Our Policy
DISPCIPLINE POLICY
Children who are having difficulty for any reason will be re-directed to another activity with teacher assistance. If a child’s behavior is likely to result in harm to the child, others or property, or seriously disrupts group interaction, the child may be separated briefly from the group. The child will be taken up to the office to sit with an administrator where he/she can gain enough self-control to rejoin the group. The child will always be left in an area where he/she is in full view of and can be supervised and supported by a staff member. Interaction between the child and a staff member will take place immediately following the separation to guide the child toward appropriate group behavior. A method of discipline which frightens, demean, or humiliate a child is strictly prohibited.
CHILD ABUSE POLICY
All staff of the CLAD are mandated reporters and are required to report any suspected abuse, neglect, or maltreatment on the part of an employee, parent, or volunteer. Any abuse or maltreatment of a child, either as an incident of discipline or otherwise is prohibited. Any means of corporal punishment will not be tolerated. Additionally, withholding or using food, rest or sleep as a punishment is prohibited.
NEGOTIATING DIFFERENCES
When a parent has a concern about some aspect of our childcare program, we will take every step to help resolve the issue as promptly as possible, keeping the safety and wellbeing of the children and staff as a priority. Children Learn & Play Daycare II is always open to suggestions and feedback to improve the way we serve you and your family.
SPECIAL SERVICES
The school districts provide free screening for children who might have special needs. If the school district approves services for a child, outside therapist may provide those services at Children Learn & Play Daycare II. If you think that your child might have special needs, consult with the director who can assist and accompany you through the referral process.
DAILY ROUTINE HOURS OF OPERATION
The Center is open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The center is closed:
New Years Day
Martin Luther King’s Birthday
Good Friday
President Day
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Thanksgiving Day and day after
Christmas Eve Day
Christmas Day and day after
New Years Eve Day
In the event of inclement weather, Children Learn and Play Daycare II will make every attempt to open as usual. However, to preserve the safety of our staff and children we will close if conditions warrant such action. It is at the discretion of the Center’s Administration to make the decision to close earlier or open later due to natural disasters (i.e., Snow, ice …)
Children Learn and Play Daycare II Families will be notified of the decision, prior to 6:00am.
If the Center is open, but because of severe weather and/or road conditions Administration decides to close early, families will be notified by phone. We will make every effort to remain open for working parents; however, if we find it necessary to close, we will not credit or discount tuition fees.
SIGNING IN AND OUT
Parents are responsible for signing children in and out. This procedure is extremely important for attendance records and safety measures in emergencies. We use a new program called BRIGHTWHEEL. It is important that every parent registers their child. Due to Covid, Parents are no longer welcome into the classrooms to stay briefly to help their child adjust to the group and to smooth the separation if the child is anxious about saying goodbye.
SECURITY SYSTEM
The doors to the center are kept always locked in order to limit access and to keep children from exiting ahead of supervisors/parents. Photo I.D. is required and kept on file for who is authorized to pick up your child.
PARENT VISITS
Parents may visit the center at any time. However, if there are problems arising from parent visits that interfere with the deliverance of quality childcare, then the parent(s) will not be permitted in the classroom. Due to COVID, we are not allowing parents to come into the classroom to sit with their children. We do have a isolation room where parents can consult with their children.
FAMILIES INVOLVEMENT
Families are welcome to participate in the class activities and school events. WAYS FOR THE FAMILIES
TO BE INVOLVED:
- Making things for the program
- Sharing their culture
- Sharing a talent or a job
- Participating in the class activities or field trips
- Contributing to the curriculum
AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE A CHILD
A child will be released to parents and those adults identified by the parents as authorized to pick up their child. If another adult comes to pick up your child, we will release the child only through notification in writing from the child’s parent. Proper I.D. must be given before the child is released.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Your emergency contacts listed on your emergency card WILL be contacted if you are unable to be reached. Please adhere to the following policies: 1. Two (2) contacts that live in a 24-mile radius of the Children Learn and Play Daycare II. Your contacts should know that they have been recorded on the card and are responsible for your child if they need to pick up your child at any time throughout the day.
PICK-UP POLICIES
Our concerns for the children’s safety, both physical and emotional, ask that once the child has been released to your care at day’s end, your child is not permitted to run in the hallways, roam unattended or enter the kitchen. Parents who spend a little time in their child’s classroom at day’s end need to also remember that while your child is in his/her classroom with you, class rules that encourage appropriate behavior still apply for your child. Parent’s visiting in classes at day’s end may also have an anxious effect on other children waiting for their parents, so please take the gentle cue from the teacher if it’s time to leave.
PARKING
There is limited short-term parking available in front of the school. We ask that you do not park in the Loading/Unloading area, in front of a Fire Hydrant or in front of any signs that say No Standing or No Parking. We also ask that you not leave car motors running or leave other children unattended within your car when you enter the building.
PERSONAL BELONGINGS
A stuffed animal or doll may ease the transition from home and comfort the child feeling anxious; please be sure these items are “soft cuddliest.” A book or cassette to share with the whole class is always welcome. It is recommended that other toys be left in the car or at home, so as not to be lost, broken or envied by others. Action figure/superhero toys and projectile toys are not permitted in the center. Action figure toys encourage strong physical play which often leads to aggressive play; this can get out of control when children confuse make-believe with reality. Videotapes brought from home, to be shared at school during inclement weather or when curriculum themes relate, necessitate a few words of caution. Disappointment may arise when we are not able to show a videotape due to time constraints or developmental appropriateness. We require administrative approval after advance screening before your child offers to share a video with his/her class.
MEALS
Breakfast is served at 8:30-9:30 a.m.; children arriving later should already have eaten at home.
The major meal of the day is served at lunch; dinner is lighter fare. Nutritious snacks are provided once a day. Milk is served at breakfast and lunch to all children unless otherwise indicated by parent or doctor. However, parents must provide their own milk or formula.
Parents must inform the center of any special dietary requirements, including food allergies. Candy and chewing gum are not permitted in the center. The menu rotates on a two-week basis. When you enroll and when the state changes our menu, you will receive a copy of the scheduled meals. Please notify us of any allergies immediately.
As per the Health Department we are prohibited from allowing outside food to be brought into the center.
CLOTHING
Children play hard and need to be comfortable. We ask that children be dressed in school uniform, beige pants and red polo shirt. Cold weather does not necessarily keep us indoors, so please be sure that children have the necessary gloves, sweaters and hats, etc., appropriate for the day’s weather changes. All clothing should be labeled with the child’s name, to facilitate dressing and reduce loss.
Two full sets of extra clothes should be kept at the center, even for the oldest children. When an accident of play, feeding or toileting happens, we know you would want your child to be comfortable. Extra sets will need to be regularly replaced as soon as possible if your child uses them.
Shoes need to be appropriate for indoor/outdoor play. Hot, wet snow boots, for health reasons, need to be replaced with indoor shoes. Sneakers or rubber-soled shoes are required for safe play; an extra pair may be left in the child’s cubby and teachers will gladly help with the changes.
FINANCIAL POLICIES
TUITION POLICY
Tuition is payable monthly by the 1st day of the month. Make payment via BRIGHTWHEEL, to Children Learn and Play Daycare II, Inc. There will be no refund for day’s missed while the child is enrolled.
Children in transition (moving from one classroom to another) will pay the tuition fees of the classroom they were in on the first of the month.
Tuition deposits required to reserve a place for your child consist of one month’s tuition. This deposit will be refunded if 60 days’ notice is given to the center, and there is no outstanding balance.
There will be a $5.00 late payment fee per day for all tuition payments that aren’t paid by the 15th of each month.
A non-Refundable $65.00 registration fee is required before child first day of the school.
LATE PAYMENTS
There will be a $5.00 late payment fee charged to each day any bill that is received after the 15th day of the month. It is center policy that children may be required to withdraw from enrollment in the center when tuition is more than 60 days in arrears.
FUNDRAISING
The center is a for-profit corporation that receives funding for different occasions. Grants are often pursued to supplement our expenses or for projects. It is mandatory that all families participate in the involvement of all fund raisers.
WITHDRAWAL AND SCHEDULE CHANGING POLICY
Notice of 60 days is required before the withdrawal or schedule changing request of an enrolled child at the center. If the child is withdrawn without prior notice, the security deposit will not be returned. If the Director of the center determines that a child is unsuited for the center’s environment, the parents will be consulted. Within two weeks of this meeting the child will be withdrawn, and all agreements will be terminated.
HEALTH POLICIES
“The risk of transmission of the agents that cause infectious diseases is increased when children are gathered into groups for any reason. This risk is particularly significant in day care because of the many close physical interactions between children and adults. Many daycare programs attempt to exclude ill children. However, illness among young children is frequent and many parents want to bring mildly ill children to day-care programs. This results in a struggle between staff and parents and a desire for absolute criteria to use to determine when a child’s illness requires exclusion. Day-care personnel criticize parents for demanding care for sick children. In turn, parents criticize day-care programs, believing that their children acquire their illnesses from day-care contacts. The resulting tensions strain parent/staff relationships, negatively affecting the quality of the day-care experience. Unfortunately, absolute criteria for exclusion of ill children does not exist. Day-care programs base their exclusion policies on two issues:
(1) risk of transmission of infectious diseases and
(2) the demand of sick children for increased adult attention, which may exceed the
resources of the day-care program”.
(Quoted from Pediatrics in Review)
The health policy of the Children Play and Learn Daycare II is designed to best meet the needs of our children, parents and staff. The policy has been in place since the center opened, but we keep rewriting it in attempt to clarify and better define these policies. We consult with doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in formulating our health policies. No policy will eliminate the problem of illness endemic to group care–especially of young children–no policy will satisfy all the populations the center serves, and no policy can eliminate the element of subjective judgment inherent to individual situations. Center health policies may differ from your child’s pediatrician’s opinion.
DAILY HEALTH CHECK
Staff will perform a daily health check on each child upon drop off every morning. The daily check will examine whether the child has:
Fever or elevated body temperature of 100º
Skin rashes or unusual spots
COMPLAINS OF PAIN
Signs/symptoms of disease including, Severe coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulty, discharge from the nose, ears or eyes, diarrhea or vomiting. Should any of these symptoms present themselves the child will be excluded until a medical evaluation allows inclusion! A doctor’s note must be submitted stating that the child is not contagious and indicating the date that they can return to daycare. In order to minimize the spread of illness among children, it is important that parents have arrangements available for alternative care whenever your child shows signs of illness. The following symptoms will necessitate exclusion from the center:
FEVERS
A temperature of 100° F or higher is reason for exclusion from group care. A child who has been sent home with a fever of 100° F or higher may return to the center after being fever free for 24 hours without any medication.
SEVERE COLDS
Colds with extreme symptoms of excessive coughing, sneezing, nose drainage that is yellow or green and that interferes with a child’s ability to eat, sleep or play are reason for exclusion.
DIARRHEA
Bowel movements that are extremely loose, watery and frequent are reasons for exclusion. A child should be free from diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to the center.
EXPLANATION – Diarrhea in children is an extremely contagious illness. Bowel movements that cannot be contained in a diaper or a toilet pose a high risk of contagion. Young children, especially infants, may have frequent or loose stools regularly or in response to a variety of conditions, but these are different from diarrhea. One or two meals should be eaten during the “24 hours free from diarrhea” (overnight with no meals eaten should not be considered 24 hours free from diarrhea). Secondary symptoms of crying, pain, refusal to eat, etc., must be considered.
VOMITING
Vomiting is a reason for exclusion. As with diarrhea, 24 hours should pass (with at least one meal eaten) without an episode of vomiting before a child returns to the center.
EXPLANATION – infants can spit up or throw up for many different reasons. With no other symptoms present we would wait to see if an infant threw up a second time before calling the parent to pick up the child.
RASHES
Rashes must be physician diagnosed for a child to be in the center.
MOUTH SORES
Mouth sores with drooling are reason for exclusion, unless the child’s pediatrician states the child is non-infectious.
CONJUNCTIVITIS
Pink or red conjunctiva with white or yellow discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleep, and including a child with eye pain or redness of the eyelids or skin surrounding the eye is reason for exclusion. A child may return to the center 24 hours after medication is begun.
SYMPTOMS OF CONTAGIOUS CHILDHOOD DISEASE
Symptoms of contagious childhood diseases are reason for exclusion. The center however, adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act in the application of its disease policies. Parents should notify us if their child has been exposed to Measles, Chicken Pox, Roseola, Conjunctivitis (pink eye), Impetigo, Pediculosis (head lice) RSV, Bronchiolitis, Strep Throat, Ringworm and Coxsackie. Exposure to contagious disease is not reason for exclusion.
SIGNS OF POSSIBLE SEVERE ILLNESS
Signs of possible severe illness, including unusual lethargy, undefined irritability; persistent discomfort crying, or difficult breathing are reasons for exclusion.
ABSENCE
Please call the center if your child will be absent and let us know why. Contagious illnesses must be posted in the classrooms, so other parents know what is going around. To be cleared by a pediatrician for group care, we need:
- the child to be seen by a doctor,
- a note from the doctor stating
- a diagnosis
- that the child is not contagious
- the date that the child may return to group care
A child will continue to be excluded if the appropriate note is not received before the child is brought to school.
HEALTH LAW REQUIREMENTS
A complete physical examination is required by state law. It must be within 30 days prior to enrollment if the child is over 6 months old and within 15 days if the child is under 6 months old. An updated physical examination is required yearly, on the expiration date of the current physical. Your child will be excluded if their physical has expired until an updated physical has been submitted. NYS Department of Health sets the following minimum required immunizations for school attendance in Nursery, Pre-K, Daycare, as:
3 Diphtheria Toxoid, 3 OPV, 1 Measles, 1 Mumps, 1 Rubella, 3 Hib as age appropriate.
IL STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOMMENDED IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE
Documentation of immunizations is required from the child’s physician, including regular updates.
MEDICATION POLICY
Children Learn and Play Daycare II, Inc. staff is not authorized to administer any physician-prescribed medications to enrolled children. In compliance with the new Health and Infections control regulations of the IL. Department of Social Services, the Children Learn and Play Inc II. staff are permitted to administer only over-the-counter topical ointments, sunscreen lotion and topical insect repellent with written parental consent.
Make sure your child’s physician is aware of the Children Learn and Play II, Inc. policy before prescribing any medications.
Signed documentation by the child’s physician along with written parental consent to administer is required. An update by the physician and parent is also required every six (6) months.
Failure to comply with the Children Learn and Play II policies will result in suspension of childcare services.
IN CASE OF INJURY
Basic first aid will be performed. In the event of a serious injury, a parent will be notified. If the parents are not available, the emergency numbers on the child’s emergency card will be called. If the person(s) cannot be reached, the child will be taken to Local Emergency Room, unless the parents have designated a different emergency plan.
IF YOUR CHILD BECOMES ILL AT THE CENTER
If your child becomes ill while at the center, we will call you; if you cannot be reached your emergency contacts will be notified and asked to pick up your child. Please ensure that emergency contacts are aware that they have been listed on your emergency contact list. Please be sure to notify us the very day your work phone number changes, so that you are most efficiently reached. Children with contagious illnesses need to be picked up within a reasonable amount of time to limit their exposure to the other children.
REPORTABLE ILLNESSES
Some childhood illnesses are required, by law, to be reported to our local health agency. In the case of a contagious illness in your child’s class, we will post a notice by the sign-in/out sheet in the classroom.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
If the children would be safer remaining indoors, we would shelter them inside the Children Learn and Play Daycare II. If our building was not considered to be a safe place for the children, we would relocate to a designated space. Next, we would begin calling parents to advise them of our location and to request that the children be picked up as quickly and safely as possible. For cases where parents cannot be reached, we would begin to call your emergency contact numbers. Please make sure your child/children always have additional clothing appropriate for the season.
CHECKLIST: WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL NEED
All children should be in uniform which includes a red polo shirt with khaki bottoms. Please make sure your child also has supplies at home needed to complete homework activities.
TODDLERS
- Pull-Ups or underwear
- Two packages of non-scented wipes/Lysol wipes
- Two boxes of Kleenex
- Two sets of change of clothing
- Small book bag
- One bottle of hand soap
- One bottle of glue
- One plastic shoe bin
- Lysol spray(1)
PRESCHOOLERS
- Two packages of non-scented wipes/Lysol wipes
- Two boxes of Kleenex
- Two sets of change of clothing
- Two pair of panties/underwear
- Small book bag
- One bottle of hand soap
- One bottle of glue
- One plastic shoe bin
- One 2” binder with plastic cover
- Lysol spray(1)