The QCC Parent Handbook is full of helpful information, including rules, forms, schedules, curriculums and much much more. Click here to download Quality Child Care's Handbook
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Getting your child ready for Kindergarten can be scary; maybe more for mom and dad than for the child. And while school has already begun, it's never too late get your child ready for their first year in "big kid" school. Here a few quick tips and resources to guide you through this milestone transition. As always, your center's director is here to help with any questions or concerns you have about this process.
1. Check out your child's school's website. Chances are good your child's teacher has posted all the info you need to be sure they are prepared.
2. Consider letting your child stay with other trusted adults for a few hours a day. This will help him or her to acclimate to being away from mom and dad.
3. Begin introducing concepts like counting, sorting, and identifying letters and numbers. Getting a head start on building these skills will make your child more confident when they are introduced at school.
4. Read, read, read! Make sure you are showing your child just how important and pleasurable reading can be by pointing out all the things you are reading throughout the day. Don’t stop with just their favorite books, but show them how newspapers, road signs, cereal boxes, recipes, and nearly everything else they encounter involves reading in some way.
5. Help them memorize their full name, phone number, and address. This is not only for their safety, but can also give them a sense of identity and self-confidence. Here is a really cool project you can do with your child to help them understand who and where they are in the world.
6. Show them how (and when) to properly introduce themselves to unfamiliar people. Your child will meet so many new people when they start school, so knowing the proper protocol for saying hello and introducing themselves to peers and teachers can go a long way in helping them make friends.
7. Most important, ask lots of questions. Make sure your child knows that you are ready and willing to listen to their concerns and help them with any confusion or problems they may encounter at school.
Enrollment Packet
Read & Download our Enrollment Packet.
Everyone who choses to enroll their child in a Quality Child Care Early Learning Center must fill out all of the info in the QCC Enrollment Packet highlighted below. Additionally, if your child is eligible for our ABC classroom, please be sure to download the additional ABC Enrollment Packet and submit it also, along with all of the required information. If you have any questions, please contact your Center's Director.
CDELS: Birth - 60 Months
Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards: Birth through 60 Months
Shared expectations for what children typically know, understand, and are able to do at different ages of early childhood
April 2016
The Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards: Birth through 60 Months was developed through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is important to recognize Joelle-Jude Fontaine, the state’s Program Officer at the Foundation, who has been a supportive and encouraging partner throughout the development of not only these standards, but also the state’s family engagement and kindergarten entry screening initiatives.
Code of Ethical Conduct
NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment
A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children
Revised April 2005
Endorsed by the Association for Childhood Education International Adopted by the National Association for Family Child Care
Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist
All six of our centers are proud to participate in DHS's Better Beginnings. One of the great resources they provide is a Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist.
Excerpt
Arkansas's Definition of School Readiness: School ready children have the social and academic knowledge, skills and behaviors for school success and lifelong learning. School readiness occurs when families, schools and communities support and serve ALL children, so they are successful in school and in life. This is a list of skills and knowledge that will help your child be ready for kindergarten. The checklist is NOT a test. It is a tool to help you see all of the things your child can do that will help him or her make the transition to kindergarten.
Get the Checklist
Open the Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist in a new window.
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has created a calendar to assist families preparing for Kindergarten.
Excerpt
The Family Calendar runs from September through August. For each month there is a theme that focuses on specific kindergarten readiness indicators. Each month is divided into four weeks with suggested activities that you and your child can do together each week. Be flexible. If your child is not interested in a suggested activity, move on to something else. Allow your child to repeat activities. Children learn through repetition.
Get the Calendar
Download it here: DHS Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar