115 Harrison Street Northeast, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, United States
FAQ'S
What precautions are being taken for Sicknesses?
Here at Harrison Street Academy, we pride ourselves in creating fun and educational experiences for children through our hands-on learning and STEAM program. During these times, we understand the need for overall safety and protection of every child in our care.
We are taking every necessary precaution to ensure we provide a safe and healthy environment for our students and campers. As the situation evolves, we are staying abreast of mandates and recommendations provided by Governor Northam and the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS).
To help keep our students healthy, we at HSA
- Conducting regular health checks of staff and children to look for symptoms of sickness or fever. If symptoms of illness are detected, we will separate any individuals until they are picked up from the facility.
- Cleaning (with soap and water) and disinfecting surfaces with EPA-approved disinfectants.
- Avoiding the use of items (e.g., soft or plush toys) that are not easily cleaned, sanitized, or disinfected.
- Posting signs on how to stop the spread of sickness, properly wash hands, promote everyday protective measures, and properly wear a face covering.
What are the Teacher : Child Ratios?
2 year olds 8:1
3-5 year olds 10:1
What kind of background checks are done on the teachers and staff?
We do the highest background check required for Licensing including Virginia State Police Check including fingerprinting, National Sex Offender Registry Screen, DSS Background Screen.
What do the kids do when not in core schooling time?
There will be snack time, structured and/or creative playtime, activities. It's educational, interactive and relational/peer building time. Singing and games are largely a part of this.
Is there a playground on site?
We DO have a playground on site. We are starting with some fun equipment and will build more as the school grows. We also have an indoor recreation room for the cold winter months (to help with wiggle time!)
What security measures are taken in the building?
All parents and visitors will only be able to enter through the front door, which remains locked. All children will be signed in and out and will only be released to the contacts that have been designated by the parents at the time of enrollment or expressly changed in writing.
What does your discipline plan look like?
Our goal is to lead, guide and teach the students to be the best that they can be and to see them desire to make right choices. Our teachers will give clear instruction as to what the expectations are, understanding that each child is different and may need different communication styles. They will give positive reinforcement often through out the day.
All correction will be done in a loving manner. We will communicate and stay in touch with parents, working together to see our students excel in all areas, including behavior. We teach the students what is acceptable behavior and often reemphasize the class rules.
When the students are in need of help to follow the guidelines of what is acceptable, we will redirect to more positive behavior and appropriate activities, including coping and cool down skills. If the behavior does not change, we will give a verbal correction and then if necessary, teachers may give thinking time to the student. This will be age appropriate, which is one minute for each year of the student's age.
We will keep the parents informed. We also encourage the parents to stay in touch with us and share any information that they feel will be beneficial as we work through this process together.
Typically at the preschool level, it has been our experience that the children really want to please their teachers and in turn please their parents by being good citizens, respecting their peers, teachers and their school as a whole.
Who took the awesome photos for this website?
We are so happy to have Robin Sgambati as our school photographer. She comes to us in the Fall and Spring, and does beautiful portraits of the students and environment! (Incidentally, the photo on this page is the only one she didn't take). If you'd like Robin to take photos for you, you can find her at www.robinsgambatiphotography.com