A Safe Harbour Care Center is very pleased to offer Christian-based preschool childcare through Harbour Tugboats Daycare facilities. Our success is only due to the devotion of our quality-trained teachers and aides, and the support of our parents. We want you to feel a part of our program. Your participation, cooperation, and input into the various aspects of our program is encouraged. Harbour Tugboats was designed to minister to the needs of parents as well as students!
Our site has been designed to acquaint you with our preschool program. Please become familiar with our policies and procedures.
As a non-profit, tax exempt center, we welcome ideas and resources for adding to the enrichment opportunities available to our children, and sincerely hope that you will share the wonderful concept of our Tugboats program with others.
We encourage you to share in our vision of Christian education. Please feel free to contact any faculty or staff member if you have any questions:

2801 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach,VA 23452 in the Lynnhaven District
Tugboats is housed in the Foundry United Methodist Church
We are licensed for ages 2 years to 12 years old.
Hours of operation are 6:30 am to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday year round.
Phone (757)962-8440; e-mail: Shirley@tugboats.org

In Christ’s love,

Natalie Giles, Education Manager
Shirley Noftsinger, Executive Director

Mission Statement:

Our mission at Harbour Tugboats Daycare is:

To train, equip and prepare children in spiritual, academic, and physical excellence in ways that will instill a love for God and His purpose for their lives. To teach preschool principles along with Biblical principles which establish successful learning attitudes. All children enrolled in this facility are nurtured with love and respect and provided with the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities. Our most fundamental objective is to provide for your child a safe, wholesome and loving environment, in which each child will know that they are loved, valued and wanted, first by the Lord, second, by their family, and third, by their teachers and friends at Harbour Tugboats.

PHILOSOPHY

In an increasingly detached society, the need for quality Christian childcare in pre-schools has become a critical issue.

Children need to be loved unconditionally. They learn more, behave better, and have a higher self-esteem when they are in a stable and caring atmosphere. We believe that self-esteem is the critical component to optimal growth in young children. In order for a child to develop high self-esteem, we focus on developing the socialization and self-help skills needed to succeed in all areas of development, spirit, soul, and body.

Education and early identification of talents and giftings is so vitally important. We teach children through the use of Developmentally Appropriate Theme Based curriculum. Not only are the children at Harbour TugBoats given the opportunity to explore, experiment and create in a safe and nurturing environment, they are exposed to children of different cultures, economic, and ethnical backgrounds. To enhance learning in our program, we incorporate multi-cultural activities.

Harbour Tugboats is distinctly Biblical in our foundational beliefs; however, all children are welcome and in no way will they be pressured to deviate from the particular doctrines of their local church. Teachers, however, will not be hindered from expressing the Judeo-Christian viewpoint.

All children enrolled in this facility are nurtured with love and respect and provided with the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities. Our most fundamental objective is to provide for your child a safe, wholesome and loving environment, in which each child will know that they are loved, valued and wanted, first by the Lord, second, by their family, and third, by their teachers and friends at Harbour Tugboats.

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PHYSICAL FACILITY

Harbour Tugboats
Harbour Tugboats was established during the spring of 2004 under the direction of Founder and Director, Shirley Noftsinger, and Education Manager, Natalie Giles. Founded on Biblical principles, and a desire to enhance and identify talent in little people, we opened our first center at 2801 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, in the Lynnhaven District.

• Harbour Tugboats @ Lynnhaven is housed in the Foundry United Methodist Church, which provides eight class rooms, a full-service kitchen for warm meals, an auditorium, and of course, a colorfully equipped, fenced playground.
  

Non-Discrimination Policy
Harbour Tugboats Daycare welcomes families of any race, color, sex, religion, nationality, creed, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability for which we are qualified to house. The families are not restricted from rights, privileges, programs and activities made available to students at the school. We do not discriminate in any way within the administration of our enrollment policies, financial plan, or any other school-administered program.

Enrollment Capacity
We maintain open enrollment by increasing staffing when necessary to assure low student –teacher ratios. We maintain a student-teacher ratio within the state requirement of 10 to one.

Definitions of Full and Part Time Enrollment:

Full Time: full days Monday through Friday. (Maximum of 10 hours per day)
Part Time: full days during a partial week or half days: Maximum of 25 hours a week.
Ages of admission for our Early Childhood program are 2 through five years of age including a full A-Beka Kindergarten program for three, four, and five year olds. We attempt to be flexible in our enrollment policies to suit the individual needs of our families. Full time and part time registrations are accepted subject to availability of space and accommodations.
Pre-placement observations are best scheduled during business hours of 8:30 to 5:00. The following forms are required by the state of Virginia and need to be completed prior to placement.

Registration form signed by parent or guardian, including the date of last physical examination and a $100.00 registration fee.

• Registration form signed by parent or guardian, including the date of last physical examination and a $150.00 registration fee.
• Original Birth Certificate: view and record only
• Complete record of immunizations.
• Written consent for child to receive medical treatment.
• Signed policies and procedures agreement from the Harbour Tugboats Handbook.
• A signed fee and payment plan (Parent/Provider Contract) with a copy to parent.
• A signed agreement for the childcare provider to provide transportation.

Parents or Guardians who take an active roll in the child’s up bringing are required to participate in a verbal orientation with the director before your child’s first day of school. This includes meeting all the staff of Harbour Tugboats Daycare and visiting the child’s classroom.

In the News!

To view a recent news article Click Here.

Due to the unique nature of our program, local news media representatives may occasionally visit Harbour Tugboats. If you should object to the use of pictures or videotape for incidental news involving your child, the Director needs to be notified immediately. Students interviewed by the news media require parental consent. Parents will be asked to sign and submit that form to our Tugboat office.