Family Child Care Policy
(Parent/Provider Agreement)
Carla’s Child
Care
715-246-0405
614 E. 3rd
Street
New Richmond, WI
54017
Carla Arcand
Policy Effective
Date: April 1, 2008
The information
in this document is extensive. Please read it over thoroughly and talk to me about any questions you may have. You are welcome
to call me any time during child care hours. If I don't answer the phone, please leave a message; I'm taking care of the children.
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Carla’s Child Care is licensed by the State of Wisconsin,
Department of Health and Family Services. I am licensed to care for no more than
eight children at any one time. I am inspected regularly to ensure that I meet
licensing standards. Prior to moving to Wisconsin,
I was a licensed childcare provider in the State of MN from
January 1993 through September 2004. My household includes myself and my husband,
Dick; I have two grown children who do not live with us, but visit often.
Carla’s Child Care currently provides care for children between the ages of 6 weeks through
age 12 years. Child care services are available without discrimination on the
basis of race, sex, color, creed, political persuasion, national origin, disability, ancestry or sexual orientation.
Current operating hours for child care services are 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, January through December. This does not mean daycare is always open from
6:00 – 6:00; it means I operate within these yours depending on the needs of my enrolled parents. The hours that your fee is based upon will be specified in your Rate Agreement and are not flexible on
a day-to-day basis (no early drop-off/late pick-up without prior approval). My
operating hours may vary from day to day depending on my headcount and the hours of care needed by individual families. Unlike a daycare center, staff is not available at times where children are not expected/contracted
to be present.
No service will be provided on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. All
regular fees will be charged for these holidays. If a holiday falls on a Saturday,
we will be closed the previous Friday. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, we will
be closed the Monday following.
I will post the following items for your review:
·
License certificate
·
Results of the latest licensing/monitoring
visit (CFS-294 or CFS-785)
·
Center policies
·
Fire/tornado/severe weather
drill log.
Parents will receive a pamphlet, "Your Guide to Licensed Child Care" which is a summary of
family child care licensing regulations, as part of an enrollment packet.
Parents are welcome to visit my child care program at any time during your contracted hours
unless daycare is closed that day or if prohibited by a court order. If so, I
will need a copy of the order. Except during expected drop-off and pick-up times,
my front door is kept locked for the safety of the children. In the event you
arrive and the door is locked, please knock or ring the bell – or call ahead and I’ll make sure the door is open.
Children will only be released to persons listed on the enrollment form. If anyone other than the child's parent or someone who is listed on the enrollment form is to pick up a
child(ren), I need to be notified in writing in advance. The person picking the
child(ren) up may need to show a driver's license or other picture ID.
I maintain a drop-off/pick-up log to record the arrival/departure times of the children.
If the parent or other authorized person arrives to pick up a child and that person appears
to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, all reasonable steps will be taken to prevent the person from leaving with
the child, including offering to call a cab or another contact person. While
I cannot legally withhold a child from the legal guardian I will not hesitate to call the local authorities if I feel the
child is in danger.
It is important that we communicate daily concerning the needs and interests of your child. If there are issues or concerns that need to be discussed, please work with me to
arrange a convenient time to talk on the phone at naptime or in the evening so we can give the issue the attention it deserves. To foster communication on a regular basis, Carla’s Child Care provides written
newsletters / parent bulletin board / password protected website.
To protect each family's confidentiality, Carla’s Child Care will not share information
about a child or a child's family with anyone who is not authorized to receive this information.
Carla’s Child Care is covered by liability insurance for my premises and for my operations.
II. ENROLLMENT
AND DISCHARGE OF ENROLLED CHILDREN
All children will be enrolled for a trial period of 10 business days. During the trial period either the provider or parent may terminate child care without advance notice. Payment is required for the days care was provided.
No pre-paid fees will be credited upon cancellation during the Trial Period.
Parents must meet with me to discuss their child's specific needs and to review program policies. I will make a reasonable accommodation for a child with disabilities as specified
under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The following items must be completed
and returned to daycare by the first day of attendance.
- Form CFS-62, "Child Care Enrollment"
- Form CFS-2345, "Heath History and Emergency Care Plan”
- Form CFS-104, "School-Age Agreement – Child Care Centers"
(if applicable)(kindergarten only)
- Form CFS-56, "Transportation Permission – Child Care
Centers" (if applicable)
- Form CFS-61, "Intake for Child Under 2 Years – Child
Care Centers" (if applicable)
- Form DPH-4192, “Immunization Record” (I do not provide care for un-immunized children)
- First week's tuition
- Parent / Provider agreement
- Website permission form
I will inform you of any updates that are needed and give you two weeks to submit the updated
forms.
The following item must be completed and returned to me within two weeks of your first day
in care.
- Form CFS-60, "Child Health Report"
You
are required to keep me informed of any change in addresses, telephone numbers, and other pertinent information on these forms
as they arise, including notifying me of additional childhood immunizations (I do not provide care for un-immunized children).
Children are enrolled on a full-time basis only; I do not provide reduced prices for reduced
hours. I do accept children for drop-in care if prior enrollment arrangements
have been made and space is available.
A child may be discharged from the center for reasons such as, but not limited to:
·
Failure to pay fees on time. (Grounds for immediate termination, without advance notice.)
·
Failure to adhere to contract.
·
Lack of parental cooperation,
disrespect.
·
False information given by
parent either verbally or in writing.
·
Consistent early arrivals,
late arrivals, early pick-ups, late pick-ups (disrupting our routine).
·
Failure of child to adjust
to the child care after a reasonable amount of time.
·
Physical or verbal abuse
of any person or property.
·
Inability of child care program
to meet the needs of the child. I will consult with the parent concerning how
any problems might be solved before ending the care arrangement. The parent will
be referred to other community resources.
·
Failure to complete and return
required forms.
I will give a two week written notice of my intent to discharge a child, and try to inform
parents of local resources that may be of help to them, except when the discharge is due to parent's failure to keep current
with fees owed. Payment is required for the two weeks whether or not the children
continue to attend.
Parents must give a two week written notice of their intent to withdraw the child(ren), and
will be required to pay for those two weeks whether or not children continue to attend.
All outstanding fees must be paid. No pre-paid fees will be credited upon
notice to withdraw children from care.
Termination notice can not be given while provider or parents are on vacation. You may pay two-weeks fees in lieu of two-week’s notice.
III.
PAYMENTS AND REFUNDS
Fees are to be paid in advance on Friday at closing time for the next week's services. If you will not/do not attend child care on Friday, payment is due the day before;
payments are always to be paid by Friday at closing time. If there will be a third party payment, as from an employer or the county, a special payment schedule will
be arranged and detailed in the contract. Parents will be responsible for any
specified co-payments or unpaid amounts.
Carla’s Child Care does not charge a registration / enrollment fee. However, before your child is admitted into child care (or
to hold a future spot) a security deposit must be paid. This deposit is equal
to one week of child care and will be credited towards your last week’s fee. In
the event your child does not start care by the agreed upon date, your position may be forfeited and your deposit to hold
the position will become non-refundable.
I will establish a regular rate based on your child's hours of enrollment. Additional fees will be assessed for additional hours if your scheduled hours will exceed 45 hours per
week.
One standard rate is offered for all children who will be in care for up to 45 hours per week.
An additional fee may be charged for children in care over 45 hours per week.
Rates are not higher for children under two years of age than for older children.
There will be no reductions for additional children from one family. I am limited in the number of children that I may care for at one time.
No refunds will be given for days when children do not attend due to illness or other reasons.
There will be an extra fee assessed for late payment, early drop off and late pick up of a
child regardless of whether there are other children in daycare at that time. Please
respect my time and choose your drop-off and pick-up times carefully.
I require two-week’s notice in writing if you need to change your enrollment hours. I reserve the right to terminate our child care arrangement if your new hours will
not work well for my child care business.
There will be a fee assessed for checks returned for insufficient funds. You will also be responsible for any bank fees I incur as a result.
Please do not put me in the uncomfortable position of having to ask for my money, including
late fees. You know if you were late picking up your child(ren), please be responsible
and pay me for my time and inconvenience.
For current fees, see the attached Rate Sheet.
IV.
CHILD AND PROVIDER ABSENCES
A.
Child Absence
You are required to notify
me prior to your contracted drop off time if your child will not be coming for the day or if you will be late in arriving.
I reserve the right to fill your spot with a last-minute drop in, leave for a scheduled field trip, and/or close child care
for the day if no other children are coming in the event you do not call me by your contracted drop off time.
You are required to inform
me if you are at any other location than what is listed on your Enrollment Record and to provide a telephone number for that
place.
If your child will not attend on a regularly scheduled day, please let me know before your
child’s agreed upon drop-off time.
If a child who is scheduled to arrive at daycare does not arrive within 30 minutes of the specified
time on the written agreement signed by the parent, and I have not been notified of the child’s impending absence, I
will attempt to contact the parent or guardian to determine the child’s whereabouts.
I will not walk / transport children who attend school/preschool to and from daycare in the
morning and after school. If parents wish to allow a school-age child to leave or arrive at daycare unescorted, they must
provide written authorization for this activity. School-age children who leave
daycare unescorted must be traveling to home, school or another activity where adult supervision is present. I do not provide care for children in 1st grade and above.
Full-time enrollments are allowed six days off per year where payment is not expected. These days do not carry over from one year to the next.
These days may be used for sick or vacation time. Personal days are pro-rated
based on when the family begins care.
If you do not have any personal days available, I require full payment for any absences until
the new year where you obtain additional personal days.
For a schedule of pro-rated personal days, see the attached Personal Days Chart.
B.
Provider Absence/Daycare Closings
I will take one week of vacation each year for which I will be paid at a rate of 50% of your
weekly fee. I will let you know of my annual weekly vacation at least 30 days
in advance so you and your family can make alternate arrangements.
I will also take five personal days per year for which I will require payment. I will let you know of this time off at least 14 days in advance (unless I am ill – If I am ill,
I may choose to use a personal day) so you and your family can make alternate arrangements.
Personal days are pro-rated based on when the family begins care.
Occasionally, I may need
to take additional days off for appointments, emergencies, family activities, to catch up at home, attend trainings, or just
relax. When I plan for these unpaid days off I try to schedule them as far in advance as possible so that you may make other
child care arrangements. I try to choose days that are convenient for the majority of the families in my care. You will not
pay me if daycare is closed more than my 5 days paid personal days (excluding weekly vacation and holidays).
In the event that I or a household resident become ill, I will notify the parents
of all regularly scheduled children no later than 6:00 A.M. that daycare will be closed.
Regular tuition fees may be charged (if a personal day is used) when I am closed because of an illness.
In case of an emergency situation that requires my immediate attention, I will
call Heather Martin. She will come to daycare to stay with the child(ren) during
my absence. Parents will be called to pick up their children as soon as possible,
but no later than 60 minutes from when they are called. I will provide my emergency
back-up person with a brief orientation that will include the names and ages of children present, arrival and departure information
for each child, the location of the children’s files and the procedures to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
if daycare is licensed to care for children under 1 year of age. Regular tuition
fees will not be charged when I am closed because of an emergency.
I do not provide a substitute in the event that I am scheduled to be gone or when
I am ill. Parents are responsible for finding alternate care in my absence.
For a schedule of pro-rated personal days, see the attached Personal Days Chart.
V.
HEALTH
A.
Child Illness / Injuries
The health and well being of all the children here are the utmost importance to
me. Therefore, children who are ill are not to be brought to daycare. It is for the protection of the children that I must insist on a strict adherence to my illness policy. Please read it carefully.
Symptoms requiring removal of child form daycare (no exceptions):
Communicable Diseases:
Not permitted by law in child care. Some of those illnesses are but not limited to: Infectious Conjunctivitis (pink eye),
Impetigo, Hepatitis A, Scabies, Ringworm, Infectious Diarrhea, Chicken Pox, Scarlet Fever, Lice, Strep Throat. If your child
is thought to have a communicable disease, you will be notified and asked to pick him/her up. Your child will be accepted
back into care when no longer contagious. All other parents will be notified of the possibility of a communicable disease
and what symptoms to watch for.
Fever: Not permitted. A child needs to be fever free for a minimum of 24 hours before
returning to child care; that means the child is fever free without the aid of any fever reducing substance. Administering Tylenol to reduce your child's fever so that you can bring him/her to daycare is grounds
for termination.
Diarrhea: Not permitted. Infants and toddlers with fevers and/or diarrhea pertaining to
teething will only be accepted into care with a doctor's note sent stating that these symptoms are due to teething.
Vomiting: Not permitted. If your child vomits while at daycare, you will be expected to
come within the hour to pick up your child. The child must stay home until 24 hours have passed with no vomiting episodes. If your child says to me “I threw up last night” and you bring him/her
to daycare, this is grounds for termination.
Runny nose: Your child may be brought to daycare if he/she has a common cold (slight occasional
cough, clear runny nose, occasional sneezing). Discharge of any color other than clear is not acceptable in child care. A
constant runny nose which needs wiped continually is not acceptable in child care. If your child has a clear runny nose which
lasts longer than a week and you suspect it may be due to allergies, I will require you to bring a doctor's note stating the
same.
Rashes: Not permitted. Any rash other than diaper rash must accompany the child to child
care with a note from the doctor stating it is not contagious.
Runny and/or Crusty
Eyes: Not permitted. Watery, matted, and/or red/pink eyes are
not acceptable in child care under any circumstances (even if it wasn’t diagnosed ‘pink eye’).
Excessive Crankiness: If your child is irritable, excessively whining or crying, wants constantly
held, or requires more attention than I can provide without jeopardizing the health, safety, or well being of the other children
in my care, you must keep your child home regardless of the presence of other symptoms. If this occurs during child care hours,
you will be called to pick up your child.
Lice: Not permitted back to child care until after the second hair treatment.
24-Hour Rule: State guidelines state a child must be free from any of the previous symptoms
for a minimum of 24 hours before you can return to child care. No exceptions. I am not licensed to care for mildly ill children; if children are brought to daycare
while still ill, I am in violation. Example:
If I send your child home at 1 pm due to any of the symptoms above, your child may not return to daycare the following
day as 24 hours has not passed.
Please take the above
seriously. It is always best to call me and ask if you are unsure whether or
not you may bring your child. Please have a back up plan in the event your child is ill and you feel you cannot miss work.
If a child should become ill or seriously injured while at daycare, parents will be contacted
immediately. Sick children will be isolated within my sight or hearing and made
as comfortable as possible. Children should be picked up within 60 minutes, sooner
if possible. If the child is not picked up within 60 minutes, the emergency contact
person on the child's enrollment form will be called.
Children may return to daycare when they are symptom free for a full 24 hours, have been appropriately
treated and have been given medical approval to return to child care (if applicable).
I will follow procedures on personal cleanliness and communicable diseases in accordance with licensing rules and the
guidelines for exclusion of children from child care as adapted from the Division of Public Health.
I will report all communicable diseases, when required, to the local health department and
to parents of all enrolled children. Parents of all enrolled children will be
notified when their child has been exposed to an illness other than a communicable disease.
I have not been authorized by the licensing agency
to provide care for mildly ill children.
I have received training in first aid. I will
follow standard emergency medical procedures for treating injuries. A head injury
will be treated as a serious injury, and parents will be notified as soon as possible.
Superficial injuries will be washed with soap and water and covered with a bandage or treated
with ice. Parents will be told about the minor injury when they pick their child
up.
If there is a need for emergency medical treatment, 911 will be called and the child will be
taken to Holy Family
Hospital in New Richmond. Should an ambulance be needed, parents will
be responsible for any costs. Parents will be contacted as soon as possible after
contacting 911. If possible, I will ask that the ambulance take your child to
the emergency medical facility that you designated on the child enrollment form.
All medications administered, accidents or injuries occurring during the time
the child is in my care, marked changes in behavior or appearance and any observation of injuries to a child's body received
outside of my care will be entered into daycare's medical logbook. As a licensed
child care provider, I am required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the local authorities.
B.
Medications
I will administer medications, however I will not administer OTC cold or cough
medications to children under the age of 2 without written instructions from the child’s physician. Prescriptive and non-prescriptive medication will only be given to children if parents have completed the
authorization form provided. All medicine must be in its original container bearing
the label with child's name, dosage and administration directions. I will not
exceed the age-related dosage on the label of any medication without a written doctor's authorization. Please keep this in mind; frequently directions on medications such as Tylenol do not give dosage instructions
for children under the age of two, so instructions must come in writing form your physician.
Blanket authorizations, such as dispensing Tylenol at my discretion, are not allowed.
I will apply sunscreen to a child prior to taking the child outside. I will not apply insect repellent to a child prior to taking the child outside. Parents must authorize in writing the application of sunscreen. The
authorization shall include the brand and the ingredient strength (I will provide the sunscreen and will provide you with
the brand/ingredient strength).
C.
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted on the premises of daycare during licensed child care hours.
D.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
To reduce the risk of SIDS I will do the following:
Children under one year of age:
·
Child will be placed to sleep
on his or her back in a crib, unless the child’s physician authorizes another position in writing.
·
Child will not sleep in a
crib or playpen that contains materials such as sheepskins, pillows, fluffy blankets, bumper pads or stuffed animals.
Children under two years of age:
·
Cribs and playpens shall
contain a tight-fitting mattress and any mattress covering shall fit snugly over the mattress.
Waterbeds may not be used.
·
Sheets or blankets will be
tucked tightly under the mattress and shall be kept away from the child’s mouth and nose.
·
If child falls asleep in
a swing or car seat, the child will be removed from the swing or car seat and placed to sleep on his or her back in a crib.
VI.
NUTRITION
I will follow USDA guidelines when planning our menus. No child will go without nourishment for longer than 3 awake hours.
I will offer the following meals and snacks to all children in attendance at the times identified in the daily schedule.
Breakfast – 8:00 a.m.
Snack – 10:00 a.m.
Lunch – 12:30 a.m.
P.M. snack – 3:30 p.m.
You are responsible for feeding your child if he/she will arrive at child care
after a mealtime.
