What to Bring and What to Wear
Send me in clothes I can learn in! All clothing worn at the Children's Center
needs to be work-play type, not dress-up type. We plan to have fun! That can mean
messing about and getting dirty in the process. We can't let clothing interfere with
exploring and investigating the world!
The Children's Center Staff has learned by long experience that the children
need to be free to paint, play, etc. whether or not their clothing is carefully
covered by an apron or smock. With smocks on hand and the best of efforts and
intentions, children have been found to remove smocks, get paint under them,
and generally subvert their use. We also notice that the nature of the
learning/exploring can be significantly altered when we adults impose our
standards of cleanliness. So… we'll do our best to give your child loving care,
lots of attention, a safe and healthy environment, and opportunities to learn.
This will sometimes involve getting messy, and we will not be responsible for
stained clothing. Please dress your child accordingly. We do purchase "washable" paint,
but you must often treat clothes with extra detergent before washing.
CLEARLY LABEL YOUR CHILD'S SWEATER, JACKET, AND SHOES - anything likely to
come off during the day. Your child will need to keep one or more changes of clothes at the Center.
Please bring a complete change for your child.
In a clearly-marked paper or
plastic bag. Mark the clothing, too. When your child uses the extra set,
REMEMBER TO REPLACE IT IMMEDIATELY. If your child is "in training", you may
want to bring as many as half a dozen changes until we all get the hang of things.
Children's feet must be protected by closed-toe shoes.
It is extremely
difficult to climb bars safely in sandals, and tender toes can be painfully
squished if stepped on or bumped while unprotected.
It's OK to Bring… Bring "blankies" or whatever item your child needs as a security blanket.
(LABEL IT.) These "transitional objects" are marvelous coping mechanisms for
the child, who has created them because s/he needs them for now. It is very helpful
for the child who has such an object to bring it to school. Often the "blankie" will
be dropped casually during moments of intense participation, returned to for a brief
stroke and hug between times. We will do our best to keep track of such items...
and will be grateful if you have labeled them.
Please don't bring...
- food, candy, or gum .
- special toys not well suited to group use. Unless they are VERY important to
show to Teacher, please discourage them. We can't take responsibility for the
safety of these items, and we don't want to compete with them for the child's attention.
- "Weapons", such as toy guns or swords.
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