Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find a copy of the Parent Handbook?
What are the hours of the Early Childhood Center?
What do I need to know about the school calendar?
My family isn't Jewish. What are the holidays for and why is the center closed for them?
My family isn't Jewish. Why should I send my child to a Jewish daycare?
What is Interim Care and how do I sign up for it?
How do I pay what is due on my account?
What is the ECC's vacation policy?
I want to contact other parents. Is there a buzz book?
Can I make donations to the ECC?
What kinds of programs do you have during the year?
What do I need to know about kosher food?
How do I reach my child's teachers?
What if I get the answering machine when I call?
When are conferences?
What if there is an emergency with my child?
What if there is an emergency and I am trying to get in touch with you?
What about school closings due to weather?
Q. Where can I find a copy of the Parent Handbook?
A. The Parent Handbook is chock full of great information and will answer nearly every question you may have. A copy is available by clicking here. To open this file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
Q. What are the hours of the Early Childhood Center?
A. 7:30 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday, unless there is a holiday. Please view our calendar for details on how specific days/weeks are affected by holidays.
Q. What do I need to know about the school calendar?
A. The ECC operates according to the Jewish calendar and we are closed for all major Jewish holidays. If the holiday falls in the middle of the week, interim care is typically offered for the non-holiday days of the week. We also observe all other Federal holidays. All calendar information is available here.
Q. My family isn't Jewish. What are the holidays for and why is the center closed for them?
A. We close to allow our Jewish families time to observe the holidays. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, so the holidays, while they may fall in the same season each year, will be on different days each year. The major holidays observed by Jews (and by the ECC calendar) are as follows (click on each for a description of the holiday):
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
Shemini Atzeret
Simchat Torah
Hanukkah
Purim
Passover
Shavuot
Q. My family isn't Jewish. Why should I send my child to a Jewish daycare?
A. Many of our families are not Jewish. We provide an excellent preschool environment and our curriculum, while based on Jewish education, is also designed to teach necessary pre-kindergarten and life skills. We are centrally located and affordable, and our staff members are top notch!
Q. What is Interim Care and how do I sign up for it?
A. Interim care happens during weeks with a Jewish holiday. Because many families take their kids out for an entire week to celebrate the holiday, we utilize interim care to manage our staffing for the reduced enrollment during that time. Interim care requires registration via an Interim Care Enrollment Form. Interim Care Enrollment Forms are either e-mailed to member parents close to the interim care period, or are available in a hard copy by the sign-in computer by the office.
Q. How do I pay what is due on my account?
A. Tuition fees are paid monthly during the first week of each month, biweekly, or weekly on the first day of each week. There are three payment plans to choose from: monthly (1 payment during 1 st week of the month); biweekly (2 payments during 1 st and 3 rd weeks of the month); or weekly (4 payments, on the first day your child is in attendance each week). A plan must be chosen prior to the beginning of each school year. Any change in your plan must be made in writing and approved by the director. Checks can be dropped off in the mailbox by the sign-in computer by the office, or mailed to the office at 829 N. Hanley Rd., Saint Louis, MO 63130.
Q. What is the ECC's vacation policy?
A. Families that use the center year round for child care in set full day schedules are entitled to vacation time. The number of vacation days is dependent upon the number of full time days in a week for which the child is enrolled throughout the entire year. Families must start with us at the beginning of the school year in September to be eligible for any vacation credits.
Q. I want to contact other parents. Is there a buzz book?
A. The PPO typically issues a buzz book for the school year in October. Families may opt out of being in the buzz book on the buzz book form that is included in the fall enrollment packet. Extra copies of the buzz book may be available in the office.
Q. Can I make donations to the ECC?
A. Sure! We are happy to accept donations. Because we are a not-for-profit organization, yuor donations are even tax deductible! Monetary donations should be payable to the Shaare Zedek Early Childhood Center. Toys, craft supplies, dress-ups, etc., are also welcome, but due to space constraints, please contact the office staff to discuss what our needs are prior to donating.
Q. What kinds of programs do you have during the year?
A. The ECC is a busy place. Each classroom creates a curriculum based on the seasonal holidays, weather, and other events and explores the curriculum in a variety of ways. We celebrate each Jewish holiday with projects and all-school celebrations. In addition, we have two other main areas of programming.Our Enrichment Programs are offered between 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. daily for three, four, and five year olds. Each afternoon offers different programs such as: Creative Movement, Art, Architecture, Science, Computers, Music, Creative Dramatics, Gym Time, Foreign Language, and Cooking. Each Friday morning we take time to celebrate and learn about the traditions of Shabbat. Children look forward to singing Shabbat songs with Shaare Zedek's own Hazzan Joanna, giving a few coins for tzedakah (charity), learning a lesson about a current holiday or from the Torah, and doing the blessings over candles, grape juice, and challah. We bring Shabbat to a close on Monday mornings at 9:00 am with a Havdalah Service led by the children and Hazzan Joanna.
Q. What do I need to know about kosher food?
A. Lunches brought from home must be meatless. Our school observes the dietary rules of Kashrut; therefore only menus that are kosher dairy and/or pareve (not containing meat or dairy) are allowed for snacks or lunches. Some lunch suggestions are cheese, tuna, jelly and peanut butter, egg salad, fruits and vegetables. Products bearing hechsher symbols(symbols of approved kosher foods) are acceptable. Please check labels on prepared food for the symbols: (O-U) U (O-K) K (O-V) V. A list of additional symbols is available here. No home baked items will be served to the class, even if your kitchen is Kosher. Children are allowed to eat only what they bring from home for their individual lunches or what is served at school. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask the director.
Q. How do I reach my child's teachers?
A. Please call the office and leave a message with the office staff. Since teachers are busy with children, calls may not be immediately returned, although office staff can also assist with issues and inquiries. Each class also e-mails newsletters and information to the parents of the children in the class; you may contact your child's teachers by e-mail as well, but e-mails may take a couple of days to be returned due to teaching duties.
Q. What if I get the answering machine when I call?
A. Occasionally office staff are needed in classrooms to cover staff breaks or help with activities, so we are not always immediately available. We check our answering machine frequently and all calls will be returned promptly if a message is left on the machine. Should you need to reach someone immediately, please call the Shaare Zedek Synagogue main office at (314) 727-1747 and they will convey the message to ECC staff
cQ. When are conferences?
A. We will schedule telephone and personal conferences in November and March. This will be a time to ask specific questions about a child’s progress after our staff has had an opportunity to get to know him/her. All parents of children entering Kindergarten must have an in-person conference both in the fall and spring. Parents may feel free to chat informally with the teacher about their child’s progress, either in person, or by telephone. Make sure that it is a good time for the teacher, when she is not involved in preparation, clean-up, or teaching duties. Parents are welcome to speak with the administrative staff at any time.
Q. What if there is an emergency with my child?
A. If there is an emergency with your child, we will call you immediately. If you are not available, we will call any and all emergency contact numbers listed on your emergency contact form until we reach someone. If there is a medical emergency requiring medical care and we are not able to contact anyone on your emergency contact list, we will call 911 and keep trying to contact the listed emergency contacts.
Q. What if there is an emergency and I am trying to get in touch with you?
A. If, for some reason, you are not able to reach the office staff when you call, please immediately call the Shaare Zedek Synagogue main office at (314) 727-1747 and tell them that you are calling with an emergency for the ECC. They will immediately get the message to us and we will return your call.
Q. What about school closings due to weather?
A. When snowy or icy weather occurs and it is necessary to close the Center, closing or snow schedule information will be available via KSDK, Channel 5, or on www.ksdk.com. We make every effort to remain open and often the decision to close may be made in the very early morning. If we decide to have a delay in opening (” Snow Schedule”), we will open at 8:30 a.m. or as soon as sufficient staff has arrived to care for the number of children in attendance. Please make sure that there is adequate staffing before leaving your child. It can often be difficult for staff to get into work during bad weather, because many live 10+ miles away.
