Policies

● Tuition payments for each month are due on the 1st of the month, whether or not your child is in attendance or school is in session. For example, the payment for October is due by October 1st. TuitionExpress auto payments are processed on the 1st of each month. ● A late fee of $25.00 will be charged if payment is received after the 1st of the 5 Updated March 2025 month. There will be a $40.00 fee for any returned ACH transaction. ● We utilize a paperless tuition payment system for AutoPay on our tuition platform “Tuition Express”. In special circumstances arranged in advance with the Director, tuition payments may be mailed or submitted in person to the office via cash, check or cashier’s check. Please make checks payable to “Le Petit Elephant”. ● The tuition payment for the first month must be made at the time of registration. ● Sibling Discount: The oldest sibling receives a 5% tuition discount. ● If tuition is not paid in full by the 5th of the month, the student will not be permitted to attend the following month until all tuition and fees have been received. ● LPE reserves the right to terminate enrollment should an account become more than 30 days overdue. Being asked to leave, due to nonpayment of tuition, does not relieve you of your financial obligation for services already rendered. If you are asked to leave due to non-payment of tuition your spot to return is not guaranteed, as enrollment is on a first come basis. ● A wait list is maintained, and should a space become available, you will be notified. To add your child's name to the waitlist, a $100 non-refundable wait-list application fee will be due. As a current LPE parent, if you would like to place a sibling on our waitlist, simply email MissMilli@LPEnapa.com to be added free of charge. Siblings are giving priority registration in our programs. ● An initial registration fee of $50 is due upon enrollment. A subsequent yearly re-registration fee of $50 is due every April 1st. We operate on a year-round academic calendar. ● An initial materials and supplies fee of $300 is due upon enrollment. A subsequent yearly materials and supplies fee of $300 is due every April 1st. ● Any schedule change requests must be submitted in writing to the Director, and are subject to availability. A $50 fee will be charged for any schedule changes at the request of the family. A new Admissions Agreement will need to be signed in order to change your schedule as well.

Le Petit Elephant admits students of any race, color, religion, and national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities and does not discriminate in administration of its educational and admission policies. There is no entrance exam. Center tours are your first step toward enrollment as they allow you to observe the program and ask any questions you may have prior to enrolling. If parents have any major educational, social, or developmental concerns about their child entering LPE, parents need to discuss these concerns with the director before the child’s first day of class. It is important that a positive and appropriate learning environment be established for each child. In an effort to create the best fit for your child and family, LPE reserves the right to place children in classes by age, gender, and developmental level. LPE does not discriminate in administration of its educational and admission policies.

Prior to enrollment, all parents and their child(men) are invited to schedule a visit and observe the school. At this time, the director conducts an interview with the parent(s) and child. This interview provides an opportunity for the parent(s) to gain valuable information about the school and its philosophies as well as for the Director to gain important information about the child, and their health, disposition, likes and dislikes and emotional disposition. This enables the Director to assess how Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool can best meet the family’s and child’s needs. 7 Updated March 2025 Enrollment: • Applications are considered based on the program’s availability. • Enrollment is open to any student provided we can meet the needs of that child and the family. • A wait list is maintained, and should a space become available, you will be notified. The waitlist fee is $100 and is non-refundable and is not applied to tuition upon enrollment. • Class placement may be made on the basis of age and gender (in order to maintain a reasonable balance of boys and girls in each class). • Enrollment contracts are from the date of enrollment through the end of the academic school year, as outlined in the Admissions Agreement. Once you enroll your child at LPE, we plan to have your child in our care until they are promoted to Kindergarten! Withdrawal: • If a parent/family decides to withdraw their child from the program for any reason, we will do our best to fill the child’s spot as soon as possible, and the family’s financial obligation will end once their child’s spot has been filled or once the current school year ends, whichever comes first. We cannot guarantee a timeline in which to fill your child’s spot but we will do our best based on our waitlist. • The registration fee, materials fee and tuition are not refundable. PLEASE NOTE: On occasion, a program is not an optimal fit for a child or family. LPE is a school that will make every effort to work collaboratively with families to resolve any challenges that arise. Additional resources may need to be used to support a child’s success in the school environment. If, after all reasonable efforts are exhausted, and a problem cannot be resolved, LPE reserves the right to dismiss a child from the program. Refunds For any behavior of the child which, in the sole judgment of Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool, presents a risk of harm to other children or adults, or for any behavior of a parent or guardian, which in the sole judgment of Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool, presents a risk of harm to persons or a risk of disruption of school operations, a child may be dismissed without prior notice. If this occurs, any unused prepaid fees will be refunded within forty-eight (48) hours.

Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool is a year round school. The first day of school will be Monday, August 18, 2025 and the last day of school will be Thursday August 6, 2026. We will be closed up to 5 days per school year for Staff Development/Training Days and we will be closed up to 10 days per year for US Holidays, in addition to Summer, Winter and Spring breaks: 2025-2026 School Year Closures: Labor Day: September 1, 2025 Indigenous People’s Day: October 13, 2025 Veterans Day: November 11, 2025 Thanksgiving Break: November 26 - 28, 2025 Winter Break: December 22, 2025- January 2, 2026 16 Updated March 2025 Martin Luther King's Birthday: January 19, 2026 President's Day: February 16, 2026 Spring Break: March 30-April 3, 2026 Memorial Day: May 25, 2026 Juneteenth: June 19, 2026 Summer Break: June 29th-July 3rd, 2026 Planned Staff Development Dates (LPE CLOSED): August 8, 2025 CLOSED November 7, 2025 CLOSED February 6, 2026 CLOSED May 1, 2026 CLOSED August 7, 2026 CLOSED When a holiday lands on the weekend, we try to follow local school or bank closing days. Every three or four years, school will close up to three extra days for maintenance and repair projects such as paint, carpet, etc. Monthly tuition rates do not change for months which include closed days due to holidays, staff training or maintenance. We are not able to offer make-up days for these closures.

Le Petit Elephant is committed to providing a safe and positive learning environment for all children. The school’s behavior policy encourages children to develop social skills that reflect many of LPE’s values, including self-control, respect for others, pride in oneself, and a positive self-esteem. Teachers utilize positive reinforcement strategies throughout each day, actively recognizing children who are engaging in desired appropriate behaviors either verbally (e.g. “I like the way Jack is using his inside voice”), through gestures (e.g. high five, thumbs up), or by providing a physical reinforcement (e.g. a hand stamp, a few extra minutes of play, etc.) By “catching children being good”, teachers are therefore increasing the chances that those desired and appropriate behaviors will continue to occur. When children are noticed while engaging in expected behaviors, they feel a sense of pride in themselves and are likely to continue these behaviors. Our teachers model appropriate behavior and guide positive interactions among children and adults. Nurturing these social skills is a central component of development, and it helps children grow as successful, lifelong learners. LPE’s commitment to an age-appropriate and play-based curriculum ensures that activities are child centered and promote positive social interactions. Teachers carefully craft the environment, communicate and enforce clear boundaries and expectations for behavior, and 17 Updated March 2025 use nonverbal cues and/or redirect a child’s behavior to foster success. When a problem arises, the teacher relies on modeling appropriate behavior, teaching peacemaking skills, and presenting stories or scenarios that reinforce the desired behavior. Children learn to make suitable choices and develop techniques for regaining self-control when they feel frustrated. Instructive and individually appropriate choices and consequences help to strengthen the child’s self-control and self-esteem. When a child experiences a particularly challenging time, the school encourages parents and teachers to work together and develop appropriate strategies. If a specific circumstance needs attention, the teacher will follow these procedures: 1. The teacher will observe and document a child’s behavior. 2. The teacher will discuss options with the director, who is a child behavior specialist. The teacher and director will then discuss the child’s behavior with a parent and inform him or her of learning-based strategies the teacher will implement. 3. The teacher will follow up with the parent about how these strategies are influencing the behavior. 4. If concern persists, a conference will be held with teacher, parent, and director to discuss options to help the child further develop appropriate social skills. 5. Staff members will make reasonable effort to work with the child and his/her family to resolve behavioral concerns. At any time, an individual plan of action may need to be implemented, depending on the severity of the concern. If needed, there is opportunity for teachers and the director to seek support from outside resources. The plan may include removal of a child from the classroom and/or calling the parent to take the child home. Repeated severe problems may result in LPE excluding a child from attending LPE. We do not engage in any kind of punishment procedures, such as spanking, yelling, timeouts, or threatening. Behavior Policy Specific to Biting (2-5 year olds): Biting can happen in a preschool situation, especially with young children who do not have the verbal skills to express their feelings. Children’s feelings can be related to many environmental factors, as well as internal emotions, such as frustration, tiredness, overstimulation, seeking attention, and so forth. In line with LPE’s overall behavior policy, teachers try to create a positive, peaceful, and nurturing environment that encourages children to make good choices. LPE has a biting policy detailed below, and if you have any questions or concerns regarding our policy, please feel free to speak with the administration or your child’s teacher. Step 1: Your child bites or hurts someone for the first time. You will be informed through an incident report that will explain what happened. At that time, we will ask you to speak with your child about the incident. The administration and teacher will evaluate the incident, the classroom and the supervision. Step 2: Your child bites someone a second time. You will again receive an incident report to let you know how we are dealing with the situation in the classroom. Furthermore, the administrator and/or 18 Updated March 2025 teacher will counsel you and give you referrals to literature and professional resources to help you deal with the situation as a parent. Additional meetings may be requested by parents or the administration and/or teacher to monitor progress. Step 3: The biting or hurtful behavior continues. If the two previous steps are proving to be ineffective, you will be expected to pick your child up from school and not return for 24 hours. Step 4: If the previous three steps are proving to be ineffective, you may be asked to remove your child from Le Petit Elephant Nursery and Preschool with one week’s notice. Infants Biting (under 2 years old): Please refer to our Resources page on our website www.LPEnapa.com to read more about infant biting and how we handle it. Infants under 24 months will not be dismissed for biting, but parents will be contacted to see how we can address the underlying concerns (teething, major life events, routine/consistency, sensory needs,etc.) We request full parent participation in addressing all behaviors of concern at LPE.

Confidentiality plays a vital role in promoting respect for every individual and fostering a strong community. LPE takes confidentiality very seriously and makes every effort to protect each family’s privacy. Communications among staff and parents about children should be kept confidential at all times. LPE recommends that conversations about a child, behavior, or incident should be conducted in private, away from the child and other members of the LPE community whenever possible. We ask that discussions about problem behaviors or personal problems in the hallways be kept to a minimum. If a parent has a question or concern, we suggest that this parent contact the director or teacher in person to arrange a time to discuss.

Communication between home and school is vital to a successful preschool program. The LPE office communicates school-wide (non-emergency) information with parents in a number of ways: ● Email ● Telephone call ● Text Message ● Brightwheel App ● Our website: www.LPEnapa.com ● Notices sent home in children’s backpacks ● Parent bulletin board located outside of the office ● Classroom white boards ● Classroom bulletin boards ● Facebook parents page “LPE Parents” Please be sure to check the contents of your child’s backpack each night so that you can find important notes, art projects, and so forth. Artwork from different classes will rotate on the hallway bulletin boards throughout the year