Bumblebee welcome letter
Welcome to the Bumblebee Room
Dear Families,
Welcome to the Bumblebee Room at the PCC Child Development Center. Our classroom supports toddlers and their families. As a lab school, observation and practicum students from the early childhood education program will join us in the classroom each term. We are lucky to be part of a community dedicated to uplifting high quality early learning and care. We are so glad you’re here to share in this journey with us!
To help make the transition as smooth as possible we have included some information that will hopefully be helpful to you.
Important information:
- We open at 7:30am and close at 3:30pm, Monday through Friday.
- You may drop off your child anytime between 7:30 am and 8:30 am. We want every child to have the opportunity to settle into the routine and participate in planned experiences. Thank you for arriving on time.
- Please let us know if your child will be absent or arriving late, so that we can adjust our daily plans accordingly.
- Masks are not required at PCC currently, but are welcome. We continue to maintain a clean and healthy classroom environment by following all Oregon Early Learning Division safety and cleaning guidelines.
- Hand washing is one of the best ways to help keep our community healthy, and reduce illness. When dropping off children please help your child wash their hands. Also, we ask all adults to wash their hands upon entering the classroom.
- Please sign your child in and out each day. Our sign in sheet will be on top of the cubbies. Please include a phone number that you can be reached at during the day while your child is in our care. Please do not leave until you and your child have been greeted by a Bumblebee room teacher.
- We provide breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. The weekly menu is posted on the bulletin board by the entrance in the bathroom.
- Please bring diapers for your child. We will provide Huggie’s brand baby wipes. Each child has their own labeled bin under the changing table where we will keep diapers. If you would like us to use diaper cream on your child please bring it to the classroom labeled with your child’s name. We have a form for you to fill out for the diaper cream.
- If your child is learning how to use the toilet, please send extra underwear and pants. When children are beginning to use the toilet we expect some accidents so extra underwear is very helpful. Please know that we support you in your child’s learning how to use the toilet. Please check in with us so we can all be on the same page.
- Please send a labeled bag containing a change of clothes each day to ensure that your child stays comfortable and prepared for spills and messy projects.
- We provide cots, sheets, and blankets for each child during rest time. Your child may also bring a snuggly comfort item if they wish. We launder blankets and sheets daily.
- Each day a note is filled out about your child’s day. The note will be at the top of your child’s cubby at pick-up time. The note includes:
- How much your child ate at each meal.
- Time of each diaper change and any attempts at using the toilet. We will let you know if their diaper was dry, wet, had a bowel movement, or tried to use the toilet.
- What time your child fell asleep for rest time and woke up.
- We will also make notes about replenishing diapers or extra clothes.
- If your child is hurt during the day, we will fill out an accident report that will be signed by the teacher, parent and director. Please let us know if your child was recently hurt at home, so that we can be on the lookout for changing symptoms at school.
Supporting independence
We encourage you to allow your child to walk into the classroom on their own because it supports their growing independence, confidence, and sense of belonging. When toddlers enter on their own feet, they have the opportunity to practice transitions, make choices, and feel a sense of ownership over their environment. While it may take time and patience, this small daily ritual helps build important skills and sends a powerful message: “You are capable.” Of course, we’ll always offer support and reassurance as they develop this confidence.
Big feelings
We accept that anger, sadness, jealousy, and frustration are a part of the human experience and give children tools to work through these big feelings. A teacher will stay with a child who is experiencing challenging emotions, offering compassionate guidance and modeling the return to calm.
Saying goodbye
Sometimes children cry or have big feelings at drop-off time. We are a community that welcomes and validates all emotions as they arise. When a child is struggling to separate, we ask parents to give a quick hug, brief goodbye and leave promptly. It can be helpful to make a plan with your child ahead of time, so they can anticipate the routine and find comfort in predictability. A teacher will always be available to support the child. We understand that it is difficult for a parent to leave their struggling child, but a confident farewell communicates that our classroom is a safe place and allows teachers to develop a relationship with your child. Thank you for your trust in the process!
Celebrating families
Our goal is that all children and families feel safe, welcomed, valued, and represented in our classroom. We would love for you to bring in family photos that we can display to celebrate your family and to help your child feel comforted when they miss you. We can also take a photo of you and your child. Also, if you speak a different language other than English at home, we would love for you to share some phrases with us that we could all learn and that might help your child feel more comfortable. Please let us know how your child refers to you, so that we can use the same name when speaking to them about you.
We invite you to share your heritage and cultural traditions in our classroom! We value celebrating diversity and offering the children meaningful experiences. Would you like to read a book to the children? Or would you be willing to lend us an image or artifact that reflects an aspect of your family culture? Could you share a traditional dance or play an instrument? We welcome your ideas and involvement!
Birthdays
Our classroom tradition acknowledges birthdays by honoring a child’s life and accomplishments during circle time. We will invite you to bring a picture of your child at each year of their life and include a brief note about something your child learned or enjoyed at this age. Your child will be invited to hold the felt earth and move it around a mat depicting the four seasons and the sun in the center, as we sing “The earth goes around the sun”. Families are welcome to join us! Please note that we do not allow treats from home, but you are welcome to donate a book to our classroom library in honor of your child’s birthday.
Elevating childcare
In our community, we refer to our toddler program as “school” because what happens here goes far beyond basic care. Toddlers are curious, capable learners, and our program is thoughtfully designed to support their development through play, exploration, and nurturing relationships. Like any high-quality early education setting, our focus is on supporting social-emotional growth, early communication, problem-solving skills, and a strong sense of belonging. This is especially important because the early years are a critical time for brain development, when experiences shape how a child’s brain grows and forms the foundation for lifelong learning. By calling it “school,” we recognize and honor the important early learning that happens every day as toddlers build skills that will help them thrive now and in the future.
Communication
We value open communication and are committed to keeping you informed about your child’s experiences in our classroom. Each month, we will share a classroom newsletter and regular updates about our explorations. Photography is an important tool in helping us document the children’s learning, and we will share with you our Google photo albums to give you a glimpse into our classroom. Parent/teacher conferences will be scheduled each term to reflect on your child’s developmental portfolio and discuss shared learning goals. Please reach out to us anytime — we are here as a resource to your family!
Bumblebee Classroom Phone Number: 971-722-8304
Mariah’s Email: mariah.gill@pcc.edu
Anne’s Email: anne.townsend@pcc.edu
Child Development Center Main Office: 971-722-4424
With appreciation,
Mariah and Anne