Hummingbirds Environment Toddler Community 2024-2025
“The exercises, which children do, help their adaptation to the environment. The first adaptation to the environment is to become conscious of it. To become conscious, they need to acquire knowledge. Children acquire knowledge through experience in the environment. “ Maria Montessori, the 1946 London Lectures, P. 123
Welcome to the Hummingbirds Environment! The Keystone Montessori community and I are happy to welcome our toddlers back this August and excited to welcome our new families as well. My name is Chelsei Winstead, and I will be caring for the brand-new Hummingbird room. I am honored to work my first year with Keystone as the Lead Toddler Guide. I completed my Montessori training for my assistance to infancy (0-3 yrs) certification last year in May. I am so grateful and excited to guide the children in the hummingbirds! Ms. Marisel, Ms.Esmeralda, and I will work together to provide a nurturing environment for your little ones. The children will be able to develop their skills and discover themselves through their experiences in the prepared environment.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
To respond to their strong inner call to independence, please have your child walk and carry their lunchbox into the classroom. Short and sweet goodbyes are always best. For children enrolled in Half or Full Day, drop off is between 8:15 am–8:30 am. If your child is in Extended Care, they may be dropped off anytime between 7:30 am–8:30 am. A quick goodbye seems to work the best for everyone. If it is a particularly tough drop off, feel free to call the office to check on your child. Please park in front of the school building and walk with your children through the Children’s House gate to the toddler’s outdoor environment door for drop off and pick up. If your child is Half Day or Extended Care and it's after 3:15 pm, you may pick up your child through the indoor toddler door. You will then proceed to your classroom and sign in. Please remember to allow your children to walk on their own. We ask that parents of toddlers in the Hummingbirds classroom not open the classroom door. Please wait for a staff member to open the door and greet you.
If you are late for drop-off, keep in mind that we will be doing circle time/lesson time at 8:45/8:50 AM start time and will not answer the door until after a lesson is done. This is to respect the children who have worked hard to engage in circle time, and we do not want to interrupt their concentration; thank you.
*NOTE for parents with toddler and children’s house children: Please drop off your older children first as it will make for a smoother transition for everyone.
Dismissal: Please pick up your child at the appropriate time, 11:45 am (Half Day), 3:00 pm (School Day) or by 5:30 pm (Extended Day). Park and walk into the main office. You will then walk to your child’s class and sign them out.
Communication
You can Email me at chelsei@keystonemontessori.com. I check my email at the end of the school day Monday-Friday. Please allow me 48 hours to respond to your email. In case of an emergency, the best way to communicate is to call the school directly at (480) 460-7312.
Daily Reports
We will also communicate via an app called Procare, this app will give you access to updates of your child’s care on your phone/computer throughout the day. We will add all changes made with your child in this app like diaper/potty reports, nap times, and activity notes.
If your child is in the diapers we will write a note if your child is wet, has a BM, or had cream added if provided by the family.The procare app is where we share all our important information with the parents and please ask every family to check this app every 24 hours when possible.
Parent Section: Please, let us know via message on Procare if your child has had a restful night, had breakfast, and if you have applied sunscreen, bug spray.
If you need to let us know something regarding your child, please send a message through the Procare app to let us know.
We will place artwork in a folder once a month for your child to take and snack list
* reminder to bring the child’s water bottle daily.
Permission forms: If you need to communicate schedule changes or absences (e.g. your child will be picked up earlier than usual, your child has a doctor’s appointment, your family is going on vacation, etc.) please write a permission form in School Cues. This way, the information is also shared with the administration.
Nap Time
Your child will need a fitted crib sheet and a light blanket to use for a nap. No pillows or stuffed animals are needed. Pacifiers are not allowed in our environment. Please make sure their belongings are labeled with their first and last name. This box will be brought every Monday; it will remain in the classroom and will be sent home to be washed on Fridays. Each child has a nap mat and we sanitize them after each use.
Nap Box Dimensions: 10.6”L x 7.6”W c 6.3”H 6 Quarts
If your child needs more diapers, wipes, spare clothes, etc. We will send notes via the procare app.
Please buy a nap box with these detentions or smaller. No larger boxes can be accepted as the hubby hole is this size.
Ex. Link if needed: Michaels storage bin
Extra Clothes
As your child explores, learns, and grows, in the environment, his/her clothes will get wet or dirty. Please ensure that your child has at least two extra outfits in the classroom (two shirts, two bottoms, two socks, and underwear as needed). Please bring two wet bags labeled with your child’s name. One bag contains clean clothes, and one bag is empty; to hold dirty or soiled clothes to be sent home.
Please mark their clothing with their initials on each individual item you bring to school in case it gets misplaced. If your child has a very special and meaningful item, please do not have them wear it on school days. In our environment, your child will get wet and dirty sometimes, and we cannot stop them from exploring because of a special outfit. Thank you for understanding!
Example link if needed: wet and dry bags
*Please try not to buy this exact one to avoid every child having the same bag, thank you.
Shoes
Please make sure that your child wears comfortable shoes. Keep in mind that toddlers run, jump, and move a lot. So they need shoes that support these needs. Also, to respond to that inner call of independence, please choose shoes that the child can easily put on and take off by themselves. Velcro shoes are a great option. Please avoid shoelaces, tie-up shoes, flip flops, flats, and slip-on shoes. We recommend keeping an extra pair of shoes at school in case shoes get wet or soiled (toilet accidents, water, etc.). Please make sure if your child is wearing new shoes to practice wearing at home before coming to school to avoid discomfort at school while we move around and work.
Lunch Time
We encourage healthy eating habits and a well-balanced meal. Make sure that the food you pack for lunch is food that the child likes to eat. We avoid processed or packaged foods (no cookies, candy, and juices). Please include an ice pack in your child’s lunch box because we do not store lunch boxes in the refrigerator.
Keep in mind that we want to promote independence. We suggest that your child brings glass containers (snap ware/lock lid containers); they are heavier and are easier for children to open by themselves.
*Please avoid using bento boxes or containers with multiple compartments. NO
squeezable fruit or veggie pouches; any apple sauce or yogurts should be inside of a container so that your child can eat it using a spoon.
Drinking water is available in the classroom. There is no need to pack a drink.
We wash and sanitize silverware, plates, and cups in the dishwasher every day.
*Ex. For lunch containers if needed: glass containers with silicon sleeve
Snack
The children eat snack twice a day; once in the morning, and once in the late afternoon. The children also have an open snack concept and prepare it as needed. A snack list will be given to your family to contribute to the classroom on a designated week.
The family snack duty also includes purchasing flowers (a minimum of 12 flowers in the bunch, small size preferred.)
Snack Procedure
Your family is assigned to bring the snack on the Monday of a designated week. The teacher will wash fruit and vegetables and will handle it for each child. Children will set their tables and prepare their snacks individually.
Snack will be simple and there will be no cooking, or baking for the time being.
Sunscreen, Bug-spray and Diaper Rash Ointment
Please fill out the authorization form and return to the front desk. We ask kindly that you send in spray or bar sunscreen instead of cream. Make sure you have correctly labeled the container with your child’s first and last names. Please make sure that the expiration date is valid for one year.
Kindly remember your child must come to school with sunscreen in the morning. We can reapply it in the afternoon before going outside. Bug spray can be applied at school before going outside and before napping during mosquito season or when we see mosquitos.
***Please write this in your authorization form:
Time and Frequency
Sunscreen: Apply in the afternoon IF going outside.
Bug Spray: Apply as needed when mosquitos are around.
We kindly ask you to write it in this way and as specific as possible because these are legal forms. If you write “every day in the afternoon,” then we must apply sunscreen even if it is raining and we are not going outside.
Incident/Accident Reports
Accidents
Young children tend to fall and get hurt when exploring their environment. An accident report will be written if your child has a mark on his/her body due to an accident. If a child hits their head while playing/working, we are required by the administration to notify parents via a phone call besides the written report.
Incidents
Children are learning how to socialize and behave around people. While they learn this, some incidents may happen. Biting, scratching, pushing, etc. is normal toddler behavior in a Toddler Community. We work on this daily; we provide vocabulary and remind us about using their words instead of their bodies when communicating.
If your child is involved in an incident, you will get a written report. We protect our children’s privacy so the names of the other children involved in the incident will not be released.
Please let us know in the Procare app if your child got hurt the day before and has marks on the body. If we are not notified of the report, we are required to write a report if we sign any marks/ bumps/ on the child’s body in the morning.
Illness
Fever: If a child presents a temperature above 100.4 degrees, the child will be taken to the front office and isolated until the parents pick it up. Children can come back to school after 24 hours fever free without fever medication.
Diarrhea: If a child has two diarrhea episodes, the parent will be notified, and the child
will be isolated until the parent picks up. Children may come back once they are 24 hours diarrhea free.
Coughing: If a child coughs uncontrollably during nap time and does not have any other symptoms, parents will be notified and asked to pick up the child.
If your child has a condition that makes him/her cough when sleeping (asthma, croup, etc.), please provide a letter from your pediatrician certifying the diagnosis and provide treatment or written specifications of how to treat his diagnosis when you are on campus.
COVID-19
Please review the protocol sent by the administration.
Environment
Our Hummingbirds classroom environment is prepared to respond to your children’s individual needs. We work on language development daily through songs, books, group language lessons, etc. Lessons will be presented throughout the year to each child individually based on their interest and readiness.
Please bring a family picture for our classroom decoration.
Thank you for your support! We look forward to getting to know you and your children!
Ms. Chelsei Winstead