Communication

Parents fill out essential information for infants and young toddlers about how their child was before coming to school in the morning. Staff members continue recording throughout the day, and return the record to the parents at pick-up time.

It is required by CA Licensing and is conducted briefly every day at drop-off, where parents provide the receiving teacher with the status of their child’s health from last evening up to the moment. It is also a great opportunity to discuss and clarify issues of health regarding the classroom, center, and community at large.

A wealth of information about the program is accessible by all enrolled families and by their extended family members from anywhere in the world, if parents allow. You can join others in your child’s classroom, staff members, and other authorized users in reading, posting, downloading photos, and interactively discussing.

On the Private Website, Connections, featuring a description of what happened in the day, pictures, and sometimes quotes from children and videos to view before pick-up time and again with your child at home in the evening.

On the Private Website, they are generated on Fridays for the coming week for each classroom and learning group. Families can enjoy anticipating and preparing over the weekend for the events that are coming. The plans have details of how the staff will support children’s continuing interests and developmental issues and suggestions for what parents and family members can do to support each day of the coming week. The days and times of special sessions are also identified when they will occur in the week, such as Creative Movement & Dance and Music Together.

Used daily for online electronic check-in, check-out, and brief messaging to your child’s classroom teaching team.

The most immediate messages of importance to the whole enrolled community are posted on our private, secure website, Connections, where they are centrally located and easily accessed. An archive of past announcements is also there reaching back several years. In addition, emails are also sent to all families and staff to insure receipt of crucial information.

Whenever desired to augment the several other forms of communicating.

On the private website, as a secure channel for communicating with your child’s primary teacher.

Any time you wish to get or give information and initiate contact about special issues, injuries, illness, and events. Call the C5 Main Office, Center Offices, Center Directors, and for emergencies or very special situations call your child’s classroom directly.

Any time you wish to get or give information. Text centers, directors, or the classroom directly.

Parents receive broadcast emails with announcements that are especially important to the entire school community. Individual email exchanges also occur when private issues are being reported or discussed.

This is a daily means of exchanging important brief information. We are happy to talk briefly with you. A more extended discussion can be scheduled, if you wish.

You can request a conference at any time. Your child’s primary teacher or a teaching team member in your child’s classroom or an administrator will meet with you if they can free up, or they can reschedule close to your desired day and time.

You attend the three basic conferences scheduled in the fall, winter and spring each year. In the fall conference, at the beginning of the school year, your family goals and objectives for your child are discussed and how we can address them throughout the year. In the winter, the conference focuses on in-depth assessments that we have made.  The spring conference features another report of assessment since winter. Each parent conference addresses your goals and objectives, your child, and insights into the C5 program.

Conducted upon entry every day to check the health and disposition of your child. You participate by providing up to date information at drop-off or by other means if your child is unable to attend school and their condition may have implications for other children or staff.

Parents plan in collaboration with the teachers for outside experiences to support children’s learning groups in line with their explorations or projects.

Is reviewed by families and discussed as much as desired with staff members. Many parents and family members help with written, graphic, audio, photos, and video of children’s work.

All of the parents in each classroom meet as a group with their children’s teaching team for the first of the school year orientation to C5 philosophy and practices and for lots of questions and answers.

Your child and others in their classroom learning group participate in a guided weekly session of the world famous Music Together program. Your family receives the current music collection by Internet download, a song book, and access to their comprehensive website with elaborate support materials. You are welcome to join in the weekly sessions in school and scheduled singalongs near the end of the school day. The current Play List is posted in the activity areas or the classrooms.

Parents and staff plan a special event every fall. A banquet and socializing among families and staff are the main events. Activities for children are also eagerly anticipated.

You provide a family photo and occasional other photos or videos for your child to have home references and for the other children and staff to learn more about you and to assist in facilitating your child’s learning. Your child also has a photo of themselves on their cubby or locker.

As a new family, you can be matched up with an experienced C5 family, a “Partner Family,” to help you in getting acquainted with the other children, families, C5 staff, facilities, and procedures of the program.

You may attend meetings if you wish that C5 conducts or recommends on various topics of child development and learning and other interests and concerns.

C5 provides various information materials in the reception area, classrooms, and at special meetings.

There is extensive information on the private website, Connections, and available in conference with the staff.

These individuals welcome you as a new family to the Learning Group and classroom. They also write and post information on the Private Website or by email for their learning group. They coordinate meetings, communications, and contributions among parents of their Learning Group to support the teacher and classroom. They also serve on the School Support Committee.

You may confer with C5 staff and experts who are consulting with C5 on special issues regarding your child or the classroom or learning group.

You, other families, and staff members share items and experiences from the summer with your child’s learning group in the first few weeks of the new school year.  We all learn a lot about each other and have very special material that often inspires children’s explorations and projects.

You will respond to various approved surveys or polls that staff and other parents initiate.

You may engage in many forms of communication as you interact with your child’s Primary Teacher and Teaching Team and the Support Staff and Administration.

There is extensive information about how you and others can be active and supportive during all transitions that include entering the program; transitioning between learning groups, classrooms, and centers; and leaving the program.

You can participate in planning for your child and his or her learning group to visit your and other parents’ work places.

These are usually conducted at the beginning of the year for parents by some classrooms. They are typically organized by staff and other parents.

Your family, other families, and all staff members share in a brief 15-20 minute presentation examples of current family culture and/or heritage that may include pictures, stories, food, clothing, dance, music, artifacts, rituals, traditions, special activities, and personal accounts. Your immediate and extended family members are also welcome to observe or participate.

You can help to create a list for your child’s classroom and assist in the effort to bring in all sorts of items, including materials, tools, equipment, furnishing, and books that support your child’s and their learning group’s classroom and activities.

You sit-in during our presentations of C5’s program to various groups and attend C5 sponsored and other workshops and seminars that are relevant to your interests and your child’s. Parents and family members often assist in preparing and presenting aspects of our program to others.