Welcome to Kay's Kiddos
The purpose of this Parent Handbook is to outline the policies and procedures under which we operate.
Definitions
Full-Time Childcare: Monday-Friday anytime between the hours of 6:30am and 6:00pm
Extended Childcare: Monday-Friday between the hours of 5:30am and 8:00pm
Saturday Care: Twice per month between the hours of 6:30am and 6:00pm
Termination Policy
The first 30 days will be a trial period. During this time, either party may terminate the contract without notice. After the first 30 days of enrollment, 15 days written notice from parent or provider is required to terminate the contract, with the exception of gross misconduct on part of the provider, parent, or child. This is grounds for immediate discontinuation of service. In cases of non-payment, legal action may be taken, and the parents will pay all legal fees incurred.
Advanced Notice
If you will no longer be needing our childcare services before your contract is up, 30 days advance notice needs to be given to us. Whenever possible even more notice is better, this helps us tremendously. Reason being, unlike childcare centers we can only accept 8-10 children. So, when we are full we are forced to say NO to all incoming requests for childcare. If we have advance notice of discontinuation of needed services then it is possible for us make future arrangements with new family’s inquiring about daycare for their child. This helps to keep our open spots fluctuation to a minimum, and helps us be able to focus more on being the best childcare providers we can be, instead of worrying about “the bills”, and putting food on the table.
Holidays (WE ARE CLOSED)
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New Year's Eve
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New Year's Day
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Martin Luther King Day
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Washington's Birthday
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Mardi Gras
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Memorial Day
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Juneteenth
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Independence Day
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Labor Day
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Halloween (Close at 4pm)
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Veteran's Day
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Thanksgiving Break (Wed-Fri)
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Christmas Eve - New Year's Day (Christmas Break)
Sick/Personal Days
As strong as our immune systems have become over the years, we unfortunately still get sick from time to time. Because of this we allot ourselves 12 sick/personal days per year. We also use these days for our continuing education classes (CPR, Pediatric First Aid, etc.). Of course we will give you as much of an advance notice as possible. In case of an emergency, parents will be notified immediately, and our back up teacher, Ms. Cristina Hernandez, will be with the children until I am able to return.
Vacations
If your child will not be attending daycare due to illness or vacations, please let us know as soon as possible so the day's activities won't be held up waiting for your child to arrive. Also, we need to know how many children we need to prepare meals for. No discounts will be given for your child's absences due to illness or vacations. If your child will not be attending daycare for what ever reason, you are still required to pay because we are holding your child's slot.
Payment/Attendance Policy
Option One (Weekly Pay): Payment is due on Wednesday of each week. If payment is received after Wednesday of each week, a $20 late fee will be charged.
Option Two (Monthly Pay): Payment is due on the first business day of each month or on the first day of the month attending daycare. If received after the fifth business day of the month a $40 late fee will be charged. It must be understood that to hold your child's space, payment must be paid whether your child attends or not. Payment is based on contract, not attendance.
Your daycare tuition is subject to change once per year due to cost of living increases and supply fees however we try our best to keep the tuition the same.
Late Pick Up Policy
If your child is picked up after 6:00pm there will be a late charge assessed of $5.00 for every 10 minutes (unless prior arrangements have been made). Please be courteous and arrive on time. After hours is time away from our families.
Health Matters
For the health and safety of your child and all of the children in our daycare, please do not bring your child to daycare sick. In which case we in turn may become sick making it difficult to care for the children at the high standards that we have set for ourselves. We can only care for children with mild cold-like symptoms that are otherwise feeling and acting well. Mild cold like symptoms are clear runny nose, slight cough, and no fever. If you are not sure if your child should be brought to daycare, then please call and check with us. Parents need to pick up their children within one hour of being notified that they are sick. If parents are not available, the emergency contact person will be notified.
Note: Once the child is removed from daycare due to illness, they may not return to daycare until symptoms requiring removal are no longer present. The child must also be void of any contagious illness, unless accompanied by a doctor's note stating the illness in question is not contagious, as well as a negative COVID test.
Reporting Child Abuse
We are required by law to report any suspected incidents of possible child abuse or neglect. Your child can be questioned by child protective services at any time without your consent per law enforcement.
Medical/Dental Emergency Procedures
Emergency information is kept on file at the daycare. In case of illness or injury this information will be used to notify you or the person designated by you, of your child's status. If your child is injured while at the daycare, first aid will be administered. If treatment by a doctor is necessary, we will make every effort to contact you or the doctor you have chosen to treat your child. In all cases, an injury report is completed, and a copy is given to the parents as well as the Department of Social Services. Authorization for emergency treatment must be signed at the time of enrollment to ensure that in the event of an emergency, we can make sure your child receives the necessary emergency treatment he or she needs. It is very important that all emergency contact information is kept up to date and correct. Please inform us immediately of any changes to keep your information current. Parents are responsible for all costs involved in emergency medical treatment, including emergency transportation if required.
Note: In case of a serious accident or sudden illness requiring immediate medical attention, the following procedures will be followed.
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A phone call to 911 is made.
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Child's parents (or emergency contacts) are called.
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Child is separated from the other children and appropriately cared for.
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Parent, provider, or ambulance takes the child and health records to the doctor or hospital
Evacuation Procedures
Kay's Kiddos has written policies and procedures for dealing with emergencies and natural disasters. Evacuation plans are posted in the daycare. In the unlikely event, the children will be evacuated to an emergency location, and you will be notified as soon as possible. Our emergency location of choice is the grass area near the train tracks. A notice will be posted at the daycare with all information on the alternative sight.
Diaper Policy
It is the parent's responsibility to provide diapers, wipes, and diaper cream for your child. It is also the parent's responsibility to check periodically to see if or when your child needs more diapers, wipes, and cream, (not the providers). Each child has his or her own clear labeled diaper bin. Diapers are checked frequently, and changed every three hours or more often if required. Diapers containing #2 are changed immediately. The diaper changing tables are cleaned and disinfected between each diaper change, and hand washing of childcare provider and child is performed after each diaper change.
Toilet Training:
We are more than happy to encourage potty training as long as the child is ready (typically between 2 and 3 years old). The initial start needs to be done at home for at least two weeks with success before it can be effectively started at daycare. Parents will be required to supply pull-ups and wipes. Children will be allowed to come to daycare in cotton training pants/underwear after they have been accident free for at least two weeks in pull-ups. Communication between parents and the daycare provider is imperative for a successful transition from diapers to toilet.
TV Viewing
Television viewing is only done once or twice a week, no more than an hour at a time and is limited to PBS Kids, Disney Plus, and Paramount Plus. On occasion, usually only on Fridays, we may pick an appropriate children's movie to watch i.e. (Toy Story, Moana, etc). Children are never required to sit and watch TV, and TV is not offered in place of free play or learning activities
Toys
We have well organized, separate, age appropriate toys for the toddler and infant class. Infants will not be allowed to be around or play with small objects and toys. During the initial adjusting period, we encourage you to not send any personal toys or soothing mechanisms with your child as it may get lost or cause disputes. As much as we try to encourage sharing, this seldom works when it is the child's own personal toy. It only causes problems between them and the other children.
Open Door Policy
Please feel free to come and go at anytime throughout the day to visit your child. However, please keep in mind that in doing so it can prove to be disruptive to the other children in our care. During times like these the other children have a hard time listening and following our directions. Furthermore, if you or any other part of your family i.e. (grandparents, etc) would like to come and visit or play with the child for an extended period of time, please take the child in question out of the daycare, to places such as your home, a park, or on a walk, etc, after which, feel free to bring the child back to daycare
Behavior and Discipline
We believe that the discipline of a child is achieved through patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. We also try and teach the children in our care manners, kindness and to be respectful to others. One of the ways in which we do this is by the example we as providers set. We understand that our actions and reactions speak much louder than our words. The children are explained the rules of the daycare frequently, so they know what's expected of them. Once a child is old enough to understand the rules and disobeys them by, exhibiting inappropriate behavior (hitting, aggression, etc), hurts others, or property, the following developmentally appropriate guidance techniques will be used. These techniques are as follows:
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Positive Reinforcement: The child will be encouraged when he or she is demonstrating unacceptable behavior.
2. Redirection: The child is redirected to another activity and given an opportunity to try again at another time.
3. Time-Out: The child is separated from the group for an age appropriate amount of time (one minute per one year of age). This technique is only used when a child repeatably will not follow our directions or listen to our words, is exhibiting temper tantrum type behavior, or hurting ones self, others or equipment. When the child shows that he or she is ready to demonstrate acceptable behavior, they are encouraged to join the rest of the group to try again.
4. Last Resort: When a child's behavior is continually upsetting or dangerous to others, a conference will be called with the parents. If the problems cannot be resolved, arrangements will have to be made for the child to go elsewhere for care.
Note: Sometimes if both a parent and a provider are both in the same area (examples would be during drop-off and pick-up times) a child may forget the rules or test the boundaries. Please help show your child that you respect us, the rules of our house, and our property by reminding them that the rules still apply when you are around. We will also remind them of the rules and correct them if needed.
Cleanliness
We take the well-being of your child very seriously and work hard to provide an environment that is as healthy as possible. We are committed to keeping our home and the children in it as clean as possible, in order to help minimize and/or prevent the spread of germs. Our home is kept clean and disinfected at all times. We thoroughly clean surfaces that children come in close contact with using soap and water, or Lysol, etc. The high chairs are cleaned between each use, and the diaper changing tables are cleaned and disinfected between each diaper change. Toys are cleaned and disinfected often, and water-play tables are cleaned and disinfected before being filled with water and carefully supervised when in use. Hand washing is the single most effective practice in preventing the spread of germs. We wash our hands many times throughout the day, as well as the children's hands before and/or after engaging in a thorough list of activities.
Arrival and Departure
Please send your child clean, dressed, with shoes, or with their clothes that you want the to wear for the day, as well as all of your child's necessary supplies needed for that day's care. Please do not send food i.e. (half eaten breakfasts, breakfast bars, candy, etc) or gum with the children. Please make your goodbye brief (no more than a couple minutes) the longer you prolong departure the harder it gets for both parent and especially for your child. Never leave without telling your child goodbye. Please be in control of your child during drop-off and pick-up times. No one other than the parent or person designated by you will be allowed to pick up your child without advanced written permission indicating the person's name and relationship to your child. If there is a COURT ORDER keeping one parent away from the child, we must have a written note from the custodial parent in our file to that effect. Otherwise, we cannot prevent the non-custodial parent from picking up the child
Supplies Needed
Parents are responsible for supplying the following items: diapers/pull-ups, wipes, diaper creams, tooth brush, bottles, formula/breast-milk, weather appropriate clothes, and a change of clothes, jacket, shoes that lace-up or Velcro and/or stay on feet (no flip-flops please), pacifier (if needed), and a nap time mat.
We supply and apply sunscreen every day to any child playing outside. For the older children sleeping on a matt, a blanket and a pillow are needed. Your child's blanket and pillow should be taken home every Friday and washed and returned to daycare the following Monday. There is a good possibility your child will get dirty throughout the day because of food, paint, markers, dirt, bubbles, etc. So please dress your child accordingly for play. We are not responsible for replacing stained or soiled clothing. Furthermore we suggest that you write your child's name on the tags of their clothing (especially socks and underwear) in order to prevent any clothing mix-ups.
Note: Please periodically check your child's locker/cubby to make sure they still have all of their necessary items needed at daycare. Further more, as the weather changes throughout the year, so do your child's items needed at daycare. We greatly appreciate your adherence to this subject, as it helps ours and the children's day run more smoothly to have all of his or her necessary belongings with them at daycare. This way we can care for your child in the best possible way