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| COUNTRY DAYCARE HANDBOOK
The following is a list of rules and regulations governing our Child Care Agreement. Please read this handbook thoroughly as it contains important policies and procedures that pertain to the care of your child. If you have any questions or need clarification, please ask me! My goal is to provide your child (ren) with a clean, safe, comfortable environment where they can play and learn with guidance and loving care while you are at work. We will be integrating curriculum, arts & crafts, music, storytimes, and a variety of skill development activities during our days, but my first priority is for your child (ren) to have fun in a safe, loving environment. I retain the right to enforce these policies at will. Lack of enforcement of a certain policy at any time does not indicate that the particular policy is no longer in effect. The policies listed within this handbook are set forth by Country Daycare in accordance to guidelines that I must follow. Your contract becomes effective upon signing by parent and provider. Contract must be in place prior to the child (ren) s first day in care. Failure to comply with these policies may result in immediate termination and loss of deposit and fees at the discretion of provider. |
| Business Hours/Overtime
Hours of operation � Monday � Friday from 6:00 AM until 5:30 PM I provide childcare from Monday to Friday during your contracted hours only. We will figure your work hours plus fair commute time and this will become your contracted or scheduled hours. Any changes to your schedule must be discussed and re-scheduled based on my ability to meet your new need with my own schedule. There is a fee of $5.00 for every fifteen minutes or portion thereof that your child is dropped off earlier than the contracted arrival time (without prior approval) and for children not picked up by the contracted time. Late arrival does not constitute late pick up. Please be on time daily. These late fees will be added to your next payment due. Drop Off/Pick Up If you are having someone other than yourself drop off or pick up your child, you must let me know in advance. I will need to know the name of the person. Please advise them that I will require identification on that first time. I will not allow a child to leave daycare with someone other than parent without parental permission. Phoning me to let me know someone other than yourself will be picking up or dropping off your child is fine. Verification of Legal Custody I must have a copy of the court order recognizing the parent who has legal custody of the child, as well as visitation schedules. Otherwise, I have no choice except to release the child to either of his/her parent. Registration Fees and Deposit A non-refundable registration fee/deposit of $25.00 per family is required. This fee covers the cost of all registration materials, processing, and art materials for your child's first year at Country Daycare. This fee is nonrefundable, and non-transferable, even if you opt not to continue in Country Daycare for any reason. Your annual renewal registration fee is $10.00 and will be due on the anniversary date of your initial contract Fees My fee for daycare is based on a weekly rate. Rates are based on contracted hours. I depend on this income as you depend on yours. Please be prompt with your payments. Payment is expected on Fridays at time of child pick-up. Drop in and/or part time care payments are to be paid on the last schedule day of care each week. Payment may be made via check, cash or money order. If, at any time, a check from you is returned due to non-sufficient funds (or for any other reason), a charge of $30.00 will be applied. You will be responsible for all fees incurred due to the bad check. The current payment, including the returned check charge and other fees, must be paid in full via cash or money order before your child will be allowed to return to daycare. If there are any other instances of returned checks, you will be required to pay via cash or money order only. Payment schedule is according to contract terms. If you need to change your payment options, please let me know in advance. Note that a change of contract hours may result in a change to weekly fees charged. Your child is expected to be dropped off and picked up at the contracted times. If your child will not be on time, please phone me ahead of time. Overtime Fees Any time that is not prearranged, will be $5.00 per 15-minute increment. Overtime that is prearranged (with a 24-hour notice) will be $5 an hour per child, subject to my availability. Late Payment Fees If payment is not received on the last schedule day of care, late fees will be incurred at $5.00 per day until payment in full is received. Trial Period/Termination Once your child is enrolled at Country Daycare, there will be a 3-week trial period. During this time, if I feel your child is not adjusting well, I will speak with you about this. Please do the same if you have any concerns. If at the end of the 3 weeks, I feel this is not the proper setting for your child (ren), I have the right to terminate care. You have this same right. If termination takes place at this time or prior, contracts will be null and void and no extra payment will be expected, only your weekly amount owed to date. Please know that I will do my best to help your child be comfortable and enjoy the time in my care. If termination, for any reason, takes place after the trial period, I will require 2 weeks notice and 2 weeks payment. If I am terminating the care, I will attempt to help you find other arrangements that I feel would benefit your child (ren). Holidays The following days are understood to be the paid holiday schedule for the child care provider. *The holidays that I will observe and will not offer child care are as follows: � New Years Eve/Day, - Good Friday, � Memorial Day, � 2 days for Independence Day, � Labor Day� 2 days for Thanksgiving, and 3 days for� Christmas *Please note: A new Holiday schedule will be provided to you by December 1st of each year. Child�s Vacation Payment will not be required for one week�s vacation time from daycare. Parent must provide daycare provider with one week-advanced notice of vacation dates. Your child�s spot will be held open for them. If taking more than one-week vacation per year, you must pay partial weekly payment to keep your child (ren) s spot in daycare. Partial payment will be determined by provider and parent discussion, but will not be more than 50% of normal weekly fees. Provider�s Vacation In addition to the above stated days, provider may schedule two weeks vacation (not necessarily continuous) one of which is at no cost to you. If vacation time is planned, provider will notify parents at least 2 weeks in advance. I currently use one of these weeks as individual days that I may need off. These days are paid days for me. If I take a week of continuous vacation days, this will be with out pay for me. I have yet to use this week but I do contract for it. In the event of an emergency for me, I will give you as much notice as possible. If I have days remaining of paid time off, I will use this first. Please remember that you are responsible for finding substitute care for your child during this time. Meals Breakfast, Lunch and 2 snacks will be provided daily. Breakfast will be served between 7:30 AM and 8:15 AM. If your child arrives after this time, I will expect that they have eaten breakfast at home. Lunch will be served between 11:00 AM and 11:45 AM. I believe that mealtime should be a pleasant time, therefore, children will be offered all of the food group items but will not be forced to eat. Morning and afternoon snack times will be scheduled around nap times and activities. If food is brought from home for your child as a special treat, please remember to bring enough for all of the children in daycare. This will alleviate hurt feelings. Please also be sure that the food is a healthy snack. Parents must provide formula and baby food for infants requiring such. Once your child is able to eat table foods and drink milk or juice, I will provide these items. Illness & Sick Care The health and well being of all of the children here is the utmost importance to me. It is for the protection of all of the children that I must adhere to a Health policy. Even with all precautions, children do get sick. Your child will not be allowed in daycare if they are ill with any of the following: Conjunctivitis, Pink Eye, Impetigo, Chicken Pox, Hepatitis A, Scarlet Fever, Scabies, Lice, Measles, Meningitis, Mumps, Rubella, Pinworm, Ringworm, Strep Throat or High Fever. Please notify me as soon as possible if your child is ill and will not be coming to daycare. If your child must be kept home for more than 3 days, due to a diagnosed illness, your weekly rate will be reduced by 50%. Your child (ren) s spot will be held open for them. You may be required to provide a written notice from your doctor to allow child reentrance to daycare. If your child becomes ill while in my care and I determine the child is too ill to remain in daycare, you will be contacted and asked to come and pick up your child. You will have 1 hour from my call to pick your child up or make other arrangements. This is only fair to all the children. I utilize the Cleveland Clinic Nurse on call hotline for any diagnosed illnesses. I follow their guidelines for the amount of time a child should not be in daycare due to any illness. Even if your doctor authorizes return to daycare, it is at my discretion whether to keep them removed according to the Cleveland Clinic guidelines. No medications will be given to any child without consent from parent. Verbal permission for non- prescription medication may include but is not limited to Tylenol, Cold or Cough and/or Motrin. Written permission is required for prescribed medications. Any prescription medication that is to be administered must be delivered to me in the original labeled bottle with clear dosage/storage information listed. No prescription medication will be given to any child that the medication was not prescribed for. No expired medication will be given to any child. If child is unable to go outside or participate in daily activities due to illness, please advise me of this when dropping the child off at daycare. Special needs required by one child restrict the activities of all the children. Prolonged requests for special treatment may result in a request to keep the child home until they are able to participate in normal activities. If child requires a modified diet while recovering from an illness or injury, please advise me. You may be requested to supply the necessary food items. If your child is ill or for any reason will not be here for the day, please call me prior to their scheduled drop off time to let me know. If you know the night before, please call me by 10:00 PM. Please be sure that your child is current with any/all required immunizations. Please provide updated immunization records as needed. Some of the features that help insure your child�s health are: � Adherence to health policy � Current immunizations are required � Good hygiene is stressed at all times � Every attempt is made to keep toys and play areas sanitized � Napping is done on individual blankets/cots � Food preparation is done in a safe and hygienic manner � Hand washing is done before/after eating, after diapering, use of toilet, outside play, messy crafts/projects and other numerous times per day. Emergency In case of an emergency, necessary first aid will be administered to the child. If needed, provider will contact 911 and your child will be transported to the nearest hospital. YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. If there is a need for your child to be transported by ambulance, all costs will be covered by you. In the event I am unable to reach your or your emergency contacts; I will do my best to find alternate care to be with your child at the hospital or here with the other children so that I may be with your child until you are reached. My children, my sister and my mother are well known to the children in my care. Rest assured, in the case of such an emergency, I would not leave any child alone with someone they do not know. Toilet Training Please let me know when you feel your child is ready to begin learning to use the potty. This is your responsibility but I will assist you in any way possible. Please advise me as to the terms that you would like used during toilet training. Please understand that your child�s learning experiences will not be a private matter. I am responsible for all of the children in my care and must be aware of the other children�s whereabouts at all times. You will need to provide me with changes of outfits and undergarments. Soiled clothing will be sent home for laundering. I do use a reward system for toilet training and will never discipline nor belittle a child who has an accident. This time should always be a positive experience. Learning Experiences While in my care, your child will be exposed to many kinds of learning experiences including but not limited to: � Arts/Crafts � Music � Story Time � Free Play � Age appropriate learning (numbers, colors, etc.) � Outside play (weather permitting) � Free play (indoor and outdoor) � Field trips Parents can be confident that their child is being well cared for in a cheerful, loving environment. Child Abuse As a family child care provider, I am mandated by law to recognize and report any evidence of child abuse (physical or emotional) or neglect. This is strictly for the benefit of your child. This policy also includes the proper use of child car seats and booster seats. If, upon pick-up I suspect you are under the influence of alcohol or other substance, I will not release the child to you. I will do 1 of the following: a) Call someone on your designated pick-up list b) call a cab (your expense) or c) another arrangement of your choice. If you insist on taking the child anyway, I will have no choice but to call the police and/or Child Protective Services. My first obligation is to the safety & welfare of your child. Divorce, Legal Separation, or Unmarried Parents with Custodial Agreements Unfortunately, in today�s world divorce, separation and unmarried parents with custody and support agreements are a reality. I recognize and respect the rights of both parents. I have included this language in my policy to protect all parties from misunderstandings and to protect the children by complying fully with all custody arrangements. I require that all parents in this situation divulge this information and provide me with a copy of the custody arrangements so that I may understand and comply fully with your specific legal arrangements. In the cases of custodial arrangements where both parents have joint legal custody, but one parent has been granted sole physical custody, all daycare arrangements will be made solely with the parent having been granted physical custody by the courts. In these cases, extended visitations to the non-custodial parent will be treated as vacations and payment will be expected during the child�s absences unless we have made other written arrangements in your contract. In the cases of custodial arrangements where both parents have joint legal custody and joint physical custody is alternated between parents, contracts will be entered into with both parents. In this case I encourage a single daycare contract signed by both parents but will honor requests for separate contracts when absolutely necessary. Payment arrangements will be specified in each contract. Children will only be released to parents having physical custody or authorized emergency pick-up personnel. If the non-custodial parent is picking the child up from care I need verbal permission from the custodial parent before I will release the child to their other parent. In the cases of parents having joint custody, custody transfers will be per the court ordered custody and support arrangement. If, for example one parent is given the child every other weekend and attempts to pick up that child on a non-visitation day, I need specific permission to release that child to the non-custodial parent on that day. On occasion both parents may show up at my home at the same time. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Again, please respect my profession, my home and me. My responsibility is for the welfare of your child while in my care. Disrespectful behavior, especially threats or violence will result in appropriate actions being taken on my behalf to protect the welfare of the child and other children in my care. These actions may include, but are not limited to: a) Asking one or both parents to leave b) Calling the police and reporting a domestic violence incident at my daycare. c) Performing any or all steps outlined in the child abuse section of this handbook. Communication is especially important in this situation. It is not at all uncommon for parents to disagree on child rearing and discipline issues in these situations. Please do not place me in the uncomfortable position of being an arbitrator in these matters. I am not responsible to be your counselor or to decide which parent is right or wrong. My job is to provide the most healthy, positive care environment I can for your child. Repeated attempts to put me in the middle of issues regarding your child will be grounds for immediate termination of services. Household Pets Country Daycare does have household pets. There is one large dog (Chloe) that is in my home that the children are allowed to interact with. She receives appropriate veterinary care and is current with all required vaccinations. She is a fun part of your child (ren) s day. Although her size can be intimidating, she has always been wonderful with children. We also have one African Grey Parrot (Captain) that is in the home but the children do not have physical contact with him. He too is current with all necessary veterinary requirements. I believe that pets can provide a much-needed source of entertainment and enjoyment for children. At any time, if you or your child (ren) feel uncomfortable with any of the animals in my home, please advise me of this. Misc. Parent will be expected to supply all necessary diapering and toiletry items. You may leave a supply of diapers, training pants, wet wipes, etc. You may also leave Tylenol or other over the counter medications here for your child. Please write your child (ren) s name on these items. They will be used only for the child they were supplied for. Please provide at least one full change of clothing appropriate for the weather. I can not be responsible for getting a new outfit stained, etc. Please be aware that we will be playing and send your child in appropriate clothing. We make every attempt to have an outside period daily. Please dress your child for the weather. You may leave extra sets of hats, gloves, snowsuits, jackets or boots here if you would like. Children will have their own area for these personal belongings. Please do not send your child to daycare with sandals on. When we are outside the children love to run and sandals tend to hinder their running abilities causing them to fall more often. Sandals also allow the pea gravel to get into them causing the child pain and trouble continually stopping to empty their sandal! Tennis shoes work best for children at play! Paperwork I must have all required paperwork in your child (ren) s file prior to the first day of care. If any of the information changes, please fill out a change form. You may request these from me at any time. I will be sending one home with Holiday dates each December. I must have current contact numbers for you at all times. I will also check paperwork twice a year for any/all updates. Required paperwork will be given to you and will need to be completed in your child (ren) s file by Jan.31of each year. Contracts will be reviewed and must be renewed each year. Medical release forms, etc. will also need to be renewed each year. Parent/Provider Communication I will attempt to maintain an open line of communication with you regarding your child (ren) and any issues surrounding your childcare. Any news involving changes in my policies will be communicated in writing. Please share information with me that will aid me in caring for your child. Honest open communication between parent and provider is of utmost importance for the best care of your child (ren). This handbook can be amended at any time. Any amendments will be dated and given to parents in writing. I look forward to caring for your child (ren) and having a good working relationship with you. |
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