Early Childhood Center

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The Early Childhood Center (ECC) continues to provide an in-person learning experience for Tiny Torreys and junior kindergarteners. The ECC team supports students with their learning and development during times of heightened health and safety protocols.

Students will continue to be in their bubble cohort consisting of 12 students and three teachers. The third teacher supervises the Afternoon Program, which allows students to remain with their cohort should they need before or after school care.

With the colder damp weather coming upon us, we encourage parents to provide comfortable weatherproof outerwear and boots for inclement weather outdoor play.

Daily Schedule

Tiny Torreys and junior kindergarten schedule will allow time for staggered beginning and ending of the day, specialty classes, snack, lunch, rest time and large motor playground time with no two groups in the same shared place. Click here for the ECC schedule.

Tiny Torreys

Drop-off 8:30–9 a.m.
Pickup 2:30–3 p.m.
ECC/K Lot (Eastgate Mall)

Junior Kindergarten

Drop-off 7:45–8:15 a.m.
Pickup 2:40–3 p.m.
ECC/K Lot (Eastgate Mall)

At-Home Morning Routine

Before coming to school, we ask all families to perform daily temperature checks and fill out a health screening questionnaire for their child. Students with a temperature of 100.0 °F or higher should stay home. Parents/guardians will be using a software called SchoolPass to submit their health questionnaire. More information to come.

Arrival and Dismissal

Both arrival and dismissal procedures will be curbside. Parents and guardians are currently not permitted inside the center to minimize the spread of germs. For arrival, you will drive up the ECC parking lot and a staff member will conduct temperature and health checks on your child. Teachers will walk students to the classrooms.

For dismissal, you will drive up the ECC parking lot and the teacher will walk your child to the adult waiting in their vehicle. Parents/guardians will secure children in car seats.

Families with children in multiple grade levels will utilize the earliest drop off time and the latest pickup time.

Clothing and Face Masks

All students must have two sets of clothing, including an extra pair of shoes and socks, and an extra face mask. Masks must be properly fitted over the nose and mouth and can be made of various materials only if it is form-fitting. Acceptable masks include cloth masks, disposable non-surgical grade masks and KN95 respirators. Unacceptable facial coverings include bandanas or similar loose face coverings, and masks with an exhalation valve are not allowed as they do not protect others by preventing the dispersion of aerosols.

Student Cohorts

The ECC Bubble Cohort follows the current state and county guidelines for preschools, which requires that a group of no more than 12 children, plus classroom teacher and associate, exist within a defined location with no mixing between any other groups or individuals. Teachers and staff remain solely with their Bubble Cohort.

Indoor/Outdoor Classrooms

There are two classrooms for Tiny Torreys and three classrooms for junior kindergarten, with each having a designated outdoor classroom. They are easily accessible through the rear exit of the classroom. They are designed to promote physical distancing and increased opportunities to be outdoors.
The ECC courtyard and junior kindergarten pergola are shared meeting spaces for full cohort activities, specialty classes and for speech and language therapists to work with individual children.

Rainy Day/Heat: Given our indoor/outdoor learning model, we are prepared to run a rainy day/heat index schedule (similar to a snow day) whereby students and teachers will engage in the day's content from home. We will attempt to closely monitor the weather to provide advanced notice. The heat index of 100 degrees or higher for the coast will be used for closing campus and switching to online learning.

List of 4 items.

Early Care/Extended Day

Morning drop-off for Early Care will start at 7:30 a.m. Lower School Extended Day will take place on the LS playground from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for a fee. There is no need to sign up. All students not picked up by a parent/guardian by 3:30 p.m. will be walked to Extended Day by their teacher. Parents/guardians can pick up their children from the Early Childhood Center (ECC) parking lot. Please note: all other parking lots will be closed. The security guard in the ECC lot will notify the appropriate Extended Day group when the parent/guardian arrives and the child(ren) will be walked over to the ECC lot. Parents/guardians remain in the car. Contact Jessica Lacoff-Roberts with any questions.
Snacks and Lunch

Our dining services, SAGE Dining Services®, will prepare and deliver morning and afternoon snacks, which will be served by classroom teachers. Full-day students may bring lunches in nonporous or disposable containers. Students may bring water bottles. All lunch containers and water bottles must be clearly labeled with the child’s name and taken home daily to be washed.

The Early Childhood Center is a no nuts allowed environment and families are asked not to bring any of these products to school.
Communication/Technology
- Tiny Torreys and junior kindergarten programs will use Seesaw to support connections and communication. This is a digital portfolio where teachers post students’ work providing families the opportunity to view their child’s learning and engage with school happenings.
- To support ECC students with live-streamed Zoom or pre-recorded lessons hosted by ECC and specialty teachers, 42” display screens have been added to each classroom.
Transition from Home to School

To help with the transition from home to school, several events are planned to increase children’s and parent’s/guardian's comfort levels and prepare for a successful first day of school. We will begin with a Parent Zoom Meeting on July 27, individual classroom visits the week of August 8, and a staggered first day of school on August 19 and 20. Information and invitations will be shared in the coming weeks.