ENROLLMENT
You must complete the following forms on each child prior to the first day of care or your child WILL NOT be accepted for care:
*- Copy of shot records
*- Contract
*- Policy Handbook
*- Child Information
*-Travel Authorization
*-Consent for Emergency Medical Treatment
TRIAL PERIOD
The first 2 weeks of your child’s enrollment period will be a trial period. These 2 weeks are for the child to adjust to daycare. If you decide to take your child out of my care during the 2 week trail period, you WILL NOT be refunded any money.
I invite and welcome your phone calls at any time; however, there are times when it is inconvenient to answer the phone. Please leave a message on the answering machine, as soon as I am able, I will return your call.
HOURS OF OPERATION
My hours of operation are 24 hours Monday – Sunday. Care is limited to scheduled hours of work plus reasonable time for commute to pick up child unless previous arrangements have been made with provider. An hourly fee of $4.00 an hour will apply for children in my care outside their scheduled contracted hours.
Each day you are required to sign your child in and out. The sign in/out log is located on top of the cubby. Please do not sign them in/out without my knowledge.
FEES
WEEKLY-FULL TIME (23-50 hours)
One child - $115.00
Each additional child - $105.00
WEEKLY – PART TIME (1-22 hours)
One child - $85.00
Each additional child - $75.00
DROP-IN RATES (only applies to occasional care and any hours over 50)
One child - $4.00
Each additional child - $2.00
NOTE: THE WEEK BEGINS ON MONDAY AND ENDS ON SUNDAY. HOURS WILL NOT BE CARRIED FROM WEEK TO WEEK.
An initial deposit equal to 2 weeks of daycare is required. This deposit goes towards your first two weeks of daycare. NOTE: This deposit is non-refundable if you should pull your child or (children) out before the end of the first two weeks (trail period). You have to be paid from payday to payday.
There are a few months that have 5 weeks in them, when this occurs you have the option to either pay for 3 weeks or for 2.5 weeks over 2 paydays.
If you fail to pay me on your scheduled payday by 5:30 p.m., you will be charged $25.00 a day for each day you are late paying and your child will not be accepted to daycare until the bill is paid.
You can either pay every Friday, every other Friday, or Military Paydays. I need to know if your schedule has changed as soon as you know and a new schedule form needs to be completed and signed.
OVERTIME RATES:
If your child will not be coming to daycare or will be arriving late, I need to be notified as soon as possible but no later than 9:00 a.m. of that day. So that I can plan accordingly. It is important to understand that late arrival doesn’t justify late departure.
I must be notified 30 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time if you are planning on being late. Late fees will be imposed if I am not notified. If you do not notify me late fees will be $5.00 per child for each 15 minutes you are late, payable on your next payday. If you have not picked up your child an hour after your scheduled pick-up time, then I will be calling your emergency contacts to pick up your child.
FUTURE SLOTS:
A holding fee of your child’s first 2 weeks of care is required to reserve future slots. The contract and handbook must be signed the same day the holding fee is given to insure the reservation. It’s your responsibility to bring the holding fee, if you fail to do so; I DO NOT have to reserve your slot. If you decide not to bring your child to me for care, you WILL NOT be refunded the 2 week deposit.
RATES REGARDING HOLIDAYS, VACATIONS AND OTHER ABSENCES:
The following are paid holidays when they fall on a day regularly scheduled for care:
* New Year’s Day
* Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday
* Presidents Day
* Memorial Day
* 4th of July
* Labor Day
* Thanksgiving Day and the Day After
* Christmas Day and the Day After
* Any Federal Holiday (Arranged on a case by case basis)
* Military Down Days (Not applicable to Non-military)
If you need care on one of these days, I will need 1 week written notice or care will not be provided.
You are paying for a specific slot NOT per hour or per day, so no discounts are given if your child doesn’t come to daycare.
There will be no charge for my vacation, but you are responsible to find your own substitute provider and pay their rates. I will assist you with finding a back-up if you would like. I will give you a 2 week notice when I take my vacation.
Parents are allowed a 2 week a year for vacation, anything after that will be charged their regular fees. You must give me a 2 week written notice or you will be charged the full rate for that week. You can take your vacation one week at a time or 2 weeks all at once. I will NOT deduct for a day off.
I’m allowed 10 days of personnel leave, 10 days of sick leave and 10 days for conferences a year with pay. This does not reflect my vacation time.
I may have a substitute provider in my home to care for the children during doctor appointments and any other appointments children aren’t allowed to attend.
TERMINATION PROCEDURE:
This contract may be terminated by either parent(s)/guardian(s) or provider by giving 2 week written notice in advance of the ending date. Payment by parent/guardian is due for the notice period, whether or not the child is brought to the provider for care.
I reserve the right to terminate any child or family from the daycare, who does not abide by the policies set forth in this contract. I also reserve the right to terminate any child or family for any other reason.
The provider may terminate this contract without giving notice if the parent(s)/guardian(s) do not make payment when due.
If parent(s)/guardian(s) show impairment, such as alcohol intoxication, when picking up the child, YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED to take your child until other arrangements have been made for an alternate ride home. The primary concern is for the safety of the child. This includes children with permission slips. Failure to comply results in the termination of daycare immediately. Payment is made on the spot if termination is a result. All fees will be paid in full to include a 1 week termination fee of $115.00 per child for failure to comply with this agreement.
DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS:
In the event that the party fails to pay for child care services, that party will be turned over to a collection agency. If the responsible party is turned over for collection due to non-payment of services, or other contract violations, late payment fees will continue to accrue at the daily rate until the balance is paid in full. The responsible party will also be liable for any costs related to the collection of fees, including but not limited to attorney’s fees and court cost.
OTHER CHARGES: Payment may be made in cash, check, or money order unless otherwise stated. The service fee for a bounced check is $40.00. Once you bounce a check it’s CASH or MONEY ORDER ONLY POLICY.
You will be responsible for anything your child breaks or damages to my house. You have the option to either pay me for the item or have the item replaced/repaired yourself within 2 weeks of the damage. If your child continues to break things, then you will be given a 2 week notice.
MEALS:
Your child will be fed a variety of nutritious meals and snacks, including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Milk will be served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your child is allergic to any foods or milk, you will need a written doctor’s note stating what your child is allergic to and what your child can have instead. Menus will be posted daily.
MEALTIME SERVED:
Breakfast: 7:00 – 7:30
AM Snack: 9:30 – 9:45
Lunch: 11:45 – 12:15
PM Snack: 3:15 – 3:30
If your child will not be in attendance during mealtime, it is your responsibility to provide that meal.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING, GUM, CANDY, MONEY, TOYS, or ANY FOOD FROM HOME, unless previously arranged. It is unfair to the other children if your child comes in with something that can not be shared.
On special occasions such as birthdays and holidays (Valentines, Easter, Christmas and etc.) I will plan on having a cake or cookies that is appropriate for the occasion. If you have any problems with this please let me know ahead of time.
EMERGENCY CARE:
If your child requires immediate medical attention, you will be contacted, and if I am unable to reach you, your child will be transported by ambulance to the appropriate medical facility. All costs incurred will be your responsibility. In case a situation arises requiring my immediate absence, your child will be placed with a substitute provider. I will either contact you or the substitute provider will, to inform you of the situation.
ILLNESS:
Sick children should be cared for at home. It is not fair to the other children in my care or to me to be exposed to a contagious illness.
* Fever 101 degrees or above
* Excessive runny nose (discolored mucus, example: green in color)
* Coughing (excessive)
* Vomiting (exception: young infants whom are only having a little “spit-up”)
* Rashes (exception: diaper rash)
* Eye Irritation (redness and puss, pinkeye)
* Diarrhea
* Communicable disease (chicken pox, mumps, measles, strep throat, roseola, conjunctivitis, influenza, lice, ringworm, and etc.)
If you are in doubt about whether or not your child should attend Daycare please call.
If your child becomes ill while at daycare you will be notified and asked to pick-up your child within 1 hour of the call. There will be no discounts given if your child is ill.
If I or any member of my family becomes ill, you will be notified and asked to pick-up your child. If it’s over the weekend or during Non-Daycare hours, you will be notified as soon as possible. I will provide you with a list of possible substitute providers to contact for childcare until I am able to reopen my Daycare.
MEDICATION:
Medications may only be administered with the written consent of the parent or guardian and only if the consent lists the name of the medication and the date or dates the medication is to be administered. Medication must be kept in their original container with the original label. The label must contain legible directions for use, the expiration date, the child’s name, and the physician’s name. A drug container without a label or with an illegible label is not permitted. Over the counter medication (Tylenol, Motrin, diaper rash ointments, gas drops, cold medication, suntan lotion, etc) must be kept in their original container or tube.
If your child is being treated with antibiotics, you must give the first dosage.
AUTOMOBILE SAFETY:
Federal Law requires children 5 years and under and children under 40 pounds be in a restrained child car seat.
PETS
I have a cat and 2 dogs, who may be around the children at times. They are all friendly animals and love to be around the children.
PICKED-UP BY DESIGNATED OTHERS:
If someone else will be picking up your child other than the persons you have on file, you will need to submit to me a written permission for them to pick-up your child that day. No one under the age of 14 will be allowed to pick up your child.
FIELDTRIPS/TRANSPORTATION:
Part of Little ABC Monkeys Daycare program activities include going on walks, going to the park, library, post office, BX, commissary, transporting to/from school and daily errands are considered normal childcare activities.
We may be going on field trips throughout the year. Some will be planned far in advance; some will be spur of the moment. It is not mandatory your child attend these trips, but you will be required to arrange your own back-up child care. There is no deduction in the weekly or daily fees if your child does not attend these field trips. You may be asked to sign a permission form allowing your child to attend these trips.
Sometimes you may be asked to pay for the field trips if it cost more than $2.00. Specific information and location, cost of trip, transportation, and exact dates will be provided to you as the field trip is planned.
You may be asked to leave your child’s car seat for trips.
The parent(s) give permission for the provider to photograph child(ren) and also show and/or give the photographs to other parents, for public display or other promotional purposes.
I give permission for my child’s picture to be used on the Playtime Bears website. Your child’s personal information will not be displayed on the website. This will be strictly for viewing by potential parents and other daycare providers.
DISCIPLINE:
Discipline of your child will be age appropriate, and done in a firm, loving, and consistent manner. There will be no physical or verbal punishment. Methods of discipline may include: encourage children to solve the problems themselves, separation from the activity, discussion of the behavior, redirection to another activity, intervention and discussion or time out (time out will be used as a last resort, and will only last as long as it takes the child to regain control).
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS:
If your child is having a severe behavior problems that I feel I cannot handle, or if the problem is causing physical or emotional harm or otherwise disrupting the other children in my care or myself, you will need to find other care arrangements for your child.
TOYS:
Please DO NOT let your child bring toys to daycare unless previously arranged. Children that bring toys to daycare tend to not like to share their toys with the other children and causes problems. Provider will not be responsible for lost or broken toys.
ACTIVITIES:
We will be involved in many activities that are messy, such as painting, gluing, and etc. Don’t send your child in clothes that you would hate to see stained. I will not be responsible for stains or other damage to your child’s clothes, but I will do everything I can to keep them in good condition. We will be going outside when the weather allows, so you will need to dress your child according to the weather. Always keep an extra set of clothes in your cubby in case of messes and accidents. Please, exchange the clothes as needed (example: change in weather or out grows them).
PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM:
Here at Little ABC Monkeys Daycare each child age’s 2-5 are included in a preschool curriculum that is provided to them by the provider. The curriculum might be a prepackaged program or my own that I have created through different source materials as well as the training and conferences that I attend. The curriculum as well as the materials is all anti-bias, multi-cultures, and different holidays from many different cultures and religions and more. The curriculum will promote growth in all of the skill areas with a wide variety of activities in music, science, creative art, language, movement and more. The program includes learning experiences in social skills, cognitive, large muscle and fine motor development, coordination and sequencing, recognition of colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. The curriculum I will use is theme based. Just because you are not seeing anything in the way of papers every day does not mean that we have not been busy all day. A lot of our learning is done hands on with things like magnets, puzzles, books, sand and water play, music and etc.
CONFERENCE:
There will be a conference between the provider and the parents at least once per year. Together we will review the child’s progress and needs and set goals for your child.
NAP/REST TIME:
Please bring a pillow and a blanket for nap/rest time. Your child can bring a small stuff animal to sleep with. Please bring a comb and or a brush. All children will lay down for rest period rather or not they will sleep. Those who do not want to take a nap will participate in quite activities (coloring, reading, watching a movie, etc.)
POTTYTRAINING:
When your child shows readiness for potty training, this will be done in a relaxed manner and in cooperation with you. Please note, you also need to be ready, training takes both daycare and home participation. If your child has frequent accidents or is just learning to use the potty, you will need to provide plenty of extra clothes and underwear. I have a book about potty training. Please do not initial if this does not apply to you.
SUPPLIES:
You are responsible for providing diapers, wipes, and formula. If these items are not supplied by the parent(s)/guardian(s) an additional fee of $1.00 per bottle, diapers, and wipes will apply. Please do not initial if this does not apply to you.
Bottles and nipples will be provided by the parent(s)/guardian(s). Please insure the child’s name is clearly marked on each bottle. Please do not initial if this does not apply to you.
Please bring a toothbrush that can stay here at daycare so that they can practice good personal hygiene after meals.
SMOKING:
This is a non-smoking home and there will be no smoking anywhere on the premises. Cigarette butts are not to be thrown in the driveway or yard.
COMMUNICATION:
To ease the situation, the provider encourages the parent to take a minute to help the child feel comfortable and adjust. Crying will usually stop a few minutes after the parent leaves. It is important for parents to reassure the child that they will return at a specific time. If your child does a significant amount of crying at drop-off time, please make your stay brief. It is harder on the child when you prolong your stay. You are encouraged to listen outside the door if you are concerned, to be sure the crying stops, as it normally does.
To provide the best possible care, the parents and the provider are encouraged to keep lines of communication open. This includes any discussions about changing behavior of the child. It is only through parent/provider interaction that the goal of quality, nurturing care can be achieved.
I hope this will be a wonderful learning experience for you and your child. I will make every effort to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children in my care. All aspects of the learning environment will be aimed toward the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of your child based on his/her needs. If you have a question relating to your child’s care, please feel free to discuss this with me. You are welcome in my home at any time that your child is in care.
FINAL NOTES:
This policy handbook and contract was designed to help things go smoothly to develop a good working relationship. Contracts will be reviewed/renewed every October 1st. Any policy changes will occur at this time, and there may be a fee increase of $5.00 to $10.00 per child. You will be given a 2 week notice of any changes. Contracts must be signed and returned within those 2 weeks to ensure that your child will keep his/her spot. This is done because, although family day care is a form of self-employment, unlike other businesses, there is no room for growth or expansion. I do not receive any benefits that most employees take for granted such as health insurance, workman’s compensation, retirement/pension plans, unemployment insurance and bonuses. My contractual policies reflect this.
Please discuss anything concerning these policies with me prior to signing. Please talk to me about your concerns. I am looking forward to becoming your daycare provider.
