Operations

If you have an emergency and need to contact a teacher or classroom volunteer, you may use these numbers: Rich Stokes at 717-580-7364 or Ellen Smith at 717-579-3349

The Preschool is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday the side door to Trinity Church is opened at 9:50 a.m. and locked at 10:30 a.m. It will remain locked until 2:00 p.m., the end of the school day.

It is very important that you be on time for the beginning of the school day so that your child can join his/her classmates for a day of fun and learning. Late arrivals disturb the structure and rhythm of the classroom program and disadvantage the concentration of both the teachers and the other students. It is also important that you be prompt for your child’s pick-up. Teachers and volunteers have a personal schedule and cannot be asked or expected to stay late.

Unless your child is sick, it is critical that he/she attend preschool every day. Daily lessons build upon each other, and missing school puts your child at a learning disadvantage. We don’t want this to happen!

We have waiting lists for enrollment, and it is only fair that we reserve space for students who are able to attend regularly.

If your child is not able to attend school for any reason, please contact the school.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank provides breakfast and lunch for our children.

Please inform the teachers, in writing, of any dietary needs/restrictions that your child may have.

Additionally, in order to be fair to all our children, we ask that children not bring in individual snacks. If you would like to share a healthy snack or treat with the entire classroom, please let the teachers know in advance for planning purposes.

At least once during each of our two semesters (August-December/January-May), our teachers will invite parents/guardians to a conference to discuss the progress of your child. They will let you know well in advance of each conference.

Additionally, parent/guardians are very much encouraged to communicate at any time. Cooperation in this effort is vital and always a priority for us.

Trinity Preschool generally follows the holiday schedule for the Harrisburg School District (this does not include teacher in-service days).

For the 2022-23 school year the Preschool will be closed for the following holidays/In-service days:

September 5 (Labor Day)
September 23 (Teacher In-Service Day)
October 10 (Indigenous Peoples Day)
November 11 (Veterans Day)
November 22–25 (Thanksgiving Break)
December 22, 23 and 26-30 (Winter Break)
January 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
February 3 (Teacher In-Service Day)
February 20 (Presidents Day)
March 10 (Teacher In-Service Day)
April 6, 7, 10 (Spring Break)
April 21 (Eid-al-Fitr)
May 29 (Memorial Day)
Last Day of School is June 2 (Last Student Day)

When Winter Weather is near - Please tune in to your local news channel.
The Trinity Preschool will be closed If:

the Harrisburg School District has a delay
the Harrisburg School District is closed
Should you have any questions, please contact Richard Stokes at (717) 580-7364.

The Preschool is committed to providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment for its students. Your child’s safety is a top priority for us.

-Abuse or any suspected abuse of any child will be reported in compliance with the PA Child Protective Services Law. All Trinity Preschool employees and volunteers are mandatory reporters and will immediately make an oral or electronic report to ChildLine when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse.

-Monday through Friday the side door to Trinity Church is opened at 9:50 a.m. and locked at 10:30 a.m. It will remain locked until 2:00 p.m., the end of the day.

-Each preschool classroom has two exits/entrances to the outside.

-An adult accompanies children for restroom visits.

-There are a minimum of two adults in each classroom: a head teacher, an assistant teacher and/or a volunteer.

-Fire drills are practiced monthly with the children.

-Booster seats are used for all field trips.

-All children are up-to-date with their vaccinations.

The Preschool believes that it is our responsibility to provide children with positive guidance and in its experience most children will respond well to this approach. In the event that a child does not respond, Trinity Preschool will notify the parents/guardians and work closely with them to develop a plan to help the child gain self-control and a positive attitude toward their peers and preschool staff.

Should the child’s continued negative behavior put themselves, their peers or preschool staff at risk for physical harm or if the child damages property belonging to the school or others, the Preschool reserves the right to ask the parent to withdraw the child from the school. While Trinity Preschool understands the developmental tendencies of children to experiment with inappropriate language to shock others, withdrawal may also be requested for those children who are verbally abusive including the repeated use of inappropriate language.

Under no circumstances will corporal punishment be permitted. Discipline will not be associated with food, rest or toileting.

The Preschool encourages parents to learn with their children and would like them to read to their children every day. Free books are available through the Little Free Library (for all ages). The library is located on the covered side porch of the Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell United Methodist Church.

From time to time, teachers will send home suggested activities that you can do with your child. If you have questions about home activities you could do with your child, please see one of the teachers.

Programs for Parents/Guardians

From time to time, the Preschool offers special programming and/or social events of interest to the children’s parents/guardians. Advance notice and information about these programs will be shared with families.

Rachael Dudu, Teacher
Vanessa Temple, Teacher
Cheyanne Cordero-Vega, Assistant Teacher.