly gives your child priority and secures his/her spot from month to month.  Refunds are not given for days the child does not attend and the days will not carry over. Delinquency or continued tardiness of payment may result in the removal of your child from the program. 

The fee schedule is based on the total number of days the PMO is open for the entire school year.  All months have the same fee regardless of the number of days that PMO is open during that particular month.

Method of Payment

Tuition may be paid in cash or by check and must be paid on the first Thursday of each month.  Checks should be made payable to SOT / PMO and should have your child’s name written in the memo.

Refunds

Since Parents’ Morning Out depends upon tuition for support, after a trial period of two consecutive weeks, refunds will not be given regardless of the reason, including withdrawal.

Parent Rotation & Participation

Parents will be asked to provide a healthy snack for the entire class on a weekly, rotation basis.  Parents will also be asked to provide snacks/decorations for at least one school party during the year (i.e. Halloween Party, Christmas Party, etc.).  There will be a sign up sheet at orientation. Because PMO depends on fundraisers to make room improvements and curriculum purchases parents are also expected to help with fund raisers throughout the year. 

Attendance

Hours & Ages

Hours :  8:00am to12:15pm, Tuesday and Thursday.  Pick up will begin at 12:00pm and will end at 12:15pm.  A $1.00 late fee will be charged for every minute past 12:15pm you are late picking up your child.  This charge is payable upon your arrival.

Ages:  6 weeks through 4 years.

Arrival

Parents’ Morning Out will accept children no earlier than 8:00 a.m., and we ask that children arrive no later than 8:45 a.m.   Children must be escorted in and delivered to a staff person in charge at that particular time.  All children must be signed in by the person dropping them off.

Departure

Parents’ Morning Out will close at 12:15 p.m. Children must be picked up on time.  A late fee of $1.00 per minute will be charged for late pick-ups.  Children must be signed out by the person picking them up.

Only those persons authorized by you, in writing, will be permitted to take your child from Parents’ Morning Out.

Health and Safety

Immunizations

We require proof that children have all immunizations up-to-date prior to attending this program. A copy of your child's immunization record or other form of proof will be sufficient.

Age	Vaccine(s)	Dose Number
2 months	DPT & Polio	1
4 months	DPT & Polio	2
6 months	DPT & Polio	3*
15 months	Measles, Mumps, Rubella	1
18 months	HIB	1
18 months	DPT & Polio	4
4-6 years	DPT & Polio	5
*Some private providers use an immunization schedule that makes this third dose of polio vaccine optional. It is the parents' responsibility to keep the child's immunizations up-to-date. We must exclude children whose immunizations are not current.

Health

Children should not be sent to PMO with contagious rashes, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, earache, chronic cough, or sore throat.  The child should not return to PMO until the symptoms from contagious illnesses have ceased for at least 24 hours.  Please be considerate of others and keep your child home for the day if they are showing signs of an illness. This policy is necessary for the protection of all the children.  Each child will be checked for signs of communicable disease(s) when he/she arrives. 

If your child develops signs of a communicable disease (fever - 100 degrees or higher, listlessness, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.) while in our care, he/she will be taken out of the group.  Parents will be notified and expected to arrange for PROMPT pick-up of the child.  We will attempt to contact the non-seminarian parent first.

Sick children need the emotional support of their parents or guardians. We are unable to provide the extra staff needed to care for sick children, therefore, parents must arrange back-up child care for their children in the case of illness.

Exposure to Communicable Diseases

You will be notified in writing if your child is exposed to any communicable disease while attending Parents' Morning Out.  You are expected to notify us if your child has been exposed to any communicable disease(s) outside of the program.

Medication

We cannot be responsible for giving children any prescription or non-prescription medications.  The only exceptions to this rule will be diaper rash ointment and medication for life threatening situations (doctor's note with detailed instructions required).

Allergies

We will make every effort to insure that no child is unnecessarily exposed to any substance to which the child is known to be allergic.  We will be providing a snack for your child during Parents' Morning Out, therefore, it is imperative that you alert the staff (in writing) of any food allergies your child may have.

It is the parent's responsibility to keep the staff up-to-date (in writing) on any known allergies.

Accidental Injuries

In spite of our best efforts, accidents may happen; and sometimes, injuries may result.  The staff will respond promptly according to the nature of the injury.  You will be advised of all known injuries your child may incur while at Parents' Morning Out.

Minor injuries, such as normal scrapes and bumps, will be brought to your attention when you pick your child up. 

A serious injury will require the immediate attention of the staff and the parent/guardian of the injured child. You will be notified immediately in the event of a serious accident and shall be expected to assume direct responsibility for your child as quickly as possible.

An accident insurance premium is included in the registration fee.  Parents should retain the accident policy information distributed at registration.  The PMO office will not file any claims.  Parents will be responsible for filing the claim directly as indicated in the policy information.

Food and Supplies

Snack

A morning snack will be provided for your child (per parent rotation). Please send only finger foods and 100% juice or milk. The PMO also asks that parents avoid snacks and drinks with high sugar content. Exceptions will be made when a parent wishes to bring a special snack to celebrate a child’s birthday. We do have a small refrigerator for perishable items.

Here are a few ideas for a healthy snack in the 2 -4 year old rooms.

· cheese, pretzels, apple juice (2 cans)

· Ritz Bitz, grapes, milk

· muffin, apples, milk

· goldfish, raisins, orange juice (2 cans)

Parents may be asked to bring in a specific snack item that relates to a current unit of learning in the class.  If you would like to bring in a special snack for your child’s birthday, please contact the director ahead of time.

Parents of children in the baby room will be asked to provide snack items for the entire class.  The nursery teachers will provide a rotation, sign up sheet, or request specific items from each child’s parent.

Parents must supply all diapers for their child.   Each child should also be sent with one set of extra clothes (including underwear and socks) labeled with the child’s name. It is suggested that parents leave a season appropriate, complete set of clothing in their child’s cubby box at all times.

Parents will be asked to bring in a couple of supply items each semester for general use.

Miscellaneous

Discipline

It is our policy not to use physical punishment or any discipline which is shaming, humiliating, or frightening to your child.  Please do not ask us to spank or to threaten your child.

When staff intervention becomes necessary due to negative behavior, toddlers will be separated from the situation and placed in another activity.  Older children, however, need a more informative explanation as to why certain behaviors are not acceptable. The use of "Time-Out" away from other children, but in view of the staff, may be necessary for a few minutes.

The Parents' Morning Out Staff reserves the right to send a child home for reasons other than illness.  If your child has continued discipline problems, and/or trouble adjusting to the program, the PMO Board will be notified and reserves the right to put your child on probation from the program.

Special Needs

Please notify your child's teacher when there are changes happening in his/her life, such as toilet training, the death of a family member or pet, or some other significant event that might change your child's behavior.  This will help us support your child through this time in his/her life.

Toilet Training

The staff of the PMO will be happy to take part in the toilet training of your child.  Children in the2-4 year old room will be taken to the restroom twice daily and given the opportunity to use the toilet, even if they are currently in diapers. If you are beginning toilet training at home, please let us know. We will do our best to give your child extra toilet opportunities. It is the policy of the PMO that you continue to send your child to PMO in some type of waterproof underwear until he/she has been without an accident for at least two weeks and can tell an adult when he/she needs to use the restroom.  If you do not wish to use pull up diapers, there are other waterproof training pants on the market that would be perfectly acceptable to us, and which would allow your child to "feel" wetness.  Please see the director with questions as to this policy.

Correspondence

All children will have a basket for their belongings.  This will also be the primary source of correspondence between the PMO staff and the parents.  Please check the basket daily for your child's papers and letters from us.

Personal Items

Parents are asked not to send personal belongings with their child.  They often cause conflict with other children, and the staff cannot be responsible for these items. The exception would be for infants with a special stuffed animal, blanket, etc., that helps soothe them.

TV/Videos

The television may be used for short periods of time with the 2-4 year olds when a show directly relates to a lesson or activity planned for the program that day.  The staff will choose age-appropriate videos and shows.  Please do not send videos with your child.

Clothing

We ask that you please send your child to Parents' Morning Out in comfortable play clothes.  The children will be participating in many hands-on activities and need not be restricted by their clothing.  We will use washable paints and markers; however, we cannot be responsible for stains on clothing.

On cold days, please be sure your child comes to school in appropriate clothing and outerwear.  We will go outside daily, weather permitting.

Outings/Field Trips

From time to time we may be taking the children on field trips and outings.  You will be asked to sign a form giving your child permission to participate in these activities. Parents will be notified in advance when an outing or field trip is scheduled. Volunteers are likely to be needed on these days, and may be called upon.

Birthdays

Birthdays are important to children and we would like to help them celebrate.  We encourage parents to bring cupcakes or their treats to share with everyone.

Holiday and Closing Schedule

St. Luke's Parents' Morning Out is a service of the School of Theology.  We follow the SOT schedule for opening, closing, vacations, and breaks.  If the University is closed for a snow day, PMO will also be closed.

Contact Information:

St. Luke’s Parents’ Morning Out is located in Room 131, Hamilton Hall.  The phone number is 598-3239. Any correspondence may be sent to:   

St. Luke’s Parents’ Morning Out

Anna Notation-Rhoades

335 Tennessee Ave.

Sewanee, TN 37383

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Organization& Description / Philosphy / Location/ Admission Information / 
Tuition Information/ Parent Rotation & Participation / Attendance/ Health & Safety / Food& Supplies / Miscellaneous / Contact Info / Top of Page / School of Theology - Student Life

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