pjw/faq.html at master · aqua/pjw · GitHub

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>Puddle Jumpers Workshop - FAQs</title>
<meta name="description" content="Puddle Jumpers Workshop is one of San Francisco's oldest parent run daycare cooperative for children ages 18 months to 3 years. It is located in the heart of the Mission District." />
<meta name="keywords" content="puddle, jumpers, workshop, daycare, co-op, cooperative, coop, san francisco, sf, mission, district, pre pre-school, preschool, bernal, heights, noe, valley, potrero, hill, excelsior" />
<link href="common/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<script type="text/javascript">

  var _gaq = _gaq || [];
  _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-19660886-1']);
  _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);

  (function() {
    var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
    ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
  })();

</script>
</head>

<body>

<div id="container">
<img src="img/rounded-top.gif" width="960" height="28" border="0" />
<div id="header">
<ul class="hnav">
  <li class="hnav-first"><a href="/">Home</a></li>
  <li class="hnav"><a href="about.html">About</a></li>
  <li class="hnav"><a href="admissions.html">Admissions</a></li>
  <li class="hnav"><a href="teachers.html">Our Teachers</a></li>
  <li class="hnav"><a href="faq.html">FAQs</a></li>
  <li class="hnav"><a href="contact.html">Contact Us</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="width: 960px; height: 152px; background-color:#bdde85; position: relative">
<img src="img/banner-umbrella-left.png" style="width:218px; height:152px; postion:relative; left:0px;"
  alt="PJW umbrella logo" />
<div id="slide_canvas" style="position:absolute; left: 220px; top: 0px; width: 720px; height: 152px; padding-left: 1px; background-color:#bdde85;"></div>
</div>
<div id="content">
<h1>FAQs</h1>

<ul >
    <li><a href="#1">How do I know my child is ready for school?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#2">What is the atmosphere at PJs Workshop really like?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#3">Does my child have to be on a "schedule" to attend PJs Workshop?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#4">Does my child have to be toilet trained to attend PJs Workshop?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#5">How do I help my child make the transition to attending PJs Workshop?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#6">How do kids nap together?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#7">During what age range are children eligible to attend?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#8">Do I have to work on the same days my child attends?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#9">Can my child attend half-days?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#10">Can other family members, friends or caretakers work shifts?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#11">What is your philosophy on discipline?</a></li>
    <li><a href="#12">Can I bring my baby or other child to my shifts? </a></li>
    <li><a href="#13">My child has special dietary needs. Can you accommodate him/her?</a></li>
</ul>

<a name="1"></a>
<h3>How do I know my child is ready for school?</h3>

<p>Often, Puddle Jumpers Workshop is a child's first experience away from her
parents or in care.  Sometimes, a child has been cared for at home, but must
adjust to a group situation.  Certain skills, such as walking, verbal and nonverbal communication and self-soothing are critical to adjusting to Puddle
Jumpers Workshop. Others are learned at school. Ultimately, only you can decide
if the environment is a good fit for your child at this time; we encourage you
to use pre-admissions visits as an opportunity to gauge that fit and ask
any questions you may have.
</p>


<a name="2"></a>
<h3>What is the atmosphere at Puddle Jumpers Workshop really like?</h3>

<p>"Joyful", "exciting", "stimulating", "warm", "nurturing", "homey", and
"chaotic" have all been used to describe our cooperative. On any given day, the
mood of the kids can run the gamut from calm to energized to tearful. The
important thing is that we expect constant change and develop techniques for
dealing with different situations. As you develop a relationship with the other
children, you will begin to view the challenges of cooperative childcare in a
new, often anticipatory, light.
</p>


<a name="3"></a>
<h3>Does my child have to be on a "schedule" to attend Puddle Jumpers Workshop?</h3>

<p>Because they are being cared together, the kids naturally evolve into a
shared schedule. Snack, meal, potty/diapering and nap times are set, so
children adapt to them surprisingly quickly.  It is helpful if your child has
made the transition to one daily nap prior to attending Puddle Jumpers
Workshop.
</p>


<a name="4"></a>
<h3>Does my child have to be toilet-trained to attend PJs Workshop? </h3>

<p>No, working parents expect to diaper the younger or non-potty-trained kids,
and to deal with accidents gracefully as they happen.  However, one of the
benefits of attending Puddle Jumpers Workshop is the peer and parent caretaker
support for potty training, which often results in early development of this
skill.  </p>


<a name="5"></a>
<h3>How do I help my child make the transition to attending Puddle Jumpers Workshop?</h3>

<p>With your inputs, our Activity Coordinator and current members will help you
and your child through the adjustment process. Some kids adjust very quickly;
others need more time.  Some have a hard time at drop-off; others exhibit their
dismay in more subtle ways, or at home with mom and dad.  The most useful thing
you can do before your child's first day is to spend as much time as they need
explaining what will happen and helping build their expectations.</p>

<p>While parents are expected to do what they must to soothe their child if he
displays signs of separation anxiety, experience has proven that prolonged
goodbyes, chronically late drop-offs and other potentially disruptive steps do
not necessarily aid in the adjustment process. Overall, we approach this
transition with compassion and concern for every child.
</p>


<a name="6"></a>
<h3>How do kids nap together?</h3>

<p>Surprisingly well. Although there is a learning curve for some children with
regard to sleeping communally, many take to it right away, and few experience
trouble falling asleep after a few days or weeks watching their peers curl up
on their mats with their personal bedding and favorite stuffed animals. Some
kids continue to nap well throughout their Puddle Jumpers Workshop tenure;
others go through troubled stages as they might at home.  When this occurs, we
work through it, sometimes changing the child's sleeping ritual or moving fussy
kids to a separate nap room, walking them to sleep in strollers, etc.
</p>


<a name="7"></a>
<h3>During what age range are children eligible to attend?</h3>

<p>Puddle Jumpers admission policy accepts children from the age of 18 months
to three years.  From time to time, in accordance with co-op bylaws, PJs
Workshop is able to make exemptions to adjust the admissions range according to
the needs of its families and the development of the children; however, our curriculum is aimed at the 18 month to 3 year range.  Exemptions
granting early admission are usually made based on observations during visits,
so please discuss those needs with the New Member Coordinator.

</p>


<a name="8"></a>
<h3>Do I have to work on the same days my child attends?</h3>

<p>We have designed the program so that you work when your child attends.
Occasionally, a parent with alternate childcare may wish to work one or more
shifts without their child present.  This issue may be discussed with the
coop's current members.</p>


<a name="9"></a>
<h3>Can my child attend half-days?</h3>

<p>Puddle Jumpers Workshop is designed as a full-day program for working
parents or parents with full-day childcare needs; we do not offer a half-day
program. It is not uncommon to pick up your child early from school, but we
discourage consistently late drop-offs as a rule because they seem to disrupt
the other children (and make it harder for the dropped-off child as well). Keep
in mind that daily evening cleanup is conducted by picking-up parents as well
as working parents.
</p>


<a name="10"></a>
<h3>Can other family members, friends or caretakers work shifts?</h3>

<p>Yes, in some cases.  On your application, you are asked to provide names of
other family members, such as grandparents, whom you expect to fill shifts.
These family members and friends must fulfill all the standard training working
parents receive, including CPR training, and working a "shadow shift" as an
extra parent without the child in advance of working a real shift. Generally,
as a parent-staffed coop, we discourage the use of paid babysitters and nannies
to fill shifts, although we have occasionally made exceptions in emergencies.
</p>


<a name="11"></a>
<h3>What is your philosophy on discipline?</h3>

<p>At Puddle Jumpers Workshop, we expect all the normal tribulations of
toddlerhood to present themselves itself, including pushing, pulling, hitting,
material possessiveness and oppositional behavior.  When these behaviors
threaten to affect other children or hurt the child displaying them, we try to
redirect the offending party away from the situation and turn their attention
to another activity or object.  When children are mature enough, we use brief
time-outs in a safe place as a means of giving an upset child space to calm
down.
</p>


<a name="12"></a>
<h3>Can I bring my baby or other child to my shifts? </h3>

<p>At this time, our policies do not allow working parents to bring a newborn,
baby or other child with them to work shifts. Although this decision was a
difficult one, experience has shown that it is in the best interests of the
toddlers in our care that they be supervised by people with undivided
attention.  Occasionally, a parent has attended with a newborn to fill an empty
or emergency opening, but we try to avoid this. When a family in our community
is expecting a baby, we work as a group to cover or swap shifts, train
alternate family members and otherwise support them until they have moved
through the challenging newborn period.
</p>

<p>Siblings are welcome to come with you and your enrolled child at drop-off
and pickup times; most kids at PJW are delighted to see babies especially and
even come to ask after them when they're not around.
</p>


<a name="13"></a>
<h3>My child has special dietary needs. Can you accommodate her?</h3>

<p>We do our best to address the special nutritional needs of our kids.
Allergies are incorated into scheduling notices; we also maintain an allergy
list, providing parents with a message board for daily instructions and
encouraging communication about such matters through a listserv and at
meetings. Typically, snacks and lunches include three or four food types,
enough to satisfy all palates and supply enough food for kids with
restrictions.  Please be sure to discuss your child's dietary needs and
nature/severity of allergies during the admissions process so we can ensure
that it's properly communicated and incorporated into our posted documentation
and scheduling.
</p>

</div>
<img src="img/tule.gif" width="960" height="155" border="0" />
<div id="footer">

&copy; 2010 Puddle Jumpers Workshop.

</div>

</div>
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="common/imagecanvas.js">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var imgcanvas = new ImageCanvas(
  document.getElementById('slide_canvas'), null, 238, 152);
imgcanvas.
  setRows(1).setColumns(3).setSpacing(2).
  setCaptionColor('#d0d0d0').
  setFadeSteps(20).setFadeStepTime(40).
  setRandomSwitching(true).setRandomImageOrder(true).
  setInterval(8000).setEnableCaptions(true).setOwnerNameInCaptions(false);
var imglist1 = new ImageList();
//imglist1.getFromFlickrSearch({user_id: 'puddlejumpersworkshop'},
imglist1.getFromFlickrPhotoset('72157629051437321',
  function(l) {
    imgcanvas.setImages(l);
    imgcanvas.init();
  });
</script>

</body>
</html>