AGE OF ADMITTANCE
We take children between the ages of 18 months - 4.5 years.
HOURS OF OPENING
7.30 - 1.15
Please keep time as it is important that your child arrives and leaves on time. The lessons start at 8 am and pick up is at 1 pm. Both of these times should be respected.
We run a Breakfast club, 7.00-7.30 am. Simply provide your child with breakfast and they will be supervised to eat their breakfast together in the classroom and then go to play.
SECURING A PLACE
A place will be secured for your child for the date agreed upon with the Principal, upon receipt of the signed Application Form and a Registration Fee of KD150. This is non-refundable. Enrolling your child entails your commitment to pay the fees for the whole year in full. Unforeseen circumstances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
COLLECTION FROM SCHOOL
Your child will not be allowed to leave school with a person that the teachers have not met unless previous arrangements have been made with the Principal. If there is an emergency and you cannot manage to collect your child by 1 pm, please telephone the Nursery and inform the teachers as to who will be collecting the child.
PICK-UP and PARKING
Children are expected to wear their seatbelts in their age-appropriate car seats during transportation to and from school. Please do not park your car in front of neighbors on the opposite side. It is important to respect their place.
ABSENCES
If your child will be absent from nursery then an SMS, Whatsapp, or email to the Principal is helpful and appreciated. Equally, if you need to take your child out of nursery early then you should notify the Principal.
ILLNESS
Parents are requested not to send a sick child to school, and inform the Principal as soon as possible, especially if your child's illness is contagious. Children with contagious diseases MUST NOT be brought to school until it has been cleared by your doctor to do so. Should a child become ill whilst at school (temperature, coughing, diarrhea, yellow/green runny nose) parents will be notified and will be expected to collect their child at the earliest opportunity. Please allow 24h to be fever free or symptom-free after any illness.
In the very unlikely event of an emergency, the Principal reserves the right to take your child to the hospital, with every effort being made to contact the parents.
HEAD LICE
Parents must inform the nursery if their child has head lice. Equally, Learning Steps will make spot checks, and should staff find that a child has head lice, parents will be notified. Treatment is essential in preventing the spread of head lice to other children. It is therefore in the interest of both the nursery and all parents to know the situation is under control, so Learning Steps reserves the right to immediately treat any nursery child found with eggs or head lice and requires that parents take steps to continue treatment as required thereafter.
FEES
Fees will be paid twice a year. All fees are payable by the first day of September and February. There will be no reduction in fees if your child is absent from school: if the fees remain unpaid, then it will be assumed that you no longer require a place. Fees can be paid through bank transfer or by a requested paynemt link.
LUNCH and SNACK
We do not provide lunch. Parents must provide their child with a healthy packed lunch and snack. Sweets, biscuits, chocolates, and chips of any kind (even organic) are not allowed in the nursery. Children are encouraged to drink water or milk. We Are a Nut Free zone and to avoid confusion Seeds are not welcome as well. Food picks are banned as they are a choking hazard.
DIET
If your child has any food allergies, please write them on the Application Form (AND ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW).
BIRTHDAY PARTY
Learning Steps Montessori nursery believes it is important to acknowledge and celebrate special milestones particularly when children do not have family members in Kuwait with whom to celebrate and the nursery is their community. We are only accepting mini cupcakes with vanilla or chocolate frosting without any food colors. They can be decorated with character printouts using a toothpick. If you wish to give away a goody bag then please avoid any sweets or food-related items. Please give two days' notice in advance of your intentions, so parents can be informed about it.
CLOTHING AND PERSONAL PROPERTY
Please make sure your child dresses in comfortable clothing. When children first start school, they may "need" a comforter. The children will be allowed to have ONE comforter with them for half a term (if the parents and staff feel that your child may need it for a little bit longer, this can be negotiated).
The children are not to bring valuables and jewelry to school unless it has been arranged in advance with the Principal.
We cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused to children's items. We will do our best to ensure all children's items go home with them. The children are free to bring any objects or pictures that relate to our projects. For details on the projects, please refer to the lesson plan. Please help your child explore and learn about his/her environment.
SUPPLIES
Please supply nappies, baby wipes, and nappy rash creams for your child. You will receive a notification when more are needed.
ARRIVING AND LEAVING SCHOOL
Please ensure that you close the front door behind you at all times and that your child is not allowed to go outside unless you are with them.
DISCIPLINE
The following methods of discipline will be used at childcare:
Encourage children to solve the problems themselves.
Intervention and discussion.
Re-direction to another play area.
Child-time out.
Time out is NOT a negative experience!! It is used as the time to reflect on what was told and when the child is able to remember and retell what he/she has learned about appropriate behavior, then he/she is allowed to come to the teacher and confirm. It is followed by a positive comment that we are proud of what was learned and a reassuring hug. If I feel there is a chronic behavioral issue that needs attention, I will let you know so that you and I are handling it in the same way and the child then has continuity in their discipline towards the unfavorable behavior. These types of behavior might include such things as biting, use of bad words, chronic hitting, etc..
PARENTS EVENINGS
Parents are expected to attend all pre-arranged parents evenings and social events.
NOTICE Urgent information will be sent out by Whatsapp. Please try to check it on a regular basis.
COMPLAINTS
If you have any cause for complaint, please speak in the first instance to the Principal.
TRIAL PERIOD AND WITHDRAWAL
A one-month period will be given, upon enrollment, to determine the suitability of the arrangements and to see how the children play and interact with each other and staff. We reserve the right to terminate at any time if we feel it is not working out.
REFUNDING OF FEES Tuition fees are not refundable. Fees are only refundable for medical reasons or proof of Job-related relocation of both parents. Tuition fees are not refundable in case of governmental closures due to pandemics and public health issues.
TOILET TRAINING
Children should begin toilet training no sooner than 18 months. To force your child before he/she is ready can result in bed wetting, frequent accidents, constipation, or regression. Most children are ready to begin toilet training around 2 years of age but of course, all children are different. While some may be ready at 18 months, others are not ready until 2 1/2 years or more. Some readiness signs to look for are:
(1) Language skills, the ability to say "Potty" or some other term that indicates that your child needs to use the toilet.
(2) Interest in staying dry or clean.
(3) Self-help skills, the ability to dress and undress.
(4) Staying dry for longer periods of time throughout the day.
It is not a good idea to dress your child in overalls, pants with difficult fasteners, and belts. This will be frustrating for your child. Your child's readiness is something we can discuss because consistency between our homes will be very important. This is a special time for your child, a sign that he/she is growing up. Toilet training should be a good experience, punishments for accidents are very inappropriate.
Parents of diaper-wearing children, please supply a minimum of 3 diapers per day. For your convenience, we are happy to store a whole packet.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Children will be regularly photographed during their morning stay so you can view them in our secure Dropbox link. This will give you an opportunity to have many pictures of your child during their nursery years. Some pictures will be shared on our social media to represent the work we do. Please be assured that the identity of your child is protected by blurring or cropping the pictures. Please let us know if you do not wish your child's photo to be placed on any social media.
MISCELLANEOUS
Please help me to keep floors clean and safe for the children by removing your shoes in the indoor play area.
No smoking is allowed on the nursery premises. Do not throw cigarette butts or waste in or around the yard.
TO CHANGE THE DAYS OF ATTENDANCE: 1-month prior notice must be given to the Principal.