4K Handbook

The program is a Community based 4K program under the supervision of the D.C. Everest School District. Students will be attending existing preschool or child care centers (4K Partners) with a licensed teacher who is hired by the 4K Partner. The school district receives funds for the program. 4K Partners are paid on a per-student basis. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has the following requirements:

• The 4K program is under the supervision of the school district
• The District’s 4K program is providing a minimum of 437 hours of instruction
• The District is providing transportation to and from the 4K program for eligible students attending the a.m. sessions
• The District has appropriate DPI-licensed teaching staff for its 4K program
• The District, not some other entity, is incurring the cost of the 4K program
• The 4K program is open tuition-free to all eligible resident students

The D.C. Everest community based 4K program will include an outreach program (e.g. home visits, training, team planning, parent outreach, etc.) for 87.5 hours per year, for a total of 524.5 hours per year. The District has a licensed 4K program director to provide curriculum and instruction training and coordinate services for the District and Providers. 

Children must be four years old on or by September 1st of the current school year. There is no early entrance to the D.C. Everest 4K Program. Parents must complete the D.C. Everest School District 4K Enrollment Form, available on this website or at partner sites. Please have the child’s birth certificate and immunization record available when registering.

A 4K site preference form is included with the registration form. Parents can provide their first, second and third choice. Placement is determined on the date registration is completed, as well as other factors that may play into meeting the needs of all children and families. It is important to register early and complete all required paperwork. Tentative class lists are formulated in the spring. Written confirmation will be sent to parents. 

If you do not live in the D.C. Everest School District but would like your child to attend the 4K program, you may be eligible to attend under Open Enrollment. Procedures for inter-district transfers are governed by Wisconsin Statutes and school district policy. Detailed information regarding due dates and forms which need to be completed are available at the District Office or online. The Open Enrollment application period takes place in February.

The District will provide bus transportation to and from 4K Partner centers for a.m. sessions to eligible students. Parents may check with our contracted bus company — Lamers Bus Company: 715.298.6110. Parents may also find it more convenient to provide their own transportation depending on home and work situations.

All 4K students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled school days unless excused. If your child is going to be absent from school or late in arriving, please call before school starts. Regular attendance is essential to the child’s success in the 4K Program. However, children should not be in school if their presence is detrimental to their own health or that of others.

The 4K Program hours are approximately 9:00 a.m.-11:40 a.m. and 12:30-3:10 p.m. Times may vary for some 4K Partners due to transportation (bus) needs. Please do not send your child earlier unless you have made arrangements with your 4K Partner. Wrap around care may be available at each center, so please check with the program administrator for more information.

Students should go home as soon as they are dismissed. For safety reasons, parents must come to the office to check out and pick up their child or must give prior notice and permission for other adults to pick up a child.

The 4K program follows the public school calendar. When there are Early dismissals, there will be no 4K. Snow days will also follow the public school directives. Parents may want to check with the provider for the possibility of child care during early dismissal or snow days. If there is a two hour delay there will be no 4K classes for the day.

School sponsored field trips may be taken throughout the year. Parent volunteers and chaperones are. most welcome to attend! Before each trip, your child will bring a notice home of the upcoming event. If your child is unable to attend, please notify the teacher. Also, should your child be on medication, please update the teacher on your child’s needs.

The health, safety, and well-being of every child who enters school are of prime importance. In order to ensure that the school is a healthy and safe place, certain state laws, board policies, and school procedures have been established.

All students are expected to observe and promote the rules of safety. Accidents occurring on school premises must be reported to the teacher/adult supervisor in charge.

All attempts will be made to notify parents of a serious accident. Emergency situations will be cared for as stated on the Information Card, completed by parents at the beginning of the school year.

Conditions that could jeopardize safety should be reported to a teacher or program administrator.

In preschool, positive social relationships are the foundation of the classroom community. The 4K classroom is an important setting for developing positive relationships that are important for all other learning. The 4K classroom community is a place where children feel safe, help one another, and consider themselves part of a group. This community nurtures social competence by helping children understand how to treat other people well and how they want to be treated by others.

The Pyramid Model provides strategies for helping children acquire these important social skills, to problem solve as well as to understand and self-regulate their own behaviors.

Parents raise their children with a set of values that match their personal beliefs. 4K Teachers support parents in that effort and will create with the children classroom rules and expectations. These expectations are taught, practiced, and reinforced in classroom activities, through positive discipline, and the curriculum.

The school district will maintain travel in a safe manner via control of student conduct. The bus driver shall be responsible for the maintenance of order among children being transported, and shall properly report any misconduct to the proper authorities or parents. The privilege of riding a school bus may be denied or withdrawn by the school district.

Written authorization from a physician and parent will be required for prescription medications to be dispensed by school personnel. The “School Medication Consent Form” is available on the 4K website or from the school. Nonprescription medications will be dispensed only upon written authorizations from a parent or guardian. The authorization shall identify the medication, the dosage, and the frequency of administration. Medication given in school MUST have the following information printed on the container:

• Child’s full name
• Name of the drug and dosage
• Time to be given
• Physician’s name
• Name and telephone number of pharmacy

Duplicate medication bottles for school use are available from local pharmacies upon request.

School personnel do not provide aspirin or any other medication to students without meeting the criteria above. Diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and prescribing of drugs are never the responsibilities of a school and are not to be practiced by any school personnel.

Each 4K Partner has an emergency/crisis action plan that can be activated whenever a crisis occurs. Various emergency drills are in these Emergency Plans and are practiced throughout the year. Be assured that these were designed in the best interest of your child’s protection. The Police Department and American Red Cross are partners in these Emergency Plans.

Every child should attend school in good health and with a good attitude so that all school experiences will be successful. To reach this goal, it is suggested that your child have regular health examinations by your doctor. Prior to 4K enrollment, parents are encouraged to have their child examined by the family doctor, optometrist, and dentist. These examinations are important since the information from them assure you, the parent, that your child is starting school in a state of good health. At this time, your child’s immunizations should be brought up to date to provide further protection from serious illness.

If your child has developed a fever or shows signs of an illness, the student should remain at home. Some illnesses are contagious. If your child is ill, or contracts a communicable disease, notify the school office. Unexplained absences from school are a concern to your child’s teacher.

State statures require your child to be excused from school during a communicable disease. If you have questions regarding the length of time for the absence, contact the teacher or administrator.

It is very important to have emergency phone numbers and contacts kept up-to-date should your child become ill or an emergency situation occurs. Also, updating any health changes for your child is critical in meeting the needs of your child.

First aid given at school is for temporary care only. No matter how minor the injury may be, the parent should check the injury at home and provide further care or consult a physician if indicated. In certain injuries, tetanus boosters may be advised, so it may be important for you to contact your physician.

To keep your child well protected from certain communicable diseases and serious illnesses, routine immunizations and boosters are advised. It is important for you to maintain your own written record of immunizations and of your child’s contagious diseases.

If your child has a special health concern or problem, it is important that this information is relayed to theteacher or district nurse. In the 4K Registration packet, there is “ The Individual Student Form” where families can indicate all health concerns for their child.

Photographs, pictures, and names may be used in newsletters, media, and/or school related activities. Please discuss this with your 4K teacher/program director if you do not want your child’s name or image to be used.

Just as children develop in different stages, so learning takes place at various rates. Assessments indicate to teachers a child’s progress or learning needs. Each program will use the assessment tool that coincides with the curriculum chosen for 4K, which is Teaching Strategies Gold.

Parents of 4K students will receive Progress Reports on their child’s growth and development three times per school year. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held in November and March.