Family HandbookTable of Contents:
Basic Information:
3
Part 1: Important Information and Policies

• Tuition 4
• Enrollment Policy 4
• Snow Days/Emergency Closings 4
• Drop-off and Pick-up 5
• Sick/Illness/COVID Policy 5
• Accident Policy 7
• Emergency Evacuation Plan 7
• Reporting Misconduct 8
  Part 2: About Global Roots Play School
• A Note on Separation and Starting School 9
• A Day at Global Roots 10
• Social Emotional Learning 10
• Teaching Philosophy and Practice 11
• Parent and Family Involvement 12
• Global Roots Play School Mission & History 13
  2Basic Information
• Give tuition to director before the 1st of the month
• Your child must be picked up by 12 (noon)
• If your child is sick they cannot come to school
• Please tell us if your child is sick or will be absent for any reason (text the teacher or
  email classroom@globalrootsplayschool.org)
• We close when the public school is closed or delayed due to snow
• First days of school:
• Stay with your child for at least 4 days.
• The teachers will let your child play. Please let them explore the room and
  engage with other people as they are comfortable.
  •
  As your child gets more comfortable with the room and other children the
  teachers may start to play with them more.
• We will talk after 4 days to make a plan.
• You cannot leave until we have all forms signed and turned in.
• When you first leave the teachers need to be able to reach you by phone so
  you can come back quickly if your child needs you.
  3Part 1: Important Information and Policies
  Tuition
  In the United States, most small schools for children under age 5 are funded only by the
  tuition that is charged to families.
  Global Roots Play School is committed to being affordable to all families so we
  provide scholarships with a sliding scale to all families. To do this, Ithaca Welcomes
  Refugees and Global Roots raises funds through public fundraisers, grants from
  foundations, and donations from people in the Ithaca community.
  Your help in determining a fair tuition rate for your family to pay is greatly appreciated.
  Please pay your agreed upon tuition to director Bronwyn before the first day of the
  month. If you are unable to pay for any reason, please talk to the director.
  If you need a receipt, please tell us and we can give you one.
  Enrollment Policy
  If you will be withdrawing before the end of the year or plan an extended absence please
  let director Bronwyn know as soon as possible.
  Snow Days/Emergency Closings
  Global Roots Play School will close for snow days when Ithaca City School District closes or
  delays.
  4Drop-off and Pick-up
  The outside doors are always locked. The teachers will give you the code to open them on
  the first day of school. Please be sure not to let anyone you don’t know in. If someone
  does come in, tell a teacher.
  Do not park in the spaces in front of the building that say “No Parking.” You may get a
  ticket. Aurora Street between Farm St and the building has 2 hour free parking. If you
  need to park more than 2 hours Linn st has all-day parking.
  You can bring your child to school any time after 9:00 and must pick them up by 12:00.
  We are only allowed to be open for 3 hours and it is very important that you arrive to
  pick your child up on time. If your child will be absent please inform us before class
  starts. You can send us an email at classroom@globalrootsplayschool.org or call us at
  (607) 398-0467.
  Only people you have authorized will be allowed to pick your child up. The teachers may
  ask them for identification.
  Sick/illness/COVID policy
  If you, your child or anybody in your home is sick follow these steps:

1. Keep your child home.
2. When symptoms go away, take a COVID test. Stay home until test results are
   negative and everyone is healthy.
3. If your test is positive continue to stay home and tell Bronwyn
   director@globalrootsplayschool.org
4. Return to school only after symptoms are gone and COVID test is negative.
   If a close contact* of a member of your household has COVID:
5. Stay home for at least 6 days.
6. Take a COVID test 6 days after you were exposed
7. If anyone in your household develops symptoms at any time, keep your child home
   and follow the “If you, your child or anybody in your home is sick ” instructions
   above.
   *A close contact is a person who was less than 6 feet away from you for 15 minutes or
   more. This includes anyone who lives in your house and classmates.
   Symptoms you must keep your child home for:
   •
   they have had a fever (oral temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater) in
   the last 24 hours.

• they are too sick to participate in school activities
• they have lethargy (very sleepy), difficulty breathing or signs of serious illness
• they have vomited or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours
• they have begun treatment for a contagious illness within the last 24 hours
• they have a bad cold (runny nose that is yellow or green and productive cough)
  If your child is diagnosed with any of the following diseases, please tell us so we can let
  other families know. Please keep them home until they have been symptom free or on
  antibiotics for 24 hours.
• Strep
• Coxsackie (Hand Foot and Mouth)
• Staph infection
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Norovirus
• Fifths disease
• Lice
• Ringworm
• COVID-19
• Any childhood diseases that children are immunized against.
  School staff will never tell all school families the name of a child who is sick to protect privacy.
  We only tell families the sickness that is found in a child a school, so families can watch their
  own child for signs of sickness.
  6School staff do not give children medication.
  Global Roots requires medical forms filled out for each child by the child’s doctor. In
  accordance with New York State Public Health Law 2164, Global Roots Play School requires
  that every child who attends GRPS be fully immunized. Exceptions can be made for children
  who are medically exempt from being vaccinated. New York State does not allow for
  philosophical exemptions from vaccinations.
  For further information about New York State Immunization Law or other healthcare
  questions contact the Public Health Nurse at 607- 274-6604.
  If you do not have health insurance the Ithaca Free Clinic (607-330-1253) can help.
  Accidents/Illness at school
  If your child is ill or has an accident during school hours, a teacher from the school will call
  you or your emergency contacts, provide basic first aid, and/or take your child to an
  emergency room.
  We will call you first, then the contacts on your emergency list. For parents who are at ODE,
  we will call the ODE office if we cannot reach you directly.
  Emergency Evacuation Plan
  Teachers practice fire drills with children four times a year. In the event of a fire, the staff
  and children will walk to and exit the building by the front door. If the front door is unsafe,
  we will exit through the backdoor in the room behind our classroom and go down the fire
  escape. If it is safe to be in the backyard, we will go to the northwest corner of the
  playground. A teacher will take attendance. If the backyard is unsafe, we will walk the
  children to the ODE classrooms on the third floor of the First Presbyterian Church (315 N.
  Cayuga St) and contact parents from there. We will alert parents through email and phone
  calls or text messages.
  7Reporting Misconduct
  Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR) and Global Roots Play School (GRPS) want to keep all
  children safe. IWR does not allow sexual abuse or misconduct in the classroom, on
  IWR/GRPS property, or during any IWR/GRPS activity.
  Corporal punishment (hitting a child) is strictly prohibited by any staff member, volunteer,
  or parent at Global Roots Play School. We respect children and their bodies. Any acts which
  frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
  Reporting Procedure
  Any parent, volunteer, staff member, Board member, or community member who
  suspects that any person from IWR or Global Roots Play School has been sexually abusing
  or mistreating a child should report this directly to the IWR Board Chair
  Doug Stayman
  dms43@cornell.edu
  As a parent, if you suspect child abuse, you do not have to directly confront or speak to
  the person who you believe is abusing a child before notifying IWR leadership.
  Investigation
  Ithaca Welcomes Refugees will take all allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct seriously
  and will promptly, thoroughly and equitably respond to determine whether misconduct
  has taken place. The organization may utilize an outside third-party to conduct an
  investigation of misconduct.
  Ithaca Welcomes Refugees is committed to following the state and federal legal
  requirements for reporting allegations or incidents of sexual abuse or misconduct to
  appropriate law enforcement and child or adult protective services organizations.
  8Part 2: About Global Roots Play School
  A Note on Separation and Starting School
  Starting school is both exciting and scary for young children. Children can feel safe in a
  new classroom environment and with new people if they see that their parents are
  comfortable in the environment, too. If the children see their parents anxious to leave too
  early, it can make them nervous and take longer to feel comfortable. The fastest way to
  get your child comfortable (and for you to get to class!) is to relax and enjoy the classroom
  with them. The teachers at ODE know and understand that you need to help your child
  before you come to school.
  We welcome parents to stay in the classroom for as long as it takes for your child and
  family to feel comfortable. We look forward to building a relationship with you based in
  trust and mutual learning.
  We recommend bringing a stuffed animal or other special object from home for your
  child, and we ask each family to provide family photos for us to hang on the classroom
  wall. We ask parents to provide some important words in the child’s home language to
  help teachers communicate with each child. These comforting reminders of home can
  help children to feel more confident separating and saying goodbye for the morning.
  You know your child best, please let us know how we can support you and your child with
  the transition to a new environment.
• Stay with your child for at least 4 days.
• The teachers will let your child play. Please let them explore the room and engage
  with other people as they are comfortable.
  •
  As your child gets more comfortable with the room and other children the teachers
  may start to play with them more.
• We will talk after 4 days to make a plan.
• You cannot leave until we have all forms signed and turned in
• When you first leave the teachers need to be able to reach you by phone so you can
  come back quickly if your child needs you.
  9A Day at Global Roots
  Children can arrive anytime after 9. We start the day in the classroom or outside. Children
  play guided by their own interests and the invitations of classmates. They are given time
  to explore their interests and relationships deeply, without a schedule imposed on them.
  We offer books in many languages, open art supplies, blocks, cars, a water table and
  many other toys.
  A healthy vegetarian snack is offered around 10 or when the children ask for it. We help
  them to invite the rest of their classmates.
  We then often go to play in the gym or outside where children are picked up by 12.
  Social-Emotional Learning
  Global Roots Play School is a safe, nurturing place. It is a place to learn, play, and form
  relationships. The teachers are warm, loving, protective and supportive and help the
  children in the hard work of making friends, learning independence and navigating
  conflict.
  For most children, this is the first time they experience being in a classroom. Young
  children are just beginning to develop social awareness, self-regulation, and the ability to
  communicate verbally instead of physically. Social-emotional learning is at the core of
  what we do at Global Roots Play School.
  The most important work of children this age is to learn how to work together and be part
  of a community.
  Teachers are there to support children when they navigate strong emotions, conflicts, and
  distress. These behaviors are a way children this age communicate. While teachers do
  10address socially unacceptable behavior (such as hitting, pushing, or shouting) and redirect
  children to more acceptable behavior, we go beyond simply responding to the behavior
  and try to understand the deeper underlying feelings and needs that each child has and
  the support they need to navigate through them.
  We help children to develop self-awareness by connecting their behaviors to their
  thoughts and feelings. We do this by talking openly about conflicts and big emotions that
  come up in the classroom, often using pictures to communicate with children.
  Global Roots teachers view conflicts as learning opportunities, and rather than separating
  two children when they have a conflict, we aim to allow children to learn from conflicts by
  giving them a safe space to experience their emotions and guiding them toward
  communicating effectively with one another. In this way we help prepare children for their
  next experience beyond our small classroom and give them foundational tools they will
  need to succeed as they grow.
  Teaching Philosophy and Practice
  Our approach is founded on the following core beliefs:
  We believe that children are capable. While providing a safe and supportive classroom, we
  leave room for the children to make decisions and take control of themselves and their
  environment. Materials are kept on low shelves so that children can choose what they
  want to play with on their own. Their exploration leads to mastery, and we strive to let
  that process unfold as naturally as possible.
  We believe that children are unique learners. Our role as educators and caregivers is to
  support their discovery process. We provide a well-rounded array of materials for children
  to explore and we act as guides to extend children’s thinking. We meet all children where
  they are developmentally.
  We believe that children learn through relationships. We form trusting relationships with
  children by providing a safe, inviting, and predictable environment, and by providing
  warm and empathetic care. We support children’s complex emotions and value their life
  experiences. We support children as they develop relationships with one another and we
  give them space to explore interactions at their own pace.
  11We believe that play is essential. Play is the natural mechanism for learning, and as teachers
  we encourage and nurture playful interactions among children, as well as with staff and
  family. Much of the work of nurturing play is spent observing and providing opportunities.
  We are part of a community caring for children. We believe that diversity enriches the lives
  of all. Global Roots is a community with many origins, cultures, ethnicities, languages, and
  customs, and we are grateful to be a part of our expanding community.
  Parent and Family Involvement
  Global Roots Play School values all families and welcomes parents to be part of our
  classroom community. Family members can visit and stay in the classroom as much as
  they want to. We have had parents who stay in the classroom for the entire year with
  their children and others who have volunteered once a week throughout the school year.
  At the beginning of the year we hang family photos on our classroom wall. Children
  are comforted by the presence of their family photos at school, and delight in exploring
  one another’s family photos and showing their family members to teachers and
  classmates.
  Teachers schedule two parent-teacher conferences during the school year. These
  meetings are an opportunity to learn about your child from you, to hear your hopes and
  dreams for your children, and to listen to any questions or concerns you have about
  school. It is a chance for teachers to share stories with you about your child’s school
  experience, and to work together to best support your child’s growth. Teachers are also
  available throughout the year for meetings and conversations beyond these two
  scheduled conferences. We welcome phone calls and emails from parents.
  Global Roots values communication with families and we make an effort to share photos
  and stories from the classroom with parents throughout the year. We also plan family
  gatherings to come together as a community.
  12Global Roots Play School Mission and History
  Global Roots is a program of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees whose mission is to partner with
  newly arrived refugees and immigrants as they rebuild their lives in Tompkins County.
  History:
  Global Roots Play School started in September of 2017 as a project of Ithaca Welcomes
  Refugees (IWR). IWR is a volunteer-led initiative, founded in December 2015, as a result of
  collective community reaction to the global refugee crisis. IWR set out to open an early
  childhood program that would provide child care during Adult ESL classes so that parents
  could attend class more easily. Global Roots Play School values building an interconnected
  community, and Ithaca families who do not attend ESL classes are also welcome to enroll.
  If you ever have any questions or concerns about Global Roots Play School that you would
  like to discuss with Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, Casey Verderosa, IWR executive director
  can be reached at caseyv@ithacawelcomesrefugees.org
  Our classroom also welcomes special education service providers including teachers and
  therapists, and student-teachers from Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins
  Cortland Community College.
  13