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DancingQueen 09:13 AM 12-01-2010
I had to break it up into two


Originally Posted by :
My Philosophy of Quality Care

I will strive to provide a safe, comfortable, stimulating, fun, educational environment in my home with a semi-structured play plan. Activities will include free playtime, structured playtime, large motor skill playtime, small motor skills activities, nutrition, cultural activities, and other educational yet fun activities. I will also provide nutritious snacks, and encourage good personal hygiene skills and manners.

The television may be on at times during regular care hours and then only to watch educational programs or activities which are appropriate for young viewers.

Through a mixture of guided and undirected creative play, children in my care will have the opportunity to learn about color, shapes, textures, numbers, letters, animals, seasons, feelings, senses, nutrition, personal hygiene, manners, and creative concepts such as “pretend” play, art, music, drama, and dance.

These may sound like big goals for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, but children can learn all of these things and more through creative play. I do not believe in pushing any child to learn at an accelerated rate, and will not make a child feel pressured to participate in activities. By providing the right kind of fun safe environment, I believe that children will learn at their own appropriate pace.

Tuition Rates and Hours of Care


Tuition rates and exact hours of care for your child are detailed on your contract.

My daycare officially closes at 4:30PM. If we have agreed to a time later than 4:30 please understand that this is an exception. Your child will now be falling into the daily routine of my family. This means that your children may have to accompany me to pick my child up from an activity or drop them off and other types of situations that we can discuss further. Your child will always be in safe hands and their care will always be top priority for me, however my time with my family and my children’s activities are very important to us and we want to be able to accommodate your needs while meeting our own.

If your child is in school full time and enrolled in my daycare during the school year, this does NOT guarantee them a summer spot. The number of children I am allowed to care for during the summer months is 6.


Late fee

There will be a $5.00 late fee assessed for every 15 minutes you are late picking up your child. The charge begins the 1st minute after your pick up time. To clarify, if you are 1-15 minutes late you will be charged $5.00. If you are 16-30 minutes late you will be charged $10.00. This is for times you are late that have not been discussed ahead of time. Often times my children have events or activities scheduled for immediately after the daycare day. If you are going to be late it is imperative that you phone me so that I can make alternate arrangements for my children or in some cases I may need to bring your child with me to my child’s activity. If this is necessary you may need to meet me at the event or if I’m just dropping my child off you can meet me back at my house. You will be assessed late fees up until the time your child is no longer in my care.

Trial Period


All new enrollments will be subject to a two week trial period to allow for adjustments. Any time during this two week that you or myself feel this arrangement is not going to work out either of us can terminate our contract without notice. The one week’s deposit that was made during the application process will not be refunded.


Payment Terms

Payment for each week is due on the first day of the week. There will be a $15.00 late payment fee for each day that payment is late. Repeat late payments will be grounds for termination of contract. If I receive 2 bounced checks payments will be required to be made in cash.

It is my hope that all parents will agree to make electronic payments. I have parents that have been successfully using this program for quite some time. The options are to have the money taken from your account automatically or you can go in and make the payment yourself each week. The money is taken out of your account and deposited into my account 3 business days later. The fee is $1.00 per payment and is the parent’s responsibility. Currently this payment method is optional – it may become mandatory in the future. If you do choose electronic payment method you are still required to make the payment on your scheduled day. This is the day you receive your emailed invoice/reminder. I am notified via email the moment you process your payment. Failure to make payment on your scheduled day will result in a $15.00 late fee PER day that the payment is late.


Kindergarten


According to the State of Connecticut, a child that is in Kindergarten for half days still occupies a full time spot within a home daycare. Therefore, although a kindergartener will only be with me for half of the day a full time rate still applies. This also applies to children that are in preschool.


Before/After School Care


I provide care for school aged children up to age 11. Your child must be a student in the ********* Public School system. I will care for your child until the school bus arrives in the morning (approximately 7:35am) and then again from the time the school bus drops them off (approximately 3:45pm) until our contracted pick up time. My rate for before / after school care is outlined in your contract. Any times outside of the times listed above require advance notice and may include additional fees. If school is not in session due to school vacation (not including summer vacation), holidays, staff development days or due to inclement weather I am still available to care for your child. You will be charged a full day rate for these days regardless of what time you drop off and pick up. If school has a half day – either planned or unscheduled (due to inclement weather) you will be charged for a full day rate regardless of the time you pick up or drop off. On the days that your child is here during our regularly scheduled nap time they will be required to participate in quiet time. They can read a book or watch television. Because the younger children require a nap I am not flexible in this area. If they are unable to observe quiet time they will be unable to attend daycare while nap/quiet time is in session.

Closing
I will attempt to give as much notice as possible whenever I must close my home to care for any reason.

In order to spend quality time with my own family, I will be closed on most Federal Holidays. These dates are listed below.

• Martin Luther King Day (1/17/11)
• Washington’s Birthday Day (2/21/11)
• Memorial Day (9/5/11)
• July 5th (7/4/11)
• Labor Day (9/5/11) • Thanksgiving Day (11/24/11)
• Day following Thanksgiving (11/25/11)
• Day before Christmas (12/23/11)


Shut Down


My daycare is closed during the week between Christmas and New Years. You will not be charged for this week. Daycare will reopen on the first weekday following New Year’s Day.


Vacation

I reserve the right to take two weeks UNPAID vacation. My vacation time can be used 1 week at a time or broken down in to ½ days. Any vacation time you choose to take, other than my scheduled weeks, are paid vacation days. I will give you 1 month notice (often more) for any vacation time I will be taking.

Most daycare providers take a paid vacation. I have chosen not to do that at this time. I reserve the right to change this in future contract years. If this does change you will be given ample notice and this change will not take place during this contract year.


Personal Days


I reserve the right to take up to five personal days to be used at my discretion. These are paid personal days. These days can be used in ½ day increments and I will give as much notice as possible when taking personal time.


My Sick Days

Working with exposure to many families and especially children, it is expected that I will become ill occasionally. Therefore, I reserve the option to take up to five paid sick-days per calendar year. I will not take these days unless I am genuinely ill, and I will always attempt to give as much notice as possible when I am forced to close my home due to illness.

In the event that one of my own family members is mildly ill I will also give you as much notice as possible to allow you to decide if you want to risk exposure to your child. These days will not count toward the paid sick days since I will still be available to care for your child. If my child is severely ill – to the point where I cannot care for other children - I will give as much notice as possible and these days will count towards my paid sick days.

In order to provide my family with reliable income, I cannot offer a discount for days when your child is unable to attend due to his/her illness or vacation. I will do my best to prevent the spread of illnesses through good hygiene and housekeeping, but total avoidance of illness is impossible.

I will not close the daycare if I am mildly ill due to a cold. I will, however, notify you as soon as symptoms appear in me or any of the children, so that you can decide whether or not to have your child in care that day. There will not be a discount for days that you choose not to bring your child.

If I should become ill with more than a standard cold, such as flu or fever, I will close the daycare until I have been fever-free for 24 hours. Per our contract, I will be paid for up to five sick days per calendar year.


When Your Child is Sick

Please do not bring your child to daycare if he/she has a contagious illness or exhibits any of the following symptoms:
• fever of 101 degrees or above – not to return until 24 hours fever free
• vomiting, in excess of typical infant spit-ups - not to return until 24 hours vomit free
• diarrhea - not to return until 24 hours diarrhea free
• conjunctivitis ("pink eye") – not to return until eye is free from discharge
• consistent complaints of ear or stomach pain
• excessive greenish nasal discharge, indicating possible infection
• head lice – not to return until complete treatment has been administered and is subject to a lice check when entering my home upon return.
• undiagnosed skin rash

In general, if your child is too sick to go outside and play, then your child is too sick to attend childcare. If your child becomes ill during daycare, you will be phoned at work and asked to pick your child up immediately.

If your child has a common cold (slight cough, sneezing, clear runny nose and/or a temperature below 101 degrees) your child may attend daycare. However, if your child reaches a point when he/she requires constant attention, will not play, cries continuously, whines or wants to be held constantly, then your child will need to stay home.

If your child has a contagious illness they need to remain at home until they are no longer contagious. In some, more serious cases, a doctor’s note may be required.

If your child has any of the symptoms listed above but a physician has determined that he/she is not contagious you may bring a doctor’s note indicating this and she will be permitted to return to daycare as long as her mood and behavior is normal.

Please do NOT mask fevers or major discomfort with medication prior to drop off. This is not fair to them or the other children in my care. Medication to assist with teething discomfort is acceptable.

If your child is not feeling well and you are planning to bring them to the doctors that day, please do NOT bring them to daycare.

Your child is unable to attend daycare until he/she is symptom free (no fever, vomiting or diarrhea) for 24 hours. This means that if you have been called to pick your child up because they have any of those symptoms they will NOT be able to attend daycare the following day. The only exception is if you receive a doctor’s note stating that your child is not contagious and is able to attend care and that your child is feeling happy and healthy.


Medicine

Please dispense all medications at home whenever possible. I will not administer any medication other than nonprescription topical medications such as diaper ointment and teething gels.

I am able to administer non prescription topical medications.
These medications include
• Diaper ointments
• Medicated powders
• Teething medication

All of these items must be labeled to include the following and I must have a consent form on file.
• Name of child
• Name of medication
• Directions for administration


Meals and Snacks


Breakfast: Breakfast should be served at home prior to arriving at daycare. My children will also have eaten their breakfast prior to the children arriving.

Lunches: Lunches should be brought from home as well. Please pack their lunches as though you are sending them to school. Please do not send items that need to be heated or cooked. I also do not have enough storage space for you to bring more than one day worth of meals. Please pack lunch each day. If you are packing something that needs to remain cold please include an ice pack in their lunch bag as I do not have enough space to refrigerate everyone’s meal. When packing their lunches please refrain from packing a lot of junk food as this really creates problems with the other children and is really unnecessary during the daycare day. During our lunch time we will all bring out our packed lunch and eat our meal together and this includes my own children, who will also be packing their lunches in preparation for the daycare day.

Snacks & Drinks: I will provide 2 healthy snacks per day, one mid morning and one mid afternoon. I will also provide drinks for the day (so it is not necessary to include a drink in their packed lunches).

The meal schedule I follow is listed below. The times are approximate. If your child will be arriving after a scheduled meal time please arrange to feed him/her prior to arrival.

Our Meal Schedule (for toddlers and older)
Morning Snack: 9:00 to 9:15am
Lunch: 11:15 to 11:45pm
Afternoon Snack: 3:00 to 3:30 pm

As listed in the supplies section of this handbook, you are responsible for providing your infant’s formula or breast milk. I believe in feeding infants on demand; however I find that they quickly fall into a nice schedule of their own.

Food Allergies

Be sure to complete the form titled “Allergy and Food Preference Information”. Please alert me immediately if your child has any food allergies or if you suspect any food sensitivities. I will do my best to accommodate your child’s dietary needs.


Naps and Quiet Time


I will offer infants a nap as needed. Generally this includes a morning and afternoon nap. All children will be offered an afternoon nap shortly after lunch, somewhere between the hours of 12:00 and 2:30pm

All children will be expected to sleep or rest quietly during this time, so that the children who need to sleep can do so. School aged children will be asked to read, choose a quiet time activity and possibly watch television but everyone is expected to be respectful of our quite time rules.

If your child has a favorite blankie or teddy you are welcome to bring these items. Each child will have their own regular sleeping space. All bedding will be washed regularly.

Please refrain from dropping off and picking up during this time. This has the potential of disrupting the entire group.


Potty Training

When it comes to potty training I feel it is best to wait for children to show signs of readiness. Often times a child being potty trained before they are ready will result in the process taking much longer and coming up against a lot of resistance. I will assist with potty training however training needs to be started at home and your child should be making good progress and understand the concept of toilet training before I will begin at daycare. At that time Pull-ups are required. Your child can switch to underware once they are able to use the toilet on their own without much assistance and constant reminders.

Supplies


You will be responsible for providing your child’s:
• Diapers
• Diaper rash ointment
• Sterilized bottles and nipples including bottle liners (if needed)
• Infant formula or Breast milk
• Sippy cups
• Sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher
• Bathing suit
• Towel
• Change of clothes (2 outfits)
• Safe walking shoes
• Weather appropriate outerwear
All other supplies will be provided by me. Of course, donations of all sorts of materials are always welcome. This helps me to keep my rates low!


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