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LITTLE MONKEYS CHILDCARE

HANDBOOK

Dear Families:
I would like to extend a warm welcome to you. I look forward to working with you to provide quality care for your child in a safe and secure environment. I am committed to providing a warm, nurturing environment with age appropriate activities and equipment to foster each childs individual growth, development and needs. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the family handbook and keep it as a quick reference for questions that may arise. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please bring them to my attention.

About Me I have always loved working with children. At age 12 I started babysitting casually. I worked as a full-time nanny at 17, doing my school work by correspondence. I ran a daycare in a gym for about a year. I worked as a hairstylist for 5 years and switched to working with special needs 3 years ago. I was a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club in Whitecourt, AB, mentoring & supporting teens, planning and executing events and supervising a teen drop-in. I was also a volunteer for the FCSS of Whitecourt, AB, mentoring children in elementary school, struggling with self-esteem issues, bullying, school work or issues at home. I hold a Special Needs Certificate, Food Safe, CPR-C & CPR-B, First Aid, AED Certified, Basics in ASL Sign Language and a lot of love for mentoring & caring for children. I am a mother of a beautiful 2 year old boy and want nothing more than to be home with him and provide a fun, safe place for him to play and socialize with other children.

My Philosophy I believe that children learn through play and benefit from an inclusive, hands-on environment that fosters all developmental realms including: social, emotional, physical, intellectual and creative. I believe that structure, consistency, and flexibility are all important in a childs day. I respect childrens choices and believe that it is my role as caregiver to facilitate your childs independence. Routines are put in place but are flexible to accommodate each childs needs. A partnership between parents/guardians and caregivers is vital to ensure consistency between home and the daycare environment. Families are encouraged to be actively involved in their childrens lives at my daycare and I hope you will communicate any concerns and/or feedback to me. I believe my family daycare consists of a warm, caring and safe environment that will assist children in developing to their full potential.

My Goals I will: Provide quality care for each child Provide a safe, clean and fun environment for children and families Model and encourage appropriate play, manners and caring for all Children and families To incorporate the wants & needs of each parent or guardian when possible Promote positive and healthy self esteems Support families through an open line of communication and an active involvement throughout the daycare. Hours of Operation 7:30 am-5:30 pm Monday- Friday (some flexibility available) Closed all Statutory Holidays ( Christmas, Boxing day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, BC Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day). I will also take off 2-4 Vacation Weeks per year giving families at least two months notice in advance. Registration Procedure The registration form must be completed, signed and accompanied by a post dated cheque ( Please talk to me if this is a problem) for the first month, plus a $100 deposit. This deposit secures a spot for your child and will go towards the balance of your first months care. Little Monkeys Child Care has a wait list and enrolment is based on a first come first serve basis. Fee Schedule $5.50 per hour or 40.00 per day for ages 0-36months $5.00 per hour or 35.00 per day for ages 3-12 years A set payment for each month will be established if not casual. Fees are to be paid on either the first of each month in full. Services will be discontinued when fees are unpaid. If for any reason the daycare has to close unexpectedly you will be credited in the following month or will be given back your payment for the days you paid for but did not receive daycare.

Withdrawal from Care Termination of care requires a minimum of one month written notice. Your unused postdated cheques will be returned to you. Government Subsidy Partial government subsidy is available from the BC Government for some families; the remainder must be paid by the parent as per the above schedule. If you are applying for subsidy, please let me know as soon as possible. Authorization for subsidy must be received before the first day of care. If it is not available, full payment must be made and when authorization is received, may either be reimbursed or applied to the remaining account. Subsidy renewal is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. If subsidy is not renewed on time, full payment must be made and when authorization is received, may either be reimbursed or applied to the remaining account. Full payment for days not covered by subsidy is required. Sign in/out Procedures It is the licensing policy that all children are signed in and out including the time by the parents or by an appointed guardian. Only adults who are authorized on the registration form may pick up the child. Please make written prior arrangements if a change is to be made. Photo ID will be required of all unknown adults who come to pick up a child. It is important to a childs feeling of security and trust that he/she will be picked up on time. Cooperation in this regard is greatly appreciated as I need time for clean-up and time with my own family. Any time over and above the hours of operation is charged as over time. The fee is $5 for every 15 minutes late. I will attempt to call the parent/guardians first and then the emergency contacts on the registration form. If the child is not picked up within sixty minutes I am required by law to contact the ministry of children and families to take the child until the parents can be located. If a parent or authorized pick up person comes to pick up a child and appears to be intoxicated I will help them make alternate transportation arrangements. I will let the adult know that I am concerned about them driving. I will then ask if I can call them a taxi or a contact person on the registration form to come and pick up the child. If the parent or authorized pick up person refuses, I am under legal obligation to inform the ministry of children and families and the police.

Absenteeism If your child is going to be absent for any reason please notify me as soon as possible. In the event of absenteeism due to illness, vacation etc., not initiated by me, the parent is still responsible to full payment unless you decide to withdraw your child (see Withdrawal). Food Please provide your child with enough healthy food for the time they will be in attendance. There will be two scheduled snack times and one lunch time offered in our daily routine but children will be free to eat when they get hungry too. A hot lunch program will be offered periodically for a cost of $5 a lunch (due the morning of). If your child eats anything other than what you have provided I will either verbally tell the parent at pick up time or write it down and stick it in the childs lunch bag. Clothes Children should be dressed in easy wash play clothes. Please label your childs belongings. Children should bring a pair of indoor shoes or slippers to wear and leave here. Also please provide at least one set of spare clothes and socks. Toys from Home Toys from home are not always conductive to cooperative play. As toys may get misplaced, broken etc. they should be kept at home. On occasion, children may bring a toy to be shown at arrival time and then returned home with the parent. Fire Drills In keeping with the provincial law, my home is inspected periodically and is fully equipped with the necessary chemical extinguishers required by law. Fire evacuation drills are held monthly where I escort the children outside the house (with the evacuation kit) and across the street. Roll call is taken, and then we enter the house again.

Emergency Evacuation Local evacuation (within a few city blocks); in the case where an evacuation of the neighborhood is required, we will exit the building as in the fire drill. We will then proceed (walk) to Highland Park Elementary School on Wood Avenue-front playground or in case of rain or very cold weather in the gym. I will then attempt to call the parents or contact persons on the emergency card to come and get their child (ren) if possible. We will then await a message via TV, door- to-door or radio as to further instructions. In the case where an evacuation of the Armstrong area is required I will attempt to contact parents to pick up their children immediately. If we cannot get a hold of the parent I will then attempt to contact the authorized pick up persons to pick up the child. If unable to get a hold of either parents or authorized pick up people I will take the child with available transportation (city bus or my van and neighbors car) to Vernon Village Green Mall where I will make a another attempt to call the parents or contact persons on the emergency cards to come and get their child if possible. I will then await a message via TV, door-to-door or radio as to further instructions. It is my responsibility to stay with the children until they have been picked up. Recovery from an emergency may include closing the daycare for a few days, talking with the children about what happened, stories being read that are related to the incident, watching videos relating to the incident, having share time, where children can express concerns, fears and feelings, and games.

Health and Safety Illnesses: If your child is not well parents are asked to keep him/her at home. This includes: any type of fever at all, vomiting or diarrhea within the last twenty four hours, contagious illness (please inform me), hacking cough or difficulty in breathing. Any coloured discharge from the nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye) that has not been treated or the presence of nits or lice in the hair. Children are very generous when sharing germs with other children, family members and teachers. In order to stop this cycle and in the best interest of all concerned please keep your child home when any of the above symptoms apply. Please call and inform me if your child will be away due to illness. If a child becomes ill while at daycare I will notify the parent to come and take the child home. Until the parent can come I will provide a comfortable resting space for the child.

Accidents requiring medical Attention: If an accident occurs to a child while in my care requiring the attention of a physician I will attempt to inform the parent immediately, then the doctor or ambulance. If the parent cannot be reached I will call the emergency contact and then the doctor or ambulance. The parent/guardian is responsible for the ambulance fee. Medications: Medications will be administered ONLY as prescribed by the childs physician and provided by the parent/guardian in the original labeled container. This will be recorded on a medicine administration chart. Since the health of each child is of major importance, please notify me of any special circumstances regarding your childs health. I appreciate knowing about hurts, bruises and/or emotional upsets that occur away from my care. Smoking My home is a smoke free zone.

Guiding and Caring I approach this area with the understanding that each child is unique with different backgrounds and experiences. As children learn and grow they naturally test rules. It is normal for children to test a rule by breaking it. From the beginning I inform the children of the expected behavior. I remind them when they forget the rules and give them opportunity to redirect their behavior. I try to be supportive rather than punitive. Techniques: Respect-Respect for the child is conveyed by talking to them in a quiet, calm voice way from the other children if possible. The exceptions to this would be in potentially dangerous situations for example a child is pushing another child at the top of the climber. In this situation, a fast, direct response is obviously more important. Once the immediate danger has passed, then the child is quietly taken aside. Reminding- Sometimes children need specific instructions that are more easily attainable. For example at clean up time restating that it is clean up time may be necessary because children tend to get distracted easily. Please put the trucks on the top shelf may be less overwhelming than clean up the room. Redirection-This technique would be used with a child with limited communication skills or attention span. This child may be offered an alternative activity while at the same time I verbalize what is appropriate. This is done in a positive matter of fact matter. Problem Solving-Sometimes, the best guidance is to step back and enable the child to work out a resolution. As I am needed I offer help. Stating the problem is sometimes needed for clarity and therefore comforting to the child in being understood. Natural and Logical Consequences-Natural consequences state the inevitable. For example If you go outside without your mittens, your hands will get cold. Logical consequences mean I am enforcing a consequence related to the situation. For example when you get paint on your hands, you need to wash them. Modeling-It is absolutely a given, that I need to model the things I expect the children to do. Restitution- Restitution is the primary philosophy of behavior that I hope to convey. The golden rule says do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is communicated in a kind and respectful manner. For

example, a child has told another child that they are not allowed to play house. I would sit down with this child and ask Would you like someone to say this to you? How would you feel? Children readily acknowledge that they would not like this either. To make amends it is asked of them, Is there something you can do to help this person to feel better? If needed Id give suggestions. Choices- Appropriate choices are given and children are encouraged to choose for themselves. Setting up an appropriate environment- If my observations indicate a number of children are using a space or piece of equipment poorly, I will rearrange the area. Reward- For each child, a reward may be different, but usually a hug, a verbal acknowledgement or a smile does wonders for communicating acceptance. I consistently look for ways to reinforce the child by acknowledging their efforts. By recognizing that each child is unique, I support their individuality and thereby increase their positive feelings about themselves-ultimately creating in them a desire to do the things they know that are right and praiseworthy. If a childs continuous behavior is detrimental to the health and safety of him/herself or others, the following steps will be taken A meeting with the childs parent/guardian will be scheduled Staff and parent/guardian will work together to create a plan that will address childs behavior Plan will be carried out for 30 days Meetings with parent/guardian will be scheduled throughout the 30 day period once a week to discuss progress and take further action if needed After the 30 day period and no progress or change has been observed parents/guardians will be given a resource sheet with a list of alternative child care centers and services that may meet their needs Parents/guardians will then be given verbal and written notice that they have two weeks to find alternative child care If a childs behavior is endangering him/herself or others the child will be Asked to relax in quiet or soothing area until they feel they are able to rejoin the activity going on.

Reporting Abuse I recognize my responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of all children within my care. Any suspected or disclosed abuse or neglect will be reported to the ministry of children and families and subsequently reported to the licensing officer of the facility. All disclosures will be documented in an objective manner with the recording of facts, times, dates, and manner in which I became aware of the situation. A copy will be given to the social worker and I will keep a copy in my files. Child abuse can be: physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. Parent Access to Children and Custody I cannot deny a parent access to their child unless a custody or court order is in place. Copies of any legal documents limiting or denying a non-custodial parent access must be kept in the childs file at my house. Otherwise both the mother and father will be permitted to pick up their child and sign consent forms. Visiting rights of non-custodial parents may not be exercised at my home. Update of Records I rely on parents to keep me informed of: Current address and telephone numbers Authorized parties for pick-up Emergency contacts Any changes to custody or child access Confidentiality All information pertaining to children and families whether written or verbal will only be released to authorized persons. Confidentiality excludes government agencies such as the Ministry of Children and Families, Social Services and the RCMP. Photographs With your consent, I will take photos of your child. I believe photographs help build a positive self-concept in your children. Photographs can also help to document your childs process during the day. Please sign the attached form. The photos will be used in art work, hung up on the wall and of course given to parents.

Open Door Communication Parents/guardians are welcome to visit any time. There will be seasonal newsletters that will provide information on the childrens programs and special events. Parents/guardians are welcome to provide their suggestions and ideas at any time. Please provide your email address on the registration form so I can email you the newsletter and photos of your child.

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