Schedule
My home is open to daycare children from 6am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. I will be closed on some holidays and all parents will be notified no less than 2 weeks before any closures, except in the event of an emergency. I do not provide weekend or night time care. Please remember, I am a child care provider, not a babysitter.
Payment
Payments must be made with cash or money order. Payments are due in ADVANCE. You may pay weekly, bi-weekly, 1st & 15th or monthly. Each child must be scheduled for either part time or full time care. Parents will be charged the same amount every week (unless a closure for a holiday or emergency) regardless of whether or not the child(ren) attend(s). If a child is going to be gone for an extended period of time (one week or more) parents must fill out a Leave/Vacation Notice at least two weeks in advance. If I do not recieve a written notice 2 weeks in advance you will be responsible for %100 of the cost to hold your child's spot, otherwise, %50 of any full week missed cost must still be paid in order to hold your child(ren)'s spot.
Meals
If your child is going to be dropped off after a meal please be sure that they have eaten before arriving or have a meal packed. Breakfast will be served between 7:30-8:30am. Lunch will be served at 11:00am. Snack will be served at 2:00pm. Although trying new foods is encouraged, your child(ren) will not be forced to eat any food(s) that they do not like. They may be given a substitute for any foods that they do not like and/or they are allergic to.
Naps/Rest Time
Each infant and toddler will have their own pack ’n’ play to sleep in. ALL infants will be placed on their back for sleep times and will be monitored closely. Each child will take naps/rest on mats and in our home-made “pup tents”. Children who do not sleep during nap time will be given a reading light and many age appropriate books to choose from.
Each child will need to bring one blanket for them to sleep with. These blankets need to be brought home on Fridays (or their otherwise last day of care for the week). Parents must wash and dry their blankets and bring them back on Mondays (or their otherwise first day of care for the week). Children are also allowed to bring one stuffed animal or other soft object to help them sleep well.
Nap time is from 11:30ish (after lunch) to 1:30pm. Please try to avoid picking up or dropping off your child(ren) during this time to help them develop good sleeping skills and habits. If you do need to drop off or pick up during this time, please do not ring the door bell.
Drop Off & Pick Up
Please arrive on time. If you will be late for drop off/pick up, let me know as soon as possible, so I may adjust my schedule if need be. Also, all children over 12 months of age are expected to arrive fully dressed and ready for the day. Unless we are having a “pajama party”, please do not bring you child(ren) in pajamas.
Upon arriving with your child please help them remove their coats and shoes. Before you leave please say goodbye and let them know when you will be returning. Although this may produce tears, rest assured, by the time you are out of the parking lot, the tears have stopped. This also helps your child(ren) feel secure in that while you may leave them when you have to, you are always coming back.
If your child(ren) is/are going to be picked up by someone who is not already on their Approved Pick Up List, you will need to provide me with a handwritten note. You will need to provide me with their full name, the date and time they will be getting picked up. You may add people to their Approved Pick Up List anytime but ANYONE who is not known to me will be required to provide a picture ID before taking your child(ren).
When you drop off or pick up, please do not linger. Ten minutes is typically more than sufficient. During daycare hours, I have a job to do. If you need to talk to me, I am available after hours.
Children MUST be picked up by 6pm. A $15/child fee will be charged immediately if you are late to pick up your child(ren).
Drop-Ins
Drop-in care will be provided for currently enrolled children only. Arrangements must be made as far in advance as possible. Drop-in rates are the regular daily rates. Before any drop-ins please be sure that your child has everything that they need here. (Blanket, diapers, wipes, formula etc.)
First Aide
First Aide will be administered when needed. Each parent is required to fill out a Permission Form for medication, sunblock and other first aide items. ALL medications and sunblock must be supplied by parents. Prescribed medications must be brought with a Prescription Medication Form and/or directions from a doctor or nurse. I will supply band aides and other first aide supplies.
Health
It is one of my main responsibilities to help prevent the children in my care from becoming ill. In order for me to ensure the health and safety of the other children and families in my care, I will strictly implement all sick policies. Do not send your child to daycare if (s)he has been sick overnight, or had a fever in the past 24 hours.
Discipline Policy
I will strive to offer praise for good behavior. Should negative behavior happen, it will be dealt with in a constructive manner. Children under 24 months of age will be redirected if they engage in any negative behavior. If a certain negative behavior is repeated by a child that is under 24 months of age, they will be redirected and given one-on-one attention.
If a child over 24 months of age exhibits negative behavior they will be given 3 verbal warnings and redirected each time. After the 3rd time they will be placed on a time out. Time outs will be one minute long for each year of age. (ex: 3 year olds will have a 3 minute time out.) Time outs will take place in a designated area that is the same for all children. No child will be on a time out for more than 5 minutes. During time outs the child will sit quietly and if they should get up I will gently redirect them back to the time out area. Children will never be left unsupervised or out of site of the other children or myself.
Diapering
Diapers will be checked every hour and changed every two hours AND as needed. All diapers will be changed at the changing station which is sanitized between each child. Diapers and wipes will be supplied by the parents. Please bring 25-30 diapers every FRIDAY. This way I am able to stock up the changing station over the weekend and not on Monday morning!
Hand Washing
The children and I will use sanitizers after using the restroom and before and after eating. Antimicrobial soap and sanitizers will be used if hands are visibly dirty.
“Alcohols are not appropriate for use when hands are visibly dirty or contaminated with proteinaceous materials. However, when relatively small amounts of proteinaceous material (e.g., blood) are present, ethanol and isopropanol may reduce viable bacterial counts on hands more than plain soap or antimicrobial soap.”
“Alcohol can prevent the transfer of health-care--associated pathogens (25,63,64). In one study, gram-negative bacilli were transferred from a colonized patient's skin to a piece of catheter material via the hands of nurses in only 17% of experiments after antiseptic hand rub with an alcohol-based hand rinse (25). In contrast, transfer of the organisms occurred in 92% of experiments after hand washing with plain soap and water. This experimental model indicates that when the hands of HCWs are heavily contaminated, an antiseptic hand rub using an alcohol-based rinse can prevent pathogen transmission more effectively than can hand washing with plain soap and water.”
-www.cdc.gov
Security Cameras
We do have security cameras installed in our home. There are a few downstairs, one outside the door, one in the hallway upstairs and one in my sons’ room. There are no cameras in or facing the restroom. These cameras are always recording on a closed circuit. Recordings are saved for 3 days. Should an emergency happen parents may be allowed to view these recordings if they wish, AND there is legal concern about what happened. I will also be able to see a clear picture of who is standing outside the door if I am unsure, before I open it. I do not like opening a door when I do not know who is behind it, especially with children in my care.
Video & Handheld Games and Cell Phones
None of the children are to bring handheld gaming systems, other video games or cell phones to day care. Also please be sure that they do not bring any personal items other than a blanket and soft animal etc. to sleep with. Blankets and other rest items will be left in their cubbies until nap/rest time.
Pajama Days
Occasionally we will have a “Pajama Friday”. Your child may come in pajamas if you/they would like and I will provide a child friendly movie for everyone to watch. I will send home a reminders to let you know when these days will be if you would like them to participate.
Potty Training
I am more than willing to help potty train when the child is ready. I will only help with this process if the parents are going to “stick with it”. Different methods can be discussed and I will work with most. I do have a preferred method – 3 Day Potty Training.
If you would like a printout describing it and how it works, let me know! I’m more than willing to share.
All children who have accidents either awake or asleep, must wear a pull up during nap time.
Confidentiality
Records pertaining to an individual child or his/her parents will be treated as confidential, except in the case of reporting situations which may require child protective services.
