Mrs. Jen's Childcare

10)   OPEN DOOR POLICY:

I maintain an open door policy for parents. This means that you are always welcome to call or drop in to see your children at any time during regular childcare hours. You are required to let me know of your presence before entering the premises. Knock, and then enter. Open door policy does NOT mean that my door will be kept unlocked. I believe that it is extremely important to keep the doors locked for the safety of the children. I do not want unwanted or unexpected visitors to enter without my permission or knowledge. I also do not want little ones leaving the house unsupervised. Your child's safety is my first priority. I would appreciate your taking into consideration my schedule when dropping in or calling such as naptime which is between 1:00pm-3:00pm, and remember that visitors usually cause children to react in an excited manner that does not normally occur when I am alone with the children.

 

11)NAPS & QUIET TIME:

All children are required to lie down for a rest period in the afternoon. All children must nap, rest, read or play quietly during this period. Rest time gives everyone a much-needed break during the day. Without rest time, some children are argumentative in the afternoon, short-tempered with others, and not real happy when they go home in the evening.

• Naptime is my only opportunity to take a break, clean up after lunch, do paperwork, fill out daily notes, and do activity planning. I provide nap mats and child-sized blankets. If your child has a special blanket or stuffed animal that he/she sleeps with, please send it along. I would ask that you please avoid picking up or dropping off your child during naptime, as it disturbs the other children's rest period. Infants nap at varying times and their schedules will be accommodated. Somewhere between 12 and 18 months, children usually drop down to one nap per day. At this time, I will attempt to put them on the scheduled nap/rest period.

• You May bring in a small pillow, crib sheet and blanket for your child to use.

 

12)FIRE SAFETY: I have a written fire evacuation plan and practice a fire drill with the children at least once each month. In addition, I incorporate fire safety curriculum into my program occasionally. My home is inspected regularly for fire safety. I also keep a written tornado plan.

 

13) MEALS:

• Parents are responsible for bringing formula and baby food for infants 0-12 months old.

• I provide breakfast, lunch and snacks at no extra charge to you. Breakfast is served between 8:00a.m.-8:30 a.m., Lunch between 11:00a.m. -12:00p.m., and afternoon snack is between 3:30p.m.-4:00p.m. . If your child/ren will not be here during those times please make sure they have had their meals.

• I am on the State food program

•  Do NOT let your child bring any food unless it is a snack to share or it’s their birthday and there is enough for all of the children. No Gum or hard candy. They will be taken away.

 

14)DAYCARE SUBSIDY: This will need to be discussed.

 

15)ILLNESS POLICY:

• Parents agree that a child who is ill (e.g. Fever, infection, diarrhea, communicable disease, or any other type of illness that may be passed on to others, with the exception of the common cold) will be kept at home to protect the well-being of my family and other children in my care. Children will not be allowed to return to daycare until they have been symptom free for at least 24 hours. In some cases a note from a doctor may be necessary. If any of my children or I exhibit any of the above, you will be notified and it will be to your own discretion to bring your child to daycare (keep in mind if they get sick from us they still will not be permitted into daycare). If the illness of my children or me requires a Doctor’s appt I will have my sub provider take care of the daycare children while we I am away.

**Please respect my illness policy. If a child is not well enough to go outside to play or attend school, they are not well enough to attend daycare**.

• MEDICATION: No medication will be administered without consent and a medication form is filled out.  Please do not leave medication in the diaper bags. Make sure I get it.

•  It is impossible to assure that no children will ever be injured in childcare; however I do attempt to keep the children as safe as possible. If any accident, illness or emergency does occur, you will cover the expense.

 

16) DRESS CODE:

Please dress your child appropriately. The activities may be messy. Do not send your child in clothing that you do not want stained. Weather permitting; we will spend a lot of time outdoors. You also need to supply 2 complete changes of clothing in case of an accident; I do not supply clothing for day care children. If the child has no spare clothing, the parent will be called to bring some.

 

17) TOYS & ITEMS FROM HOME. If your child needs a special toy or item for sleeping, it will be allowed, but it will remain put away until Rest Time. I assume NO responsibility for lost, stolen, or broken toys from home. Should the child (3 years old and up) deliberately destroy my toys or other property through misuse or willfulness, the parent will be required to replace it. 

•  Supplies that need to be left here- Diapers, baby wipes, potty training diapers, blanket for nap, Tylenol, toothbrush, multiple changes of clothes. ------Please mark your child’s name on clothing tags and other other items where possible.

 

18) TERMINATION AND WITHDRAWAL:

•  I reserve the right to suspend to suspend or terminate care of any child without notice, should it be deemed necessary for the overall safety and well-being of myself and family and/or other children in my care.

•  Parents agree that a minimum notice of two full weeks will be given for permanent withdrawal of any child from care. I do not charge for withdrawals.

 

19) DISCIPLINE POLICY: I use positive reinforcement, trying to redirect attention, and the 1-2-3 Magic time out method for children over 3 years old (Thomas Phelan). Children get time out (I use the sentence, take a break) after 3 times of misbehaving (ex... hitting, throwing, breaking...), time out consists of 1 minute of time out for every year of the child’s age.  Time out is normally a chair or rug that a child will sit on until their time out is over.  If a child becomes unstoppably violent or continues to misbehave, the parents will be called to pick their child up right away. 

 

20 )INJURIES AND OTHER EMERGENCIES

Minor cuts and abrasions suffered while at daycare will receive proper care -- specifically, they will be washed with soap and warm water and properly bandaged. Treatment will be logged and I will tell you how and when the injury occurred. I also am required to log any injuries I observe on your child which have occurred outside of my care, and I am required by law to report any possible abuse situations.

If a medical emergency arises, I will try to contact a parent first, unless doing so endangers the child's life. In that case I will take necessary steps, putting the child first (calling hospital, doctor, poison control, etc.). If need be, I will take your child to the nearest hospital via ambulance. Then try to call you when we arrive. If a parent is unable to be reached, I will keep trying until he or she is available.

In the event of a fire, we would evacuate the house immediately 

 

21) POTTY TRAINING: I will work in conjunction with parents during potty training. If you have a method that has been working for you, please let me know and I will adopt it for your child. I will work with you but not for you. Should you discontinue potty training at home, please let me know. If a child shows no interest in potty training, I may choose to discontinue and try again at a later date.

When you feel your child is ready for toilet teaching, I ask that you begin this teaching at home. I will follow through and encourage your child while in my 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, I 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 accidents are only happening once every other week, training pants will be used without plastic pants. Do not bring your child in panties or underwear until he/she has nap time and bedtime control established.

I 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.

 

22) REGISTRATION: I do not charge a yearly registration fee. Before care begins, you will need to fill out an emergency card, Michigan State in care statement, and parent/caregiver signed contract sheet. A copy of Immunization record will be needed now and every time child goes in for immunizations.

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23)  Pets: I currently have two cats, a dog and a bird residing in my home that will be around the daycare children.

24) BELIEFS: My home is a Christian based home in which children may participate in prayer, reading Bible stories that include Jesus and listening to children’s Christian music.

25) CHANGES: I have the right to add to my contract as long as you are informed and I have a signature.

26) PEOPLE WHO RESIDE IN OUR HOME: Me (Jennifer Seal), my husband (Aaron Seal), daughters (Trinity).

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If any of these policies are not understood and accepted then my childcare will not be a good fit for you, as I will not change or alter anything.