Is New Day Preschool licensed?
New Day Preschool is licensed and holds a Letter of Compliance through the Maryland State Department of Education, Office of Child Care. License #: 57667. MSDE conducts annual inspections of the program to ensure compliance.

What are your hours of operation?
New Day Preschool is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm from September through May with the specific starting and closing dates varying slightly each year. Two weeks of Summer Camp are offered during the first two weeks of June. A calendar with holidays and school events is published and provided to parents prior to the start of school. During the school year the preschool follows the Montgomery County Public School calendar for holidays and closings.

What is your policy on inclement weather closings?
NDP is closed when the Montgomery County Schools are either closed for snow/inclement weather or opens 2 hours late.

What classes and schedule options do you offer?
Twos Class & Threes Class: Tuesday/Thursday, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, Monday to Friday
Pre-K Class: Monday/Wednesday/Friday, Monday to Friday
Class placement is based on your child’s age on September 1st of the year of enrollment.

What are your class sizes and staff/child ratios?
Twos Class:    Staff/Child ratio - 1/5    Class Size: 10 children
Threes Class: Staff/Child ratio - 1/8    Class Size: 16 children
Pre-K Class:   Staff/Child ratio - 1/8    Class Size: 16 children

What is your educational philosophy?
We believe that each child is a unique and valuable creation of God, and therefore it is the purpose of the school to provide an environment conducive to developing the "wholeness" of each child; social/emotional, cognitive, language, motor and spiritual development. Our teachers strive to create a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment that inspires the wonder of learning. We create opportunities for each child to discover who they are, their skills and talents, their rights and limits, and their worth as a child of God. Trustful relationships with teachers and daily interactions with peers allow children to grow in confidence and independence while learning to respect and care responsibly for others.

Young children learn best through first-hand experiences. Our curriculum offers wide and varied experiences in art, music, literature, the natural and physical sciences and community life. It opens the door to new interests and enriches already existing ones. It provides the children with a chance to work and play with others and to practice those skills, which make daily living more enjoyable. We value parent participation, use of community resources and field trips.

What role does Faith and Christian values play in your program?
New Day Preschool is a Faith-Based preschool operated by the Rockville United Methodist Church. Christian values are incorporated into the program through stories, songs and lessons during Chapel time led by the Pastor of RUMC twice a month, during daily interactions and through special celebrations during Christmas and Easter.

Do you offer Enrichment Programs?
We offer several After School Enrichment Classes which are available daily from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm for an additional fee. We currently offer Soccer, Music, Spanish and Science.    

Do children go on Field Trips?
Field trips are an important and exciting aspect of the preschool program. They enable children to explore interesting places and provide educational experiences that highlight classroom curriculum. The three and four-year old classes go on several planned excursions during the school year. We will also have on-site visits from individuals/programs to further enrich the classroom experience.

What does a typical day look like?
The flow of activities on a typical day include Arrival and Free Play, Clean up, Snack Time, Circle Time, Center Time, Outdoor Play, Lunch, Quiet activities and Dismissal. The order of these activities and the length of time spent on each activity may vary for each class.

What is your school’s approach to behavior management?
We encourage children to make good decisions and help them develop appropriate behaviors necessary to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning and living as social beings.
Children are helped to:
- Follow directions, use appropriate language, show respect for each other and show respect for adults
- Solve their problems without undue aggression.
We set and discuss limitations and consequences for behaviors, ignoring inappropriate behavior when possible and using diversionary techniques and/or giving positive reinforcement and specific verbal guidelines for appropriate behavior. Parents are notified if parental intervention seems necessary.

Are meals and snacks provided?
All children must bring a lunch each day they attend school. Parents are responsible for providing their child with a healthy, well-balanced meal and a refillable bottle of water. Parents are asked to bring snacks (for the whole class) into their child's classroom on a rotating basis throughout the school year. Parents are provided with a list of appropriate and healthy snack items to choose from.

What is your policy on Food Allergy Management?
Due to the serious health risks and increasing prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergies, New Day Preschool does not keep peanut/tree nut products on site. All lunches and parent provided snacks must be free of peanut/tree nut products. NDP will work with parents of children with food allergies to ensure their safety.

 How do you ensure the safety of children?

• Parents are required to sign children in and out daily. Children will only be released to parents or the individuals designated by the parents as an authorized caregiver on the Pick-up Authorization Form. NDP needs to be notified in advance of any changes.
  
• As a part of NDP’s Kiss-N-Ride drop off/pick-up system; each child is given a tag with a unique number and color for their backpack and a car hanger with the corresponding number and color is given to the parents.
  
• The Main doors are open from 8:50 to 9:10 and 12:20 to 12:40 daily during drop off/pickup. All entrances to the building remain locked during school hours. Parents of enrolled students may enter the building through the Church Office using an assigned key code.
  
• All staff are trained in CPR, First Aid Administration and Emergency Preparedness. Fire Drills are practiced monthly.
  
• Regardless of the size of the group, two teachers remain with each group of children at all times. Teachers are trained to ensure that children are properly supervised at all times both indoors and outdoors.
  
• The outdoor play area is fully fenced in.
  
• Any injuries/incidents are documented in detail and parents are notified.
  
• The program’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is reviewed annually and shared with parents.  
  

What is the educational background and experience of the teachers and staff?
All Class Teachers have a degree in Early Childhood Education or a Child Development Associate Credential. All Class Teachers and Teacher Assistants receive ongoing professional development training. All current staff have a minimum of 5 years of experience with several staff members having served the school for more than 15 years. Parents are given the opportunity to serve as Substitutes in the absence of a teacher. All staff including Substitutes are required to complete a background check and medical examination to be cleared to work in the classroom.

What does parent involvement in your program look like?
Parent participation in school programs is very valuable to parents, children and teachers. We pride ourselves on the support, help and involvement of our parents, as we believe it is an integral part of the link between school and home. We have an open-door policy that encourages parents to participate in class activities as they are able. Some special class activities that occur during the year include; Character Day Parade, Christmas Celebration, Mothers’ Day Celebration, Fathers’ Day Celebration and Birthday celebrations. Parents can also volunteer to help organize class parties, help organize school events such as the Back to School Picnic, Fundraisers, Teacher Appreciation Week or share a talent/expertise with a class as their schedules permit.

How do you communicate with parents and keep them informed about program activities?
NDP uses a password protected Shutterfly Sharesite webpage (only accessible by parents of children in a particular class) for sharing weekly class photos and updates. In addition, each child is given a daily communications folder that teachers and the Director may use to send home children’s work, notices, forms etc. The Director sends a weekly email with reminders/updates and a newsletter with information for the upcoming month is distributed at the beginning of each month.

How does your program communicate a child’s progress to parents?
Parent/teacher conferences are held for all children enrolled in the Fall and Spring. Each teacher prepares a form to let the parents know the areas in which the child participates and to indicate how the teacher sees the child in the group setting. Parents may reach out to teachers at any time with any concerns or questions and teachers will reach out if they see a cause for concern.

What is your Admission Policy?
Enrollment is open to children aged two to four years, regardless of race, religion or national origin. Enrollment is granted on a first come--first serve basis with current NDP enrollees and their siblings given priority. Registration is then open to the general public. Waiting lists are maintained throughout the year for each age and class, and parents are contacted in order of their placement on the lists.

What is your Registration process?
A completed Registration Form, Registration fee of $100 and one month’s tuition deposit (non-refundable) is due at the time of Registration.

What other paperwork is required to enroll?
The Maryland State Health Department medical forms completed and signed by the child’s doctor, proof that immunizations are up to date in accordance with the immunization guidelines established by the State of Maryland, a completed Emergency Form, Pick up Authorization Form, All About My Child Form and Photo Release Form must be complete and on file before a child can begin attending NDP.

Frequently asked questions

112 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850

Phone: 301-340-3373

Email: director@newdaypreschool.org