Acceptance & Onboarding

WELCOME TO PLAYFUL LEARNING COMMUNITY

We are looking forward to getting started! Below are some helpful documents to keep handy throughout your time with us.

ACCOUNT SET-UP

Please complete the following tasks to ensure that we have everything we need to proceed:

  1. Create your Brightwheel account. Brightwheel is a tool for classroom management, attendance, communication, online bill pay, and much more.Create a free parent account using either the web or mobile app. Make sure to use the same email address or cell phone number that the invitation was sent to. Here is a quick video overview.
  2. Confirm your child’s profile. You will see your child’s profile after you create an account.
  3. IMPORTANT: confirm information regarding allergies, birthday, and emergency contacts. If you do not see your child’s profile, please contact us with the email address or phone number you used to register.
  4. Set your account preferences. You can adjust your notification preferences within your profile settings on the app. See a video tutorial HERE!

BEFORE THE FIRST DAY

  1. Review and sign the Playful Learning Release Forms, here.
  2. Have your doctor complete: Health Form.
  3. Upload completed Health Form in Brightwheel, here.
  4. Upload Covid-19 results (taken within one week before starting), here. 
  5. Upload your child’s photo, here.
  6. Schedule a tour for your child. Give your child the opportunity to see or reacquaint themselves with the studio before the first day of school. This will go a long way towards a smooth transition for the children who have not separated yet. Schedule, here

 

FOR THE FIRST DAY

What to Bring:
In an effort to minimize exposure, we are asking families to refrain from bringing in personal backpacks, water bottles, etc. We will provide a tote bag for each child to store their personal items. Please bring the following items in a Ziplock bag labeled with your child’s name on the first day of camp.

  • Complete change of clothes
  • 2 pairs of socks (preferably non-skid, as we will be asking children to remove their shoes when inside the building)
  • Diapers and wipes (if needed)
  • Sunscreen and bug spray (please apply thoroughly in the morning and we can reapply if requested)
  • Transitional item: if you think your child may have a hard time separating please send them in with a family photo or other item that may help comfort them during the transition (blanky, favorite toy, pacifier, etc.)
  • Face mask: As of now, we are requiring ALL children to wear face masks. We will be following local cases and CDC and NYS guidelines carefully and will let you know if anything changes.

Snacks: 
We provide a hearty, organic snack midway through our morning. This gets the children happily through their time with us. They are usually just getting hungry for lunch when you arrive for pick-up. Lunch is not provided by Playful Learning. Please make sure you inform us of any allergies in your Brightwheel account.

Parking: 
There is parking on Pantigo Rd. (right in front of our building) and all along Methodist Lane (the little side street next to the church). There is a small parking lot on the property, but those spaces are reserved for faculty and the neighboring business owners. Please do not park in the back parking lot.

Arrival and Dismissal:
Each morning you will be emailed a health screening questionnaire that must be submitted before arriving each morning. This questionnaire requires you to take your child’s temperature and confirm that they do not have a fever. 

We will be staggering arrival and dismissal times and checking children in one at a time. If you have siblings in the program or conflicts with this timing, please reply to this email and we can work out a plan. This does not have to be an exact science, it’s just a way for us to stagger parking and avoid the bigger crowds.


MORNING PROGRAMS:

Toddlers (Ages: Younger 2s)
Drop-Off:  9:00 in the Backyard
Pick-Up: 12:00 at Front Door 

Preschool (Older 2’s and 3’s)
Drop-Off:  9:15 at the Front Door
Pick-Up: 12:15 in the Backyard

Primary (Older 3s and 4s)
Drop-Off:  9:00 at the Front Door
Pick-Up: 12:00 in the Backyard

 

AFTERNOON PROGRAM:

Toddlers (Ages: 18 months – 2 years)
Drop-Off:  2:30 pm in the Backyard
Pick-Up: 4:30 pm at Front Door 


When you arrive you will see green numbered markers on the ground showing where to wait until it’s your child’s turn to enter. Please explain this process to your children, so that they know they will have to wait patiently with you at each number.

Once it’s your child’s turn to enter, we ask that you say good-bye at the door or back fence and do not plan on entering the building unless necessary. All adults who enter the building must wear a mask and sanitize their hands.

At the entrance there will be a teacher who will: 

  • Check to make sure each child’s screening was submitted
  • Help each child sanitize their hands
  • Conduct a temperature/symptom check
  • Help child remove shoes and change into socks (see “what to bring” below)
  • Guide them to the correct classroom

 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

We look forward to partnering with you throughout your child’s early childhood education.