Amy Fitzgerald, Director
What Is "Parents' Day Out"?
The Parents’ Day Out program of Highland Presbyterian Church offers a licensed service for children from 3 months to 5 years of age. We are dedicated to the belief that all children deserve an opportunity for fulfilling and satisfying life experiences. We provide some of these experiences by creating play environments that enhance social and cognitive development and foster a positive sense of self. The PDO program and its staff aim to contribute to the development of each child’s physical, emotional, educational, and social needs in an atmosphere of warmth and love. We believe that the journey is just as important as the end result, letting the learning process unfold at each child’s unique pace.
Children are registered by reserving space for selected days of the week, with payment due on the first of each month. The program is open to all interested parties, regardless of race, color, religion or national origin.
Highland PDO is licensed with the State of Kentucky.
Location:
Walker-Nevin Education Building
adjacent to Highland Presbyterian Church
1011 Cherokee Rd., Louisville, KY 40204
Director:
Amy Fitzgerald
502-451-6506
Days & Hours of Operation
PDO operates Monday through Thursday from 10:00am to 2:00pm from September through May. Parents of infants may send a child for one or more days per week. Parents of toddler age children and older may choose to send a child two or four days. An early drop off program is available from 9:00am to 10:00am Monday-Thursday.
Parents' Day Out Staff
The children at Parents' Day Out are supervised and taught by a caring staff of 17 qualified and trained teachers, including a music specialist, an art specialist, 2 classroom assistants, the office manager and the director of the program. All teachers participate in 15 hours of professional developement training each year.
Parent Involvement
There are many ways for parents to be involved at Parents' Day Out. We encourage all parents to fill out our "Parent Volunteer Sheet" and choose some ways to help, from reading stories with the children to baking goodies for a PDO event. We also plan a monthly Friday Parent-Child outing for any enrolled parents and children to attend if they are able. Twice each year, Parents' Day Out hosts program-wide evening events designed for families to gather in fellowship.
Classes
PDO takes pride in our low teacher-child ratios. The Infant room has an 6 to 2 child to caregiver ratio. Toddlers have a 10 to 2 ratio, and twos, threes and fours can have up to 11 children and two teachers. The classrooms are:
- Nursery: age 3 months to approximately 1 year
- Toddlers: 12-18 months
- Younger 2's
- Older 2's
- 3's
- 4's
Classroom age groupings may change slightly based on enrollment needs.
Curriculum
Parents' Day Out is a play-based program rooted in the belief that play is the important work of children. The teachers of the PDO program enrich the classes by using an open-ended curriculum based on topics of interest decided upon by the teachers and children together. Through sustained play, teachers and children are able to use new experiences to build upon past experiences and create new meaning and understanding: to learn.
The PDO program involves children in many experiences including experience with music, art, drama, movement, fine and large motor skills, and fostering good relationship development and negotiation. Activities are appropriate for children’s developmental levels and all occur in the context of a warm and loving environment.
Attendance fees for 2012-2013 school year are as follows:
Registration Fee: $100.00 per family - NON-REFUNDABLE, but does apply toward first tuition payment.
Nursery
1 day/week $116.00/month
2 days/week $232.00/month
3 days/week $348.00/month
4 days/week $464.00/month
All other classes
2 days/week, 9-2 $273.00/month
2 days/week, 10-2 $225.00/month
4 days/week, 9-2 $546.00/month
4 days/week, 10-2 $450.00/month
Please note the following enrollment options, except for the Infant Room: Monday and Wednesday only, Tuesday and Thursday only, or Monday through Thursday. For the Infant Room, you may register your child for as little as one day per week, or as many as all four days.
Early Drop off: 9:00-10:00 PDO will be offering a discount for early drop off if you pay by the month. Monthly early drop off fees:
$48/month for 2 days
$96/month for 4 days
If you pay by the day, the early drop off fee will be $7.
Visits and Tours
You may visit PDO at any time and see us in action. Call Director Amy Fitzgerald for a tour or information about PDO. The program encourages open communication between children, parents, staff and the Director.
Feel free to discuss your child's progress with his or her teacher or the Director. If you feel that the talk will take more than minute or two and could possibly interfere with the daily routine, please make an appointment. The Director is available for conferences between the hours of 9am and 2pm.
Health
No child should attend when ill. Diarrhea and fever are considered illnesses. Children should be free from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to Parents’ Day Out. If you have a question about the contagious nature of your child's illness, please contact your pediatrician before returning to PDO.
Immunization certificates are required to be current for all children by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Kentucky immunization certificates must be turned in to the PDO office by the first day of attendance.
Should a child become ill or have an accident at school, the primary caretakers will be contacted. If unavailable, the designated emergency contact person will be called. If emergency medical treatment is necessary, we will use the emergency "Permission to Treat" form required for each child.
Safety & Emergencies
PDO conducts required fire and disaster drills.
No child will be released to an unauthorized person. Parents must send a note or call the Director to authorize any change from the usual person who picks up the child. Please inform teachers of carpools. We recommend use of approved safety seats.
Please remember that no one is to enter or exit through the playground area.