Policies
HOURS OF OPERATION:
The Little Orchard is open Monday to Friday.
7:30a.m - 5:30p.m
Before I accept any child into my care the following forms must be filled out:
- Child Care Agreement Contract
- Child Information Sheet
- Emergency Medical/Transportation Permission Form
- Child Medical Form
FEES:
Full-Time Care: $50 per day ($250.00/week)
Part-Time Care: $55.00 per day (minimum 3 days per week)
Daily rate: $60.00 per day (minimum 1 day per week –must be pre-booked)
Fees are to be paid weekly every Monday (beginning of the week)
Please make cheques payable to: Andrea Mackinnon
Receipts will be given at time of payment.
Any late payments will be surcharged $5.00 per day.
A $25.00 fee will be charged for any NSF cheques returned to me. If this happens twice, I will only accept cash from that specific client from that point on.
LATE PICK-UP'S
Late or over-time fees of $5.00 apply when the child is not picked up by 15 minutes after scheduled pick-up time, and will be due and payable upon the arrival of parents or guardian to pick-up child. I am paid for amount of time your child is scheduled to be in care, not for how long I am open.
I understand that there may be times when it is not possible to pick up your child on time (unexpected weather changes). Considering this, a courtesy call would waive the $5.00 late fee. If late pick-ups become a daily problem your emergency contact will be called to pick child up.
PROBATION PERIOD:
I understand that it takes a while for a child to warm up to new people.
That is why I will allow a two-week trial period at which time care can be terminated without written notice. If care is no longer needed after the trial period I require at least two weeks notice of your child leaving the day care.
ARRIVAL and DEPARTURE:
Please make drop-offs as smooth and quick as possible. I know it's hard to leave your child especially if they are teary-eyed in the morning. This is normal. If you give them a hug and a kiss and reassure them you will pick them up later, I will always get them involved in a fun activity as quickly as possible so they will soon become very distracted. This is the best method I've learned over the years; it's very effective.
I welcome your calls during the day so that if you would like to check up on your child, I'll do my best to have a phone nearby to give you immediate feedback. If I miss your call, please leave your current number and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Pick-up time is when it can be most hectic. That is why I will post dailies with your children's belongings, in case I don't get the chance to talk to you about your child's day.
VACATION:
I will take 2 weeks unpaid vacation through out the year (usually a week at a time). Any additional days are also unpaid except statutory holidays. I will give you a minimum of 2 months advance notice for any time I need to take off. I believe that would be ample time to organize a method of alternative care for your child/children. In return any extended absence of a child, we would appreciate the specific dates as soon as it's possible to know.
STATUTORY HOLIDAYS:
The following are paid statutory holidays and no care will be provided on these days:
New Years Day
Family Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
August Civic Holiday
Labour Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
Christmas Eve Day- open till noon
New Years Day- open till noon
Note: Should an above paid holiday fall on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be taken. If it falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be taken as the holiday.
ABSENCES:
Should your child become ill please try and call me the night before or before 9:00 am the next morning. This is so that we are not waiting for your child and miss our outdoor time or another planned activity. You will still be charged for any missed days due to illness, holidays or parent's days off. This is due to the spot being held for your child and cannot be replaced on a short-term basis.
There may be times where I fall ill or a family emergency comes up. I will notify you as soon as possible, so that you will have a chance to find alternative care. I am working towards having an on-call supply person to substitute for myself - to minimize the impact on any parent's schedules. Though, it is always a good idea to have a known alternative in case of circumstances completely out of our control. In the event that there is no day care provided by the Little Orchard, no fees would be collected for that day. This again does not affect statutory holidays as stated above.
HEALTH POLICIES:
Parents should not bring in there child if they have the following symptoms:
- vomiting
- fever above 100 degrees (unless teething)
- diarrhea
- unexplained rash (not including diaper rash)
- contagious illness
If your child comes down with any of these symptoms while in my care, the parents will be contacted to pick up their child as soon as possible. If the child requires acetaminophen / ibuprofen, I will administer it with the parent's permission and one of the parents must come within the hour to take the child home. They may return to the daycare when they have been symptom-free for 24 hours.
MEDICATION FORMS:
Parents are required to fill out a medications form if caregiver is required to administer any sort of medications during the day.
MEDICATIONS:
I will only administer medications to a child whose name is on the Prescriptive bottle, and only according to the directions on the Prescription. I will not give a sibling or another child 's medicine to an ill child as this would be clearly inappropriate in a care-giving position.
Please do not send a child's medicine in a "sippy cup" or bottle as it could get taken by one of the other children It would also be difficult to determine if your child will drink it fully and get the proper dose as needed.
RELEASE OF A CHILD:
I will not release a child to anyone other than their parents/guardian unless I have written or verbal permission from the child's parents/guardian.
The person picking up the child must bring photo identification with them if I have not met them previously.
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES:
In case of an emergency, I will administer the necessary CPR/ First Aid. 911 will be called, a parent or guardian will be notified and your child will be taken to the nearest hospital (Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital). Parents will be responsible for any costs involved in the emergency. Parents must keep their child's medical forms up to date at all times.
MEALS:
I will serve a Breakfast snack at 8:00 a.m. Lunch will be around 11:30 a.m. and afternoon snack will be at 2:30 p.m. All the meals I serve will be nutritious and balanced as possible, while maintaining the kid's interests as much as we can. I don't believe in forcing children to eat everything on their plates but they must at least try everything. Children who are on special diets must bring in their own meals from home.
We will have special days when we will make our own treats like cookies or ice cream. Because of this, please refrain from bringing goodies from home, unless there is enough for everyone to share.
A meal plan will be posted weekly.
NAP/REST TIME:
This will be around 12:00 p.m. until about 2:00 p.m.
I do not force child to sleep but everyone must have a period of quiet rest time whether they choose to curl up on the couch and watch a movie or read books. They must remain quiet in order for the younger children to sleep.
TELEVISION VIEWING:
The amount of television viewing time will be limited. However there will be times during the day that they can watch educational programs or movies, during drop-off, while lunch is being prepared, and possibly at departure time. Children will have special days when they can bring in their own appropriate videos from home.
PARENTS MUST PROVIDE:
1. Diapers
2. Wipes/diaper creams
3. Medications. example: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, cough syrups, etc.
4. Any special foods like vegetarian meals or soy milk, etc.
5. A blanket and pillow for nap/rest time.
6. Extra clothes
7. Indoor/outdoor shoes
PETS:
We have 2 very friendly Himalayan cats. Their names are Wellington and Hello Kitty. They are indoor cats that are neutered/spayed and de-clawed. They also have their yearly shots/vaccines. They will most likely be hiding throughout the day, though Wellington is incredibly patient with a perfect disposition to be around kids. Hello Kitty will most likely never be seen - as she is very timid around most new people, especially children. They will be locked up in a room during the children's sleeping/resting time.
TOILET TRAINING:
I will assist children in toilet training once the parents have started their own training at home. I will encourage them to try to use the toilet but I am not going to encourage it if the child is clearly not ready. Parents are required to supply diapers or "pull ups". Once the child is fully trained, underwear may be worn all day. Though at this stage I suggest parents to bring in lots of extra clothes in case accidents happen during the day.
TOYS FROM HOME:
Please do not bring in toys from home unless it's a special Show and Share Day. We do not want to have children upset if their toy gets broken or lost.
Please label any clothes or blankets that you bring from home with your child's name on them.
HOUSE RULES
There will be no:
- HITTING
- PUSHING
- BITING
- KICKING
- NAME CALLING
- STANDING ON FURNITURE
- RUNNING IN THE HOUSE
- DILIBERATELY BREAKING PROPERTY IN MY HOME
Any physical or verbal abuse will not be tolerated, whether it be to myself, the other children, nor any of the pets in the home.
The children will be warned, the parents will be notified, and if behaviour continues alternative care will have to be found.
DISCIPLINE:
I will remind the children on a daily basis the rules in my home and about sharing, taking turns and not hurting others. I believe children learn through example. I do not yell or demean any child. I will be kind but firm with my discipline. With children you have to be consistent and follow through with what you tell them. Every child will be spoken to if they are acting inappropriately and I will give them one chance to redirect to another activity. If they continue to act inappropriately they will have a time-out. If that does not work I will speak to the parents and discuss how we can help the child to stop this behaviour. If at any point the situation becomes unsafe for the other children, other childcare arrangements will have to be made as soon as possible.
Thank you for taking the time to read through my policies. I look forward to meeting you and your child/children in the future.
Sincerely,
Andrea
Little Orchard Daycare