PARENT HANDBOOK
2012
Child’s Name __________________________________Birthdate_____________
Child’s Name __________________________________Birthdate_____________
Child’s Name __________________________________Birthdate_____________
Parent’s Name_______________________________________________________
Address______________________________City__________________Zip______
Starting date of care_____________________
The following is a list of rules and regulations that govern our child care
agreement. Please read this handbook thoroughly as it contains important
policies and procedures that pertain to the care of your child. The contents of
this contract and all forms required for enrollment are non-negotiable.
Forms needed:
Listed below you will find the list of forms that you need to return before or
on your child’s first day.
*Parent Handbook
*Financial Agreement
*Copy of Immunization Records
*Permission to Administer
*Transportation Form
Goals at Little Turtles:
The primary goal of my daycare program is to provide a loving, safe,
stimulating environment for your child. My desire is to assist and encourage
children’s abilities and skills throughout each stage of their development. I
look forward to a long and rewarding friendship with your child and family.
Ages I Serve:
Little Turtles welcome ages 6weeks up to 10
Hours:
Little Turtles is open Monday-Friday.
Childcare is never offered on weekends, evenings, or holidays.
Open: 7:00am
Close: 5:30pm
Late Fees: late fees will be charged if you are 10 minutes late or 2 minutes
late so please try to be on time. You will receive only one warning before
fees will be assessed.
Sign in/out:
Everyday your child is in care you must sign your child in and out. Every
child will have there own swipe card and will be swiped in and out with that
card. If you forget let me know asap. If you are late and forget to swipe your
child out you will still be charged.
Arrivals and Departures:
Arrival: Please do not allow your child to walk to the door by themselves or
with older siblings. Make your drop off brief. The longer you delay, the
harder it gets for your child to move on into their day. A smile, a good-bye
kiss and reassurance you will return for them is all that is needed.
Departures: The State says pick up time is the #1 time where accidents
happen. Parents and Provider are talking and sometimes kids can sneak off
and get hurt. I love talking to parents about there child’s day but it needs to
be no more than 15 minutes. Please keep that in mind when picking up your
children. If you have a concern or question that will take more time please
call me and then we have much more time to talk.
Absences:
When your child is going to be absent from childcare you must notify me as
soon as you know. Waiting for a child to arrive affects our schedule. You
will still be charged for days your child is absent.
Holiday:
Little Turtles is closed all major holidays. The following are observed
holidays. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday or both the day before
and/or after will be consider Holiday’s and Holiday pay will still be due.
Plenty of notice will be given for those dates.
*New Years Eve
*New Years Day
*Presidents Day
*Memorial Day
*Labor Day
*Thanksgiving Day
*Day after Thanksgiving
*Christmas Eve
*Christmas Day
These are PAID holidays and your fee will not reduce during daycare
closure.
Vacations:
Little Turtles child care may be closed 1 or 2 weeks out of the year. I will try
hard to have my assistants cover. If my assistants do cover while I am on
vacation normal payment will be made. Vacations are unpaid and no
payment is required by parents only if Little Turtles close. We will give you
at least a 2 weeks notice prior to vacation days.
Parent vacations are paid and payment is required before leaving on your
vacation. Remember you are paying for your spot and not just when your
child is here or not.
Childcare Fees:
All childcare fees will be paid in advance. Childcare fees may be paid by
personal check, cash or money orders.
Please make checks payable to: Little Turtles Child Care
Payment is due MONDAY MORNING or the MORNING of the first day
your child is in care.
If payment is not received the first morning of care you will get a late
fee. The late charge is $10 per day until paid.
What does childcare cost cover?
What you pay will buy QUALITY childcare, nutritious meals and a
nurturing environment for your child. Your fees provide my income
including taxes and social security. Beyond that fees pay for special
childcare insurance, training, food, toys, equipment, supplies, a assistant that
can be up to $1,500 a month and all the other things your child will use. For
children 2 and over it also pays for a preschool program. Like other self
workers, Family Child Care providers do not receive the benefits many
employees take for granted. These include health/dental/ vision insurance,
life insurance, retirement/pension, paid personal/sick days, workers comp,
paid vacations, flexible time off and unemployment insurance. These
benefits often amount to as much as 35% of an employee’s wage. Unlike
other forms of self-employment family childcare is very restrictive. The state
dictates the size of my business and I cannot take time off for appointments
or obligations without careful planning and covering of my responsibilities.
To protect my rights and income, you will find that a guaranteed wage is
part of my contract. To protect my precious time with my family you will
find late fees in this contract. Most people have a 40-45 hour work week.
Mine is 55-60 hours and that does not included my training, bookkeeping,
paperwork, shopping or cleaning time. I really do NOT want the extra fees,
but it’s unfair to have family’s cutting into my already limited family time.
I hope this gives you a better picture of the true cost of childcare.
You will be required to contract for specific times and days in which you
will need care for your child. Any hours must be approved by LITTLE
TURTLES and will only be available at an additional fee.
Any retuned checks will also be charged $20 & any other bank fees the bank
may charge. Childcare will be at halted until reimbursement has incurred.
Drop-In Care:
Drop in care is available if there is room for your child that day. The fee is
an extra $5 added onto your daily rate. Parents will need to pay the morning
of the drop in day. Care will include all the meals and snacks.
Meals:
Little Turtles participates in the USDA Food Program. All meals will be
served to all children present at the start of mealtimes.
Mealtimes are as followed:
*Breakfast 7:00-8:00am
*A.M. Snack 9:30am
*Lunch 11:30am-12:00noon
*P.M Snack 3:00
*Dinner(extra snack) 5:00(only offered to those who stay after 5)
Dinner is not always at 5 and may or may not be served depending on the
days events.
If you are going to be here after the start of mealtime please feed your child
before dropping them off. If you are here after 7:45 am please make sure
your child has already eaten breakfast. Otherwise they will have to wait until
snack is served.
We practice manners at childcare. We use thank you, please, your welcome
and many more! Menus are posted on the white board weekly.
Safety:
I pride myself in having a warm, loving and safe environment in which your
child can explore, learn and experience many different things. Some features
that help insure your child’s safety are:
Inside
*Adequate Ventilation through out the home
*There are no guns or firearms on premises
*Gates are used at all times
*Fire extinguishers maintained properly.
*Toys are sanitized daily to prevent germs
*Electrical outlets are covered
*All cabinets have child safe locks on them
*A well stocked first aid kit is kept near the play room
Outside
*Safe grassy area’s to play
*Playground free of harmful objects
*Yard routinely treated to prevent insects
*Entire back yard fenced and gate locked
*All outside play id supervised
Supplies:
Parents need to supply the following
*Blankets for quiet/nap time
*Change of clothes
*Sunscreen
*All Diapers
*Breast milk/ Formula
*Bottles/ Sippy cup
These items will be kept here at day care and washed.
Please remember coats and shoes. When these items are forgotten it prevents
the child from fun activities.
Toys from Home:
Little Turtles provides a wide variety of toys and activities.
I do not allow children to bring toys from home. A “special” item such as a
blanket or stuffed animal will be allowed. Please limit your child to one
item.
Clothing:
Sometime activities we do get messy, so please keep that in mind when you
are dressing your child for the day. I am not responsible for any clothing that
may become damaged.
Child Guidance:
Positive discipline strategies will be used. I am not a fan of time outs unless
aggressive behavior is happening, such as biting, hitting, pushing, or any
other physical misconduct. I do encourage a quiet time that I will sit and talk
to them about the behavior.
Toilet Learning:
I will assist in toilet learning with the understanding that it will only work if
we work together. Your child will not learn if the learning is not consistent
while in my care and especial at home. Clothing should be easy to manage to
encourage self-help skills. I also require a child who is in the process of
toilet learning to have pull-ups, and several change of clothes (including
socks).
Signs of readiness may include:
*Staying dry for 2 hours or during nap.
*Bowel movements are regular and predictable
*Wanting diapers changed
*Demonstrating interest in using the potty
Nap/Quiet Time:
Usually is 12:30-2:30
All children are required to lie down for nap/quiet time each day.
I will not force your child to sleep but they must lie down quietly. If your
child doesn’t sleep they will be able to look at books.
Please don’t drop off your child between the hours of 12:30-2:30 as this will
disrupt the children already here.
Television:
Tv is great at home but not at childcare. I do allow a fun Friday movie and
some computer time. Kids will be allowed only on PBS KIDS GO, and other
kid friendly programs. We have plenty of fun activities and tv is rare and
only on a very limited basis.
Child Abuse:
Caregivers of children are required by law to report suspicion of child abuse,
child neglect, child sexual abuse, child maltreatment, verbal and emotional
abuse, emotional neglect and I will report any suspicions I may have.
Child Illness:
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you bring your child to daycare
sick.
This includes:
*Fever of 100 degrees or higher
*vomiting or diarrhea
*severe coughing
*sore throat, runny nose other than clear
*draining of the eyes and ears
*unexplained rash
*ringworm
*lice
*chicken pox
*pink eye
*Or if the child is irritable, continuously crying/emotional and requires more
attention than I can provide without hurting the health and safety of the other
children in my care.
If you are not sure your child is well enough to attend childcare please
call and discuss it with me.
If your child is out ill regular fees still apply. If your child becomes ill while
in my care I will call you immediately. You will be expected to pick your
child up within one hour. If you are unable to pick up your child please
arrange for someone to pick them up within one hour.
Your child may be brought to childcare if they have a common cold (slight
cough, clear runny nose) however, I will call you if your child is just plain
miserable (crying, whining, and repeatedly asking for you).
Provider does reserve the right to determine when child should be sent
home. If your child was sent home from vomiting, diarrhea, or fever they are
not allowed to come the next day or 24 hours after symptoms of illness ends.
If your child is sent home for any other reason the child can come back the
next day if the child is back to health with no other symptoms.
I understand and respect your need to be at work, but your cooperation is
extremely important on this issue. I will not allow children to come to
childcare that have been sick the day before with fever, vomiting, or diarrhea
or any other illness other than a regular cold. This insures the health and
well-being of the other children in my care. Please call by your normal drop
off time if your child is not attending.
In event that most of the children in care get a sickness or have a contagious
illness (pink eye, etc.) we have the right to close. If that happens payment
still is expected for that day. This is only in situations where most kids are
sick.
Illness in My Family:
If one of my children, husband or I become ill I will try my hardest to have
my assistant cover for me. If we are too sick and have to close I will try to
call the night before to tell parents of closure. If we wake up sick and need to
close I will start calling at 6:00 am. If I do close due to me or my family
being sick you will not be charged for that day.
Medication;
State law prohibits me from giving your child medication of any kind
without written parental consent. This includes over the counter medicine.
The medicine must be in the original container and labeled with the child’s
name, doctor, name of medication, dosage and when it is to be taken. I will
also have a form for you to sign giving me permission to administer the
medicine to your child. Medication will be given at the time or with the meal
you specify and a written record kept.
Medical Emergencies:
Minor bumps and scrapes are inevitable. I make every effort to keep your
child safe through supervision and childproofing. Minor injuries will receive
appropriate first aid, and if an emergency injury or illness occurs you will be
contacted immediately. If necessary your child will be transported by
ambulance to the nearest hospital or the hospital of your choice. Parents are
responsible for costs involving your child’s medical care, emergency
medical treatment, and ambulance transportation. The owner of Little
Turtles Child Care will not be responsible for any illness/injury of either
child or parent while on the premises or while the child is in the company of
the provider during field trips or outings.
Immunizations:
All immunizations must be kept up to date.
Any child found not up to date will have a 48 hour notice to receive required
immunizations. Unless there are religious reasons all children must be
immunized.
Hand Washing:
Children’s hands are washed:
Before Eating
After using the toilet
When coming in from outside play
After messy crafts
After coming in contact with a sick child or runny nose
Provider’s hands are washed:
Before preparing food
Before feeding infants
After changing a diaper or assisting a child using the toilet
And about 100 other times during the day
*Hands are always dried with single use paper towel
At Little Turtles Child Care you are invited to call/text to check on your
child during the day. If I do not answer I could be changing a diaper, bottle
feeding, or dealing with a situation, please leave me a message and I will get
back to you as soon as I can.
Preschool:
At Little Turtles we have a wonderful preschool program that is offered
September-June, Monday thru Thursday. This program is at no cost to you
and part of our Daycare routine. It is for ages 2 and up. We also have after
school programs for ages kinder thru grade school. Please ask to see project
samples at your interview.
Closures:
THERE IS A CHARGE FOR “WEATHER DAYS”
If we choose to close due to inclement weather and/or if most of our
families have cancelled due to weather so that we decide to close, the daily
rate will apply for all families scheduled for that day.
CLOSURES:
Little Turtles is open for Daycare in all but the most extreme weather
conditions. “Extreme” shall be defined as a blizzard or ice event resulting in
extremely hazardous road conditions, usually with closures to state/federal
offices as well as schools. In the event that we close due to an extreme
weather event, or if most of the families scheduled for that day have
cancelled, Little Turtles will contact all of it’s daycare clients by email (by
phone only if you have no email) no later than 9:00 pm on the evening prior
to being closed or by phone/text by 6:00 am should this be an unanticipated
severe storm. Please check emails & answering machines before bringing
your child. If you call us in the morning, please do not assume that we are
closed if we don’t answer the phone because we are just as likely to be
outside shoveling/snowblowing/sanding and/or greeting arriving clients.
Please leave a message and we will get back to you, but if you haven’t heard
from us by phone or email by 6:00am, you can assume that we are open.
.
Little Turtles Child Care Welcomes you and hope you have a great child
care experience.
I have read and fully understand this Parent Handbook. I have received an
exact copy of this Parent Handbook for my own records.
Parent Signature ________________________________Date_________
Parent Signature ________________________________Date_________
Provider Signature ______________________________Date_________