SANDSTONE CHILD LEARNING CENTRE

DAYCARE POLICIES

Dear Parents: Welcome to our daycare family. Please read and understand the outline given below of some of our policies. It will give you an idea of our objectives and expectations. If you have questions or need more details, please do not hesitate to contact the director.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

We are open from 6:30 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays.

ARRIVAL IN THE MORNING:

You are expected to bring your child into his/her home room and sign in the time of arrival on our Daily Attendance Sheet.  You are also required to remove your child’s outdoor shoes and coat and place them in the designated space and help put on his/her indoor shoes before entrusting your child to the caregiver. Your child’s personal belongings should be labeled and at least one complete set of clothes be provided. If your child is going to be late or absent on a particular day, please phone the centre to inform.

AFTERNOON PICK UP:

Please make sure that you sign your child out on the attendance sheet. Children will have to be picked up before 6 pm.  If due to unforeseen reasons (like traffic jam) you are unable to pick up your child by 6 pm, a staff will stay back in the centre with your child. You will be charged a late fee of a dollar per minute past the closing time and this amount is to be paid to the staff who stays back with your child.  As this money goes to the staff, the daycare will not be issuing receipts for late charges.

MONTHLY FEES AND DEPOSITS:

When parents register their child in the daycare, they will pay a $ 150.00 non-refundable one time registration fee as well as a $200.00 deposit in trust. This amount will be adjusted against your child’s last month’s fees when the parent gives a ONE MONTH’S WRITTEN NOTICE prior to withdrawal of your child from the daycare.

Monthly fees are payable on the 1st working day of each month. A late fee of $5.00 per day will charged for each day after the 3rd working day of the month. Parents are encouraged to give six months post dated cheques in advance at the time of admission.

N.S.F CHEQUES:

There will be a 25 dollar charge on cheques returned by the bank due to whatever reason. The parents will have to make cash payment for that month. After receiving two NSF cheques the daycare may issue notice to parent to withdraw the child from our program.

SUBSIDY PROGRAM:

Our daycare director will guide parent who qualify for Provincial Subsidy through the application process. Parents on subsidy are required to fill a separate agreement form.

Subsidy application forms can be obtained on-line or from the daycare. For more information on subsidy please log on to www.child.gov.ab.ca/childcaresubsidy.

MEDICAL POLICY:

Children having the following symptoms must be kept home (fever over 37.2 degrees C, vomiting, diarrhea, discharge from eyes or ears, or other communicable illness like chicken pox, mumps etc) or parents should produce a letter of clearance from their physician.

MEDICATION:

If any medication or herbal remedy is to be given to your child while at the centre, a medical authorization form must be completed and signed. The medication must be in the original container with your child’s name clearly printed on it.

ACCIDENTS/ MEDICAL EMERGENCIES:

In case of an accident or injury while at the centre, the staff present will complete and Accident Report with details of what happened, when, where and the action taken. Depending on the severity of the situation, the parent will either by notified on phone or upon arrival at the centre.  This report will be signed by the parent and kept in the child’s file. If immediate medical attention is deemed necessary, the parent will be notified and the child will be transported to the nearest medical centre or to Alberta Children’s Hospital.  

STAFF TRAINING:

All staff have training and certification (level I, 2 or 3) and at least one staff in every room will have valid First Aid and CPR certification. All staff members are required to attend in-service workshops on an ongoing basis.

FOOD SERVICE

We provide milk & water in all rooms, as needed. Parents are required to send a lunch as well as morning and afternoon snacks to meet your child’s nutritional needs. All foods must be NUT FREE. Lunches will be refrigerated and re-heated, if required. 

NAP TIME:

We have a nap time of up to 2 hours for children under 4  years. We believe that this afternoon rest is good for them. It will not be possible for our staff to keep your child awake during nap time just because you may want him/her to go to bed early in the evening.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION;

Fire drills are held every month and records are posted.  In all instances, the room supervisors will take children’s attendance sheet and portable emergency cards with them. Children will be moved to the northwest of the building where attendance will be taken by room supervisors.  Program director will be the last to leave the building after making sure that everyone has been evacuated.

Should a real emergency occur, the director will call 911 and children will be transported to Beddington Heights Community Centre located at 375, Bermuda Drive N.W. and parents will be contacted from this location. 

COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS:

Daycare director and staff will maintain ongoing communication with parents verbally and in writing through communication sheets, participation sheets, monthly progress reports and newsletters. There is a communication book as well as suggestion box upstairs and downstairs near sign-in sheets. Parent suggestions in writing will be responded to by the director. 

HOLIDAYS:

The centre will be closed on all statutory holidays as well as the week between Christmas and new year.  The list of days for the year when the daycare will remain closed is posted on Parents Board.  There will be no reduction given in the monthly fees for additional absence or family vacations.