An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 21 – Child Care Centers/Preschools

The preschool parent handbook must, however, include the following provisions:  Brief statement of the program’s purpose, goals, and methods; 2655  Days and hours of operation; 2656  Ages of children accepted for care; 2657  Any supplementary or optional services; 2658  Field-trip provisions; 2659  Preschool-provided transportation arrangements; 2660

 Food-service provisions, including who will provide optional food services for each meal and whether food will be prepared in the facility or brought from an outside source; 2661  Medication policy, including if medication will be administered to children; 2662  Services to be provided if a child has a medical or dental emergency; 2663 and  Sign-in/sign-out procedures for the transfer of responsibility for the child between the preschool and the child’s parent or legal guardian. 2664

The parent handbook must also set forth the admission policies and procedures and the types of discipline which will be used and under what conditions. 2665 Preschools may not use corporal punishment when disciplining a child, even if that child’s parents or guardians request that type of discipline. 2666 h. Schedule Of Daily Activities The schedule is typically an attachment to the parent handbook that includes the meal and snack times, nap times, and times of specific activities such as quiet and active play, rest and relaxation, and toileting. 2667 i. Admission/Enrollment Agreement The preschool must include a copy of the admission/enrollment agreement, as further described in Section 6(A)(2) of this Chapter. 2668 j. Sample Menu The CCLD wants to ensure that preschools will provide children with nutritious and balanced meals. To verify this requirement, preschools must provide the CCLD with a sample menu that demonstrates general principles of good nutrition and acceptable portion sizes. The sample menu must include one week’s worth of planned meals and snacks from the four basic food groups, appropriate portion sizes, and the times meals will be served. 2669 k. List Of Furniture/Play Equipment Any furniture or play equipment used at the preschool must be safe and age and program appropriate. The preschool must provide a CCLD a list all of its indoor and outdoor furniture

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