Policies

Requirements for Enrollment

When you enroll your child there will be some necessary paperwork to be filled out. Examples of these are: medical forms (including verification of immunizations), medical release forms, field trip permission forms, etc. I will make all this paperwork available to you and help you with any questions. All paperwork should be completed promptly and returned to me. I will also hand out a copy of this handbook, my fee schedule, and a summary of the licensing regulations for family day care ("Child Care Checklist" pamphlet). After you have had a chance to read through these materials I will meet with you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. I will then ask both parents to sign a written agreement as to fees, the child's hours, etc.
No child will be denied enrollment on the basis of his/her race or religion. I do retain the right to deny enrollment if all my spots for a particular child's age group are filled. I do not make it a policy to deny enrollment on the basis of a child with special needs, however, if after talking with the parents of such a child I realize that I do not have the training, equipment, facilities, etc. to handle their child, I will not accept the child. This is in the best interest of the child, since my goal is to meet the needs of each child. If I am not sure whether or not I could handle a special needs child, I would be willing to try. The parents and I would have to evaluate whether or not this arrangement was working as we went along.

Pick Up and Drop Off

Normal operating hours are from 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Please be prompt in picking up child at or before 6:00 p.m., as our family enjoys “quality family time”. For every minute after 6:00 p.m., I will charge $1. Emergencies do arise, so please call as soon as you are aware that you might be late.

My normal procedure is to release the child only to his or her parents or someone else the parents designate. If someone other than the parent is to pick the child up, please notify me ahead of time. A verbal notice is fine on that day if this person is on the list of those authorized to pick up your child. If the person is not on that list, I must have written permission to release your child.
One of the forms you are required to complete designates who may pick the child up if there is an emergency and you can not contact me. Please make sure those listed are persons with whom you would allow your child to leave if that person showed up at my door and said, "I need to take Johnny with me." Those on the list should also be people I could call in the event something happened and you did not show up to pick up your child.
Please inform your emergency contacts that if I do not know them and the child is too young to recognize them ("Hi, Grandma!"), that I will ask for identification. I do not mean to offend them. This is simply a measure taken for the child's protection.

Rates and Positions

Full-Time Rates:
Full time care is for 25 hours or more, or more than 4 days per week.  Please call for current rate.

Part-Time Rates:
Part-time is less than 25 hours with no more than 4 days for 3 days on a consistent, year-round basis.  Please call for current rates

After School Care:
No payment is due for summer months; however a deposit is required to hold the position during the summer months.

Drop-In Care:
Drop in care is offered at a rate of $45.00 per day. Drop In care will only be offered if position is available. I reserve the right to deny a child if position is filled.

Late Charges:
A  charge of $1.00 per minute (or fraction thereof) is assessed for pick-up's made after the scheduled pick up time as listed on your agreement. 

Payment Procedure

 

You may pay by cash or check, but checks give you a record of your payment to check with my figures at tax time.. If a check is returned, I will notify you and will ask for payment in cash with a $35 bank fee. After the second returned check, I will accept only cash. Thursdays are paydays, daycare fees are due for the week preceding the care given. If you get paid every other week and it is easier to pay every two weeks, talk to me and we will work it out.


I do accept Care 4 Kids. If you are interested in using Care 4 Kids, you must let me know and I must send an application in also in order to receive payment for services. In the event that Care 4 Kids does not cover entire weekly fee, then parent is responsible for remainder.
Daycare fees are charged on a weekly basis. Each family is required to pay the weekly fee whenever the center is open, whether or not the child is in attendance. This weekly fee ensures that the child's spot is held for him/her. Drop-in care will continue to be charged on a daily basis.
My family and I may take a vacation or two during the course of the year. I will have a substitute for such days. In the event that a substitute cannot be obtained, the center will be closed for however long the vacation is and you will not be charged.
Whenever the center is closed due to my illness, you are not required to pay. If the center is open for only part of a week, your weekly fee will be prorated to reflect the actual time it is open.
I will give you a two-week notice of any changes in my fees or policies. At the end of each calendar year I will give you an itemized receipt, showing each payment you made throughout the year. You should check my figures against your records, and then you & I will sign the receipt and retain a copy for our records.
If payments become outstanding, there will be a $5 charge per day that will be assessed until payment is paid in full. If payments become outrageous, child will not be able to come back until all daycare fees are paid.

Termination of Daycare

If for some reason you decide to stop bringing your child to my house I require a two-week written notice. This will give me time to find a child to fill your child's spot. Payment is due for the two-week notice period whether or not the child is brought to daycare. Any outstanding fees must be paid on or before the child's last day. If it becomes necessary for me to resort to legal action to collect fees, the parent(s) will be responsible for legal fees incurred on my part.
If I can no longer watch your child for one reason or another, I will give you at least a two-week notice, but I would try to give you four weeks. I understand that it is not easy to find day care. Examples of why I would terminate your child's care include (but may not be limited to):

• We decide to move (highly unlikely!).
• Failure of parent to pay.
• Failure to complete required forms.
• Lack of parental cooperation.
• Failure of child to adjust to the center after a reasonable amount of time.
• My inability to meet the child's needs without additional staff.

 

Illness

I ask that you have a back-up (someone you can call if I am sick or if your child is sick). If I get sick I will let you know as quickly as possible so that you can make other arrangements for your child. I try to call the night before, but sometimes that's impossible. If I wake up sick, I usually call around 6:30 a.m.
I will not care for a child who is feverish. If he has thrown up or had diarrhea within the last 24 hours please keep him home. If he has a green discharge from his nose he must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before he can attend. If your child is not feeling well, do not give him Tylenol to mask his symptoms. If your child throws up the night before and seems fine the next day, he is more than likely still contagious to the others. You must wait 24 hours. All the children use the same toilet and washroom and they often "mouth" the same toys. They are often very affectionate with each other and it is very difficult to keep a sick child from infecting everyone else.
Illnesses are defined as:

• fever
• conjunctivitis (pink eye) or "cold in the eye"
• flu
• unusual rash
• severe cough
• rapid breathing or labored breathing
• severe cold
• vomiting
• yellowish skin or eyes
• diarrhea
• head lice
• contagious illness of any sort which results in child being too ill to participate in daily activities

I will not accept the child for care if any of the above symptoms are present or have been present within the last 24 hours. If the child shows any of the symptoms while in care, I will remove him from the group and notify the parent or authorized adult to pick up the child. Parents have one hour from time of notification to pick up the child.
The child may return 24 hours after a temperature has returned to normal, 24 hours after the child is no longer vomiting, or 24-48 hours (depending on the illness) after the first dose of an antibiotic. If a child receives an antibiotic for an ear infection he may return to day care immediately if he has been free of other symptoms mentioned for at least 24 hours.
The child is welcome when he has only a mild cold (e.g. runny nose or mild cough), but is able to participate in the day's activities.
If I notice that a child is feeling ill and displaying any of the above listed symptoms, I will separate child from group and call parent immediately. The child must be picked up with in one hour to ensure that the other children do not get exposed any more than they might have and also, for the comfort of your child.

 

Injuries & Other Emergencies

Minor cuts and abrasions suffered while at the center will receive proper care -- specifically, they will be washed with soap and warm water and properly bandaged. Treatment will be logged and I will tell you how and when the injury occurred. I also am required to log any injuries I observe on your child which have occurred outside of my care.
If a medical emergency arises, I will try to contact a parent first, unless doing so endangers the child's life. In that case I will take necessary steps, putting the child first (calling hospital, doctor, poison control, etc.). If need be, I will take your child to Midstate Medical Center or the doctor first, then try to call you when we arrive. If a parent is unable to be reached, I will keep trying until he or she is available.

In the event of a fire, we would evacuate the house immediately (2 exits are available from the first floor) and gather at the neighbor's tree. This will be practiced monthly so the children are familiar with what to do.

If a child would become lost, a thorough search of my house and grounds would be made. If the child were not located, police and parents would be notified and a neighborhood search begun. On a field trip the area where the child was last seen would be substituted for "my house and grounds."
If I become unable to supervise the children during the day for any reason, my first choice for a back-up would be my Mother In Law, Sandy, or my mother, Karen. They are often here and the children know her. If she would be unavailable I would call another one of my friends.. I would always leave your children in the care of someone with whom I would trust my own children.

 

Days Off

I do not watch children on the six major holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (4th of July), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In addition, I take off the day after Thanksgiving. If a Holiday falls on a weekend, I will take off the Friday before or the Monday after. Such days off are considered paid holidays.
Occasionally, I may need to take a day off for a family activity, to catch up on work at home, or just to take a breather. I will try to schedule these far enough ahead of time that you can find someone to watch your child. I also try to pick a day that is convenient for the majority of the parents.

 

Curriculum

I use Funshine Express Preschool (www.funshineexpress.com) curriculum. Children ages 18 months and up participate in this formal curriculum program. This is a purchased product, which has different themes for the month and includes crafts, stories, work sheets, numbers, alphabet, colors, and shapes. We work on the curriculum throughout the week. I use the curriculum as a basis in which I add additional items to help reinforce the current themes, and to help with letter, number, shapes, and colors recognition. I continue to add to the items and rotate others as needed.
As part of this curriculum we have a daily "circle time" for the older children. The younger children are free to sit in, just observe, or to free play. During circle time we discuss something relating to our unit, talk about the days of the week (put numbers on a calendar) and the weather for the day. Older children will also have “Show and Tell” once a week.
Certain units lend themselves to a short field trip for fun and learning (for example, a visit to the fire station, police station, or post office when we are talking about community helpers). In addition to short field trips, we usually take one or two all-day field trips during the summer. Sometimes there will be a small fee for field trips. I will always tell you when a field trip is coming up.
When we take field trips we will walk if the place to visit is close enough. If we do travel by van, each child is properly restrained in the vehicle (car seat or seat belt, according to his age provided by parent).
Any parent suggestions for new activities are always welcome and encouraged.

 

Infants & Toddlers

Infants and toddlers will not necessarily follow the same schedule as the preschoolers. They are not capable of sitting still for circle time, may need a morning nap, etc. Infants are always fed on demand and toddlers usually eat meals and snacks with the older children. This is one reason our daily schedule is not "set in stone." While the older children engage in free play or nap I try to take some time to play with the infants and toddlers (especially infants -- toddlers often play alongside the older children). Feeding time and diaper changing time are good times for interaction with infants and toddlers. Of course, children develop differently, and whenever these "wee ones" wish to join in with the older children (unless it is not a safe activity for them), they will be allowed.
Since infants and toddlers cannot communicate well enough to repeat to parents the time of each diaper change and feeding, and what was eaten, etc. I will fill out a paper for each infant / toddler each day. On it you will find such information as: time of feedings, what eaten, the amount eaten, time of diaper checks and results, times of naps, any medication given, and various comments about the child's day. I generally will discontinue these forms once the child is toilet trained unless necessity dictates me continuing longer for a specific child.

Diaper Changing

I recommend that you purchase packages of disposable diapers to leave at my house. I will let you know when your supply is running low. These supplies will only be used for your child. I change diapers every time they're soiled and at least every 2 hours. Please keep a sufficient number of diapers here--your child needs and deserves comfort!

 

Toilet Teaching

When you feel your child is ready for toilet teaching, I ask that you begin this teaching at home. I will follow through and encourage your child while in my care. Please keep in mind that the activity level here can distract your child from responding to an urge to use the potty, more so than at your home. Therefore, I will continue to use diapers or pull-ups until your child can and will announce that he/she must use the bathroom (not just at home, but here, also) and can control his/her bladder and bowels for a few minutes beyond that announcement.
During toilet learning parents will need to supply:

• three complete changes of clothing (socks included)
• diapers or pull-ups for naptime

Do not bring your child in panties or underwear until he/she has naptime and bedtime control established.
I also ask that during toilet learning, the child be dressed in "user-friendly" clothing as much as possible. The best items are shorts and pants with elastic waists, or dresses for girls. Try to avoid really tight clothing, pants with snaps and zippers, and overalls as often as you can. Your child will want to help pull pants, etc. up and down, plus clothing with too many "gadgets" makes it harder to get the child on the potty in time.

 

Discipline

I try to stress two main patterns of behavior: respect for other people, and respect for property. As a result I don't allow children to hit or shove other children or verbally abuse them. I also stress that they treat material possessions (mine or theirs) with respect. There is a difference between playing hard, and using a toy for a purpose for which it was not intended. For example, books are for looking at, not tearing pages out of, and toy brooms are for sweeping, not for bashing the kitchen set with.
Occasionally children do not behave in respectful ways. I first remind them of the proper behavior. If the behavior is repeated, a "time out" chair is used. The amount of time a child sits in "time out" varies according to his age. Most experts agree that one minute per year of age is the most effective length of time, but this amount will never exceed five minutes, even if the child is more than five years old. When his "time out" is up, I talk to the child (by now he has calmed down) and try to explain why that behavior was inappropriate. I might ask, "What might happen if we continue to throw toys?" The appropriate answers usually come out: something might get broken, the toy might break, and someone might get hit by the toy. If a child still has not calmed down or is really belligerent at this point I try to separate him from the other children with a quiet activity (book, puzzle, etc.). I skip the "reminder" and go straight to "time out" if the offense involves hitting or otherwise physically abusing another child.
If a child continues to abuse a certain toy the privilege of playing with that toy may be taken away from him for a period of several minutes up to the rest of the day. If the whole group of children is engaged in this, the toy will be considered "closed" for a while.
If a child continues to behave inappropriately, I will talk to you about it. Hopefully these two types of behaviors are ones you want your child to adopt, too, so they will be reinforced at home. If that is the case, we shouldn't have any major problems!
Children are never punished for lapses in toilet training or for accidents (spilled milk, for example). In the case of the latter, I will have the child help me clean up, if possible, not for punishment, but to help teach responsibility.

 

 

Religious Practices

I feel that religious teachings should be left up to the parents. That does not mean that God never is mentioned, however. Sometimes God just comes up in conversation. For example, children often start to notice the difference between boys and girls around age three, especially if they have a sibling of the opposite sex or have watched enough diaper-changing. For example, when they ask me "why" about the physical differences between boys and girls, I tell them "because God made boys differently than He made girls." This answer seems to satisfy most preschoolers. You may feel free to elaborate on the subject when your child is at home! I also reinforce to the children that I love them and God loves them, too.
We also usually have parties at Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. If you do not wish to have your child participate in these, please let me know.

 

Meals and Snacks

I serve breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack each day as part of my program to children eating table foods. Each meal includes food or drink from 3-4 of the food groups and each snack includes food or drink from two of the food groups, such as vegetables, fruits, dairy, bread, or meat. Sweets may be included occasionally. Breakfast will be served no later than 8:30 a.m. so if your child is going to be later than this time, please feed him/her breakfast at home.
If your child has an allergy to a specific food, please let me know and I will try to make an appropriate substitution. If a child has so many allergies that he can not eat from the menu, I may require the parents to provide his snacks.
If you wish to provide snacks at your child's birthday or another time, that's great! If you let me know a day ahead of time, it helps. If you ever need some ideas of nutritional snacks (to bring here or to have at home), let me know. I have several books that are full of good ideas!

 

Naps

All children under the age of five will be required to have a rest time (and I haven't met one yet who doesn't need it!). I will provide a safe, warm, quiet place for your child to rest. Children one and older will sleep in playroom on a mat and a blanket provided by the parents. Blankets should be brought in on Monday and brought home to be washed on Fridays. Those under one year will always be in a crib or playpen, with a blanket. Children who wake up before the rest will be guided in finding a quiet time activity to engage in that will not disturb any sleeping children.
If at any time your child is not sleeping at night, or he doesn't seem ready to go to bed and you feel it is because he sleeps too long here, don't hesitate to mention it to me and I can try waking him up a little earlier than he is used to getting up.

 

Outdoor Play

Please dress your child appropriately for the current weather, and in play clothes (with shoes that adequately protect the feet and are not slick-soled -- tennis shoes are a good choice). When the weather cooperates we will spend time outdoors, ranging from a walk when it is fairly cool to more time spent outside as the weather warms up. According to state law children are supposed to go out a little each day except for really inclement weather, but the weather will have to be fairly mild before I take the children outside since I also watch babies. I am not about to take the babies out for a walk in cold weather, and I certainly can't leave them home alone! During spring and fall our outdoor play will probably range from 10 - 30 minutes, and in the summer it may be two or more hours long (maybe not all at once). Sunscreen will be applied during summer days. Also during hot summer days we may spend some time running through sprinkler, so please provide a bathing suit.

 

 

Indoor Play

Indoor Play constitutes the majority of our play time (when the entire year is averaged). I provide a variety of age-appropriate toys for your child to play with. If your child wishes to bring a toy to play with for the day, please make sure it has no little parts that could come off and cause a child to choke. All toys should be safe for children under three years of age. I will not be responsible for toys from home that get broken or lost at day care. The responsibility remains with the child and the parents.  If child would like to bring a stuffed animal for sleeping please write name on animal, so if animal is lost it is easily found.

Personal Belongings and Clothing
Your child’s’ clothing should all be labeled with his/her name. I am not responsible for lost articles. Children may bring their own toys if their name is printed on them. Please do not send any toys with your child/children that you would not want them to share with the other children. If your child/children do not share their toy(s) that he/she brings, I will take the toy(s) and hold them till the end of the day. (This is to keep the children from arguing and fighting) Please send your child/children with an extra change of clothes incase of an accident. Children should wear play clothes and dress according to the weather. If your child/children is dressed inappropriately he/she may miss out on some outdoor activities.