Requirements for Enrollment

When you enroll your child there will be some necessary paperwork to be filled out.  Examples of these are: medical forms, child information forms, etc.  We will make all this paperwork available to you and help you with any questions.  All paperwork should be completed promptly and returned to us.  We will also hand out a copy of this handbook upon request or you may print this page on your computer.  After you have had a chance to read through these materials we will meet with you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.  We will then ask both parents to sign a written agreement as to fees, the child's hours, etc.

Before you leave your child the first day, it is wise to make a visit with the child during the regular daycare hours.  Mornings are best, since the children sleep in the afternoons.  This way your child gets to see what happens in daycare and gives him/her a chance to meet us and the other children.  Even if your child is just an infant it is a good idea to visit because you get to see how we interact with the children.  We are required to have a complete change of clothes for each child.  If you do not leave a diaper bag each day you will need to leave a change of clothes with us.  If you or your child is very uneasy about day care, at least two visits are recommended: the first during our off hours when your child will not be overwhelmed by the other children and the noise, and will have all the toys available to him/her.  During this time we will be able to give your child undivided attention.  The second visit could be during regular daycare hours.  We can also give you some ideas on what you can do to make the transition as easy as possible for you and for your child.

No child will be denied enrollment on the basis of his/her race or religion.  We do retain the right to deny enrollment if all our spots for a particular child's age group are filled.  We do not make it a policy to deny enrollment on the basis of a child with special needs, however, if after talking with the parents of such a child we realize that we do not have the training, equipment, facilities, etc. to handle their child, we will not accept the child.  This is in the best interest of the child, since our goal is to meet the needs of each child.  If we are not sure whether or not we could handle a special needs child, we would be willing to try. The parents and we would have to evaluate whether or not this arrangement was working as we went along.

Fees and policies in this handbook are subject to change.  We will give you a two-week notice of any changes in our fees or policies whenever possible

Termination of Day Care

If for some reason you decide to stop bringing your child to our daycare, we require a two-week notice. This will give us time to find a child to fill your child's spot.  Payment is due for the two-week notice period whether or not the child is brought to daycare.  Any outstanding fees must be paid on or before the child's last day.  If it becomes necessary for us to resort to legal action to collect fees, the parent(s) will be responsible for legal fees incurred on our part.  If we can no longer watch your child for one reason or another, we will give you at least a two-week notice, but would try to give you four weeks.  We understand that it is not easy to find daycare.

Examples of why we would terminate your child's care include (but may not be limited to):

    Failure to complete required forms.

    Failure of parent to pay tuition.

    Lack of parental cooperation.

    Failure of child to adjust to the center after a reasonable amount of time.

    Our inability to meet the child's needs





Payment Procedure

You may pay by cash or check payable to "Tina’s Playhouse".  If a check is returned, we will notify you and will ask for payment in cash plus $20.00 to cover the service charge by the bank.  After the second returned check, we will accept only cash.

Day care fees are charged on a weekly basis.  Each family is required to pay the weekly fee to ensure that the child's spot is held for him/her.  The total weekly payment should be made in advance (every Monday).

   

We will give you a two-week notice of any changes in our fees or policies whenever possible.


Illness

We ask that you have a back-up person you can call if we have an emergency or if your child is sick.  If we have an emergency, we will let you know as quickly as possible so that you can make other arrangements for your child.  We will not care for a child who is feverish.  If your child has thrown up or had diarrhea within the last 24 hours please keep him/her home.  If your child has a green discharge from his/her nose, he/she must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before he/she can attend.  If your child is not feeling well, do not give him/her Tylenol or Motrin to mask his/her symptoms. If your child throws up the night before and seems fine the next day, he/she is more than likely still contagious to the others.  You must wait 24 hours.  All the children use the same toilet and washroom and they often "mouth" the same toys.  They are often very affectionate with each other and it is very difficult to keep a sick child from infecting everyone else.

Illnesses are defined as:

    Fever.

    Conjunctivitis (pink eye) or "cold in the eye".

    Flu.

    Unusual rash.

    Severe cough.

    Rapid breathing or labored breathing.

    Severe cold.

    Vomiting.

    Yellowish skin or eyes.

    Diarrhea.

    Head lice.

    Contagious illness.

    Illness of any sort which results in child being too ill to participate in daily activities.

We will not accept the child for care if any of the above symptoms are present or have been present within the last 24 hours.  If the child shows any of the symptoms while in care, we will remove him/her from the group and notify the parent or authorized adult to pick up the child. Parents have one hour from time of notification to pick up the child.  The child may return 24 hours after a temperature has returned to normal, 24 hours after the child is no longer vomiting, or 24-48 hours (depending on the illness) after the first dose of an antibiotic.  If a child receives an antibiotic for an ear infection that child may return to daycare immediately if he/she has been free of other symptoms mentioned for at least 24 hours.  The child is welcome when he/she has only a mild cold, and is able to participate in the day's activities.

Medication

If your child is on medication and it needs to be administered while he/she is at daycare, the medicine must be in the original container and labeled with the child's name, doctor's name, name of medication, dosage, and when to be taken.  We will also have a form for you to sign giving us permission to give the medication to your child.  Medication will be administered at the time or with the meal you specify and a written record kept.

 
 

Injuries and Other Emergencies

Minor cuts and abrasions suffered while at the center will receive proper care -- specifically, they will be washed with soap and warm water and properly bandaged. Treatment will be logged and we will tell you how and when the injury occurred.  We are also required to log any injuries we observe on your child which have occurred outside of our care.

If a medical emergency arises, we will try to contact a parent first, unless doing so endangers the child's life.  In that case we will take necessary steps, putting the child first (calling hospital, doctor, poison control, etc.).  If need be, we will take your child to the nearest hospital or the doctor first, then try to call you when we arrive.  If a parent is unable to be reached, we will keep trying until he or she is available.  In the event of a fire, we would evacuate the building immediately and gather at the grass area across the street.This will be practiced monthly so the children are familiar with what to do.

Sign In / Out

Each day upon arriving, the parent is required to sign the child in, noting the time arrived.  A sign-in/out pad, pens, and a clock are all located at the classroom bulletin board.  This is to be followed by signing the child out when they leave.  This gives us a written record of the child's attendance, hours, and who brought/picked up the child.

 
Releasing Your Child

Our normal procedure is to release the child only to his or her parents or someone else the parents designate.  If someone other than the parent is to pick the child up, please notify us ahead of time.  A verbal notice is fine on that day if this person is on the emergency contact list.  If the person is not on that list, we must have written permission to release your child.

The emergency contact list you are required to complete designates who may pick the child up if there is an emergency and you can not contact us.  Please make sure those listed are persons with whom you would allow your child to leave if that person showed up at our door and said, "I need to take Johnny with me."  Those on the list should also be people we could call in the event something happened and you did not show up to pick up your child.

Please inform your emergency contacts that if we do not know them and the child is too young to recognize them ("Hi, Grandma!"), that we will ask for identification.  We do not mean to offend them.  This is simply a measure taken for the child's protection.

Hours

We are licensed to be in operation from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  All children must be picked up by 6:30 p.m. If children are not picked up by 6:30 p.m., we will have to charge a late fee of $1.00 per minute for each child.

 

Holiday Schedule

We are open all year ‘round except for the following holidays:

New years Eve & Day         Dec. 31st & Jan. 1st

Martin Luther King Day      3rd Mon. in Jan.

Presidents Day                     3rd Mon. in Feb.

Memorial Day                       Last Mon. in May

Independence Day                 July 4th

Labor Day                             1st Mon. in Sep.

Veterans Day                        2nd Mon. in Nov.

Thanksgiving                          4th Thurs. & Fri. in Nov.

Christmas Eve & Day          Dec. 24th & 25th


Curriculum

We believe children should have fun!  After all, even the experts agree that preschool age children learn most through play.  These carefree years are so short, and soon the children will be exposed to a much more structured form of learning.  How then do we encourage a child's love of learning?  By making learning fun!  Each month a theme is presented.  These themes are all based on things which interest children.  During the month, many activities take place which help promote basic skills (letter and number recognition, color and shape recognition, large motor skills, small motor skills, etc.) and as many of these activities as possible center around the month's theme.  Many of the curriculum materials we have seem more like toys to the children, yet while the children are playing with them, they are learning important concepts.  These materials are just like the ones found in "real" preschools -- the same quality, and made by a major company which makes materials that many larger schools purchase.  Field trips play an important part in our preschool curriculum, as they allow children to experience the world first-hand.

We incorporate preschool curriculum into our daily activities for fun and to prepare the older children for school.  Each month we concentrate on a different theme.  Many of our activities revolve around this theme (stories, crafts, music, games, puzzles, etc.).  As part of this curriculum we have a daily "circle time" for the older children.  The younger children are free to sit in, just observe, or to free play.  During circle time we discuss something relating to our unit, talk about the days of the week (put numbers on a calendar) and the weather for the day.  Children ages three and up will have a "Show and Tell" day each week.

A daily schedule will be posted on the classroom bulletin board.

Infants and Toddlers

Infants and toddlers will not necessarily follow the same schedule as the preschoolers.  They are not capable of sitting still for circle time, may need a morning nap, etc.  Infants are always fed on demand and toddlers usually eat meals and snacks with the older children.  This is one reason our daily schedule is not "set in stone."  While the older children engage in free play or nap we try to take some time to play with the infants and toddlers (especially infants -- toddlers often play alongside the older children).  Feeding time and diaper changing time are good times for interaction with infants and toddlers.  Of course, children develop differently, and whenever these "wee ones" wish to join in with the older children (unless it is not a safe activity for them), they will be allowed.

Potty Training

When you feel your child is ready for potty training, we ask that you begin this teaching at home.  We will follow through and encourage your child while in our care.  Please keep in mind that the activity level here can distract your child from responding to an urge to use the potty, more so than at your home.  Therefore, we will continue to use diapers or pull-ups until your child can and will announce that he/she must use the bathroom (not just at home, but here, also) and can control his/her bladder and bowels for a few minutes beyond that announcement.  When the child has reached this point, training pants (5-ply) with plastic pants may be used.

During potty training parents will need to supply:

    Three complete changes of clothing (socks and shoes included).

    5-ply training pants (6 pair per day).

    Plastic pants (6 pair per day).

    

When accidents are only happening once every other week, 5-ply training pants will be used without plastic pants.

Do not bring your child in panties or underwear until he/she has naptime and bedtime control established.  We also ask that during toilet learning, the child be dressed in "user-friendly" clothing as much as possible.  The best items are shorts and pants with elastic waists, or dresses for girls. Try to avoid really tight clothing, pants with snaps and zippers, and overalls as often as you can.  Your child will want to help pull pants, etc. up and down, plus clothing with too many "gadgets" makes it harder to get the child on the potty in time.

Parental Involvement

There will be times and ways you can get involved in your child's daycare and preschool education.  You are welcomed and encouraged to participate in any or all of these.

Some examples of ways to be involved include:

    Chaperoning on field trips.

    Lending objects for units of study.

    Coming and talking about your job when asked.

    Helping your child at home with the concepts we are studying here.

    Helping your child prepare for "Show and Tell" or "Mystery Box."

    Helping to provide treats or other items for our parties.

Naturally, you are welcome to drop in and visit or observe any time the center is in operation.

Religious Practices

We feel that religious teachings should be left up to the parents.  That does not mean that God never is mentioned, however.  Occasionally a Bible story may be told during circle time if it fits in with our unit of study.  Sometimes God just comes up in conversation.

We also usually have parties at Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.  If you do not wish to have your child participate in these, please let us know.

 
 

Discipline

We try to stress two main patterns of behavior: respect for other people, and respect for property.  As a result we don't allow children to hit or shove other children or verbally abuse them.  We also stress that they treat material possessions (ours or theirs) with respect.  There is a difference between playing hard, and using a toy for a purpose for which it was not intended.  For example, books are for looking at, not tearing pages out of, and toy golf clubs are for hitting the balls with not friends.

Occasionally children do not behave in respectful ways.  We first remind them of the proper behavior.  If the behavior is repeated, a "time out" chair is used.  The amount of time a child sits in "time out" varies according to his age.  Most experts agree that one minute per year of age is the most effective length of time, but this amount will never exceed five minutes, even if the child is more than five years old.  When his "time out" is up, we talk to the child (by now he has calmed down) and try to explain why that behavior was inappropriate.  We might ask, "What might happen if we continue to throw toys?" The appropriate answers usually come out: something might get broken, the toy might break, someone might get hit by the toy.  If a child still has not calmed down or is really belligerent at this point we try to separate that child from the other children with a quiet activity (book, puzzle, etc.).  We skip the "reminder" and go straight to "time out" if the offense involves hitting or otherwise physically abusing another child.

If a child continues to abuse a certain toy the privilege of playing with that toy may be taken away from that child for a period of several minutes up to the rest of the day.  If the whole group of children is engaged in this, the toy will be considered "closed" for a while.

If a child continues to behave inappropriately, we will talk to you about it.  Hopefully these two types of behaviors are ones you want your child to adopt too, so they will be reinforced at home.  If that is the case, we shouldn't have any major problems!

Children are never punished for lapses in toilet training or for accidents (spilled milk, for example).  In the case of the latter, we will have the child help us clean up, if possible, not for punishment, but to help teach responsibility.

Discipline and Behavior Management Policy

Praise and positive reinforcement are effective methods of the behavior management of children.  When children receive positive, non-violent, and understanding interactions from adults and others, they develop good self concepts, problem solving abilities, and self-discipline.  Based on this belief of how children learn and develop values, this facility will practice the following discipline and behavior management policy.

WE DO:

1.  Praise, reward, and encourage the children.

2.  Reason with and set limits for the children.

3.  Model appropriate behavior for the children.

4.  Modify the classroom environment to attempt to prevent problems before they occur.

5.  Listen to the children.

6.  Provide alternatives for inappropriate behavior to the children.

7.  Provide the children with natural and logical consequences of their behaviors.

8.  Treat the children as people and respect their needs, desires, and feelings.

9.  Ignore minor misbehaviors.

10.  Explain things to children on their levels.

11.  Use short supervised periods of time-out (described on next page).

12.  Stay consistent in our behavior management program.

 

WE DO NOT:

1.  Spank, shake, bite, pinch, push, pull, slap, or otherwise physically punish the children.

2.  Make fun of, yell at, threaten, make sarcastic remarks about, use profanity, or otherwise verbally abuse the children.

3.  Shame or punish the children when bathroom accidents occur.

4.  Deny food or rest as punishment.

5.  Relate discipline to eating, resting, or sleeping.

6.  Leave the children alone, unattended, or without supervision.

7.  Place the children in locked rooms, closets, or boxes as punishment.

8.  Allow discipline of children by children

9.  Criticize, make fun of, or otherwise belittle children’s parents, families, or ethnic groups.

Tina’s Playhouse Copyright 2007 

Time-Out

Time-Out is the removal of a child for a short period of time (3 to 5 minutes) from a situation in which the child is misbehaving and has not responded to other discipline techniques.  The Time-Out space, usually a chair, is located away from classroom activity, but within the teacher’s sight.  During Time-Out, the child has a chance to think about the misbehavior which led to his/her removal from the group.  After a brief interval of no more than 5 minutes, the teacher discusses the incident and appropriate behavior with the child.  When the child returns to the group, the incident is over and the child is treated with the same affection and respect shown the other children.

Adapted from original prepared by Elizabeth Wilson, Student, Catawba Valley Technical College.

Meals & Snacks

We serve a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack each day as part of our program.  Lunch consists of a meat, bread product, vegetable, fruit, and milk.  Each snack includes food or drink from two of the above mentioned groups.  Sweets may be included occasionally.

Please do not send snacks or candy with your child to daycare unless prior approval has been given.

If your child has an allergy to a specific food, please let us know and we will try to make an appropriate substitution.  If a child has so many allergies that he can not eat from the menu, we may require the parents to provide his lunch and/or snacks.

We will post a monthly menu on the classroom bulletin board.

We never force a child to finish what is on his/her plate, but we do encourage each child to try one or two bites of everything.  Sometimes they are surprised by what they like!  Occasionally, a child may only want to eat chips or fruit, etc.  When this occurs on a regular basis we may give that child just the main dish and vegetable on his/her plate to start, adding the other elements when a few bites of the main dish and vegetable have been tried.

For children who are not ready for table food, we ask that the parents provide the child's food and milk or juice.  There are a couple of reasons this decision might be made:

    The child's pediatrician has a different time schedule for introducing different types of food than the Food Program outlines.

    The parents prefer to provide all the child's food in order to know exactly what brand of everything went into the baby's system and exactly how it   was fixed.

    The child is having a real hard time with allergies, etc., and has to keep changing his formula and/or foods.

Please label all bottles and food containers with the child's name and the current date (month and date should be sufficient), then  place all bottles and food containers in a bottle bag or zip-loc type plastic bag.  Please label the bottle bag or plastic bag with the child's name only.

If you wish to provide snacks at your child's birthday or another time, that's great!  If you let us know a day ahead of time, it helps.  If you ever need some ideas of nutritional snacks (to bring here or to have at home), let us know.

Tina’s Playhouse Copyright 2007 

Outdoor Play

Please dress your child appropriately for the current weather, and in play clothes (with shoes that adequately protect the feet and are not slick-soled -- tennis shoes are a good choice).  When the weather cooperates, we will spend time outdoors. Our time outdoors will never exceed 1 hour at a time.

Indoor Play

Indoor Play constitutes the majority of our play time (when the entire year is averaged).  We provide a variety of age-appropriate toys for your child to play with.  Since the ages of the children we watch vary, all the toys we have are safe for even the youngest.  If your child wishes to bring a toy to play with for the day, please make sure it has no little parts that could come off and cause a child to choke.  All toys should be safe for children under three years of age.  We will not be responsible for toys from home that get broken or lost at daycare.  The responsibility remains with the child and the parents.

The toys we keep indoors are rotated from time to time to prevent boredom, to supplement a unit of study, etc.

Naps

All children under the age of four have a rest time (and we haven't met one yet who doesn't need it!).  We will provide a safe, quiet place for your child to rest.  Children two and older will sleep in the main room on a mat on the floor sheets and blankets are provided, if your child has a special blanket I encourage you to bring it.  Children between the ages of one and two can sleep on the floor with a mat like the older children or in the back room in a portable crib, it depends on the child. Children under one always sleep in the back room in a portable crib. Children who wake up before the rest will be guided in finding a quiet time activity to engage in that will not disturb any sleeping children.

If at any time your child is not sleeping at night, or doesn't seem ready to go to bed and you feel it is because he sleeps too long here, don't hesitate to mention it to us and we can try waking him/her up a little earlier than he/she is used to getting up.

 To enroll your child into Tina's Playhouse simply download the forms fill them out and send them to 
Tina's Playhouse
3343 Bridgeway lakes Drive
West Sacramento, CA  95691
or e-mail them to tinasplayhouse@gmail.com

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