Policies

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It is vital that the daycare provider and the parents work together to produce happy healthy children. The purpose of my policies are to help us to do just that.

Days and Hours:

Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm. If you need to drop off your child early or pick them up late please feel free to ask, It's usually not a problem unless I already have obligations for my own family. Please notify me if your child will not be here or be late. So I won't be expecting them and holding up scheduled activities, meals etc. Your rate allows the use of 9 hours of child care per day.

Open Door Policy:

I Maintain an open door policy for all parents. This "Open Door Policy" does not mean my door will always be unlocked. What it does mean is You are more than welcome to join us for meals or visit whenever your schedule allows . I do ask that you avoid visiting during Nap/Quiet Time as much as possible (12:30-3:00). Parents are also free to call at any time. If I do not answer the phone, please leave a message, and I will call you back as soon as we are finished with the current activity, or time allows. Please remember when visiting, children may react in an excited manner or act out which does not normally occur when parents aren't present and I am alone with the children. If the visit(s) cause a disruption, I will ask that you make it short so we can continue on with our planned activities.

Meals:

I provide breakfast, lunch and snacks at no extra charge to you. I belong to the Child Care Food Program and I must follow their nutrition guidelines. They also set time limits as to when I can and cannot feed the children. If your child will not be here during meal times please make sure they have had their meals. Do not let your child bring ANY food unless there is enough for all the children. No gum, chips, hard candy etc. I will have no choice but to take it away, it's a choking hazard to the younger children.

Safety:

My first concern is for the safety and well being of the children. I have locked cabinets, safety locks, socket covers, safety gates, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers. The yard is fenced the gate is shut at all times. This is for the safety of your child(ren) as well as other children under my care. The children are not allowed outside the fence or outside my front door unless you are with them. Please do not have your child go outside the door (not even to your vehicle) without you. For their safety and the safety of other children small toys, money etc. are not allowed in daycare. It is impossible to assure that no child will ever be injured in childcare; however, I do attempt to keep the children as safe as possible. If any accident or emergency does occur, you will cover the expense.

House Rules:

I maintain certain rules in my daycare. I feel discipline is necessary in childcare for the safety of all the children. (See Child Guidance & Discipline Policy) No hitting, kicking, biting, pushing or fighting, etc. No throwing things in the house, or intentionally breaking anything. No running, jumping, wrestling, climbing, etc. in the house or on the furniture. No name calling, teasing, yelling, etc. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Have respect for others and their belongings. No turning on the television. No picking up babies or toddlers. No walking around the house or yard with juice or food. No Screaming or loud noises when adults are on the phone. Use indoor voices inside and outdoor voices outside. We keep our things in our "cubby", so we can find it when we need it. We must share all daycare toys. Nap Time is Quiet time. You do not have to sleep but you do have to respect others and their wish to sleep.

Supplies:

(that can be left here if you prefer). Diapers, baby wipes, pull-ups, change of clothes. Please mark your child's name on all supplies. Bring your child appropriately dressed for the day in play clothes. Bring extra clothes for a change in weather or accidents. Bring lots of extra clothes if your baby tends to spits up a lot. I don't mind doing the extra laundry if you tell me what kind of laundry soap you use. A happy baby is a clean baby.

Sick Child Policies:

This daycare is a well child care facility. This means that if your child is not feeling well, for any reason, you will need to find alternate care. Please do not bring your child if he/she has a contagious illness or exhibits any of the following symptoms: fever of 101 degrees or above, Vomiting (in excess of typical infant spit-ups), diarrhea, conjunctivitis (pink eye), consistent complaints of ear or stomach pain, bleeding other than minor cuts and scrapes, excessive greenish nasal discharge (indicating possible infection), head lice.  In general, if your child is too sick to go outside and play, or attend school 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 100 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 and wants to be held constantly, then your child will need to stay home. Please use your good judgment in bringing your child to daycare when he/she isn't feeling well. Any child requiring prescription medication will need to be kept at home for a period of at least 24 hours until no longer contagious, unless accompanied by a signed note from the child's medical practitioner. If a child is brought sick to daycare, the parents will be phoned and asked to pick them up. The child will be isolated until a parent arrives. This is to try to prevent the other children from getting sick. We will occasionally have in-care sick days. When all the children are sick at the same time it is pointless to keep them separated. If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with me at any time.  If I have knowledge of a child not feeling well the prior day(s) and the child is brought to daycare with masked symptoms ie: given a dose of Tylenol and starts running a fever, vomiting etc approx. 4-6 hours after being signed in you will be called to come and pick up the child immediately and the child will not be allowed back into daycare for 48 hours.  If your child is sick enough to need a visit to the Doctor I will ask that you bring a note from the Doctor stating when they may return to daycare. If a child is given antibiotics they must not return to daycare for 24 hours after given the first dose. If your child has a virus, they must not return to daycare until they have had no fever for 12 hours.

Medication:

No medication will be administered without written consent from a Physician including over the counter medications. It must be in the original prescribed bottle with all the information on it. Most pharmacy's will give you a second bottle with the written prescription on it also. This is helpful for medications that need to be kept in the refrigerator and you can leave it with me. Please do not leave medication in the diaper bag or on the counter. Make sure I get it. Please dispense all medications at home whenever possible. For times when this is not possible, a Medical Consent Form must be filled out in order for me to dispense any medications.

Immunizations:

All children must be up to date on their immunizations. You must provide a current and up to date copy of the child's immunization record within 30 days of enrollment and must be kept current at all times while the child is enrolled. The record must be on an official State Of Kentucky form. (If you have just come from another state any doctors office or the health department can transfer it over for you.) It must state at the bottom this child is current through with an appropriate date.

Vacations, Time Off, Leave Of Absence Etc :

If you are going to be out for any reason please let me know ahead of time. If you are going to be out for vacation, etc. you must pay me in advance to ensure your child's place in my daycare. Because this is my sole source of income without payment in advance this becomes a financial burden on myself and my family.

Attendance & Holidays:

Payment obligation is based on our contract. Both full-time and part-time fee's are not based on actual days in attendance, fee's are charged based on contracted days, including missed days due to illness, holidays, vacations. This also applies to early and late drop-offs. Late drop off does not constitute late pick-up. In a sense you are paying for your child's slot as well as for my services. This daycare is closed for 7 major paid holidays. New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and 1 (one) week unpaid vacation which you will be given at least 30 days notice prior to.

Payment:

Payment is due on Mondays for the following week (see Contract). I require that you pay in advance. If you are not going to be here, please pay on Friday. I also require a two week written notice with 2 weeks payment prior to removal of your child from daycare. If you do not give notice and your child is withdrawn you will still be responsible for 2 weeks payment from the last day your child has attended daycare. I need this notice to begin interviewing to fill your child's slot, so there is no interruption of my only source of income. Receipt's are given monthly and a year end tax statement will be provided.

Extra Charges:

There is a charge of $5.00 for every hour or part of an hour you are late, and you do not call me. It is to be paid that Monday with your normal payment. There is $10.00 per day charge for late payments. A $25.00 fee will be charged on returned checks and only cash will be accepted thereafter, also you will pay all my fees if it causes me to have bounced checks. Accounts that become 14 days delinquent will result in IMMEDIATE TERMINATION of our contract and will be reported to Provider Watch and sent to collections. Accounts sent to collections will include liability for any and all collection costs as allowed by law.

Transportation:

I do not provide transportation and the children are never taken in the car. For appointments that I must make during traditional working hours you will be given no less than 2 weeks notice in advance when I will open late or close early.

Weather Permitting Policy:

Children are taken outside unless there is active precipitation, extreme heat or cold conditions, or public announcements that advice people to remain indoors. Caring for our children list extreme heat and cold conditions as weather that poses a significant health risk shall include wind chill at or below 15 degrees F and a heat index at or above 90 degrees F as identified by the national weather service.

Touch Policy:

It is my policy, belief, and practice that children need nurturing, and adult physical contact for their care and healthy development.  This contact can be described in three ways: 1. Nurturance: This includes hugs and non-intimate kisses, hand holding, carrying, cuddling. This type of contact is never made against the expressed wishes of the child. 2.Safety and Guidance: This includes restraining the children from harmful situations, separating physically conflicting children, directing children by gently leading or guiding them, and administering first aid to injuries. 3.Hygiene: This includes face and hand washing, assisting with toileting (as appropriate to the age of the child), diapering, examining rashes or unusual marks, nose blowing, and assisting with or conducting necessary clothing changes. It is also my philosophy and belief that it is normal and healthy for children to express physical affection with their peers. This includes hugs and non-intimate kisses, hand holding, and cuddling. This type of contact is never made against the expressed wishes of the other children. From the time the children are very small, I use the words "gentle" and "be nice" to express all forms of touch.

Diapering Policy:

A diapered child shall not be left unattended; and be placed on a surface that is:

1. Clean

2. Padded

3. Free of holes, rips, tears, or other damage

4. Nonabsorbent

5. Easily cleaned

6. Free of items not used for diaper changing unless prescribed by a physician, individual disposable washcloths shall be used to thoroughly clean the affected area of the child.

7. Diapering surface shall be disinfect after each child is diapered.

Toilet Learning Policy:

 If your child meets most of the criteria below, he/she's ready to try. If not, wait a month or two and reevaluate. Potty-Learning should begin at home over the weekend. Once you have started the process please notify me so that we can work as a team. Your child MUST wear pull ups during the training process while in my care. Under no circumstances will your child be allowed to potty-train in regular underwear or diapers. Regular underwear cannot contain urine & feces to prevent the spread of germs in my home & is a health concern to all and a child can not pull down/up diapers. Please dress your child in easily removed clothing. No overalls, no zippers, snaps or buttons. Pants with elastic waistbands works best. Further, if your child shows resistance to toilet learning (no child will ever be forced to toilet learn) we will discontinue learning or if your child shows no sign of progress after 1 week, we will try again at a more appropriate later date.  I also reserve the right to put your child back in pull ups, if he/she has more than one accident per week after being toilet trained.

Specific skills your child must have before they are ready for this big step, and will be allowed to begin toilet learning while in my care.

Physical Skills:

They can recognize the feeling of urgency.

They can control the urge to go.

They are able to pull pants up and down with minimum assistance

Emotional Skills:

The child wants to please adults.

The child wants to be a "big" girl or boy.

The child likes to imitate others.

The child can follow directions.

Communication Skills:

There are three steps that will show you a child is ready to start toilet learning.

The child can communicate that he or she has already gone or messed their diaper.

The child can communicate that they are in the process of eliminating.

The child can predict and communicate that they need to go to the toilet soon.

Child Guidance & Discipline Policy: 

I try to stress two main patterns of behavior: respect for other people, and respect for property. As a result I don't allow children to hit or shove other children or verbally abuse them. I also stress that they treat material possessions (mine or theirs) with respect. A few simple, clearly stated rules will be appropriate to the situation and the child's level of understanding. I will focus on the acceptable behavior Trucks are for driving rather than negative Don't throw the truck so children will know what is expected of them. There is a difference between playing hard, and using a toy for a purpose for which it was not intended. For example, books are for looking at, not tearing pages out of, and toy brooms are for sweeping, not for bashing the kitchen set with. Occasionally children do not behave in respectful ways. I first remind them of the proper behavior. If the behavior is repeated, a "time out" is used. The amount of time a child sits in "time out" varies according to his age. Most experts agree that one minute per year of age is the most effective length of time, but this amount will never exceed five minutes, even if the child is more than five years old. When his "time out" is up, I talk to the child and try to explain why the behavior was inappropriate. I might ask, "What might happen if we continue to throw toys?" The appropriate answers usually come out: something might get broken, the toy might break, someone might get hurt. If a child continues to abuse a certain toy the privilege of playing with that toy may be taken away from him for a period of several minutes up to the rest of the day. If the whole group of children is engaged in this, the toy will be considered "closed" for a while. For example, one day I caught the boys throwing the tools and climbing on the workbench. I reminded them that the workbench was not to be played with in this way, and they continued by turning it upside down and climbing on it. The workbench was "closed" for the rest of the day, and the next day we had no problems with it. I skip the "reminder" and go straight to "time out" if the offense involves hitting or otherwise physically abusing another child. If a child continues to behave inappropriately, I will talk to you about it. Hopefully these two types of behaviors are ones you want your child to adopt too, so they will be reinforced at home. If that is the case, we shouldn't have any major problems! Physical abuse (spanking, swatting, hitting, grabbing, shaking, squeezing, biting, pinching, a child)will never be used. Mental and verbal abuse (shaming, humiliating, and frightening a child) will never be used. Child guidance and/or consequences will never be related to eating, sleeping, toileting, or for accidents (spilled milk, for example). A child may be removed from an activity for a short period of time to give her/him the chance to calm down away from the group (but not isolated or unsupervised). If discipline becomes a problem, I will ask you to remove your child from my daycare. Parents may be asked to remove a child from this daycare if behavior problems occur which cannot be handled in the best interest of the child and/or it becomes unfair to the other children and disrupts the care they all deserve. Punishment that is humiliating or frightening to a child, such as hitting, spanking, shaking, verbal or sexual abuse, withholding or forcing food or punishment for lapses in toilet training and other forms of physical punishment are prohibited. These forms of punishment will never be used, even at the request of the parents.