Dear 2020-2021 Incoming MCPK Families,
Many of you have reached out to us in the last few weeks with questions about what Pre-K will look like in September. We had hoped to have a more concrete answer for you by now, but as you know, regulations and recommendations change dramatically each week as NJ gradually reopens. The limited opening of daycare programs this week has sparked concern about how state policies on capacities and social distancing will impact MCPK when we open our building. For now, I will say that MCPK is following all state licensing regulations for childcare centers and considering possible requirements for elementary schools in formulating our plan for the fall. We are hoping for the best and planning for the worst case scenarios.
We are working with our school nurse and the Board of Education to modify our facilities, supplies and procedures in accordance with the most recent health and safety recommendations. We will continue training our staff on daily cleaning and disinfection procedures, as well as making changes to their classroom designs and materials. We have plans in place to limit non-staff adults in the building while children are present, including outdoor drop-off and pick-up and parent meetings and gatherings outside of the building. We are moving as many routines as possible to outside locations and increasing the number of opportunities for outdoor educational experiences.
We are also creating plans to address how we will provide extended care, playground time, related arts and enrichment programs without mixing groups of children and adults, if that continues to be recommended or required practice by September. We will still have our ice pop social, home visits, orientations and all the other wonderful events that make MCPK special—they may just be a little different this year. It is a complex puzzle, but we have a staff of very determined and creative thinkers. MCPK will do everything we can to make sure that we provide the best possible pre-k experience for our students.
Before the start of school, we will provide staff and parents with a new handbook addendum specific to COVID-19 related policies and procedures. We hope that things are close to “business as usual” in the fall, but we are prepared for several possible scenarios and we will help to prepare your family too. We are adapting our current policies to help families navigate the uncertainties of this situation.
Historically, the first month tuition payment is considered a
non-refundable
deposit to hold your child’s spot for the fall. In light of the impact of the pandemic on everyone’s lives and finances, we are modifying that policy temporarily.
If you would like to withdraw your child from MCPK due to COVID-19 related concerns, please email us at
info@montclairprek.org
by July 10
th
and we will refund or stop payment on your deposit.
If we refund your deposit, that spot will become available to a new family. We currently have a wait-list for three year old's and both dual-language classrooms.
You may re-enroll your child if your circumstances change after the deadline, but we are not able to guarantee that there will be an available spot for the fall.
After July 10
th
, we will not provide refunds for deposits.
Many of you will have your first payment withdrawn via FACTS on July 15
th
. At that point, we will be proceeding with staffing, student placement and programming.
There is a possibility that we will start the school year with Remote Learning, if school buildings remain closed in NJ. Rest assured that we will provide outdoor opportunities for children to meet and bond with their teachers and classmates while observing social distancing recommendations. We will use teacher and parent feedback to provide the most engaging virtual classroom experience possible. If you decide to temporarily dis-enroll your child after the July 10th deadline, rather then participate in our Remote Learning Program, we will apply your first month's tuition upon re-enrollment (assuming there are spaces available at that time).
Please reach out to our team at any time with questions or concerns. We can’t promise to have all of the answers yet, but we can work on solutions together. Your feedback helps us adapt our plans to meet everyone's needs.
*If you would like to change your
schedule
, your
payment plan
or have questions about either, please reach out to Molly Brennan
at
molly.brennan@montclairprek.org
.
*If you need assistance with
toilet training
, have
placement requests
or questions about
additional support
for your child, please reach out directly to Susan Bryant-Gaither at
sbryant-gaither@montclairprek.org
.
We will be in touch throughout the summer as we learn more about the requirements for opening our building for the fall.
With excitement and hope for the upcoming school year (as your Director and as a fellow parent of an incoming MCPK student!),
Ms. Amy
