I needed suggestions on how to add a "nap time" section to my handbook. Basically I want potential families to know that we all take a 2hr nap/rest time between 1-3pm daily. (I only care for children 18mo+). I have had several families in the past that have their children napping at 10am! This is just waaayy too early for our schedule.

I wanted to add something to te affect that all children should be already transitioned to a nap schedule that is closer to our regular nap schedule prior to starting care. The majorities of families that start here know they will be starting care 1-2months prior to actually starting, which I think is plenty of time to transition to 1 nap at 1-3p.

Thanks for everyone's input.

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This is currently what I have:

NAPTIME
All children are expected to nap each day. Older children are allowed to watch movies, while the younger children sleep. Please do not ask for child to be allowed to 'stay up'. This rest period is as much for me as for the children. Naptime begins around noon, (as soon as they leave the lunch table), and lasts until 3:00 p.m. There will be no drop offs or departures during naptime. If you must schedule a doctor's appointment for your child, you'll need to pick them up before naptime begins or after it is over.

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Our naptime of X to Y is non-negotiable. All children are expected to rest quietly during this time even if they do not fall asleep. If your child does not nap, this program is not the right fit for them. Please respect our nap time by not allowing children to sleep late in the morning causing them to be up during our rest period. If your child is continually disruptive during our rest period, we will have a discussion regarding this issue, possible solutions as well as re-evaluating if my program is the right fit for your child.

(thats a nice wy of saying that if your kid does not nap, i will kick them out of my daycare!)

also, an easy solution is requiring that all kids by dropped off by 9. meaning they will be up by at least 830 in the morning and ready for nap by noon.

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Naptime:

All children are required to nap. Depending on your child's age, he/she will have a designated pack and play or cot during naptime. The normal afternoon nap is 2.5 hours and is from 1230pm to 3pm. We do not provide child care services for children who do not need a full afternoon nap.

We do not schedule departures during naptimes. If you need to pick up your child during nap time, we ask that you let us know the morning so your child can nap in a separate area and we don't interrupt the other napping children.

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