Learning Through Play for 70 Years

General Practices

Annandale Cooperative Preschool Health Requirements

Parent’s Health The Commonwealth of Virginia requires any adult working with children in a preschool to submit an annual statement from a physician stating that he or she appears to be in good health and can work with children. Any adult participating as a teacher’s aide or school aide must also provide annual proof of a negative TB test (or a negative chest x-ray).

Universal Precautions The preschool follows Universal Precautions to prevent accidental exposure to disease and ensure the children’s collective health. Primarily, Universal Precautions, as developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are about hygiene – the thorough cleansing of hands and surfaces and the proper disposal of materials that have come into contact with bodily fluids.

All Annandale Preschool parents, legal guardians and teachers receive training in Universal Precautions and are expected to follow the series of basic sanitary steps. Handwashing, particularly after using the toilet or changing a diaper, is required of both adults and children. For added protection, latex gloves are worn to prevent skin and mucous membrane exposure when adults come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

Preschool By-laws, Policies and Procedures

Preschool By-laws, Policies and Procedures Annandale Cooperative Preschool’s by-laws, policies and procedures are contained in the Parent’s Primer. It is distributed to new members but is available for examination by prospective members upon request. Changes to the preschool’s by-laws, policies and procedures are made throughout the year only by vote of the preschool’s general membership at general membership meetings.

Discipline Policy

We believe that the teachers must lovingly guide and redirect the children to help them learn to cooperate with their peers. We believe that we can best accomplish this by having a variety of activities for the children, using group management techniques, limiting the number of children in each area to avoid crowding, maintaining an excellent adult-to-child ratio, speaking positively with the children if their behavior is inappropriate, giving praise for appropriate behavior, and redirecting children to other activities. Parents are counseled when a child’s inappropriate behavior persists. Ultimately, the child could be dismissed from the program.

Any form of hitting, corporal punishment, abusive language, ridicule, harsh or humiliating or frightening treatment is both illegal and contrary to our philosophy. None of these behaviors will be tolerated at Annandale Cooperative Preschool.