Discovery Preschool & Learning Center
2152 Reno Highway Suite I, Fallon, Nevada 89406 775.867.4909
A note from Mrs. O....
May 27th, 2020
Monday is the day!!! Discovery will open on June 1st, 8 a.m.-12:30p.m. I am so excited to see your children again and I am overflowing with new and exciting activities! We are going to have SO MUCH FUN!
As expected the CDC has relaxed its requirements concerning sick children. If a child does come up with a temperature, consistent cough, sore throat there is no time delay for them to be gone rather they are welcome to return with a doctor's release. The CDC would also like us to check the children's temperatures on arrival at the facility for nothing higher than 100.4.
I especially want to express how grateful I am to have each of you in my life. Your warmth, consideration and support over the last few months has made the quarantine bearable and everyday offered me hope that we would reach this point again! I can't wait to see you on Monday! As always, feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns.
Just a little help...This PBS Kids page helps you talk with our little friends about COVID-19. The links at the bottom are very supportive and we will use several at Discovery to support a healthy learning environment.
May 14, 2020
Well...we are just waiting for Phase 2! It must be soon! In the meantime, I have gone thru the facility and our routines to ensure minimal sharing of toys and supplies. It has taken some creativity but I am actually very excited about most of the changes!
Morning Warm-Ups: When you arrive in the morning, it would be most helpful if you could guide my little friends to the Morning Warm-Ups pocket chart. It will be bright yellow with numerous picture cards. Students are asked to choose the card depicting the immediate activity in which they would like to participate and take the card with them to that play area. This will assist me in organizing the children for proper spacing. The goal is to be in a social atmosphere while interacting with their own toy/supply. I anticipate a bit of separation anxiety for some of our friends. Discussing this with them before hand might be an advantage. (Don't worry, there are always books available for alone time at their table if they are reluctant to join right away!) Here are are few of the play areas to tickle their interest: train table, picnic basket, tool box, wall coloring,coloring books, rainbow drawers, dinosaurs, Little People, table puzzles and floor puzzles.
Grass Head: Thank you so much to the families who have sent me pictures of these little guys! Where do you find the time!?! I am printing them out to have on display for the kids when they return! If you have more pictures or updates on their growth or even their new hair cuts, I would love to add them to the display.
My excitement grows with each activity I plan, each update from you, each challenge overcome! I miss you all! I am thankful for your immense support, mental and financial! Discovery will be a better place for all of your generosity and I can't wait to share it with my favorite people again!!
May 3, 2020
Though we do not have a date yet for re-opening, I thought I would take some time now to update you on some changes that will take place at Discovery when we do. This plan was decided upon with the help of Nevada Department of Health (our licensing board) and the Centers for Disease Control in direct response to COVID-19. I am trying to view the situation long term to provide the safest environment for your children while continuing to offer a warm and humanistic presence. As a result, I intend to adopt the CDC standards for COVID-19 on a permanent basis as we do not know when the risk will reappear.
Please see cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019/guidance-for-childcare for a complete listing.
The everyday preventative actions like hand washing, covering coughs and frequently disinfecting high-traffic surfaces have always been observed at Discovery. There are, however a few more far-reaching regulations that I would like to mention. The largest of these is the spacing of nap mats 6 feet apart. As I am sure you have noticed, our new facility is not equipped with the square footage to allow this kind of spacing and I am truly sorry to say that Discovery will no longer offer a lunch/nap time. This rest time is required by my licensing board when children remain in my care over 5 hours per day. So, Discovery's new hours will be 8-12:30 M-R. As a compensation, meager as it is, I am reducing the cost of tuition as far as I possibly can to $145 per week. I apologize for the effect this must have on sibling and working parent's schedules and will be as flexible as I possibly can! Please let me know how I may help. Other preventative actions are as follows:
Concerning drop off/Pickup procedures...essential visitors only please, Ms. Amanda will only be present after hours, sign-in/out's will be completed with assistance by Mrs. O.
Concerning daily routines/curriculum...larger spacing for line up times, removal of "rotational centers" activities for less trading of toys/supplies, increased ventilation, continued "no touch" rule at school.
Concerning illness...students will be asked to remain at home for any cough or any fever over 100.4 degrees. If they are not tested for COVID-19, the child may return to class if they are fever free for 72 hours without medication, no other symptoms are present and 10 days have passed since symptoms began. If they have been tested, they may return 24 hours after their fever has abated, without medication, no other symptoms are present and they have 2 negative test results, 24 hours apart. This is the current information provided by the CDC. As we learn more about the virus these requirements may change. This is an abundance of information all at once! It is heavy!! So please feel free to contact me to discuss anything with which you think I could help. I so look forward to seeing you all in person tomorrow for the second home school box..."Get Ready to Grow!" Hair-raising fun included!!
April 27, 2020
Hello Everyone! Every week I miss Discovery and my favorite little ones even more. Let me voice a thank you again for your generous support over the last few weeks! You are really too amazing and I am honored to be working with your families.
I would like to give you a small update and an opportunity for new resources to help keep you going. Last week I polled parents via email concerning what you felt a comfortable re-open estimate might be. I was trying to be optimistic but now realize we just do not have enough information yet to make that estimate. Today, Governor Sisolak has voiced a need for several more days to 7 days before he can begin to advise re-opening dates for Nevada. So, Mrs. O. along with the rest of the state, will have to "exercise her patience muscles". Unless the amazing happens, Discovery will not open for classes May 4th and we will await the governor's word.
That brings me to the activity boxes. I hope they are serving you well! I have LOVED seeing your pictures! My intention was to have you return the boxes to school when we re-opened May 4th or to build a second set if our closure was extended. So, though Discovery will not be open for classes on the May 4th, I will have another activity box ready for exchange between 9 a.m. - 12 a.m. on May 4th. Please email or text me to let me know if you need an exchange. I imagine everyone is using them at different rates so, as last time, NO PRESSURE! I would just like to help and stay connected with the kids! Well, that is it for now. I hope you are all well and look forward to seeing you soon.
April 14, 2020
The Discovery Games learning packets are ready! (Actually they are small boxes...I just could not stop creating!) They are available for pick-up tomorrow, Wednesday 15th, from 9-12. I will meet you at your car window because if you or the little ones get out, uncontrolled hugging may occur! If you are unable to arrive during that time I would be HAPPY to deliver it somewhere for you after noon or give it to another family who might live closer to you. Oh how I wish I could play these games with the munchkins! I had great fun setting them up and wish I could be a fly on your wall over the next three weeks to see them play. Some games they have seen before and some are new. Each box is leveled appropriately and are for your use until May 4th, our projected return date. Remember to use them with proper adult supervision. The kids will respond more completely to the activities if they are kept for a learning time rather than a free play. I miss you all and look forward to seeing you!
April 13, 2020
I hope everyone had a delightful Easter or Spring Celebration this past weekend! I heard a lot about kite flying and special treats. I have been talking with my insurance provider and they shot down my live tutoring ideas. As a private institution they deemed it too much of a liability!!! They said I could not guarantee proper supervision for the child online. I wish they could have gotten back to me sooner but I understand. I told her what awesome parents/families I have, but it did not seem to make a difference. So...back to maybe take home packet ideas? (I would not accept payments for these as some very generous families have offered.) I am wondering if families would have the time to "play some Discovery games" with the children. ( I know many families have been providing wonderful enrichment activities already and I do not want to disturb your routines!) As well, I can only imagine how much this is asking with several little ones at home, especially for families that still must go to work! So, no pressure! Please email me if you have interest. I could set up some packets to be picked up outside the school and post a video here too for the kids! My goal is to have them ready by Thursday, April 16th. I miss you all!
April 1, 2020
Oh wow! Well, now it looks like will be closed until April 30th. (Actually, May 4th. That would be the following Monday.) Thanks to all who have had time to send me photos! I can not begin to express how much they mean to me!
March 30, 2020
I am still missing YOU ALL very much! My life is just not any fun without our morning chats, your happy faces and my little friends' giggles! I feel, daily, like I have forgotten to take my vitamins! I am counting down the days until we can resume our fun up here!
I have emailed each family a basic tuition statement. As you peruse it, remember Discovery is not asking for tuition for those weeks we have been closed and any credit balance listed will be applied to your account when we return to session on April 20th. (The expected government restart is April 16th...which happens to be a Thursday!) If anything changes, I will place a new banner on home page.
If you need anything and think I can be of assistance or have a question or even a cute picture of my favorite little friends, do not hesitate to email me or text me!
March 15th, 2020
I hope this notice finds you and your family healthy and happy. THREE WEEKS!!! I miss your kids already and truly find this forced time off understandable but frustrating! I know as the days pass I will miss my little friends more and more. Spending the day sorting out the business end of this today in the empty school building, I already experience the loss of their sweet faces, giggling laughter their forward creativity and silliness! Please give them all my love and let them know how much I am thinking of them!
A few item of business...
We are planning to reopen April 6th. As I hopefully remembered to say over the phone, we will not collect tuition for these three forced weeks closed. I will, instead, switch the two vacation weeks late in the summer for two of these three weeks and remain open throughout the summer months.
Several families have paid forward for the month and I would like to reassure them that their tuition payment balance will be forwarded to the expected re-open date, April 6th. If you need me to refund your payments so you can apply these funds to other immediate care, just let me know in an email. Discoverylc.mail@gmail.com
On the last Monday of the month I will email families their normal monthly statement. If everything goes as planned, you will only see tuition charges for the first two weeks in March. If your email has changed please let me know!
Well, I think that should be it for now. I want to thank you all for your patience and support. It will have far reaching effects! As one family pointed out to me, there is a silver lining... we get to spend more time with the sweetest, most meaningful parts of our lives... our kids!
