Safety & Licensing
At Spring-Mar, we pride ourselves on our rigorous attention to safety precautions and our commitment to continuing teacher education. Every member of the community takes an active role in maintaining the high standards of early childhood education offered at Spring-Mar and the results of this effort are visible every day.
Our License
Spring-Mar is licensed by the State of Virginia and registered with the Fairfax County Office for Children. We follow all regulations accordingly and receive regular visits and inspections from Department of Social Services officers. Being licensed shows our dedication to providing a safe and nurturing environment for children to learn and grow.
Allergy policy
Spring-Mar is dedicated to providing the safest environment possible for all students. Children with contact or ingestion allergies or known reactions should notify teachers and the Director prior to the start of school.
Spring-Mar prohibits the following:
- loose peanuts or tree nuts
- peanut or tree nut butters or spreads
- packaged or homemade goods containing visible nuts or nut butters (e.g. granola bars, muffins, trail mix, cracker sandwiches, etc.)
If a child accidentally brings an item from this list, staff will remove the item immediately. A substitute snack will be available for such occasions.
Please note, the church owners of the building do NOT observe a peanut free policy, so it is possible that these items are in the building during church events or during other rental events. However, no items listed above are allowed in any school rooms or facilities during school hours. Every effort is made to prevent any danger to children with known allergies.
Medication administration
Spring-Mar does not typically administer Over-The-Counter (OTC) medications. By law, any staff member administering prescription medications must have satisfactorily completed the Medication Administration Training (MAT) program. Spring-Mar has THREE such individuals on staff. However, families must provide accurate and up-to-date documentation with specifics about the medication. These forms may be found in the School Office or through our Membership Committee and must be reviewed in person with the School Director prior to the child’s first day of school. For more information on MAT Training, visit the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Emergency Preparedness
At Spring-Mar, we believe the key to emergency preparedness is establishing and following firm communication procedures.
- Emergency Care Cards: Before enrollment, each family must complete and return two copies of the school’s Emergency Care Card, which includes relevant details about your child, contact information, and a current photo. These cards are kept in our Shelter-in-Place as well as in the School Office.
- Web/social media: We use our own web site, including the master school calendar, as well as our public and private Facebook pages to share information with members.
- Phone Tree: At the beginning of the year, each class creates and distributes a Phone Tree. This may seem like an old-fashioned approach, but it provides one more level of confidence that we can reach all families when we need to.
