Policy and procedure

Introduction

The purpose of this parent information is to acquaint all parents with my policy and procedure. Your understanding with my procedure and goals will aid in making my home an exciting and fun learning experience with nurturing and caring atmosphere for your child. You are not expected to read and remember all of it today, but please put it in a handy place and use it as a reference source. This information is a more detailed review of more important items intended for parents registering their child/children, and what is expected of the parents. In order to provide the best care for your child/children, it is necessary for parents to follow through on their responsibilities.

In order to provide the best care and opportunities for your child/children, I want to have a good clear communication between home and childcare. We can be successful by accepting our responsibility for communicating with each other on a regular basis. I have an open door policy at my home. Parents and other authorized persons are welcome to visit their children.

 

Admission Requirements and Enrollment Procedures*

Introductory Visit
Each new family needs to visit my home at least 1 time prior to enrollment. Please call in advance to schedule a visit.

Deposits and Registration Fees
Deposit: Your child's position is reserved upon receipt of 2 weeks tuition deposit. This deposit will be applied to the last 2 weeks of care. Registration Fee: I require a non-refundable registration fee of $50 to cover administrative costs.

Admission Forms
There are several forms you are required to complete prior to your child's attendance:

  1. Child Care Home Register - This form includes:
    a. Consent For Medical Care and Treatment of Minor Children
  2. Certificate of Immunization Status (to be updated yearly)
  3. Permission Authorization
  4. Child Care Agreement
  5. Completed USDA food program enrollment form

Trial Period
The trial period will be 4 weeks. This period is used to observe the child's adjustment to care and to talk about concerns. I will talk to you daily about your child's day. Please tell me if you have any concerns. After a 4-week trial period, we will determine if the child care services are satisfactory to everyone. If any problems cannot be resolved, the care is terminated and any unused portion of the child care fee will be refunded.

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Rates and Payment Plan*

Rates are evaluated and may be raised every year on September 1st.
A 2-week notice will be given for rate increases.
If other adjustments are needed, a 2-week notice will be given.

Rates are:

Ages ServedFull time
Per week 		Part Time
Per day 		Drop-in
Per hour
3 to 18 months $400.00 $100.00 $15.00 per hour, no less than 2 hours
18 to 36 months $375.00 $100.00 $15.00 per hour, no less than 2 hours
36 months to 5 years $350.00 $100.00 $15.00 per hour, no less than 2 hours
Before and After School Care $225.00 $60.00 $15.00 per hour, no less than 2 hours
All Day Rates for School Age During Summer and Non-School Days $325.00 $100.00 $15.00 per hour, no less than 2 hours
Your contract will specify your child's days and hours of care.

Definitions - Full Time, Day Rate And Drop In

My home will be open Monday through Friday 6am-6pm . Special request is needed for weekend care.

Washington state law (WAC 388-73-402) states that "Children should not normally remain in care in excess of ten hours per day except as is necessitated by parents' working hours and travel time to and from the child care facility".

  • Full Time is a maximum of ten (10) hours of care per day, 5 days a week.
  • Part Time is a maximum of five (5) hours of care per day and a maximum of 3 days per week.
  • Drop-in is occasionally.

Payment Plan, Penalties, and Extra Charges

Payment Plan:
Parents are required to pay for the time their children are scheduled to be in care. In other words, parents are paying for a space whether their child is there or not.
Payment for care is due in advance on the first day of the week.
Special payment terms are negotiable on occasion and will be defined in the contract.
If payment is not received by Tuesday 5PM, there will be a $10.00 late fee for each day late.
Delinquent accounts will be turned over to our collection service

Holiday Pay:
Fees are not reduced during months/weeks that have holidays.

Vacations and Absences*

  1. You are required to give 2 weeks advance notice for vacation.
  2. I will give you at least 6 week(s) advance notice of my vacation schedule. I will take 2 weeks paid vacation per year.
  3. Please call and inform me when your child will not attend due to illness or some other event.
  4. Please advise me upon enrollment if you plan to remove your child from child care for any length of time (i.e., the summers for school teachers, or when you are on maternity leave with another child, etc.).

Vacation/Absence Pay:
It is helpful to think of your child care slot as something your purchase each week. It belongs to you whether you use it or not.

Absences are not refundable.
If your child is absent for one week without any notification to me, he/she will be automatically dropped, and a re-enrollment fee and deposit will be collected before the child will be readmitted. You will also be responsible for any unpaid fee.

Payment Penalties:

  1. The fee for late payment is $10 per day. If fees remain unpaid after a period of three days, you child will not be admitted until ALL fees are paid in full.
  2. The penalty for NSF checks is $25.00 plus any bank costs incurred by me. Cash payment is required for returned checks. You may be put on a cash basis after the second NSF check.
  3. Late pick-up fees are $10.00 per hour.

Extra Charges:
Field Trip Fees: Field trip fees will be charged when necessary. You will receive advance notice of any charges.

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Business Practices

Arrival and Pick-up

  1. Arrival and pick-up instructions:
    Parents must bring their child/children into my home and sign them in. The parent must also come in to pick up their child in order to sign them out.
  2. Please identify on the Child Care Home Register who is authorized to pick up your child. I will not release your child to any person without your written permission or a confirmed telephone call in the case of an emergency. The person picking up your child must have identification.
  3. Anyone who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol arriving at child care to pick up a child will be asked to call someone else to pick up that child. If a person leaves with a child while they appear to be under the influence, I will call 911.

Night-time Care and Staffing*
My program does not offer night-time care.

Back-up Child Care
I recommend that you have access to an alternate child care arrangement. You may need care if I am ill or when I am on vacation. If I am ill you will be notified as soon as possible so that you can make other arrangements. It is always your responsibility to find backup child care.
For a child care referral, please call: Child Care Resources (206) 329-5544

Termination of Services*

  1. You are required to give me 2 weeks notice of your intent to terminate care. Your deposit will cover the last 2 weeks of daycare. If you should terminate your child's care without notice, the deposit will not be refunded.
  2. The following are conditions that will cause child care to be terminated:
    • continual late payments
    • child behavioral problems that cannot be controlled
    • not respecting child care setting and policies (children and/or parents)
    • continual late pick-ups

Receipts and Taxes

  1. I will give you a payment receipt when you pay for child care.
  2. You will receive an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) W-10 Form reporting your annual child care expenditures for the applicable tax year.

Items Brought From Home
The daycare provider is not responsible for any broken or lost item or toy brought from home with the child.

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Hours of Operation and Daily Activity Schedule*

Hours and Days of Operation*
The child care program is open Monday through Friday day from 6AM to 6PM, except holidays. Parents are welcome to visit their children at any time during the day.

Holidays*
Child care is closed for the following holidays:

 Holiday  Comments
 New year day 
 Martin Luther King Jr. Day 
 President's Day 
 Memorial Day 
 Independence Day 
 Labor Day 
 Veteran Day 
 Thanksgiving Day & Day after 
 Christmas 
 1st Muslim Holiday (2 days)  (Exact days will be announced) 
 2nd Muslim Holiday  (Exact day will be announced) 

Other closing days*
4 days a year for training (CPR-First Aid, Food Serving License, Stars Hours and other training to keep up with the state licensing policies)

Sample Daily Schedule*

 Time  Activities
 6:00 am to 7:00 am  Free Activities
 7:00 am to 8:00 am  Breakfast Time
 8:00 am to 9:00 am  Transition Games and Activities
 9:00 am to 9:30 am  Morning Meeting (Circle Time)
 9:30 am to 10:00 am  Selected Learning
 10:00 am to 10:15 am  Snack Time
 10:15 am to 10:45 am  Outdoor Time (weather permitting)
 10:45 am to 11:30 am  Small Group Activities
 11:30 am to 11:45 am  Hand washing
 11:45 am to 12:30 pm  Lunch
 12:30 pm to 12:45 pm  Story Time
 12:45 pm to 2:30 pm  Nap Transition (Quiet time)
 2:30 pm to 2:45 pm  Transition Games and Activities
 2:45 pm to 3:30 pm  Snack Time
 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm  Outdoor Time (weather permitting)
 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm  Group Time and Story Time
 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm  Free Activities

Television, Video and Computer Use
Television, video and computer might be used by the children during the daycare hours under supervision of the daycare provider.

Pets
No pets are allowed in the daycare premises.

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Care of Young Children*

Diapering Procedure*
I accept only disposable diapers.
Diapers changing pads will be sanitized after each use.
Hand washing is required before, during (hands are wiped immediately after placing the diaper on the child and before the clothes are put on) and after changing process is complete.
Disposable diapers will be put in plastic bags in the garbage can. The child will be washed after each diaper change.

Toilet Learning*
I will help with toilet training when parents feel that their child is ready. I'll start the training in my daycare the same time the parents start the training at home. Kids must be in diapers or pull-ups until completely trained. For a trial time, kids must have plastic pants over their underwear until I feel they are ready.

Infant Feeding*
Infant's parents provide:

  • Bottles (must be labeled with names and current dates)
  • Non-opened Formula cans (no preparation other than dilution with water, mixed on the daycare premises)
  • I'll agree with parents about the feeding schedule.
  • I will offer semi-solid food to infants when parents request it and I will work with parents to make sure in providing the same food offered at home in the beginning.


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Health Care Practices*

Medical Emergencies

  1. I have First Aid, Child CPR, and HIV/Aids Prevention training.
  2. Minor cuts, bruises, and scrapes will be treated. Parents will be notified upon arrival. With some minor injuries parents will be called to help decide whether the child should go home.
  3. In the event of a serious injury or emergency, I will call 911 and administer first aid or CPR if needed. I will then notify you as soon as possible and tell you where your child is being treated.
  4. If injury results in medical treatment or hospitalization, I am required to immediately call and submit an "Injury/Incident Report" to my Department of Social and Health Services Licenser and child's social worker, if any. You will be given a copy.

Medicine Management

  1. All medications (prescription and non-prescription) shall be administered only on the written approval of a parent or guardian. A Medication Treatment Authorization form (authorization to administer medication) must be completed.
  2. Prescription medications shall be administered only as directed on the label or as otherwise authorized by a physician.
  3. Medications must be stored in the original container. The container must have the patient's name, instructions and date of expiration.
  4. Doctor's permission is not required for non-prescriptions drugs such as:
    • Anti-histamines
    • Non-aspirin pain relievers and fever reducers
    • Cough medicine
    • Decongestants
    • Anti-itching creams
    • Diaper ointments and powders
    • Sunscreen
      Non prescription medication not included in the categories listed above; taken differently than indicated on the manufacturers label; or lacking labeled instructions shall only be given if authorized in writing by a physician.
  5. Any medicine taken by mouth for children under two will need written permission from your doctor
  6. A detailed record will be kept of all medicines given at child care.

Ill Children

  1. Each child will be observed daily for signs of illness.
  2. Children who are contagious must stay at home. All parents of children in my care, as well as the Health Department, will be notified by phone of communicable diseases or food poisoning.
  3. Please call me if your child will not be coming due to illness. If you are unsure if your child should come or not, please call.
  4. If a child should become ill during the day, you will be notified immediately and will be expected to pick up the child as soon as possible. In such event, your child will be isolated from the other children until you arrive.
  5. The parent is responsible for finding substitute care in case of the child's illness.
  6. The following illnesses are not accepted in my home per instruction of the Department of Public Health:
    • Diarrhea: Three or more watery stools in a 24-hour period, especially if child acts or looks ill.
    • Vomiting: Vomiting on two or more occasions within the past 24 hours.
    • Rash: Body rash not associated with diapering, heat or allergic reactions, especially with fever or itching.
    • Eyes: Thick mucus or pus draining from the eye, or pink eye.
    • Appearance/Behavior: unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, difficult to wake, confused or irritable.
    • Sore Throat: Especially if associated with fever or swollen glands in the neck.
    • Fever: Temperature of 101 degrees F. or higher and sore throat, rash, vomiting, diarrhea, ear ache, irritability or confusion.
    • Lice: Children who have lice may not return to day care until they are louse and nit (egg) free.

Cleaning and Disinfecting
Surfaces and equipments in the daycare are cleaned and disinfected every day.

Hand Washing Practices
We (children and adults) will be washing our hands before and after preparing food, when handling pets, after playing outdoors, after diapering or using the toilet, and whenever in contact with body fluids.
Soap, running water and disposable paper towels will be available.

Injury Prevention
I will check daily to make certain that both the indoor and outdoor play areas are safe for children and families - free from broken glass, toys and equipment are safe and the area is free from hazards. All medications, cleaning products and chemicals will be inaccessible to the children.

Infant Sleep Position*
The SIDS Foundation of Washington and the Department of Health currently recommends placing infants to sleep on their backs, and to avoid using pillows, fluffy blankets and crib bumpers. Because this has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS, I will follow these recommendations.

Disaster Response Plan*
In the case of a disaster of any kind, I have prepared my home for evacuating the children.
In case of a disaster of any kind, I will call all the parents using the numbers in the emergency list and let them know about the meeting place which could be East Hill Elementary School.
The children will practice emergency procedures and evacuation on a regular basis. I have practiced turning off water, power and gas. Shelving, furniture and heavy objects on high shelves have been secured to protect against falling. I continually check my home for potential hazards.

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Miscellaneous

Transportation and Field Trips*

  1. Parents are responsible for transportation to and from my home.
  2. I have 5 seat belts in my car. Everyone over 60 pounds is buckled at all times. If your child is under 60 pounds or under 6 years old, please provide a car seat or a booster appropriate to his/her age, on planned field trip days.
  3. Children's medical release forms, a first aid kit and my first aid/CPR certification will be in the vehicle on all field trips.
  4. Parents who volunteer on field trips will not have unsupervised access to the children (excluding their own child) unless they have been fully qualified as assistants (criminal background check, TB test and First Aid, CPR classes).
  5. Parents will need to sign an authorization giving me the permission to transport their children on off-site trips.

Meals and Snacks*
I participate in the USDA Food Program.
It is your responsibility to notify me of any allergies or adverse reactions your child may have with certain foods or beverages. Typical menu items are listed below. I will work closely with you on your child's transition to solid foods when appropriate.
Two snacks and one meal, or two meals and one snack (depending on the hours in care) will be served to your child/children.
I will provide your child with balanced, nutritious and tasty meals and snacks, making this a healthy and enjoyable learning experience. Please provide a written list of food your child/children is/are allergic to.

Sample of meals served:

  • Breakfast:
    • Cereal
    • Orange juice or banana
    • Milk
  • AM Snack
    • Cheese
    • Snack crackers
    OR
    • one fruit or one vegetable
    • Snack crackers
  • Lunch
    • Chicken nuggets
    • French fries
    • Carrot
    • Bread
    • Milk
  • PM Snack
    • Peanut butter
    • Bread
    • Milk
  • Dinner
    • Meat
    • Rice
    • Salad
    • One kind of vegetable
    • Milk
Policies For Food Brought From Home*
The child/children can bring food from home on special occasions, enough to share with other children in the daycare

Permission for Free Access*
You have the right to access any areas of my home used for child care. You are welcome to visit or drop-in unannounced to observe your child. Please schedule time in advance if you would like to have a meeting with me.

Child Abuse Reporting*
I am required by mandatory reporting laws to report any suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation to Child Protective Services (CPS) or my local law enforcement agency immediately (without prior notification to the parents involved). I will also inform my licenser.

Behavior Management and Discipline*
Spanking or any form of corporal punishment, physical or mechanical restraint, the withholding of food, or any form of emotional abuse is prohibited by anyone on the premises.
Discipline and guidance at my home is consistent and is based on individual needs and development. I strive to promote positive reinforcement techniques. The least restrictive discipline technique is positive redirection. The most restrictive is a brief separation or time out from the group. Repeated serious infractions of my rules will be dealt with in a conference with the parents. In extreme cases, this may result in the suspension of the child for an entire day, or termination.
Children are never subjected to harsh treatment such as shaking or, striking and punishments are never associated with food or naps.

Non-discrimination Statement*
I do not discriminate in my enrollment and hiring practices or in the care of children because of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, gender, marital status, veterans status, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, religion, differing physical or mental abilities, use of a trained dog or service animal by a disabled person, communication and learning styles.
I will respect and facilitate the rights of the child/children to observe the doctrine of the child's faith.

Communication and Parent Conferences
Parent/Provider Conferences: Parents and provider can have conferences as needed if either party asks for it.

Checklist of Child Care Supplies

  I Provide  You Provide  Item  Comments
 1.     Bottles 
 2.     Bottle Liners 
 3.     Formula  Non-opened cans
 4.     Nipples 
 5.     Diapers 
 6.     Pacifiers 
 7.     Teething devices 
 8.     Toilet training diapers 
 9.     Car seat (on field trips days) 
 10.     Change of clothes 
 11.     Cold weather clothes 
 12.    Blanket and sleeping necessities 
 13.     Toothbrush 


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