Parent Handbook. Welcome to TLC Learning Center.

Transcription

1 Parent Handbook Welcome to TLC Learning Center. Our Childcare program has been organized to provide excellent education and superior care and nurturing. We believe that it s equally important to press a strong educational foundation. TLC Learning Center has a Christ Centered curriculum including scripture and song. We strive also to teach by example without using demeaning language or by berating the children with words such as BAD. Our curriculum is written on site using a Web design or Thematic. Each week we study a letter, number, shape, color, state, and or course the theme. We will introduce your child to English, Spanish, German, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language. Your child will be more than confident when entering Kindergarten. The parent Handbook is a vital part of the enrollment agreement. Please read and understand the following pages. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. Taneka Clausell Taneka Clausell Owner/Director 1

2 Parent s Expectations of the Program A. Their children are cared for in a safe, supportive environment. B. They may visit with the Director about concerns related to their child or the program. C. They will be informed of any misbehavior on the part of their child, and possible remedies to improve the situation. D. They will be regularly informed about the program activities. Program Expectations of the Parent A. Pay tuition is due on the Friday prior. On Monday after drop off a $50.00 late fee will be applied. B. Keep the child s record up to date. C. Pick up children on time,tuition is based on a ten hour day. D. Follow health policies; if your child is ill, i.e. has a fever of contagious illness, please keep them out of the facility for 72 hours, so we can keep all the children healthy. Do not medicate your child prior to dropping them off if you do not know the cause of their fever and/ or ailment. E. Contact the facility if your child will not be attending that day!! F. Work with facility to bring improvement in behavior if the situation occurs. G. Please make sure your child has everyday necessitates, ie wipes, diapers, and a change of clothes H. Please make sure to send your child formula pre-mixed, the staff isn't allowed to mix formula, per Alabama DHR. Program Expectations of the Child A. Be responsible for their own actions. B. Respect the programs rules and abide by them. C. Respect the teachers. D. Remain with the group and staff at all times. E. Respect materials and equipment in the center. TLC Learning Center is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday Care 8 a.m. -2 p.m. Tuition for Saturday is $75 in addition to tuition ***There are NO hourly rates. Parents whose children remains after 6p.m. must pay overtime fee: $5.00 per child the first ten minutes, and $1.00 per child, per minute thereafter. A dollar NSF charge on all returned checks. All required enrollment forms and documents must be completed and returned to the Director on or before the day your child is to start the program. Tuition is due in advance; on the Friday BEFORE the week in question. A late fee of $50 will be applied after 10:00 a.m. on Monday. 2

3 Enrollment Forms A. Application B. Immunization form (form 121) C. Parental authorization for; pick up and release, photography permission, emergency medical treatment. D. Signed documentation that the Handbook was received and read. All immunization records and enrollment forms must be kept up to date. Registration Fees $100.0 for the first child, $50.00 for the second, $25.00 for the third. These fees are annual. Infant room...$ year old room...$ year old room $ year old room $ year old room $ **There is a $20 fee added to kids three & older that aren't potty trained** Withdrawal from the Program Parents wishing to withdraw from the program MUST give a two week paid notice. Absences If your child will not be attending because of the scheduled appointments, vacations, or other planned absences please notify the school that your child will not be attending. The weekly tuition will REMAIN PAYABLE. Week vacations are allowed for one half of the weekly tuition when the Director is notified two weeks in advance. Release of Children Children will be allowed to leave ONLY with the person stated on the enrollment form. 3

4 Child Care South We gladly accept the Alabama Child Care subsidy program. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to check the child in using the card provided by Child Care South each day. Child Care South covers 50 hours each week if your child if you're eligible for full time care. Your child must attend daycare at least 26 hours to remind edible for full time benefits. The program allots for 5 paid missed absentees each month. You must clock your child in as absent, option 5, when he/she returns. In the event that your child is absent for more than 3 days on any calender week it is your responsibility to make sure tuition is covered. Tuition and your parent fee is still payable as long as your child is enrolled at TLC Learning Center. TLC will no be responsible for checking your child's time and attendance. Please contact your caseworker for clarity. Take all receipts to verify that your child's attendance was recorded correctly. In the event that your card is lost or stolen please notify your Caseworker and the director. TLC will only complete an Adjustment request for lost cards and excused absentees. 4

5 Distribution of Medication If a child must receive medication during program hours, it must be PRE-MEASURED by the parent. No random dosing will be provided. Health and Hygiene Allergies: Parents/Guardians must inform the Center s Director verbally and in writing about any allergy problems a child may have, in order for us to take the right precautions to protect the child. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: We will keep parents/guardians informed of any instance of contagious diseases affecting children who may have had direct exposure at the center, and the Center Director will immediately report such diseases to the local health authorities. If a child is absent because of contagious disease, he or she may not return to the center without a physician s written statement indicating that the child is no longer contagious and is able to participate in activities. We many also distribute educational literature about children s health issues. Along with diseases such as chickenpox, shingles, CMV, fifth diseases, flu, head lice, etc. the Mississippi Department of Health Guidelines require exclusion from child care for any of the following conditions: Fever- Defined as 100 degrees F or higher taken under the arm, 101 degrees F taken orally, or 102 degrees F taken rectally. For children 4 months or younger, the lower rectal temperature of 101 degrees F is considered a fever threshold. Diarrhea- Frequent (3 or more episodes in a 48 hour period) runny, watery or bloody stools. According to CDC recommendations, a child who is not toilet trained and has diarrhea should be excluded from child care settings regardless of the cause. Vomiting- Two or more times in a 24 hour period. Rash- Body rash with a fever. Sore Throat- Sore throat with fever and swollen glands. Severe coughing- the child gets red or blue in the face and makes highpitched whooping sound after coughing. Eye discharge-thick mucus or pus draining for the eye. Jaundice-Yellow eyes and skin. Irritability-Continuous irritability and crying Hand Washing: We want to help teach children valuable personal and self- help skills. Therefore, we require hand washing before eating, after bathroom visits, and at other appropriate times throughout the day. Illness and Sick Days: To help ensure that illness does not spread, sick children should not be brought to the center. When a child will not be present at the center one or more days, we ask the parent/guardian to please notify the Center Director. If a child becomes ill while at the center 5

6 and we feel that it would be better for the child to be at home rather than in contact with other children, we will call and ask the parent/guardian to pick up the child. If a child is sent home with fever, we ask that the child not return until he/she has fever-free for 24 hours. In the event of any serious accident or illness, an ambulance may be called. For the safety of each child. We keep on file the names, addresses, and phone numbers of those people authorized to pick up a child. We also ask each parent/guardian to supply the center with the names and phone number of a family doctor and preferred hospital. Safety Outdoor play will be allowed when weather permits. Any person deemed a stranger, on or about the premises is highly monitored and may be reported to the authorities. In the case of someone coming onto the property posing a threat, 911 will be called and the children will be removed from danger. Caregivers are to make every effort to keep a child from getting into a car with a parent under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They will call the police to give the parent and child a ride home. The program license requires caregivers to report suspected cases of child abuse. Insurance The program carries liability insurance, which is required by law. Accident policies will not be provided. Nutrition TLC provides two nutritious meals and two snacks. Breakfast is severed 9:00 a.m. and Lunch is served at 12:00 p.m. Snacks are served at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Child s Personal Property Please label all personal items brought to the school. Children SHOULD NOT bring money, toys, videos, food, or other items not necessary for preschool without checking with the Director. SHOW AND TELL is on FRIDAY. PARENTAL ACCESS The Center has Open Door visitation. Please feel free to visit at any time. If a visit becomes disruptive, we may ask the parent/guardian to return at a different time. We encourage parents/guardians to participate in their child s early education. 6

7 Guidance and Discipline The staff strives to create an atmosphere of acceptance and to enhance the self-esteem of each child. When discipline is needed, we never use any type of physical punishment. Discipline will use positive guidance, redirection, and limit setting. We will prohibit the use of humiliating and frightening punishment. We will also prohibit peers from administering discipline. We believe that s: 1. All children need limits which are consistently enforced. 2. Children need opportunities to learn to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions. 3. Positive behavior should be reinforced in order to redirect inappropriate behavior. 4. Punishment is not to be used in connection with rest, food, or toilet training. When a specific behavioral problem has been identified at the center, the Director ( and possibly primary caregiver) will bring this to the attention of the child s parent(s) or guardian(s). We reserve the right to dis-enroll without notice for any reason and all set forth by center. Discipline and Guidance Policy TLC Learning Center does not use corporal punishment or total isolation for discipline. Our policy consists of the following. 1. TLC's staff attempts to resolve any problem or misunderstanding by speaking with the child. Helping the child realize the right and wrong from the situation a second chance is given. 2. Time out is when a child must suit away from play, work and school area as a nonparticipant. 1 minute for each year of the child s age. Example : a child who is years old, will receive 3 minute of time out. 3. The corner is when a child must stand in the corner. Same amount of time as stated above. 4. Conference is held with parent or legal guardian to resolve the problem. NEITHER CORPORAL PUNISHMENT NOR TOTAL ISOLATION SHALL BE USED AS DISCIPLINE MEASURES IN LICENSED CHILD CARE FACILITIES! Transportation We do not provide transportation for the children to and from daycare. Evacuation Plans In case of emergency whereas the center would need to be evacuated, the children will be moved to either the Foley Fire Department 120 W Verbena Ave Foley, Al or across the street by teachers and parents and teachers will notify parents of details and pick up information via phone. 7

8 Arrival and Departure Procedure Arrival It is the parent's responsibility to hold their child s hand from the car to the door upon arriving until safely inside the center. This includes keeping your child out of the roads. Children left running around the parking lot under their parent s supervision are not our responsibility. Reminder: Siblings are not allowed to bring in the children. This is the parent s responsibility. When you sign your child in you must sign the child s full name, as well as the parent s first and last name. SIGN IN: Signing in means your child is well and up to State Department Regulations. Your child s teacher will greet you in the morning and make sure your child is in good health. All children are to be in class by 9:00am unless they have slip or are delayed by an emergency. No children will be allowed to enter the daycare after 9:00am. It distracts the other children who are learning and on schedule. Departure It is the parent's responsibility to make sure their child does not open or go out the front door alone. The same rules applies as when they are arriving. Hold your child s hand and keep the children safe, out of the roads and safety until they are safely in the car. Please do not forget to sign your child out. Note: Cubbies are lined in the classrooms. It is tempting for children to want to get into other children s cubbies at the arrival of the parent. Please do not let them do this. Make sure they understand this is not acceptable and to respect other people s property. This is up to you to help them with this. If a parent has an emergency and they will be unable to pick up their child, they must notify the daycare of who will be picking up their child. This person must have proper ID with them, Please make sure that all people who are authorized to pick up our child are listed on your application. Please make sure that all documents are kept up to date. 8

9 Child Abuse Reporting All employees who are employed at the Center are obligated under State Law to report all suspected child abuse directly to the Department of Social Services or Law Enforcement. Our staff is screened before they are employed at the center. If there is incident of suspected in house child abuse/neglect, we will ensure that further incidents cannot re-occur until all allegation is investigated. Upon results of investigation, the employability of any staff member involved will be evaluated. Receipt and Acknowledgment of TLC Learning Center Parent Handbook Please read the following statements, sign below and return. I have received and read a copy of TLC Learning Center Parent Handbook. I understand that the polices described in it are subject to change at the sole discretion of TLC Learning Center at any time. Parent/Gaurdian Signature Date 9