Page 16 - February 2013 Spire

It is hard to believe, but it is
already time to start planning for
the September 2013-2014 school
year! At the end of this month current
Tot Drop families will receive a packet in
the mail to use to request space for the next school
year. This mailing follows on the heels of the NPNS
enrollment process for next year so that those NPNS
families needing daycare before or after their session at
the nursery school can complete their planning.
Tot Drop
embraces a unique
model of daycare.
Most daycares
offer only full day
care for the same
children day after
day. For instance, every Monday would have the same
roster of children, week after week; every Tuesday
would have the same roster week after week, and so
on through the week. Not so at Tot Drop!
Because Tot Drop is a ministry first and a business
second, our model is designed to reach and serve as
many families as possible. While Tot Drop policy only
allows standing (recurring) reservations for children
who require full day care (and most of our reservation
space serves these children), we try to have space each
day for families who want only morning or afternoon
reservations or an occasional all-day space. With this
“as-needed” accommodation, every Monday roster
is different from the previous week; every Tuesday
is different, etc. Additionally, some families need to
add the breakfast hour or lunch to their morning
reservation, while others only need the minimum three-
hour block from 9:00 to 12:00! Others arrive at noon
for lunch and the afternoon session and get picked
up at 4:00. This flexible model makes scheduling and
maintaining proper staff/child ratio a big challenge!
Another uniquely flexible element of the Tot Drop
model is that families do not need to maintain their
standing reservations over July and August in order to
retain them for the following school year. This is a huge
benefit to families who send their child(ren) to summer
camp, plan family vacations or whose parents are
teachers and have summers free.
Families receiving the 2013-2014 planning packet will
be deciding their needs for both the summer months of
July and August 2013 and the school year that follows.
Priority is given to families with children currently
enrolled with all-day standing reservations; families
currently using Tot Drop on an as-needed basis and
families on the waiting list have the next priority; families
new to Tot Drop will then be addressed.
This process sets up the framework for the coming
year; it should be noted, however, that Tot Drop has a
rolling enrollment, so it is never too late to be admitted,
space permitting. Proof of the pudding is that Tot Drop
is licensed for 55 children per day, but over 100 families
use it regularly or occasionally as family need requires.
For a tour of Tot Drop or for registration information,
contact the Director at 203.202.9441 or check out the
Tot Drop page on the church website. Tot Drop is
featured this month in a Focus on Ministry video on the
NPC homepage as well.
In His service,
Carol Scott, Director
Director of NPC Tot Drop
Tot Drop
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