Parent Handbook

Daily Schedule

 Preschool Program Schedule

6:30 - 8:30                            AM Care Program: breakfast, free play, student arrival

8:30 – 9:15                           1^st Rotation

9:15 - 9:30                            Hand Washing & Snack

9:30 – 10:15                         2^nd Rotation

10:15 - 11:00                        Recess

11:00 - 11:15                         Face & Hand Washing

11:15 – 12:00                        3^rd Rotation

12:00 – 12:30                      Child Directed Activities & Lunch Setup

12:30 – 1:00                         Lunch & Nap Setup

1:00 – 3:00                           Nap Time

3:00 - 3:30                           Waking Up & Bathroom Time

3:30 – 3:50                          Afternoon Circle Time

3:50 – 4:00                          Hand Washing & Snack

4:00 - 5:00                           Indoor/Outdoor Child Directed Activities

4:00 – 6:00                          PM Care:  Free Choice

Each of the three classrooms in the preschool program is specifically designed to deliver age appropriate curriculum for specific subject matters. Children rotate through each classroom every morning adhering to the same daily schedule.

•  Blue Room:  Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking
•  Red Room:  Art , Theater, Music, Dance and Physical Education
•  Green Room:  Science, Math, and Social Science

Fusion Early Learning observes most holidays that a student may experience at a traditional elementary school.  Tuition is not prorated for Holidays or Early Closure Days. Winter Break is not included in the billing cycle. When any of these holidays falls on a Saturday,  preschools will be closed on Friday. If the holiday falls on Sunday,  preschools will be closed on Monday.  Please see the Holiday and Billing Calendar for specific dates for the following closed days.

 Holidays

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Mr.’s Birthday
• Lincoln’s Birthday Day
• President’s Day
• Cesar Chavez Day (Marysville Site Only)
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Graduation Break (Day After Graduation) May differ among locations.
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving and Day after Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day

 Early Closure Days

• Staff Training Days( Closing at 4:30 pm)
• Back to School Night (Closing at 4:30 pm)
• Open House Night (closing at 4:30 pm)
• Graduation Day (closing at 12 pm)

 Emergency Closings

In the event Fusion Early Learning closes due to an emergency, tuition is not prorated unless otherwise communicated.

 Absence and Vacation

If your child is going to be absent or late, please call your preschool by 8:00 am and notify the staff. Tuition is prepaid monthly to pay for services as well as secure your child’s enrollment. Therefore, tuition will not be prorated for absences or vacations.  Please notify the Director if your child will absent or on vacation or an extended amount of time.

 Make Up Days

Make Up Days are granted on a case by case basis given the availability of a spot in the program for the requested date.  To use a Make Up Day the parent must request the desired date and receive approval from the Director. If a student’s regular part day/part week schedule is interrupted due to a school holiday a Make Up Day may be requested and will be granted only within seven days either prior to or after the holiday. Make Up Days are not recorded for later use.

Holiday Celebrations

Fusion Early Learning has a neutral, non-sectarian policy on holidays. We emphasize the meaning of the holiday through stories, activities and songs and celebrate by making gifts, cards, and decorations. We respect each family’s traditions and invite parents to participate in holiday celebrations at our preschools. This will allow children the opportunity to share their family’s culture and traditions. If you are uncomfortable with your child participating in holiday celebrations, please inform the center’s director upon enrollment and accommodations will be made.

Birthday Celebrations

At Fusion Early Learning we look forward to celebrating each and every child’s birthday by making them king or queen for the day. We encourage parents to bring store bought snacks (cookies, cupcakes, etc.) to help celebrate their child’s special day. Please work with your child’s teachers to coordinate birthday or special event arrangements.

Ages of Children Accepted for Care & Admissions

Fusion Early Learning currently accepts children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years depending on the location. Parents interested in enrolling their child in a Fusion Early Learning Preschool must first meet with the director along with their child to discuss child care needs and determine whether Fusion is an appropriate placement for their child. A $50 registration fee will be collected with the enrollment application.

Tuition Due Date

Tuition is due on the first day your child attends school during the billing period.  Please refer to the Billing and Holiday schedule for tuition due dates.   A $25 fee will be charged for each returned check.  Two returned checks will require future payments to be made by cash or money order.

 Tuition Changes

Parents and guardians of Fusion Kids will be given a 30 day written notice of changes in tuition, fees and/or policies.

Tuition Options

To accommodate as many families as possible, Fusion charges on either a weekly basis or leveled monthly basis.  Please see a staff member for the Rate Sheet to compare weekly versus Leveled Monthly rates.

• Weekly Rate Option: You choose to pay per week on the first day of the billing period your child attends.  You will experience 3-4 months within the year where 5 weeks of payments will occur.
• Leveled Monthly Option:  You may choose to pay one time per month on the first day of the month your child attends.  You will be billed 4.33 weeks each of the 12 months leveling your costs throughout the year.

 Late Policy

Tuition is considered late if not received by the close of business on the tuition due date. A grace period will exist through the following Friday at noon (12:00pm) and then will be considered delinquent thereafter.  A $25.00 late fee will be added to the cost of tuition for that billing period at noon on that day.  If tuition and any other outstanding charges are not paid within seven days of the due date attendance at the School will no longer be permitted until tuition is paid in full for the past due amount and for the current period. If no payment is received or able to be processed by the end the second business week of the billing period your child’s enrollment at Fusion Schools will be terminated effective immediately.

Registration and Supplies Fee

There is an annual $50 registration fee to begin enrollment. An annual $48 supplies fee will appear on your billing statement in the month of September for current students. This money will go toward improvements to the program as well as curriculum expenses.  Enrollees who join us after September will see a prorated supplies fee added to their first month billing invoice.

Refund Policy

Refunds requested seven or more days prior to your child attending Fusion Early Learning will be granted minus a $25.00 processing fee. Refunds requested less than seven days prior to your child's first day of attendance will be granted with a 25% penalty of the tuition amount. No refunds will be granted after the first day of school unless a valid physician’s written excuse or proof of relocation out of the area is submitted. Fusion Early Learning reserves the right to review and make final decisions regarding all refunds.

Students at Fusion Early Learning must bring their own “cold” lunches in an insulated bag clearly marked with their first and last names. Lunches should include items from all 5 food groups (grains, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and beans) and not require heating. Milk will be provided if you wish not to send a drink with your child’s lunch. Students sent to school without a lunch will be provided one and parents will be charged a $5.00 fee. Students who arrive to school by 7:15 am will be provided with breakfast (see sample menu below). Students who arrive after 7:15 am must have eaten breakfast prior to arriving at school. Students will also be provided with a morning and afternoon snack (see sample menu below). Please make sure that all of your child’s food allergies are listed on the intake form so that we may accurately provide breakfast (if needed) and snacks for your child. *Infants are fed according to their “Needs and Services Plan” completed upon enrollment.

Please make sure your child is dressed in clothing that can get dirty or even ruined (hopefully not ruined, but it is a possibility!). Children play hard so please dress them in clothing that allows them to do so.

At Fusion Early Learning we ask that 2 year old students have at least two full changes of clothing in their cubby and that 3, 4, and 5 year old students keep at least one change of clothing in their cubby.

Children that are in the Jr. Preschool and Preschool full day programs will have the opportunity to nap during the day. All children are provided with a sleeping mat and a fitted sheet. Infants do not have a set naptime and sleep whenever they need to. Each infant is provided with their own crib and fitted sheet. Pillows and blankets must be brought from home and must be small enough to fit into a 12 inch by 12 inch cubby for storage. Nap bedding is washed weekly by Fusion Early Learning or more often if needed.

At Fusion Early Learning students are given the opportunity to learn appropriate social behaviors. To facilitate this learning process, the staff at Fusion adheres to the following procedures to limit and address unwanted behaviors:

• Maintaining realistic expectations of children.
• Providing clear and simple limits.
• Planning an environment that facilitates a caring atmosphere.
• Keeping children busy to prevent problems from occurring.
• Modeling appropriate behaviors.
• Redirecting inappropriate behaviors toward desired outcomes.
• Giving children choices between two appropriate alternatives.
• Encouraging children to work together to solve problems.
• Encouraging children to use their words to solve problems or to elicit peer cooperation.
• Providing logical and natural consequences for children's actions.
• Removing children from the situation until they are able to discuss the problem and calm down.
• Conflict resolution (for older preschoolers).

Types of Discipline Not Permitted

Infants are not to be disciplined. Neither corporal punishment nor any violation of personal rights is permitted at Fusion Early Learning.

Daily Health Check

Fusion Early Learning is licensed for well child care only. Health checks are administered daily as each child enters school if needed. The check consists of observing the child’s general appearance, observing the skin for flushing, paleness, rashes or other obvious signs of illness, and possibly taking the child’s temperature. From the results of this check, the staff member may determine not to accept the child for that day. If a child seems extremely fatigued or ill during the day, a parent or guardian will be called to pick up the child.

Picking Up a Sick Child

When it is determined that a child is ill, Fusion staff will attempt to contact the parent(s) immediately. If the parent(s) cannot be reached, the staff will contact people authorized to pick up the child from school. Remember, it is the parents’ responsibility to be available or have someone available to care for their child should he or she become ill at school. In order to minimize exposure of other children to illness, you must pick your child within an hour.

Please note: Sick children must be isolated from other children and Fusion Early Learning is not staffed to provide sick child care. If your child is not picked up within an hour after you or your authorized representative have been notified, late pick-up procedures will go into effect. Staff will make every effort to make your child comfortable until you arrive.

Returning to school after an illness:

The CDC and the Dept of Health in each county has made recommendations for environments like Fusion with young children.  We will be implementing the following changes to our Sick Policy.  If a child presents Influenza like symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea we expect 24 hours to pass with no symptoms before the child returns to school.  If the child is sent home due to these symptoms being present we expect that the child be kept home the following day at minimum.

The only allowable medication to be administered at Fusion Early Learning includes “over the counter” medications, or that which is prescribed by a physician. All medications must be in the original packaging and read the indicated student’s name only. Medications will be stored in a secure location and will not be kept with the student. A medication release form must be completed for each medication. Medication required to be administered longer than two weeks require a physician’s signature on the medication release form.

In the event of a serious illness or injury, your child will be transported by ambulance to the nearest emergency care facility. A parent or guardian will be contacted immediately and will be responsible for all medical costs including the cost of the ambulance.

When an incident occurs where injury is involved, Fusion Schools makes an incident report immediately following the injury. The original report is kept in the student’s file at Fusion and a copy of the report is given to the parent or guardian upon their arrival. Injuries will be dealt with in the following manner:

• Minor Cuts & Bruises: appropriate first aid will be given
• Immediate Medical Attention: paramedics will be called to Fusion Early Learning and a parent or guardian will be contacted.

Upon arrival to Fusion Early Learning, the parent or guardian will check in with the office attendant. Once your child has been signed in with a full parent signature, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to help their child put their belongings away in their cubby. Please do your best to arrive with enough time to check in and get settled before the scheduled start time. This ensures minimal interruptions during circle time and will help to ease student’s transition between home and school.

When it is time to go home at the end of the day, the parent or guardian must check in with the office attendant. Once your child has been signed-out with a full parent signature, you may retrieve your child. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to check their child’s cubby at the end of the day, taking with them appropriate items (i.e. lunch bag, paperwork, jacket, etc.). No child is permitted to leave Fusion Schools alone. Your child will be released to another adult only if the person is authorized by the parent or guardian on the child’s emergency form, the parent or guardian has filled out a “Pick-Up Authorization” form, and the person has a valid photo I.D.

Designation of safe drop off Area:

Parking lots on each of the three locations are designated as safe drop off locations.  The parent or authorized representative will park their car completely within the parking lot and proceed to escort their child to the front entrance.  At the Marysville site located at 701 B Street the shared Caltrans parking lot is located behind the building. The parent or authorized representative will park in the lot and escort the child to the front entrance.  Double parking in the street or in parking lot isles is not acceptable.  There are  drop zone/loading zone parking located directly in the front of the building on B street.  We remind you that it is a busy area during drop off and pick up times.  We advise and encourage the parent or authorized representative to continue to use the parking lot and always proceed with caution.

Late Pick-Up

Parents and/or guardians are considered late picking up their child from Fusion Early Learning if they have not signed their child out by 12:00 pm for morning program students, 4:00 pm for afternoon program students, and 6:00 pm for PM Care enrolled students. If a call is received by the original assigned pick up time, morning (11 am pick up) and afternoon (4 pm pick up) students can add care at $5 per hour until the start of the next program or 6 PM, which ever comes first. This option is not available for sick child pick ups, shortened day late pick-ups, or late pick-ups beyond the close of business.   Late charges begin accruing at the end of each program as follows:

• 0-5 minutes will be considered a late pick up within the grace period.
• 6 minutes and beyond --- $2.00/each minute start accruing from the assigned pick up time.

If by 6:05 pm a parent or guardian has not contacted Fusion Early Learning, a staff member will begin calling persons listed on the Emergency Identification Card. Late fees will continue to accrue until the child has been signed out for the day.

If by thirty minutes after closing a parent or guardian has not contacted Fusion Early Learning and a staff member has been unsuccessful in their attempts to contact alternate persons indicated on the Emergency Identification Card, then the following procedures will apply:

1. The Director will contact the appropriate local police/sheriffs department.
2. The Peace Officer will take the child to County Child Protective Services (CPS).
3. CPS will transfer the child to the Children’s Receiving Home until arrangements are made by the parents and/or guardians for the child’s release.

This procedure will be exercised as a last resort after the Director or other staff members have made every reasonable effort, starting at 6:05 pm, to contact the child’s parent and/or guardian or other authorized persons. Since Fusion Early Learning is not licensed for 24 hour care, the above steps must be taken if no communication with the parent or authorized person is achieved.

The late fee accrues from 6:05 pm to the time the child is placed into the custody of the Peace Officer. This fee is payable directly to the staff member who stayed with your child the next time the child is signed into school. If the child discontinues enrollment, the late fees will be added to any fees owed to Fusion Early Learning.

Termination by Fusion Schools

There may be times when it is deemed necessary for the Director to terminate a child’s enrollment at Fusion Early Learning. Such a decision would only be made if it was in the best interest of the child and every effort had been made to correct a problem situation. The following are reasons a child’s enrollment may be terminated:

• abuse to other children, staff or property
• disruptive or dangerous behavior
• the school’s inability to meet the child’s needs
• unpaid tuition

Termination by Parent/Guardian

At Fusion Early Learning we understand that there may come a time when you have to move on. We ask that you give us a thirty day written notice prior to terminating your child’s enrollment with us.   Less than 30 days notice will result in billing at the current rate until the 30 days has been reached.  If this is the case you retain the right to continue on your schedule until the 30 days is fulfilled.

Parent communication is essential to the success of students at Fusion Early Learning. Parents are encouraged to contact teachers and/or the director by phone and/or e-mail.

Assessment of placement and child interview

Upon enrollment the director will conduct a short placement assessment and interview of the child to determine the appropriate class/group the child will be placed in.  Factors that are considered include, age, potty training needs, socialization readiness, verbal skills, and academic readiness. The appropriate class will be selected and communicated to the parent prior to the first day of attendance.  Should that determination need adjusting the parent will be notified prior to additional class/teacher changes.

Student Progress

Student progress is tracked weekly. Areas covered include academics, social behaviors, triumphs and struggles. Verbal communication is the preferred method of relaying this information to parents. A written report can be requested in person or by emailing the Director. Kindergarten bound children receive a thorough kindergarten assessment report in the late spring/summer prior to their preschool graduation. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher(s) and/or the director with any questions or comments regarding progress reports.

Parent Conferences

Parents are encouraged to schedule meetings with their child’s teacher(s) to discuss student progress and concerns. Please contact teachers via phone or e-mail to set up an appointment. Back-To-School Night and Open House are also great times to talk with your child’s teacher(s) about how the school year is going.

Stay Updated!

In an effort to streamline communication and go paperless we email our newsletters. Please make sure we have a current email address for all family members who wish to be updated. You can add yourself to our email list in the footer of the home page on this site.