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FAQ

Does Sunnymont-Westside require that my child be potty trained?

None of Sunnymont-Westside's classes require your child to be potty trained. We believe that children should learn, grow, and develop skills at their own pace.

Is Sunnymont-Westside a religious organization?

While Sunnymont-Westside rents space from the Episcopal Church, we are NOT affiliated with the church, or any other religious group. Our Sunnymont-Westside families are a wonderful blend of religions and cultures. We invite families to share their religious holidays and traditions, so that our children can learn to respect and appreciate the different cultures throughout our community.

Is Sunnymont-Westside a diverse and welcoming community?

We are proud that our families at Sunnymont-Westside reflect many different religions, cultures, national origins, family constellations, and unique individuals!

We feel that living in the Santa Clara Valley provides an excellent opportunity to teach our children to honor diversity from an early age. We encourage families to share their languages, their customs, foods, celebrations, culture and values. We share with our children that some of our families are vegetarians and some are not, some people celebrate this holiday and some people do not, some families have a mom and a dad, some have grandparents, some have babies, some have two moms, some have pets, etc. We encourage you to share your customs, family culture and experiences with all of our children. 

My child has food allergies. How will that be handled at Sunnymont-Westside?

We are a nut-free school.

We are also an allergy-aware school, and do our best to support allergic children and adults. We believe that in a community, everyone pitches in to support the needs of the individual, and this is our approach to food allergies or other food requirements. In classes where snacks are shared together, we make sure that there are alternatives available that are safe and appropriate for every child. It’s always possible to provide a gluten-free, dairy-free, Kosher, vegetarian, vegan, or Halal option. It also helps children learn about diversity, as we explain, “Simon’s body gets sick when he has cow milk, so that cheese isn’t safe for him, but this one is.”

In the case of extreme or life-threatening allergies, that food is banned from school for the year. We do our best to support our families’ needs, and embrace the chance to show children that a community is a caring place where the needs of the individual are honored by the group.

How is discipline handled at Sunnymont-Westside?

Social learning is probably the most important aspect of nursery school. It is natural for children to make mistakes as they learn to get along with others.

Children misbehave because they are trying to get their needs met and have chosen poor method. Our job as adults is to help children understand these needs, and find and practice better methods for meeting them. Time out or other punishments don't give children an opportunity to learn and grow.

We use Positive Discipline practices at Sunnymont-Westside. Limits are clearly enforced by loving adults who explain why they intervened (“You wanted that car and I can't let you grab.”) and help a child to learn alternatives. (“Let's let him know you're waiting for a turn when he's done, and I'll help you wait.”) Kids learn that an adult's most important job is “to keep everyone safe, bodies and hearts” and that we will keep each of them safe while they are learning to keep others safe.

Can I send a nanny or grandparent to school with my child, instead of a parent?

We recognize that each family is different and there can be multiple important caregivers in a child’s life. We prefer that a parent is the main participating person, but we do have families for whom a nanny or grandparent is the classroom aide. We have some specific requirements if the main participating person is not the parent.

When do you have open houses or tours?

We think it’s very important that you take a tour before deciding if a school is right for you. We offer one Open House in the Winter and one in the Spring. Individual tour visits can be arranged any time.

Contact us for more information!

What if my child turns 2 years old in January? Can we apply for the 2 Day Class then?

Our policy is that children should be within the age range as of September 1st of that school year.

Your child will have turned 2 years old, but the entire 2 Day Class will also be 6 months older too. This may not be the best fit for your child, and we want each child to be successful in the age appropriate class!

Are there ever age exceptions?

Age exceptions are occasionally granted when both the teacher and our school board approve. Exceptions are granted provisionally, only for the current school year and must be reapplied for every year. Your written request for an age exception must be submitted to the board, and your child must be recommended by the teacher.

Placements are first filled by children meeting the age requirements. Then in August, age exceptions are considered. Age exceptions are granted on a 1-month trial period to ensure that the teacher and parents feel that the child will thrive in the class.

Are evening parent meetings required for me to attend?

The evening sessions that all our parents agree to attend are about working in the classroom. They are our staff meetings, where we:

  • Connect with each other to become a more effective teaching team.

  • Learn about child development, best educational practices for young children, positive guidance theory and techniques, and all the information we all need to support the children’s growth and development at school.

  • Discuss specific issues coming up in class or the needs of specific children.

Along the way, we learn things that help us all as parents, too, but the main goal is training to support the work we do in the classroom.

These parent meetings are an important part of our program and attendance is required. We prefer that the working parent attends the meetings, as it more helpful to classroom environment.

You will be allowed 1 missed meeting. If you miss a 2nd meeting, your family will be required to make it up by helping with a special project, helping at an additional clean up weekend or work party, or other equivalent assignment to be determined by your teacher or the director.

You will be provided with the school calendar in advance, so that you may plan around these times and dates.

Can I bring my baby to school with me on my workday?

Unfortunately, children who are not enrolled in our program cannot stay during classtime. On your workday, your responsibilities may include supervising the children on the climbing structure, preparing healthy snacks for the class, running a station and cleaning. It would not be a safe environment for a baby.

Many families find that it works well to find another family with a baby in their child's class and trade babysitting duties.