play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play !

laugh

Early Learning Center & Kindergarten

Jane Pyecha, Director HeadtoToe.Addis@gmail.com 0930 01 23 51
Visit us on Facebook at Head To Toe Addis Ababa

Head to Toe

Information Packet SY 2013 -2014 Thank you for your interest in our Early Learning Center. Choosing a school is a decision not to be taken lightly; we value and appreciate the trust families place in us for the care and education of their children. This packet is intended to give you an idea of who we are, our mission, beliefs and curriculum, and a summary of our programs. Visit us on Facebook Head To Toe Addis Ababa - to view photos and learn more about us. Please feel free to contact us for further information or to make an appointment to come by for a tour. Who Are We? My husband, Teddy, and I officially opened Head to Toe in 2009 with our young son in mind. Our mission then, and now, is to create a community where staff and families collaborate and support each other in order to give children a fun, safe, and loving place to learn and grow together. It is our goal to provide a variety of activities each day that are exciting and stimulating so our students develop socially, emotionally, physically and mentally to the very best of their ability. To achieve this, we are active observers as your student works and plays. These observations, our knowledge of child development and a sloping curriculum, allow us to personalize your childs experience so they can be safely challenged and supported as they grow and learn. My education and experience teaching started in 1994 when I completed my Masters in Early Childhood Education and began teaching outside Atlanta in the US. In 1999 I added a Specialist in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Teacher Support and Curriculum Development and decided to explore international teaching. Since then, I have taught in Lebanon, the UAE, and Addis Ababa, where I soon realized the only way I could truly follow my passion and beliefs about how children learn best was to open my own school. Together with a dedicated staff, Teddy, and I have built what we believe is a true community based Early Learning Center we are proud of, both as owners and parents. A core staff of kind and loving teachers has been working with us since we first opened. As we have grown over the years we have added additional teachers, aides and specialists. Collectively we have a broad range of backgrounds, education and experiences that add to the richness of our community, but we all share a love of children. I am sure you and your family will become as fond of them as we have. Stability is especially critical to third culture kids or children who are settling into a new environment. For this reason, and for the convenience of families with older and younger siblings, we now offer a Kindergarten program. Our hope is that students can stay in one place for the length of a posting, and that younger and older siblings may attend together. Parents are an integral part of our community and we host several events throughout the year to
play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

encourage and allow your participation. We respect your professional time and realize it is not always possible for you to attend events during the workday. For this reason, our Open House, Family Days and Conferences are on weekends so that you may attend and share in these important, and fun, activities. We are also available after school should you wish to make an appointment with the teacher and Director.

However, some events can only be held during the school day, but out of professional respect, advanced notice is given and the event is tailored and organized to maximize the benefit to both you and your child. We hope you find these days not only fun and enjoyable, but also informative, and worthy of taking time off work. The constructive feedback, suggestions and comments of our families helps us maintain our mission of a true community center and are always welcome! Our Pedagogy As an Active Learning Program, we believe children learn best through play and exploration, and thus provide a variety of opportunities for problem solving, independence and investigation at every age. We combine pieces of several internationally acclaimed programs, most notably, Reggio Emilia, Creative Curriculum, Investigations, and HighScope. Our programs are designed for four developmental age groups. ! Infants (ages 6 months 2 years) - This program serves infants and their accompanying nanny. By providing a language rich, stimulating environment, children begin to see themselves as independent, confident learners. Motivated nannies will learn new methods of interacting with children and a multitude of songs and activities they can use in the home. Infants can enroll from 1 up to 5 mornings a week. The ratio is 1 teacher for 6 nanny/infant pairs. ! Toddlers (age 2) The focus of our Toddler program is to allow children ownership of their learning by teaching them to make appropriate choices. Throughout the morning, toddlers choose from a variety of learning areas and materials to explore and investigate. Toddlers enroll 2, 3 or 5 mornings a week. Our student: staff ratio is 4: 1. ! Early PreSchool/PreSchool/Pre KG (ages 2! - 5) Through play children learn collaboration by working with peers to solve a variety of problems and creating group projects. During small group, children meet with their lead teacher to challenge and support their individual development in one of the six curricular areas. These students are enrolled 2, 3 or 5 mornings a week with a student: staff ratio of 6: 1. ! The annual fees for each of the above programs are: 2 mornings a week-$2200, 3 mornings$3300, 5 mornings-$5500. ! Afternoon Activities Parents can choose to send their child any day/s Monday Thursday from 12:30 2 or 12:30 -3:30. The annual fees for one half afternoon per week is $330 and for one full afternoon per week is $660. ! Kindergarten (ages 5-6) Through the continuation of our active learning curriculum, children will develop further skills in reading, writing, language, math, social studies and science. The program is 5 days a week with early release at 12:30 on Fridays. The annual fee for our Kindergarten program is $11,000 and the student to teacher ratio is 8:1.
play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

For the stability of our students, whenever possible and appropriate, teachers and students will loop with their group to the next program level. When new students join, we assign a primary caregiver to greet them each day and stay with them until they are comfortable with the routine and the staff at large. The Daily Routine Since the needs and interests of our students are our primary focus, our schedule is very flexible and does not strictly follow the clock. At some point in the morning, your child will participate in each of the following: Welcome/Choice Time/Wash Up 7:30 9:00 is dedicated to welcoming children as they arrive and allowing them the opportunity to smoothly transition into the school environment. Parents and siblings are invited, and encouraged, to join their student at this time - meeting friends, other families, and seeing what new and exciting things we have been doing. Students from all of our morning programs play and interact together freely in the area of their choice. Greeting Time/Large Group Each program gathers for a shared large group experience comprised of songs and language activities designed to increase vocabulary/language/problem solving skills, build a sense of community, and help children get settled into the day. Small Group Children divide into smaller groups either by age/developmental level or based on the activity they have chosen from the four or five we have prepared for them. Snack/Recess Everyone gathers for a picnic inside/outside and 20 30 minutes of free play. Plan/Work/Recall This is the largest block of time and is the core of our Active Learning Program. It is designed to provide an opportunity for students to make age appropriate plans and work independently or collaboratively to complete them. As students mature, they will begin to meet at the end of this time to share their work and answer questions from teachers and peers. Art This is the main focus of the Reggio Emilia program. Through planning, problem solving and follow through, children are exposed to a variety of media and experiences with art materials and allowed to create their own masterpieces. At the end of the year we hold an Art Auction of the childrens collaborative work to raise money for our Community Outreach Program. The Infants explore art materials in their own small group as their interest in messy play develops. Music This curriculum focuses on songs, language, movement, beat and rhythm. Students gain confidence performing in a group and to an audience of families. Library Each week a focus book is read with a supporting activity following. Afterward, children have time to read by themselves or with friends. Each child may check out one book a week to take home and share with their family. Pick Up Everyone enjoys free play either outside/inside for pick up. Families are again invited, and encouraged, to spend time with their child in the school setting during pick up. Afternoon Activities Our afternoons are designed to be an enrichment of the mornings. Depending on how long they stay, students may: choose a learning area, have lunch and quiet time, and an
play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

activity such as music, art, science, math, language or exploration. Our Learning Areas In order to best stimulate creativity and interest, we add/remove materials and open/close areas of learning based on our observations of students. Our Center contains, but is not limited to, the following areas in which children may explore freely: Puzzles Library Science Construction Drama Cooking Play Doh Math Games/Toys Project Room Movement Language Water Sand Outdoor Play Art Studio Black Top Music Our students interests drive our activities. After hearing discussions and conversations during snack, recess, and choice time, over the years, the students have planned and designed a: zoo, snow village, store, restaurant, fire station, machine factory, seasonal rooms, a circus, an ocean, a hospital, a garage and a gas station. Our only limit is the creativity of our students which is boundless! General Information First-Aid/First Aid Emergency/CRP/Child Protection -Each year our staff takes a training course in each of these areas. For further details on these, and our evacuation procedures, please see our parent handbook. Hours: We open at 7:30 and all students should be picked up by 12:30, 2:00, or 3:30 depending on their program. In order to protect the professional time of our staff we reserve the right to charge a late fee for children who are regularly picked up late. Snacks Please bring a healthy snack for your child each day. Purified water is available and we encourage children to drink it throughout the day. Afternoon students need to bring a lunch as well. For the health and safety of our children, each year we notify parents of all allergies and ask that you not send any foods containing those products. Winter and Summer Break Camps We offer fun, safe, supervised play during these holidays for children ages 2-7. Children should be registered prior to camp and $10 a day rate applies. Yearly Schedule Our school year is 176 days 88 per semester. We make every effort to follow other international schools in Addis Ababa so that siblings have the similar schedules. However, our main focus is to best meet the needs of our young students so some of our holidays may vary. Professional development for our whole staff is also a priority so we have scheduled several inservice days throughout the year to provide workshops in areas such as first-aid, child protection, curriculum development, behavior management, etc. Fees/Payments By Ethiopian law, all payments must be made in Birr using the current exchange rate and an official receipt must be issued. Payments can be made by check, cash or wire transfers. All payments are final. The annual student fee is due at the time of registration each year and guarantees your childs place until the tuition fee deadline. 1st Semester - Registration for new families begins March 1, 2013. Tuition is due on or before August 31, 2013. Enrollment is not guaranteed after this date and a 10% late fee will be applied. 2nd Semester - Registration will begin November 15, 2013. Fees are due on or before January 31, 2014. Enrollment is not guaranteed after this date and a 10% late fee will be applied
play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh

HTT 2013-2014 Calendar

Saturday August 17th -Open House for Families August 19th- First full day of school
AUGUST 2013 S 4 11 18 25 M 5 12 19 26 T 6 13 20 27 W 7 14 21 28 Th 1 8 15 22 29 F 2 9 16 23 30 S 3 10 17 24 31 2 9 16 23 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 S M FEBRUARY 2014 T W Th F S 1 8 15 22

February 21st Teacher Work Day

September 11th Ethiopian New Year September 26th- Work Day September 27th--Meskel

SEPTEMBER 2013 S 1 8 15 22 29 M 2 9 16 23 30 T 3 10 17 24 W 4 11 18 25 Th 5 12 19 26 F 6 13 20 27 S 7 14 21 28 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 S M

MARCH 2014 T W Th F S 1 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 8 15 22 29

March 24th-28th Spring Break

October 15th Eid Al Adaha (approx) October 21st-25th Fall Break October 30th Semester MidPoint

OCTOBER 2013 S 6 13 20 27 M 7 14 21 28 T 1 8 15 22 29 W 2 9 16 23 30 Th 3 10 17 24 31 F 4 11 18 25 S 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 S M

APRIL 2014 T 1 8 15 22 29 W 2 9 16 23 30 Th 3 10 17 24 F 4 11 18 25 S 5 12 19 26

April 7th Semester Mid-Point April 18th Good Friday April 20th Easter Monday

November 28thParent/Teacher Conferences November 29th-Thanksgiving Holiday

NOVEMBER 2013 S 3 10 17 24 M 4 11 18 25 T 5 12 19 26 W 6 13 20 27 Th 7 14 21 28 F 1 8 15 22 29 S 2 9 16 23 30 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 S M

MAY 2014 T 6 13 20 27 W 7 14 21 28 Th 1 8 15 22 29 F 2 9 16 23 30 S 3 10 17 24 31

May 1st & May 2nd Parent/Teacher Conferences May 3rd - Parent/Teacher Conferences May 28th -Downfall of the Derg

December 23rd-January 14thWinter Break

DECEMBER 2013 S 1 8 15 22 29 M 2 9 16 23 30 T 3 10 17 24 31 W 4 11 18 25 Th 5 12 19 26 F 6 13 20 27 S 7 14 21 28 S 1 8 15 22 29 M 2 9 16 23 30

JUNE 2014 T 3 10 17 24 W 4 11 18 25 Th 5 12 19 26 F 6 13 20 27 S 7 14 21 28

June 13th Last day of school celebration!

January 14th Teacher Work Day January 27 Start of Second Semester

th

JANUARY 2014 S M T W 1 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 8 15 22 29 Th 2 9 16 23 30 F 3 10 17 24 31 S 4 11 18 25

176 School Days 88 days per semester

play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh ! learn ! grow ! play ! laugh