Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare
5795 Todd Hill Crescent
Kamloops, BC, V2C4x9
Welcome/Philosophy
Welcome to Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare. I have created this handbook so there are no misunderstandings and so that everyone is aware of the requirements of Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare, as well as the requirements of you, the parents/guardians. This handbook covers my childcare philosophy, business policies and expectations. Please read the handbook carefully and ask any questions you might have.
Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare is dedicated to creating a safe, warm, loving environment for children where they can learn and grow physically, emotionally, creatively, intellectually and socially at their own pace. I want to help give children confidence and increase their self esteem by treating them as the unique individuals they are and allowing them to express themselves in many different ways. I am committed to supporting the families in my daycare and encourage open communication between parents and myself.
In programming activities for the children in my care I follow a play based philosophy. I create activities for the children centered on stories, songs, fine and gross motor skills, circle time, science, music, and arts/crafts. We enjoy lots of outside time and adventures to the park/playground.
Hours of Operation
7:00am- 5:00pm..................................Monday-Friday
We open at 7am. Drop-off times are between 7-9:30am. I require all children to be at the daycare by 9:30 so that we can start our day or go on any outings we may have scheduled. (If you have a doctors/dentist appt, etc and are going to be late in the morning for those reasons please let me know in advance so we can adjust our schedule) (If I don’t receive a phone call/text by 9:30am I will assume your child won’t be coming for the day and will adjust my day accordingly.)
Maximum Amount of Hours of Care:
For the well being of your child, a maximum of 9hrs per day is allotted per child for childcare. For example if your child is signed in at 7am, pickup time would be by 4pm. Childcare daily rates are based on a maximum of 9hrs of care. If you are over the 9hours of care, an extra fee of $15 per hour or a portion of, will be charged.
Signing in and signing out:
Parents sign their child in at the beginning of the day and out at the end of the day. If someone else is picking up your child at the end of the day please let me know. Photo ID will be required for the person picking up your child if I have never met them before so please advise them to bring picture ID.
Absences:
If your child is going to be away for the day due to illness, or for other reasons please call/text and let me know. (There are no discounts on fees for illness or just a general day off from daycare). Please advise me at least a month in advance of when you plan to take family holidays. No discounts on family holidays. Full fees are still due as payment is to hold the space not attendance.
Illness Policy:
If the child becomes ill during the day and they are unable to participate in regular activities , the parents/guardians will be contacted and will be asked to come and pick up the child within an hour. If you cannot come and pickup your child please make arrangements to have someone come and pickup up your child immediately. I will require photo id for the person picking up your child if I haven’t met them before or they are not on the emergency contact list. If parents/guardians can’t be reached the emergency contact person will be called to come and pick up the child.
If any of the following conditions are present it is required that children be excluded from care, no exceptions. Children may return to care when they are free of symptoms and/ or approved to return with a doctors note. Even in some circumstances, and with a drs note, it is still up to the discretion of me (the childcare provider) as to when the child can return to daycare.
*Pain - any unexplained or undiagnosed pain
* Breathing difficulties - wheezing or persistent cough
- Fever (100.5 F/ 38.3 C or higher) - child must be free from fever for 24 hours before returning to care at the facility
- Sore throat or trouble swallowing
- Infected skin or eyes (mucus/pus draining) (Pink eye,etc) or an undiagnosed rash
- Severe body or scalp itching.
- Children with a known or suspected communicable disease/illness
- Vomiting - may return to care after 24 hours without vomiting
- Diarrhea -2 or more times in 24 hours- may return to care after 24 hours without a loose stool
- Just not feeling good - a child must feel well enough to participate in the entire child care day to be at daycare.
If your child has vomitting or diarrhea please pickup your child or have someone else pickup your child within an hour of me phoning or texting.
***Parents are required to inform me of serious illnesses or communicable diseases (with their child or within their family) so that other families in the childcare can be informed. I will do the same if either my oldest daughter comes home from school with something or my youngest catches something. A doctors note will be required to return to daycare after the incubation period is over.
Medications:
All medicines are stored in a cabinet that is unaccessible to children or in a lockbox in the fridge. Children are not given any medications without written consent on a Permission to Administer Medications form. All medications must be in their original bottles with original labels. For prescription medication , only directions on the bottle will be accepted for administering medication. I must know when your child had his/her last dose. With any prescription medication , children may not return to care until they have had 24 hours of dosage, are no longer contagious and ready to participate in a full day of childcare.
Allergies:
All allergies will be clearly posted and written on the child’s emergency info/consent cards. Please note: This is a peanut free facility. Do not send anything with peanuts with your child.
Immunizations:
All children in Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare are to be immunized and upto date on immunizations (to the best of their age at the time) prior to starting care. And I must have a copy of immunizations for my records on file as per licensing.
Late Pick-up policy:
I close at 5pm and am firm on the closing time. If you are late picking up (after closing time) your child you will be charged a late fee of $10 per 10 minutes min late or any part thereof. This late fee must be paid in cash when picking up your child.
I will be closed on New Years Day ( January 1st), Family Day (February 9th), Good Friday(April 3rd), Victoria Day( May 18th) Canada Day(July 1st), Civic Holiday (August 3rd), Labour Day( September 5th) , Thanksgiving (October 10th), Remembrance Day (November 11) , Christmas Day (Dec 25th) and Boxing Day (Dec 26th). Christmas Eve is a 3pm closure time. The stat dates may or may not be different then above but I am closed on all stats.
There may or may not be holidays taken between December 1st and New Years but I will give advanced notice if I do take holidays then so that parents can find alternate care.
(Please note: There are no discounts/deductions on fees for statutory holiday days. If your child is part-time and their scheduled day falls on a stat holiday there are no discounts, deductions or substitution of days. Full fees apply for stat holidays and I am closed on all stat holidays. If my vacation period happens to fall on a stat holiday, fees are still due for the stat day but not the remainder of the days around it.)
I will also take holidays at some point through out the year. My husband runs an rv rental business so ( not necessarily will they be in the summer months of July & August when everyone usually takes holidays) but well in advance notice will be given for these holidays and parents are expected to find alternate care for their children during that time.
(Please note: Parents will not be expected to pay for no care during my holidays. For example, if I only take a week of holidays in one month, I would only charge you for the remaining 3 weeks of the month when I am providing care. .)
If I am sick or have to close unexpectedly for the day (ie. my own child being sick, or special appt day), the day will be refunded/deducted on your next month’s fees. I will try to give as much notice as I can for any pre-arranged appt days or just a general day that I take off. I will try to give as much notice as I can for sick days but it isn’t always the case as sometimes illness is unpredictable. (Parents are responsible for having or finding alternate care on these days. I can’t stress enough about having a backup plan in place)
Payment procedures for Childcare Fees:
Payment is due on/or before the first of every month. Where as the due date for fees falls on a weekend or holiday day when I am closed,(or day where your child is not scheduled to come) fees must be paid the weekday before. All fees must be paid on time or I will not be able to care for your child. If fees are not paid on time a rate of $25 a day will be added to your account on top of regular fees and after 2 days of no payment I have the right to suspend childcare services until paid in full (including the late fees).
In order to ensure accurate supplies and groceries to keep the daycare running , I need to receive fees on time. All cheques are to be made out to Michaela Haney. NSF cheques are subject to a $40 administration fee.Forms of payment currently accepted are cash, post-dated cheques or email money transfer. Please let me know if you want to do email money transfer as I will send a reminder email prior to the first day of the month.
Childcare Subsidy:
Parents/guardians that use government subsidy to help pay for their childcare fees are responsible for renewing their authorization before it expires. If parents/guardians do not renew their subsidy claim before their previous claim expires the parents/guardians will be responsible for full fees until I receive authorization to bill the government and have received payment. Parents are responsible for all fees until childcare subsidy kicks in. Subsidy tends to pay later in the month, therefore parents are responsible for full fees (due on the 1st) and then I will reimburse the difference when subsidy pays me. Parents are responsible for any portion of childcare fees their subsidy doesn’t cover.
Fees:
There is a $100 registration fee upon reserving a space for your child. If enrolling 2 children this fee is $200. This will be deducted from your last month’s fees provided proper notice is given to terminate childcare services. If you cancel before your childcare is due to commence/or without the one months written notice this $100 fee is non-refundable.
I require one full calendar month’s written notice and 1 full calendar months fees to terminate childcare services. This notice is due on the last day of the month for the following month. Or the first day of the month. You can give more notice than a month if you choose but a full calendar month's fees including all stat holidays is due. For example, if notice is given on November 20th, full fees for December including stat holidays is still due.
Full -time Rates:
Full-time is defined as being in care 4/5 days a week.
Daily Rate
18 months and under............................................$45 a day
19 months to 36months.......................................$40 a day
3-5years………………………………………………………$40 a day
Daily fees are x by the number of weekdays in a month. So rate may fluctuate slightly from month to month as per number of days in a month.
Afterschool care (2:30/3 arrival time)...................$15 a day
Before and Afterschool care.................................$22 a day
Pro-D Days or regular days...........................................................$40 a day
Part-time Fees:
Part-time is defined as having access to services a minimum of 2/3 days per week Monday through Friday 7:00am-5:00pm. These days will be selected by parents at the time of registration providing there is space on the days requested.
*Please note with part time there may be months when there are 31 days instead of 30 in the month and the monthly fee may fluctuate slightly if the scheduled day falls on the extra day. So with infants under 35 months an additional daily fee for an extra day per month will be $40(day) For Toddlers the extra daily fee is $35 (day). For 3-5’s the rate is $35.00 day.
If parents with part-time childcare want an extra day or two per week outside of there regular scheduled days (and provided there is space available on that day) I will add the extra day(s) fees to the next month’s childcare fees.
*Please note: I will only be filling part-time spaces once I have my full-time spaces arranged.
Preference is given to families that want full-time so if a family enrolls at part-time status and another family comes along and their enquiry is for full-time care, I will give the current family the opportunity to add more days first and go full-time. If that family can’t for whatever reason I may have to accept the full time family instead.
Enrollment Requirements:
Before your child can officially be enrolled in Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare you must complete and provide the following documents.
* Signed Parent Contract and Rate Agreement
- *Completed Child Profile & Copy of Immmunization record
- *Registration Fee must be paid ($100) per child
*Spaces will not be held by verbal contract. Registration fee must be paid and all paper work completed as soon as possible in order for a spot to be held for your child.
Evacuation Procedures
In case of an emergency (fire/flood/otherwise) children will be evacuated to Dallas Elementary school , located at 296 Harper Road. This is just a short walk from the daycare and that is how children will be transported there. Emergency contact information will be transported along with us and you will be notified to pick up your child from that location. You can call my cell at 250-299-6179 if you need to reach me.
Transportation/Outings
For any outings that require transportation via vehicle I will get parents to sign a consent form and provide a carseat if required.
Snacks and Meals:
I am asking parents to supply their child’s lunch and I will provide 2 healthy snacks in accordance with Canada’s Food Guide. All children will be given water drinks throughout the day. At times during drinking and eating, children are required to be seated and not engaged in play activity. This is to ensure safety (prevent choking) and promote good eating and drinking habits. If a child is still on breastmilk, formula/ or homo milk I ask parents to send their milk with them.We are a peanut free facility so please do not send anything in your child’s lunch with peanuts.
Supplies:
All diapers, wipes, formula/homo milk, baby food that infants/toddlers require must be supplied by parents. Please bring a blanket and one special stuffed animal for your child at naptime.Spare clothing - including underwear (a few extra pairs for potty training children), pants, shirts and socks. A pair of slippers for indoor use that your child can leave here.Sunscreen/Sunblock/Swimsuit and a hat - when the weather permitsWeather appropriate clothing: Please ensure that your child comes dressed appropriately for the weather. Jacket, splash/snow pants, hat/mittens and boots,etc. We do go outside to play everyday.Please make sure your children come dressed in play clothes. Although we are careful when doing art and playing outside, children will get dirty and clothes could get stained. We appreciate your understanding as do your children.
Potty Training Policy:
This is my policy regarding potty training. I will work in conjunction with parents during potty training. I will work with you – but not for you. If you are going to start the potty training process at home please let me know. If a child shows no interest in potty training here, I may choose to discontinue and try again at a later date when I feel the child is ready. Potty training works best if initiated at home on a long weekend or vacation. If you choose to potty train with underwear, please be sure to supply a few pairs of plastic covers/pants to cover the underwear and keep “the mess” contained. For sanitary reasons, and for everyone in care, I cannot have children in underwear without the plastic pants or a pull-up put over top of the underwear.
Please supply a lot of extra underwear and clothes. (6-8 pairs of each) Clothing must be easy for children to get on and off themselves...no jeans or pants with buttons. I gently remind children about telling me when they have to go and encourage self dressing skills during the potty training process. Children must be able to verbalize and communicate that they need to use the potty. Soiled clothing will be sent home to be washed. Children must be dry (including bowel movements) in a pull up/diaper or plastic pants for 3 full weeks before they will be allowed to wear underwear without plastic pants here.I won't do the work for them...they need to start it at home and I will continue it here. If we work together as a team potty training can be a success.
Termination/Discipline Policy:
Here at Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare discipline and guidance centers around responsibility and respect. Each child is expected to be a respectful and responsible member of our daycare family. This ranges from children cleaning up their own messes to using manners and showing politeness when speaking to their teacher, parents and other children.I follow the 1-2-3 time out procedure. The child will get 2 warnings if the child is not acting safely or being irresponsible and disrespectful to myself or other children. If the child is still continuing the action that is not acceptable, the child will get a 3rd strike and a time out.
It is explained to the child as “when you cannot be safe with yourself and your friends/or play nicely, you must take a break.” The child will then be removed from the group and asking to sit in a chair by themselves but within the same area. They will ask to sit for a few minutes to calm their body and think about what behaviours are acceptable. Timeouts will last amount of time that is the child’s age(For example if they are 3 years old, they will have a 3 minute time out.) When they are ready to rejoin the group we will discuss how they need to behave to be a part of the group.
I will work with parents to ensure a healthy relationship when it comes to guidance and discipline for their child. If a child can continuously not keep behavioural issues in check and the safety and well being of other children, as well as myself, are at risk then termination of childcare services may need to be considered. Notice of two weeks (no refunds) will be given or if a situation is much more urgent, no notice may be given and no refunds will be given.
If I have to terminate due to my childcare centre not being a fit for an individual child I will give parents 1 months notice on the 1st of the month. Whereas a child is part-time, and I am the one giving the notice , a child’s last day might be slightly less than the one months notice depending on how many days are in the month and when that child’s last scheduled day is. Full monthly fees still apply for the parent if I am the one giving the notice. Once I have received payment for a child’s final month then and only then will I refund the $100 registration fee. I expect parents to give me common courtesy and respect when deciding to give notice and I will do the same.
The following are grounds for immediate termination and deposit/and monthly fees will be forfeited & become property of Michaela Haney of Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare:
Failure to follow all policies in the daycare handbook
- Failure to pay tuition fees on time or failure to pay late fees
- Dishonesty or abusive language by parent or child
- Aggressive/rude behavior by parent or child
Daily routine:
7:00am- Daycare opens -Free Play (table toys, puzzles, books, etc)
***Breakfast won’t be served by the daycare but if you would like to send breakfast with your child because they haven’t eaten yet, they may eat upon arrival.
9:00-9:30...........morning snack (provided by the daycare)
9:30-10:00.........circle/story time
10:00-11:30......Outside time (weather permitting)
- activities include going on walks, going over to the school playground or playing outside in the backyard. If the weather is uncooperative we will plan an art activity or something inside.
11:30-12:15......Lunch time (lunch to be provided by parent)
12:30-2:00/2:30.......Nap/Quiet time (All children are expected to nap or rest quietly on their beds. After children that go to sleep, remaining children that don’t sleep will be allowed to look at books, do puzzles or other quiet activities.)
2:30-3:00...Free Play
3:00.......... Afternoon snack (supplied by the daycare)
3:30-4:30.......Outside time (weather permitting) or Indoor Activity time
4:30-5:00.......Table toys or Reading books
5:00pm.....Daycare closes (children must be picked up by 5pm)
This daycare schedule is flexible and is adjusted according to the needs and interests of the children.
Parent/Family Handbook and Fee Agreement - Family Copy
Child(ren)’s Name(s): _________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Type of Care: Full-Time After school Part-time
(please circle one)
Daily Childcare fees:__________X number of days in a month
I/We (the undersigned) have read the parent handbook for Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare and understand all the information, policies and procedures outlined in this handbook. I/We (the undersigned) have also received a copy of these policies and procedures. ______(initial)
By signing this agreement, we consent to all the handbook policies and procedures and agree to them, including payment policies and late fee procedures of Michaela’s Lil Gardeners Daycare. ______ (initial)
By signing this agreement we acknowledge that the information supplied in the registration form regarding our child(ren) and the information supplied below is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. ______ (initial)
By signing this agreement we also consent to pictures being taken of our child(ren) for the purpose of the centre. I do have a business Facebook page where I put up pics of the children doing daily activities. (If you don’t want pictures taken of your children please let me know.) ______ (initial)
_________________________ ________________
Name of Parent or Guardian Date
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