School
- Programs
- Admission Process
- Security deposit
- Sibling discount
- Withdrawal
- School Policies
- Health Policies
- Child Safety
- Video Surveillance System
- Communication
- Clothing & Footwear
- Lunches & Snacks
- Birthdays
- Nap
- Outdoor Play
- Personal Possessions
- Academic Readiness
- Special Services
- Positive Approach to Discipline
- Separation Guidelines
- Phase-in Period
- Expectations from parents
- Summer Camp
Full-time Montessori program
This program is for children 3 through 6 years of age and is available for the school year only. It is available Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm, according to the School Calendar. Children may enroll in this program for the school year only.
8:30am – 5:00pm
September – June 30: $14,000 ($1,400 monthly)
Payment Plan options:
Plan | Discount | Savings | Total Amount | Each Payment | Payment due dates |
1 Installment | 7 % | $ 980 | $ 13,020 | $ 13,020 | August 25 |
2 Installments | 4 % | $ 560 | $ 13,440 | $ 6,720 | August 25 and December 1 |
3 Installments | 3 % | $ 420 | $ 13,580 | $ 4,526 | August 25, December 1, March 1 |
Part-time Montessori program
This program is for children ages 3 through 6 years of age and is available for the school year only. It is available Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 1:00pm, according to the School Calendar. Students may enroll in this program for the school year only.
8:30am – 1:00pm
September – June 30: $11,000 ($1,100 monthly)
Payment Plan options:
Plan | Discount | Savings | Total Amount | Each Payment | Payment due dates |
1 Installment | 7 % | $ 770 | $ 10,230 | $ 10,230 | August 25 |
2 Installments | 4 % | $ 440 | $ 10,560 | $ 5,280 | August 25 and December 1 |
3 Installments | 3 % | $ 332 | $ 10,668 | $ 3,556 | August 25, December 1, March 1 |
Daily Montessori program
This program is for children 3 through 6 years of age and is available any day Monday through Friday with a minimum commitment of 2 days per week from 8:30am to 5:00pm, according to the School Calendar. Priority is given to the Full-time Montessori program: School reserves the right to reduce Part-time and Daily Montessori programs’ availability on a rolling monthly basis.
September – June 30: $80/day billed monthly (advance billing).
Extracurricular program
This program supplements the Montessori program and provides additional classes (see the end of the
section), conducted during the day. The number of classes varies per week and is not guaranteed, however best effort will be made by the School to have these classes available.
Art and Music classes are included in the tuition.
Additional classes are billed on the 25th of each month for the upcoming month with $10/class rate. If a class was canceled by the School, a make-up class will be provided. Additional classes are the following: Ballet, Judo, Gymnastics.
The school is continuously working on enhancing its extracurricular program and more classes might become available during the school year. The School will promptly notify parents of all available programs and classes.
Extracurricular activities: 2020 – 2021
September – June 30: $10/class billed monthly (advance billing)
Art (included in tuition)
Music (included in tuition)
Gymnastics
Choreography
Judo
To be considered for enrollment at The Montessori School, children must be at least 3 years of age and potty trained. Enrollment preference will be given to families with a firm commitment to Montessori philosophy. Classes are multi-age, and the school will make every reasonable effort to balance each class with respect to age and gender. IndigoKid Montessori School is open to all children regardless of race, sex, religion or creed, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identification, or sexual orientation.
Becoming a part of IndigoKid Montessori School | Due Date | |
1 | Fill in the Observation Application on our web site | |
2 | Schedule the School tour and Student Observation Day by calling 201-424-0579 or writing an email to info@indigokid.club | |
3 | If you wish to proceed with the Registration: | |
Review and sign the contract | June 25 | |
$250 Registration fee | June 25 | |
$75 Annual supply fee | June 25 | |
4 | Sign and return the Admission Package | July 25 |
5 | Pay the Security Deposit | July 25 |
6 | First installment payment | August 25 |
School Tour and Student Observation
It is a great opportunity to visit our school, see our cozy classrooms, meet the staff and greet the possible friends. This is the time for the teacher to meet the child and establish first connection.
A security deposit will be collected at the time of registration:
$ 1,400 for Full-time Students
$ 1,100 for Part-time Students
$ 900 for Daily Students
The Security Deposit will be refunded to the Parent at the end of the Student’s active enrollment term if Student’s account is fully current and the Parent provides the School with 30 day prior written notice.
If there is an outstanding balance on the Student’s account, it will be deducted from the Security Deposit and the remaining part returned to the Parent.
Sibling discount 15% off for any additional Student enrolled only if Students are enrolled in Full-time program.
IndigoKid Montessori School is dedicated to maintaining a safe, harmonious classroom environment for the optimum development of all our students. Generally, children adapt to the Montessori classroom within 60 days. Families of children with excessively disruptive behavior that require more support than staff can provide will be asked to seek professional assistance.
The Montessori environment is unique. It cultivates an inner discipline that is the foundation for further learning and social development. Occasionally the learning style of an individual child is not compatible with the climate of the Montessori classroom. If the teacher becomes concerned about the suitability of the Montessori class for your child, they will contact you to set up a conference and will make educational recommendations to your family. If we believe that Montessori will not meet your child’s needs, we will recommend alternate environments to you and remove them from the class.
Enrollment Termination Process
If support from the family is not forthcoming and/or the problems are of such severity that the climate of the classroom and safety of the other children is in jeopardy, families will be given a date by which the student will be removed from the classroom and families will need to obtain alternate care for their child.
If a family is asked to leave the school, the student will be considered withdrawn after the last date of attendance. Tuition will be prorated for time attended, and the school shall refund the Security Deposit.
While it is always the goal of the school to work with families, there are certain situations that will require immediate withdrawal of the student in an effort to keep our community safe.
Other Reasons for Withdrawal:
The school operates on the tuition and fees paid for services. If a family’s account is 60 days or more past due, the child will be withdrawn from the program until the account has been brought up to current status. Written notification of intent to withdraw a child shall be made at least 10 days prior to withdrawal.
Failure to comply with the School’s policies.
Disrespect towards School’s staff and other families.
Parent Initiated Termination
If for any reason you would like to terminate the contract please notify the School office in writing within 30 days of the desired end date. Additionally, a child’s attendance schedule during the terminating month can not be less than the previous month.
The Security Deposit can NOT be used as a payment of the last monthly installment.
The security deposit will be refunded right after the end of the terminating month.
If the Termination Notice was given in the middle of the already paid month, the daily rate will be applied for the remaining part of the next unpaid month.
School Hours
Full-time 8:30am – 5:00pm
Part-time 9:00am – 3:00pm
Before care 8:00am – 8:30pm
After care 5:00pm – 7:00pm
The regular Montessori School year schedule starts the day after Labor Day through June 30.
Extended Care Package
Beforecare: 8:00am – 8:30am and Aftercare: 5:15pm – 7:00pm
The following rates apply:
Daily Rate: $8 – when signed up for specific days of the week, month-to-month commitment
Hourly Rate: $6 – ad-hoc basis, without any commitment
Monthly Rate: $150 – when signed up for the whole month, month-to-month commitment
Late Pick-Up Fees
The Full-time School program ends at 5:00pm, Part-time School program ends at 1:00pm.
There is a 15 min Grace period for parents to pick up a Student.
If a Student is not picked up by the end of the Grace period, the Aftercare hourly rate
applies.
Holidays School Closings
School will be closed on all Federal Holidays; please see the Calendar for the School year you are enrolling. Tuition will not be prorated due to these closings.
Weather Related School Closings
If the State of NJ is under severe weather conditions or state of emergency is declared, the School reserves the right to stay closed. School follows all DOH/DOL/DCF/NJDEP and Borough of Fair Lawn advisories regarding business facility closures. The School will notify the Parent by making an announcement on the official social media and/or through e-mail and other electronic communication (SMS, mobile application, etc.). The Tuition Fee will not be prorated or refunded if School is closed due to the aforementioned circumstances.
Vacation / Sick Days
Should the Student miss the School during the time other than the official School holidays (see School Calendar addendum), the Parent has to notify the School in writing. The tuition shall not be prorated or refunded. If the Student is to be absent for more than a month, the Parent has to discuss the space availability upon return. Same policy applies toward sick days or unforeseen absences.
Arrival
Students are to arrive at 8:30am to the School with a 15 minute grace period. When arriving parents should park in the parking lot and enter the School at the back door . After the child has undressed and put the indoor shoes, an assistant will walk the child to wash the hands and to the classroom.
After 9.00am the back entrance will be locked and the parent is to enter through the front door.
Dismissal
Please pick up your child at the designated time at the back door. An assistant will escort the child to you if indoor. If you will be late, please call the school. For children enrolled in the Full-time dismissal time is at 5:00pm. For Parttime students dismissal time is at 1:00pm.
Children who have not been picked up within 15 minutes of dismissal time will be placed in the Extended Care program and families will be billed for this time.
After Hours Late Fee. In case of unforeseen circumstances when a Student stays at the School after business hours (7:00pm) the following rate will be applied: $20 per every 30 min of time.
ID Verification
For your child’s protection, we will not release a child to someone other than a custodial parent or individuals designated in the Application unless written authorization is provided to the school. We will ask for photo identification of the person picking up your child. Authorization can be granted on the
emergency information form, but make sure to include a note or call us anytime changes in regular dismissal are made.
When your child arrives for the day, his/her arrival time will be recorded by a staff member. The departure time, also noted by a staff member, will be recorded as the time you and your child leave the school grounds for the day. Staff members will be happy to discuss this process with you if you have any questions. Attendance will be kept on KangarooTime Classroom Portal.
Immunizations
Immunization requirements for children to attend child care centers, preschool facilities and schools in New Jersey, both public and private, are established by the New Jersey Department of Health NJDOH.
Any child enrolling to the School for the first time must be adequately immunized.
Exemptions to these requirements are granted for medical, religious and other objections, provided that the waiver forms are properly prepared, signed and delivered to school administrators.
Illness
For the protection of all of the students at the school, the school staff reserves the right to send a child home whose health (according to Department of Health guidelines) poses a threat to other children in the program. Any ill child should be kept home. Children should not be brought to school if they:
- Have vomited or had diarrhea within the last 24 hours
- Require more rest time than what is provided by the program
- Currently have a fever, or have had one within the last 24 hours, over 99 degrees
- Are unable to play outside
Additionally, if your child has a communicable disease e.g., mumps, strep, chicken pox, hepatitis, pneumonia, measles, rubella, scarlet fever, scabies, pertussis, haemophilus/influenza type B, encephalitis or meningitis, you must report this to the school office.
Handwashing
Children and staff wash their hands upon arriving at school daily. Children and staff wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom and after outdoor play.
Cleaning & Sanitizing
Cots are sanitized regularly. Materials are regularly cleaned and sanitized to minimize the spread of disease. Every other week the teacher will send home your child’s nap sheets for laundry. You are welcome to request to wash it more often, simply ask the teacher.
Controlling Infection
If the staff notices a child showing symptoms of an infectious disease, we send the child home immediately. When waiting for family/guardian pick up, the child will be removed from the other children and be in a separate room under staff supervision. We post signs, including symptoms, at classroom doors and institute special daily disinfection procedures. If necessary or in severe cases, the school will contact the Health Department to discuss recommended action for this particular illness.
Medication Administration
Any medicine that is brought to school must be given to your student’s teacher. It cannot be kept in your child’s bag or lunch box. There are three things you must know about how we handle medications. These policies are for the protection of your child.
A medication authorization form must be filled out, which includes the length of time the medication is to be dispensed. These medication authorization forms (available in each classroom) must be completed and signed before staff can give your child medicine. One form needs to be completed for each medication your child is taking.
Give the medication to an adult. No medications are to be in lunch boxes. If you want
your child to have vitamins or nonprescription drugs, please administer them at home.
The medication to be dispensed must be in its original, labeled pharmacy container with
your child’s name on it. This rule is for clarification in case of an allergic reaction and to help
prevent any mistakes in medications.
Keyfob Entrance
All registered families will receive two keyfobs needed to enter the School’s premises. The fobs will be locked after the school operating hours. If a keyfob is lost it can be replaced for $15 fee.
Family Notifications
Families or their authorized emergency contacts will be notified immediately of any accidents, injuries, or illnesses. Behavioral incidents will be communicated on a case by case basis, depending on the seriousness of the incident (determined by Lead Staff). You will be contacted either immediately by phone for urgent matters, or at the end of the school day for less serious matters.
Child Abuse & Neglect
All schools, child care centers, physicians and others who work with children are required by law to inform Child Protective Services at the Department of Human Services of any suspected abuse or neglect of children. By law, a suspicion of child abuse generally means that the reporter has “reasonable cause to believe” or “reasonable cause to know or suspect” that a child is being maltreated physically, emotionally or mentally. Employees are trained in identifying abuse and neglect.
Employee Screening
All employees are subject to criminal screening through the State Police, and fingerprinted as mandated by the State of New Jersey. Potential employees are required to interview, and provide references. All volunteers are screened for abuse and child neglect.
Building Security and Emergency Preparation
Fire Safety inspection is done on a yearly basis. IndigoKid Montessori School conducts fire drills regularly throughout the year. We follow safety and emergency plans that are reviewed on an annual or as needed basis. During the day, all entrances to the building are locked (door can be opened from the inside). There are keyfob readers on the entrances. But during the school day, everyone is asked to use the main/office door entrance.
Visitors
We welcome and encourage visits to the school from families, outside teachers, prospective families, and the larger community. When you visit the school, please sign in at the office.
For the safety of every child and every staff member IndigoKid Montessori School maintains 24hour video surveillance. At any time a parent can ask to view the classroom records to gain the insight into your child’s experience.
The School values discretion regarding every child that is why observers are asked to keep any information in regards to another child or staff member private.
School Calendar
A calendar of events for the school year is available on our website and sent to your email at the beginning of the school year.
Email
In our ongoing efforts to be more conscientious in the use of resources, nearly all communication between the school and home will be made electronically via info@indigokid.club and KangarooCare portal.
Website
General information, the calendar of events, and other useful Montessori links can be found at our site: www.indigokid.club or our social media pages.
Social Media
Social media can serve as a bridge between the school and the broader IndigoKid community. We provide the information about school events as well as other items of interest to the community via an active F acebook and Instagram page. We encourage you to Like and follow our page, and to share our information with your community of family and friends.
KangarooCare is the platform we use for keeping track of attendance, lessons given,
pictures, forms, progress reports, and family information.
Problem resolution
We believe that open communication and supportive relationships between home and school are imperative for the full development of the child. However, we know that we are all human and things don’t always go perfectly to everyone’s satisfaction. Occasionally there might be issues, misunderstandings, conflicts, or communication confusion between families and the School. If you have questions or concerns that you want to address, please start by contacting your child’s classroom teacher. You may schedule a meeting if you wish. If you are not comfortable with the outcome of that meeting, you are encouraged to contact the Head of School.
Clothing & Extra Items
Dress should allow children freedom to engage in a wide range of activities. Please help your child select clothing and shoes that allow freedom of movement. All children have outdoor playtime every day and should dress accordingly. Younger children should wear clothing that enables them to dress themselves easily.
Students should be sure to have two full sets of extra clothing, including socks and underwear. Please put all items in a plastic bag labeled with the child’s name.
Outside Wear
All students go outside most days. Outerwear should be appropriate to the weather. Appropriate shoes for school are sneakers or other casual shoes that may get dirty. Clogs, party shoes, or flip-flops are not appropriate for safe outside play. When there is snow or mud, boots are required. When it is very cold, snow pants, mittens, and hats are required. We strongly discourage parents from scolding children for staining the clothes, as this may cause them to withdraw from the open play and not to express themselves fully.
Indoor Shoes
All children wear indoor shoes while in the classroom for several reasons. The Montessori method recognizes the child’s need for quiet and order in the classroom to allow them the greatest opportunity for concentrated work. The opportunity to take off and put on shoes increases their level of independence
and dressing skills. The children use mats for a great deal of floor work, and indoor shoes help to maintain the cleanliness of the environment, alleviating mud and dirt being tracked into the classroom with street shoes.
We ask you to provide indoor shoes to be kept at school. Please encourage your child to choose simple and comfortable ones, clog or backless type shoes tend to fall off frequently and are a distraction. Please mark the child’s name on both shoes.
To avoid confusion and prevent loss of clothing, please label all garments with your
child’s first and last name. The Lost and Found clothing will be donated at the end of the school
year in June.
Nutritious food is essential for young, growing bodies. We encourage families to establish sound eating habits at an early age.
Lunches
IndigoKid Montessori School provides healthy natural lunches for all children enrolled. You can always request a monthly menu from our provider to know what your child is eating. If your child has any food allergy you are welcome to provide your own lunch.
Snacks
At our School families provide items for snacks for the whole class on a rotating basis for the entire week (approximately once in 3months). A calendar indicating the days you are responsible for snacks will be sent home monthly. These snacks include fresh or packed fruit, crackers and cheese, tortilla chips and salsa, vegetables, plain yogurt, and other similar items. We strongly discourage any types of chips or
snacks with artificial colorants.
The Birthday Walk Around the Sun
Each birthday child is honored in a special celebration called “The Birthday Walk,” it’s an international Montessori tradition. Parents are encouraged to bring the child’s pictures to share.
Parents can bring a special treat for the whole classroom to share. We strongly encourage families
to bring fruit plates or cakes without colorants.
Invitations
If you are planning a birthday party for your child, please do not send invitations to school unless all the children in the class are invited.
Preschool children benefit from scheduled periods of rest. This rest may take the form of actual
napping or a quiet time for children staying all day. At IndigoKid Montessori School all children under four are required to rest. Children who do not fall asleep will have a quiet rest time that may involve but is not limited to looking at books or other quiet activities.
Naps are available to all children if they need or want to rest during the day.
Our program is designed to include outdoor play in all seasons. Students who stay in school all day need fresh air, exercise and free time on the playground.
In the winter, our children play outside as long as the temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius; if it is below that temperature, they will stay inside. Please be sure your child has appropriate clothing for outdoor play: sturdy, warm and easy to put on. Please label everything you send to school.
Children often do not recognize their own clothing. Labeling helps your child and us to sort out the myriad of items that come into school each day. Use names, not initials, and mark in an easily-read place.
Children often want to bring favorite possessions to school, but we ask families to discourage this practice. Sharing these items with other children in the class will become a part of the classroom learning experience. We do not allow children to bring toys into the classroom.
If your child asks to bring a toy or other personal property, simply explain that such items can only be left in the cubby. We do allow children to bring a comfort object with them to nap time and that can either be kept in the cubby or kept with the nap blanket depending on whether the item will travel to and from school.
Academic readiness is not an issue at IndigoKid Montessori School. Your child will not be evaluated as one of the criteria for enrollment. Whether your child knows colors or numbers is irrelevant. Of greater importance, the teacher is concerned about the whole child: his/her ability to communicate and to cooperate, and eagerness to accept new experiences, readiness to be separated from the parent.
Sometimes a child may show the need for special services. These needs may be physical, developmental , psychological or needs that affect the child’s ability to learn and socialize successfully in a classroom setting. We will recommend evaluation and professional consultation. The school may refer a family to a special needs service for evaluation. Services beyond this are the responsibility of the family.
IndigoKid Montessori School grounds its entire program in the significant relationship between adult and child. A positive, supportive and loving bond promotes the child’s selfesteem and sense of security. The role model provided by the adult teaches children positive problem-solving techniques and courtesy. Some examples of positive methods of discipline include:
- Redirecting or distracting a child from the unacceptable activity to a constructive one
- Planning ahead to prevent problems
- Encouraging, teaching, and modeling appropriate behavior
- Setting consistent clear rules
- Talking to the child about the feelings they are having
- Offering alternative solutions to the problem
- Involving children in solving the problem
- Removing the child from the source of conflict
When children first come into a new environment, they need sufficient time to adjust.
Parents play an integral part of this adjustment. Our guidelines are custom tailored to each child’s individual needs. In this, we ask that parents partner with us for their child’s successful separation by:
1. making a consistent time for drop off and pick up
2. have a quick firm goodbye to their child with reassurance they’ll be back to pick them up.
3. promising treats or bribing children to stay at school is strongly discouraged
Even if the child is crying, we encourage parents to take a positive attitude, lovingly say good-bye, and do not prolong the separation by lingering around. On our side we will help the child to adjust to the new surrounding by giving him/her personal care and needed affection.
There are new students who previously have not attended our Mommy and Me classes for toddlers, Russian enrichments classes and cultural events. They don’t know our teachers and the spirit of the School. In order to help them to better adjust we have established the Phase-in Period which requires such new students to attend the School:
- two hours on the first day
- two hours on the second day
- stay Half Day during the rest of the week
- start Full Day program starting the next week
If the child has adapted faster and shows signs of interest, he can start the Full Day program right away. This Phase-in Period may vary for each individual child depending on his/her comfort level and maturity.
Families are a fundamental part of the well-being of our school and of a successful educational experience for their child. As such, we have the expectation that all members of the school community participate and support the school whenever possible. It is the hope and expectation of IndigoKid Montessori School that families make every effort to understand and embrace the mission of the school.
Our staff value the assistance and participation of families in the classroom and in adventures beyond the classroom. Both families and students are enriched by family involvement in school activities. In addition, each family is expected to contribute to the annual fundraising efforts of the school. We are a nonprofit and rely on our families and alumni families to help ensure the successful future of our school. Parents are expected to:
- Familiarize themselves with Montessori philosophy by reading and by attending the
School’s monthly Parenting classes - always remember that the School can only operate efficiently when in partnership with
the Family - treat the child, his classmates and School’s staff with dignity and respect
- never speak inappropriately about child’s classmates and teachers in front of the child or
with other parents - encourage child’s independence at home daily routines
- let the child to dress/undress by himself at School’s arrival/ dismissal
- not to prolong the separation time at the arrival/dismissal
- constantly keep two extra sets of spare clothes at School
- limit negative and/or excessive stimuli in the child’s life (such as television and video
games) - expect the child to play at the Mud kitchen outdoor, therefore have stains on his clothes
- attend November and May Personal Parent Conference
- attend Orientation at the beginning of the school year
- encourage child’s creativity by attending the New Year and Graduation shows
Summer camps are available for students 3-7 years old from July to August 31. Weekly and monthly packages available.
The Summer Camp hours are 8:30am to 5:00pm with extended care options.
Details of the summer Camp will be available for parents every April of the current school year.