Where we cater to the business of children and the business of children is play.

Transcription

1 Revised May, 2015

2 Welcome to the Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center! Where we cater to the business of children and the business of children is play. We welcome you to the Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center (CLC) and the partnership we will share during these early school years. The need for quality child care is great, and the Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center was established to help meet this need by providing quality, convenient and nurturing care to the children of students, staff and faculty of the Austin Peay State University as well as the community. This Handbook was designed to explain our program. We hope you will read it carefully and keep it for future reference. We encourage your participation, cooperation, comments and support. Sincerely, The Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center Staff

3 Mission The Child Learning Center enhances the growth, development and performance of the Austin Peay State University students and other parents by maintaining a campus children s center whose primary objective is to promote the continuous well-being of the children and adults it serves through programs and services that meet their social, emotional and cognitive needs. Philosophy The Child Learning Center believes that children learn through play. Play is the avenue through which children learn to reason, develop language, gain social skills and naturally learn to deal with the world around them. We feel our role is to provide children with the opportunity to play and grow as individuals. Hours of Operation Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. The Child Learning Center serves children ages 2 years (24 months) 5 years (60 months). We also offer drop-in service for public school closings for school age children from Kindergarten -5 th grade during the school year. In the summer the center offers full day childcare preschool and school-age.

4 School Age Drop-in Care The Child Learning Center will offer school age (ages 5 years 12 years) care when the Clarksville Montgomery County School System is closed during the university semester. All children must have an up to date application on file at the Child Learning Center and an up to date shot record on file in the school system. This is a first come first served service. All rules of the childcare center apply to school age care also. Emergencies From time to time, emergencies may cause a parent to arrive later than expected. It is imperative that parents contact the center immediately when they realize they will be late picking up their children. Contact number is Parent s accounts will be charged the late pick-up fee when picking up their children later than 5:00p.m. The amount can be found on the Austin Peay State University Rate Agreement form. The official time is from the front desk computer at the center.

5 Closures The center is closed all holidays the university is closed. If the university is closed due to inclement weather, the center is closed as well. Listen to the local radio and television stations for announcements. Sign up for the university s AP Alert, to receive the announcements by text messaging. Visit to sign up. Our hours of operation will coincide with the universities. Therefore, we may open late or close early. We would appreciate parents calling us to check on our open/closed status if weather conditions are questionable. There is no reduced charges due to inclement weather closings. Fees You are responsible for child care payments even if your child is not attending. Fees are not charged for teacher in service training days. You will be charged for days there are no classes but the university is still open. You will be billed each Thursday for the following week of child care. Payments are due on Friday prior to the week of care. Payments

6 may be made at the business office located in the Browning Building or on line. If payment is not received by Monday morning of the week care is needed, service will be denied immediately. If after one week payment has not been received or arrangements made with the director, the child care will be permanently lost. NO deduction of fees is made for absences or closings due to inclement weather. Holds placed on students accounts will not be lifted at any time for any reason. Return check policy: After two returned checks, cash or money order payments will be required. Failure to pay will result in your account being turned over to the Austin Peay State University Business Office. The business office will attempt to collect; if unsuccessful, your account may be sent to a collection agency. Interim Child Care Child care is available during interim periods (between semesters and spring and fall break only). If a parent chooses not to have his or her child(ren) attend the center during these times, they will still be responsible for the regular weekly childcare fee. Registration You will be charged a registration fee upon enrollment and once a year thereafter. There is only one fee per family. Your file will be updated at this time as changes such as emergency designees and /or telephone numbers occur. The registration fee is non-refundable.

7 Withdrawal A two-week notice is required for withdrawal of your child (please understand that you are responsible for paying child care for two weeks after you notify us of your intent to withdraw your child whether your child attends or not). Releasing Children In order to protect your child, it is our policy not to release children to persons other than the child s parents/guardians or persons listed as emergency contacts on the application for enrollment. Anytime someone other than the parents/guardians picks up a child, they will be asked to show picture identification at the front desk. Outdoor Participation Outside play is an integral part of a child s day. Except during extreme weather conditions, all children will participate in outdoor activities. Teachers determine outdoor activities based on several considerations including temperature (between 32 and 95 degrees), wind chill factor, humidity and weather conditions. If a child must remain indoors for medical reasons, other arrangements for child care should be made until the child can participate in the daily outdoor activities. Extra personnel are unavailable to care for children one-on one.

8 Rest A rest period of about 1.5 hours will be scheduled in the early afternoon. All children are required by state regulations to rest (not sleep) while lying on a mat for one hour. The environment is conducive to rest. Each child will be provided a sheet and mat by the center. These are washed weekly or more frequently if necessary. Immunizations All children shall be immunized in accordance with current Department of Health guidelines. Records of children not in compliance with the guidelines will result in denied care until the immunizations are brought current. All must have an up-to date record in their file before they begin child care with the center. Exceptions to this policy may be made only if you provide us with: A signed and dated statement from the child s physician giving a medical reason why the child should not be given a specified immunization, Or, A signed written statement by the parent/guardian stating that such immunizations conflict with his or her religious tenets and practices. Immunizations must be up-to-date upon enrollment and annotated on an official Tennessee Department of Health Tennessee Pre-School Immunization certificate. Each time your child s immunizations are updated we will need a new certificate.

9 Health Requirements According to state licensing, all children will be checked upon arrival and observed during the day for signs of communicable disease. Symptomatic children will be removed from the group until parents are contacted and health issues are resolved. We will make every effort to contact parents if their child is ill. If parents cannot be reached, emergency contacts will then be called. A child who has had any of the following in the last 24 hours cannot be at the center; A temperature of 100 degrees or more Discharge or redness of the eyes Vomiting Diarrhea Parents will be given an illness readmission form stating what the sickness is thought to be and instructions on what the parent must do to have his or her child readmitted. Medications Medications are not administered by staff unless it is life threatening, such as rescue puffs for asthma or the EPI pen for bee stings and other allergies. Medical Emergencies In case of an emergency, the caregiver in charge will provide basic first aid and /or CPR. An ambulance is called if the injury is lifethreatening or the child is unconscious. Parents are contacted immediately.

10 Emergency Designees Each parent is to have three (3) emergency contact numbers listed with the center in case the center cannot get in touch with the parent/guardian. We will then call your designees for information or to pick up your child. Persons not listed as emergency designees will not be allowed to pick up a child without prior approval from the parent/guardian. Staff of the Child Learning Center reserves the right to deny release of a child to anyone whose behavior may place the child at immediate risk. Accident/Incident Reports If a child is injured or is exhibiting difficult behavior, an accident/incident report will be completed explaining the events that occurred. A copy is maintained in the director s office. Sign In and Out Procedures Parents must sign their children in and out of the classroom daily. This enables the center to keep accurate account of the children. If your child is not signed in and out each day you may be charged for meals, as CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) will not count the child present for the day without signatures and times in/out. Certificate parents: You may be charged for days not covered by the agency due to failure to sign your child in/out each day.

11 Clothing Children should be dressed in comfortable, casual clothes and shoes which are washable and suitable for active play. Clothing should encourage self-help skills: for example, overalls or tight belts might restrict a child s ability to care for bathroom needs. Shoes should be well-fitting and safe for playground activities. Canvas or leather tennis shoes are recommended. Boots, cleats, flip flops and some sandals are inappropriate for many outside activities and should not be worn to school. A complete change of clothes is to be available in the child s cubby at all times. The center staff will wash soiled clothes and replace them in the child s cubby when needed. All items left at school should be labeled with the child s name including jackets, sweaters, extra clothing and blankets. Meals Breakfast brown bag lunch healthy snacks A nutritious breakfast is served to all children who arrive between 8:30 and 8:50 each morning. The afternoon snack is served between 2:00 and 2:30 each afternoon. Children should not bring food from home for these meals. The Child Learning Center does not serve lunch to the children. Each child is required to bring a nutritious lunch from home. This lunch should include; a protein, a fruit, a vegetable or 2 fruits or 2 vegetables and a grain. Lunch is eaten every day at 11:30 12:00. The center serves skim milk for all three (3) meals.

12 If a child has special dietary needs, food allergies or other special conditions requiring attention, parents need to advise the director and their child s teacher immediately. Child Learning Center policy is to accommodate children with special dietary needs or allergies as much as possible. Substitutions will be made if readily available. Parents will be asked to provide foods or snacks when suitable substitutions cannot be made. Parent will provide the milk or milk substitute for their child and provide a note from the child s Doctor stating the child cannot have cow s milk. Menus are available to parents and can be found in each classroom on the parent board. All Meals are USDA-approved. Developmental Programing The Child Learning Center uses The Creative Curriculum, by Diane Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker and Cate Heroman, as a resource for planning developmentally appropriate activities in the classroom. It is a comprehensive, child development-based curriculum that helps us create an effective learning environment. It organizes the classroom into interest areas and provides guidance on the underlying rationale as well as goals and learning objectives for children, teachers and parents. Weekly lesson plans and the activity schedule are posted on the parent board in each classroom. Please talk with your child s teacher about the activities planned. Promotions to Other Classrooms Age is only one of the criteria used to judge a child s placement in other age groups at the Child Learning Center. The director, classroom lead teachers and parents shall decide when a child

13 should be promoted to another classroom based on multiple considerations: Classroom observations The child s readiness for experience with an older group of children Social emotional and general cognitive development When teachers determine that a child is ready for placement in another class and space is available, the parent will be contacted about a conference. Arrangements for a smooth, gradual entry to the new classroom will be made. Parent Involvement We have numerous ways for parents to get involved with the center. Becoming a member of the Parent Advisory committee, as well as volunteering in the classroom are just two (2) ways to involve yourself in your child s preschool experience. Please see your child s teacher to find ways you can help in the classroom. The Parent advisory Committee, which is made up of parent volunteers, acts as a support group for the director, staff and parents utilizing the center. Families will be asked about their values, beliefs, cultural and childrearing practices during the intake process. The center will communicate with families in their primary language or utilize resources as needed to communicate with families. Families are invited and encouraged to visit in the classroom at any time.

14 Parental Grievance Policy The grievance policy for parents is designed to help resolve conflicts in an effective, humane and professional manner. When a conflict occurs, the following procedures are to be followed: Parents are encouraged to think carefully about the situation and define clearly the concern or problem. Parents should talk with the teacher first about the concern and try to resolve the problem by clearly communicating the concern, listening to the teacher s perspective and discussing various solutions to the problem. In the unlikely event that parents and the teacher cannot arrive at a satisfactory solution, parents may make arrangements to discuss their concern with the director of the Child Learning Center. If the concern relates to a policy issue, the Director will need to include the Department Head of Student Affairs in the discussion of the problem. On a rare occasion when a problem cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all persons involved and it is apparent there is not a good match between the family s needs and the program goals and operation, the parents may be asked to withdraw their child from the program.

15 Guidance Techniques Guidance techniques are designed and carried out in such a way as to help the individual child develop self-control and to assume responsibility for his or her actions. The rules are simple and understandable, and redirection, along with an explanation, is a common technique. If a child is removed from the group or an activity to gain control, it will be for a short period of time. No child will be punished by corporal punishment or verbal abuse. Please keep in mind, this policy also applies to parents. Children may not be spanked or threatened to be spanked at the center. Behavior Plan The behavior plan will be implemented after all techniques of behavior control will be exhausted. Parents will be fully aware of behavior concerns and will be advised as of such by the caregiver. The plan will be implemented in the following steps, and they are as follows: 1 st offense Child is removed from the area where incident occurred. Parent notified of offense. 2 nd offense Parent is notified about the behavior and child is removed from the area where the incident occurred. 3 rd offense Parent is notified about the behavior and removed from the area where the incident occurred. Meeting is scheduled with center director to discussed further enrollment. Behavior Plans are privileged information about a child and are not shared with other parents.

16 Discontinuing Service to a Child The Child Learning Center reserves the right to discontinue services to any child if: The parents fail to reasonably cooperate with the center in adhering to all center polices The child is destructive to property or so disruptive that the education of other students is significantly impaired The child requires another educational setting more appropriate to individual needs Parents fail to make weekly payments to their accounts. Parent Conferences The center holds parent/teacher conference twice each year. These will take place in the fall and spring. We will post notices as to when the conferences will be held. Doing assessments of a child s development is a critical link in our ability to set goals for each child and to plan appropriate program activities. Child assessment is conducted by the lead teacher and is based on the following: The Creative Curriculum Child Development and Learning Checklist Regular observations Additional assessments may be administered as necessitated by the child s development progress. The family s perspective about childrearing and cultural practices is solicited during parent conferences to create and maintain open communications.

17 Parent Education We hold various parent information classes and trainings throughout the year. We will post these events in the center on the Parent Bulletin Board, post on the center s Facebook page and published in the monthly newsletter. Media Release From time to time, we will take pictures of the children to post in the center, around campus or on our Web site and Facebook page. The local television may attend some of our events and will take pictures and video tape children to air on the television. Please let us know if you do not want your child to have his or her picture taken for these purposes. Every parent is required to have in their child s folder the Austin Peay State University model release form. Certificate Program Parents Only Please be aware of your child care broker s policies on attendance and recertification. They will not pay your child care fees if these policies are violated. Parents are responsible for the payment of all fees not covered by your child care broker. The certificate is an agreement between you and the broker.

18 Policy on Children with Special Needs The Child Learning Center will not discriminate against a child with a disability solely on the basis of the disability. The Child Learning Center serves children with special needs and handicapping conditions whenever possible. Any eligible applicant with special needs will be enrolled in the program if, after careful evaluation of the child s needs and the center s capabilities to this need, it is felt that the child can participate in and benefit from the program/service the center offers and the center can make reasonable accommodations to provide safe care to this child as well as to the other enrolled children should this child be enrolled. Policy Regarding Title VI The Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center will not discriminate against a child or parent on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin in any of its policies, services or practices. Trial Period The Austin Peay State University Child Learning Center has a two month trial period for any enrolled child. The center reserves the right to request the withdrawal of a child during or after the trial period if one or more of the following conditions exist: The child is not participating in or not benefiting from the program. There are no reasonable accommodations this center can make to provide adequate or safe care for the child.

19 There are no reasonable accommodations this center can make to provide adequate or safe care to other enrolled children and caregivers due to the care needs of the child. Emergency Preparedness Plan Emergency plans are posted in each classroom on the parent bulletin board. Safety drills are performed monthly. Currently, if evacuation becomes necessary, your child(ren) will be transported to the Shasteen building. Staff will carry emergency contact information and contact you as soon as possible. Please make sure all new cell phone numbers and home addresses and work phone numbers are up to date. The Shasteen building is located on Summer Street. Phone number is You may also call Austin Peay State University Campus Police at for more information. The Governors Gold Sneakers Initiative The Gold Sneaker Initiative was developed to enhance policy related to physical activity and nutrition within licensed child care facilities across Tennessee. These are their policies that we have made policies of the Child Learning Center.

20 Tobacco Policy In order to ensure a healthy environment for all children the following tobacco policy must be adopted by the facility to earn Gold Sneaker recognition: Policy 1.9: Child care facility campus shall be tobacco free. Austin Peay State University and the Child Learning Center are a smoke free campus including the Child Learning Center parking lot. Enactment of Policy Participation in the Gold Sneaker Initiative is voluntary and is open to any licensed child care facility in Tennessee. All policies shall be stated in the individual child care program s policies and a copy shall be provided to the Department of Health for maintenance of the Gold Sneaker recognition. Physical Activity Policy Policy 1.1: Children ages 12 months or older attending a full day program shall be offered at least sixty (60) minutes of physical activity per day, either indoors or outdoors, children attending less than a full day program shall be offered a proportional amount of such activities. For children ages three and older, this physical activity must be a balance of free play, teacher-directed activities, and music and movement. This must be documented in the daily schedule and in lesson plan forms.

21 Policy 1.2: viewing of television, videos and other visual recordings shall be limited to no more than sixty (60) minutes per day of educational programs or programs that actively engage child movement. Children attending less than a full day program shall be limited to a proportionate amount of such viewing. This shall be stated in the individual child care facility s policies. Policy 1.3: children shall not be allowed to remain sedentary to sit passively for more than sixty (60) minutes continuously, except for scheduled rest or naptime. This shall be stated in the individual child care facility s policies. Policy 1.4: Child care facilities must ensure physical activity is a positive experience for children and is never used negatively or to control behavior. Nutrition Policy Nutrition standards will be enhanced by including additional nutrition policies that must be addressed in order to earn Gold Sneaker recognition: Policy 1.5: Ensure appropriate infant and child feeding patterns, including breastfeeding. Staff will be sensitive to breastfeeding mothers and infants and their eating patterns. Each infant will have a feeding plan on file, which is completed by the parent/parents and facility as a team to address their unique feeding patterns. Policy 1.6: Ensure appropriate infant and child feeding patterns, including adequate time for meal consumption. Adequate time for meals and snacks will be allowed for all children, and will be included in classroom schedules.

22 Policy 1.7: Ensure appropriate infant and child feeding patterns, including appropriate portion sizes. Appropriate portion sizes will be assured through staff training and adherence to portion sizes as found in child care licensing regulations. Policy 1.8: All eating opportunities should consist of a respect for the child and promoting a positive attitude toward food. Food shall never be used as rewards for children.