Complete Policies

Holidays

We will be closed on the following Holidays:

New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Emancipation Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, *Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, "Christmas Day

Full fees are due regardless of statutory holidays or holiday days off.

Enrollment Requirements

• Signed Parent contract & Rate Agreement
• Completed Child Profile
• Copy of Immunization (or signed waiver)
• Signed consent forms
• Blue card
• All about me packet

Spaces will not be held by verbal contract, a deposit must be paid to hold a spot for you and your child.

I require the parent/guardian and child to visit my center before enrollment. This process allows your child(ren) to become more familiar with our daycare and staff.

Payment Procedures

Forms of payment include credit card or cash.

All fees must be paid by Monday (or the first day of care) at drop off time for the current week of services. If payment is not received by Monday at pick-up time a late payment fee will be applied to your account of $5 per day, to ensure accurate supplies to keep the daycare running, fees need to be on time. After 3 days of late fees added to your account, your care will be suspended until fees are paid.

Full fees are due regardless of the child's illness, the status of a calendar holiday, or holiday days off.

A receipt for fees paid throughout the year will be provided at the end of each year for tax purposes - monthly receipts are available upon request. Fees are subject to increase with a minimum of two weeks' notice.

Parents/guardians who use government subsidies to help pay for fees are responsible for renewing their authorization before it expires. If parents/guardians do not renew their subsidy claim before their previous claim expires the parents/guardians will be responsible for full fees until I receive authorization to bill the government and have received payment. If/when I receive back payment from the ministry (for fees already paid for by the parents), I will reimburse the parents/guardians the subsidy amount.

I do offer a family discount of 10% off your bill (excluding infant care) for families with one additional child per household. This discount does not apply to part-time rates.

Vacation

After 6 months of full-time, continuous care, I offer 2 weeks of vacation time per year, where fees do not need to be paid. I ask that a minimum of 2 weeks' notice be given before vacation dates are given. Weeks do not need to be taken back to back but must be used as a whole week (not one day here, one day there, etc.). Vacation weeks do not carry over from year to year, and reset December 31st, each year. "Part-time children are allowed one week of vacation time. One week equates to the number of days your child is in childcare. For example: If your child is in care 2 days a week (Mon & Wed), one week will be 2 days.

I will take up to 2 weeks of vacation per year. You will not be expected to pay as you will have to find other childcare means. I will let parents know at least 1 month in advance.

Entering the Daycare

Upon arriving at the daycare, I ask that you hang the child's belongings up and remove their shoes in the foyer. Parents must remove their shoes at the blue runner or put a pair of blue shoe coverings over their sneakers. This helps us to prevent the spread of outdoor germs from coming into the daycare. It is never okay to wear your shoes in daycare without proper coverings. Anyone entering the daycare is required to take the proper steps in sanitizing.

Signing In and Out / Attendance Records Policy

Children are signed in and out by parents/guardians upon their arrival and departure. If your child is not going to attend care as per usual please inform me by 8 am. This will help me plan activities for the day. When your child does not attend daycare you must call or text to let me know the reason if it is a communicable illness I am required to record this in case of other cases breaking out. If I do not answer the phone please leave a message.

If someone else will be picking up your child please let me know upon arrival and have a note stating who the person leaving with your child is. A photo ID will be required by the person picking up your child. Please let any individuals other than parents who may pick up the children know that they will be asked for a picture ID to ensure the safety of all children. "Children are not permitted to leave with any person who does not have a note/photo ID.

Children will not be released to unauthorized individuals. If someone shows up to pick up your child and I was not made aware of it, I will have to track you down to confirm that this is permitted, get a note written from you as well as see a picture ID of that individual to confirm their identity. If you cannot hand deliver me a note that someone else will be leaving with your child before the time they come for pickup, please write a note wherever you are, take a picture of it, and text it to me.

Clothing Code

Children should come dressed in comfortable, season-appropriate clothing that can get dirty since some activities we do daily are messy. A spare change of clothes is required for all children in the case of soiling clothes. Children under the age of 3, and those who are potty-training require at least 2 changes of clothing (including socks). I want to keep your children happy and comfortable.

Sneakers and socks are required every single day. It is never appropriate to dress your child in sandals, open-toed shoes, or croc-like shoes. In winter months, boots are acceptable.

A separate set of indoor shoes is required at the daycare for each child at all times. Feet are required to remain covered by public health at ALL times when indoors. I ask that before starting my program, you provide your child with a pair of croc-like slips as their indoor shoes at the program. Children MUST wear socks every day. Since there will be babies crawling on the floor, we mustn't track dirt/mud/rain in the program.

Parents/Guardians are asked/expected to use blue slipcovers for their feet or to remove shoes completely!

Please also remember whenever weather permits the children are taken outside for 1-2 hours per day. Please ensure that you have proper outerwear provided for your child so that they are comfortable and won't miss out on outdoor play. If a child does not have proper outdoor apparel the entire classroom will have to stay inside if an assistant is not present. This happens all too often in the wintertime because of a lack of snow pants, hats, and mitts. Please leave an extra pair of these items with us if you can, or be sure to bring them every day.

Please ensure that children come dressed in "play" clothes. Although we are careful while doing art, cooking, and playing outside; there are instances where clothes could become dirty and stained. I appreciate your understanding and so do the children. Extra supplies can be left at the daycare and replenished when necessary. My center is not responsible for any of your child's clothing damaged from play.

It is asked that toys from home are not brought to the center.

Items Needed From Home

• A labeled bag to fit your child's spare clothing, diapers, and any over-the-counter topical ointments, sunscreens, and repellants. This bag will be left in your child's cubby. You are expected and responsible to look through this weekly/daily and restock any items from home that your child may need.
• Diapers
• Spare Clothing - including underwear and socks, at least 2 complete sets for those potty training age and under.
• Sunscreen/Sunblock/Insect Repellant and a wide-brimmed hat. Please note that I am required to have a signed document allowing permission for me to use these items on your child. My program does not supply these items so please keep these items stocked for your child.
• Classroom shoes & socks that are strictly for childcare and not worn outside.
• Weather-appropriate clothing- jacket/splash/snow pants/hats/mitts, boots, etc. - lack of weather-appropriate clothing could prevent your child from enjoying our outdoor playtime and the entire classroom if an assistant is absent. Please ensure you dress your child for outdoor play every day.

Absences / Exclusion from Daycare

If a child is too sick to attend daycare, please keep him/her home. To prevent the spread of illness/sickness, there is no "sick room" at the daycare. The best place for a child to be recuperating from an illness is at home. I must keep my center as "germ-free" as possible to prevent the spread of sickness in other children. It is also important that I remain healthy enough to care for children without having to inconvenience parents/guardians by taking sick time off. There are also many symptoms that a child may have that may prevent them from being able to partake in everyday activities. If your child experiences any of the following (for the safety of our center) please keep them home until they are gone, or are well enough to participate in normal activities:

• Excessive drainage (clear or discolored) from the mouth, nose, eyes, or ears.
• Red discoloration to the whites of the eye(s).
• Skin rashes as they are difficult to diagnose unless seen by a physician.
• Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.
• A deep, hacking cough
• Difficulty breathing or untreated wheezing
• Yellow discharge from the eyes
• Unusual yellow coloring of the skin or eyes
• Cuts or openings on the skin that are pus-filled or oozing
• Lice or nits
• Pain - any unexplained or undiagnosed pain
• Difficulty in breathing, wheezing or persistent cough
• Fever (100.0°F / 38.3°C or higher) - The child must be free from fever (without being medicated) for 24 hours before returning to care at the facility
• Sore Throat or trouble swallowing
• Infected skin or eyes (mucus/pus draining) or an undiagnosed rash
• Severe body or scalp itching
• Children with a known or suspected communicable disease/illness
• Vomiting - 2 or more times in 24 hours may return to care after 24 hours without vomiting
• Diarrhea (as defined by an increase in frequency and loosening of stool) - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without loose stools/diarrhea
• Just not feeling good - a child must be well enough to participate in the entire childcare day to be at daycare

If your child(ren) is sent to daycare with any of the above-listed symptoms or develops these symptoms during the day they will be sent home. Children should NEVER be medicated and then sent to daycare (i.e. given Tylenol to break fever). You should arrange for backup care when your child is sick, and unfortunately, there are no refunds or discounts for days that your child does not attend daycare. There are still costs associated with each childcare spot each day that unfortunately cannot be avoided if your child is not in attendance.

If your child will not be attending daycare due to illness or any other reason, please let me know as soon as possible, as well as the reason they will not be attending. This will prevent activities from being delayed.

For the safety of our center, please do not bring children back into the program without a dated, signed, doctor's note stating that the child is well enough to continue participating in the program.

Full fees are due regardless of a child's illness. You will receive 1 sick day per month. Please provide me with a doctor's note. You are not expected to pay for this sick day. Please note, that this monthly sick day will not roll over to the next month.

Developing Illness Policy

If a child becomes ill during the day, to the point where they cannot participate in regular activities, the parents/guardians will be contacted immediately and required to come pick the child up. If the parents/guardians can't be reached the alternate emergency contact person will be called to come pick up the child. Please make sure that members of your emergency list will be aware of this. Allergy-related and common cold symptoms as well as non-communicable diseases/illnesses do not require that the child be excluded from care.

If any of the following conditions are present, it is required that children be excluded from care: Children may return to care when they are free of symptoms and approved to return by a medical doctor.

• Pain - any unexplained or undiagnosed pain
• Difficulty in breathing - wheezing or persistent cough
• Fever (100.0°F / 38.3°C or higher) - children must be free from fever (without being medicated) for 24 hours before returning to care at the facility
• Sore Throat or trouble swallowing
• Infected skin or eyes (mucus/pus draining) or an undiagnosed rash
• Severe body or scalp itching
• Children with a known or suspected communicable disease/illness
• Vomiting - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without vomiting
• Diarrhea (as defined by an increase in frequency and loosening of stool) - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without loose stools/diarrhea
• Cuts or openings on the skin that are pus-filled or oozing
• Lice or nits
• Excessive drainage (clear or discolored) from the mouth, nose, eyes, or ears.
• Just not feeling good - a child must be well enough to participate in the entire childcare day to be at daycare
• A deep hacking cough

Parents are required to inform me of any serious illness or communicable/contagious disease (with their child or within their family) within 24 hours to allow other families within the childcare center to be alerted.

Medications

With any prescription antibiotics children may not return to care until they've had a full 24 hours of dosage, are no longer contagious, and are ready to participate in the full childcare day, to ensure they are well on the road to recovery and must have a doctor's note.

If your child is given medication to be taken by a doctor to heal from an illness, please keep the medication in the original container with a label. Place medication in a zip lock bag with the name on it and make sure everything on the label can be read clearly.

Allergies

All allergies (and dietary concerns) will be posted in each room and written on the child's emergency info/consent cards. Please note that we are a PEANUT-FREE facility. If you send any food with your child or donate any food to any functions held at the daycare please ensure that these foods are PEANUT FREE. If they do not have the appropriate symbols or ingredients list then they will not be served to anyone for safety reasons and will have to be returned home, or discarded.

If your child has any dietary restrictions or allergies, please let me know in writing and provide me with the necessary medical statement from a doctor. If your child has an EpiPen or inhaler, please provide it to me with a label and expiration date. It is required that you give me training on how to use these.

Nutrition/Meals

Will provide a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snacks daily. There will be two snacks; an am snack and a pm snack. Fridays are our pizza days. A menu will be posted for the week, if your child doesn't eat something or is allergic please notify me or the staff.

• No sodas, no processed juices, no refined sugars.
• This option promotes the consumption of a dairy or nondairy milk of choice, freshly squeezed juice or juiced with a cold press juicer, fresh fruit smoothies, and natural spring water.
• Meats such as organic chicken, turkey, eggs, and beef are served.
• Children will be served foods such as meat (chicken, eggs, beef), chickpeas or chickpea pasta, wild rice, quinoa, nuts/seeds, beans, avocados, plant-based pastas, oats, and potatoes, brown rice, whole grain bread, almond/walnut/cashew butter as an alternative to peanut butter.
• Fruits such as apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, mangos, chopped grapes, oranges, kiwi, pineapple, pear, plums, lime (and any other seasonal fruits) are served to children during every meal unless substituted by a vegetable (breakfast, snacks, and lunch time).
• Children will be served at every meal (unless substituted with a fruit) veggies such as carrots, string beans, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber, celery, corn, lettuce/spinach/kale, peppers, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, zucchini, squash, asparagus, avocados, chickpeas, beets, and beans.

Child Abuse/Neglect

If there is any abuse or neglect suspected of any children in my care, by law I am required to report it. Please be aware that children will NOT be released under any circumstances to impaired individuals. If I have reason to believe that any person picking up a child is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, an emergency contact will be called to pick up the child. The incident will also have to be documented and reported.

Potty Training Policies

I strive to support your efforts of potty training at home right through the day here at daycare. However, there are some key signs to look for before I can help you train your child at the center. The key signs of readiness for potty training include:

• The child can pull down and up their pants and underwear/pull-ups on their own with little or no assistance
• The child can communicate to you when they need to go to the bathroom
• The child's diaper is dry after nap times and for long periods during the day
• The child can hold their bowels and bladder until they get to the potty once they realize that they need to go

If these signs are not present, your child is not ready to potty train at my center, as I cannot have a potty in each room for them to use it is against public health sanitation policies.

When your child does potty training, I ask that you provide extra clothing and remove soiled clothing daily. If I run out of clean clothes and underwear then you will have to be contacted during the day to provide them, as I do not have daycare "loaner" clothes.

Supervision of Children

Discipline Policy

Discipline and guidance centers around respect and responsibility. Each child is expected to be a respectful, responsible member of our group. This ranges from children cleaning up their own "messes" to using manners and politeness when speaking with teachers, parents, and each other.

All "rules" center on these respect/responsibility/safety guidelines. The only rules are those that are required to maintain a safe and respectful environment for all the children in my center.

Children who are a constant danger to themselves, the other children in the classroom, the belonging of the center, or the teacher will be removed from the program. The safety of the children is my number one priority. It is my responsibility to keep everyone safe.

My Plan for Behavior Management

1. Redirect. In a conflict, give an alternate toy or activity to one of the children competing for the toy. Have multiples of popular toys.
2. Focus on "Do" rather than "Don't." For example, "We walk inside" instead of "Stop running inside."
3. Offer choices: "You can either sit on the rug or at the table for story time."
4. Encourage children to use friendly words rather than physical acts. For example: suggest using the phrase, "I was playing with that toy."
5. Praise positive behavior: "Thank you for using your words."
6. Model desired behaviors for the children to learn by example.
7. Arrange the program space to positively impact children's behavior. For example, avoid large open spaces that might encourage children to run indoors.
8. Listen to the children and respond to their needs proactively to achieve their goals. Keeping the children engaged with activities helps prevent conflict.
9. For preschool and school-age children, involve the children in the development of the classroom rules and consequences.

Telephone Communication

If you need to contact the daycare for any reason, please feel free to phone (256-403-6841). If you get my voicemail please do leave a message, as I am often out or busy with the children and unable to get to the phone at that moment. I do check messages regularly and return phone calls as soon as I get the chance. Thank you for your understanding. If you call outside of daycare hours please leave a detailed message. I will return your call during my business hours.

Parent Involvement

My doors are always open to parents who would like to be involved in their child's care and education. I welcome any comments or suggestions from parents about programming or the care of their children. If any parents wish to volunteer at my center, or on outings please contact me so we can make the necessary arrangements.

Photographs/Video Cameras

I like to take lots of pictures at the daycare to share with the children and show the parents how much fun we have at daycare. For the safety of my home and the children, we do not have a Facebook page. Please feel free to save the pictures of your child from any emails, however, keep in mind you cannot share any pictures of children in a public forum unless you have written consent of that child's parents. So if you do save pictures or wish to share them with friends on Facebook please ensure there are no other children's faces in the pictures.

"We do have a video monitoring system protecting the outside of our daycare."

Use of the Property

• Smoking on the premises is prohibited.
• Please do not litter on the property.
• It is never okay to park in the driveway/ or block the driveway for any amount of time. The owner is not responsible for accidents that take place on the property.
• There are 3 parking spots parents may use to park for pick up for daycare. You may park on the other side of the street only if we have functions and must carry the child across the street. Please watch over children closely when entering/exiting daycare or the car. Please reinforce to the children to never run in the road, to look both ways for cars, and to stay close to their parent/guardian at all times (this is one of our learning lessons as we take stroller walks, practice fire drills, and exit the side entrance for outdoor play). Safety is my main priority.
• I ask that when doing drop-offs/pickups with your other children who are not enrolled in the program, you keep a close eye on them. Please remember and be respectful of our no-shoe policy. If you have other children picking up or dropping off with you, it is required that they either remove their shoes to join their sibling or place blue coverings over their shoes. Please remove your shoes as well. The health of our classroom is a main standard I believe in.

Withdrawal Of Services Policy

A MINIMUM 2 WEEKS WRITTEN NOTICE is required for termination of childcare services. Even if your child does not attend during those two weeks, payment is still required. Any fees not paid on time with regards to termination of child care services will also be subject to daily late fees until full payment is received. If fees are not paid, the unpaid bill will be placed into collections.

In the event of any concerns, a meeting can be scheduled to address the issues. The meeting will involve the owner/operator, and involved staff members, and the parents/guardians involved. The concerns will be clearly stated (ex. late payment, failure to adhere to center policies, behavioral problems, etc.) and discussed. Meeting minutes will be taken, and solutions will be sought in a non-judgmental manner. A plan will be designed to resolve the issue. A second meeting will be scheduled to review the situation within a reasonable time frame. In the event the issue cannot be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, a 2-week written notice of termination of services will be given. You are required to pay for the child's final 2 weeks.

All Policy HandBooks must be read & followed up by the Guardian Signing & Agreeing to our HandBook & Fee Agreement on the next pages. Please see & Sign the Attached & return a signed Copy to the Owner/Operator. Thank you.