Tadpoles Pollywogs & Froglets Daycare: Policies

Family Child Care Policies

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare

Milwaukee, WI 53208

Policy Effective Date: July 27, 2013

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare is licensed by the State of Wisconsin, Department of Children and Families. 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.

I am required to maintain a current, accurate written record of daily attendance for all of the children. Please assist me in meeting this requirement by signing your child(ren) in and out of the center on the required Daily Attendance Record.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare will provide care for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years.

Child care services are available without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry.

Child care services will be provided between the hours of 6:30A.M. and 6:30P.M. , Monday through Friday, year round. No service will be provided on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, the day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. All regular fees will be charged for these holidays. If a holiday falls on a weekend day, we will be closed the Monday following.

I will post the following items for your review:

License certificate.
Any stipulation, condition, exemption or exception that affects the license.
Results of the latest monitoring visit (Department forms Noncompliances Statement and Correction Plan or Compliance Statement).
Any warning letter or enforcement action—order, forfeiture, temporary suspension—issued by the Department as soon as it is received. These items will remain posted until the violation(s) has been verified as corrected and the action is closed.
Center policies.

Parents will receive a pamphlet, "Your Guide to Regulated Child Care" which is a summary of child care licensing regulations, as part of an enrollment packet.

Parents are welcome to visit my child care program at any time during the hours of operation unless parental access is prohibited or restricted by a court order. If so, I will need a copy of the order. Please understand that I can not legally limit access to a parent if there is not a copy of a court order on file at the center.

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, I need to be notified in writing or by a telephone call in advance. The person picking up the child may need to show a driver's license or other picture ID.

If parents wish to allow a school-age child to leave or arrive at the center unescorted, they must provide written authorization for this activity. School-age children who leave the center unescorted must be traveling to home, school or another activity where adult supervision is present. Parents may use the form “Alternate Arrival / Release Agreement – Child Care Centers” to provide this information to the center.

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 Tadpoles Pollywogs & Froglets Daycare provides scheduled parent conferences twice a year, online blog entries, and daily reports.

To protect each family's confidentiality, Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare will not disclose personal information regarding a child or facts learned about a child or a child's family to anyone who is not authorized to receive this information.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare is covered by liability insurance for my premises.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare is covered by liability insurance for my operations.

All child care providers are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect. If a child care provider suspects a child has been abused or neglected, that employee is required to report the abuse or neglect to child protective services at 414-220-7233 or the police. All staff will receive training every two years in child abuse and neglect recognition and reporting procedures.

II. ENROLLMENT AND DISCHARGE OF ENROLLED CHILDREN

All children will be enrolled for a trial period of four weeks. During the trial period either the provider or parent may terminate child care without advance notice.

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 the center by the first day of attendance.

Intake for Child Under 2 Years – Child Care Centers (if applicable)
Child Care Enrollment
Alternate Arrival / Release Agreement – Child Care Centers (if applicable)
Health History and Emergency Care Plan
First week's tuition / registration fee
Parent / Provider agreement

Child Health Report – Child Care Centers
Day Care Immunization Record or an electronic record of your child's immunizations

I will inform you of any updates that are needed and give you one week to submit the updated forms.

Children may be enrolled on a full-time basis (up to 5 days per week, between 35-50 hours per week), or a part-time basis (less than 20 hours per week). I also accept children for after school care if 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).
Lack of parental cooperation.
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.
Repeated failure to pick up the child at the scheduled time.
Failure to complete and return required forms.
Failure to comply with the terms of the child care contract.

I will give a 2-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. Should the parent remove the child during the notice period I initiate, fees will not be charged for the remaining unused days.

Parents must give a 3-week written notice of their intent to withdraw the child(ren), and will be required to pay for those 3 weeks whether or not children continue to attend. All outstanding fees must be paid.

III. PAYMENTS AND REFUNDS

Fees are to be paid in advance on the child’s last enrolled day each week for the following week's services. If there will be a third party payment, as from an employer or the Shares program, a special payment schedule will be arranged and detailed in the contract. Parents will be responsible for any specified co-payments or unpaid amounts.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare does charge a registration / enrollment fee. A registration / enrollment fee of $20 must be paid. The registration / enrollment fee must be paid with the first tuition payment.

I will establish a regular rate based on your child's hours of enrollment. Additional fees will be assessed for additional hours if care is part-time or hours exceed 50 hours per week.

A full-time weekly rate is offered for children who will be in care for 7 hours or more, up to 5 days per week.

A part-time hourly rate is charged if children will attend fewer than 6 hours each day, or fewer than 20 hours per week.

There will be an extra fee assessed for late payment or late pick up of a child.

Rates are higher for children under 2 years of age than for older children.

No refunds will be given for days when children do not attend due to illness or other reasons.

For current fees, see the attached Rate Sheet.

IV. CHILD AND PROVIDER ABSENCES

A. Child Absence

If your child will not attend on a regularly scheduled day please let me know within 30 minutes before your child’s scheduled arrival time.

If a child who is scheduled to arrive at the center does not arrive within 30 minutes after the specified time on the written agreement signed by the parent, and I have not been notified in advance of the child’s absence, I will attempt to contact the parent or guardian to determine the child’s whereabouts. Each attempt to contact you will be documented.

If a child is expected to arrive at the center from someplace other than home (e.g., school, head start, etc.) and does not arrive as scheduled, I will immediately attempt to contact that facility, and the parent, if necessary, to determine the child’s whereabouts.

I will not be able to walk or transport children who attend school to and from the center in the morning and after school.

After a child has been enrolled for 3 months, I will allow 5 days off per year (prorated for part-time enrollments) with no fee required. These days may be used for sick or vacation time. After these 5 days are used, I will require full payment for any absences, for the rest of that year.

B. Provider Absence

I will take 10 days of vacation each year. For the first 5 days, I will require payment. For the other 5 days, I will not charge. I will let you know of this time off at least 3 weeks in advance so you and your family can make alternate arrangements.

In the event that I become ill, I will arrange for a substitute to take my place.

In case of an emergency situation that requires my immediate attention, I will call __________. My emergency back-up person will come to the center to stay with the children during my absence. If necessary, parents will be called to pick up their children as soon as possible, and should do so within one hour of receiving the call. 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 including the names of people authorized to pick up the child, the location of the children’s files including emergency contact information, consent for emergency medical treatment and any special health care needs and the procedures to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Regular tuition fees will not be charged when I am closed because of an emergency. My emergency back-up provider has been trained in Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention.

In the event that I am scheduled to be gone, __________ or __________ will act as my substitute. My substitute has received Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention training. Before my substitute or any other provider required to meet the staff-to-child ratios begins to work with the children, I will provide them with an orientation and document its completion on a form provided by the Department and placed in the employee file.

The orientation will include all of the following:

Names and ages of all the children in care.
Current arrival and departure information for each child including the names of people authorized to pick up the child.
Review of children’s records including emergency contact information.
Specific information relating to child’s special health care needs including medications, disabilities or special health conditions.
Procedures to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Overview of the daily schedule including meals, snacks, nap and any information related to eating and sleep schedules of infants and toddlers.
Review of center’s procedures for dealing with emergencies.
Procedure for reporting suspected abuse and neglect of a child.
Plan for evacuating sleeping children if night care is provided.
Procedure to contact a parent if a child is absent from the center without prior notification from the parent.
Review of center policies required under 250.04(2)(e).
Review of chapter DCF 250 Family Child Care Centers.
Review of DHS 12.07(1) regarding caregiver reporting requirements.

V. HEALTH

A. Child Illness / Injuries

Children who are ill are not to be brought to the center. The following are examples of children who are ill:

A temperature of 100 degrees F. or higher
Vomiting or diarrhea has occurred more than once in the past 24 hours
A contagious disease such as chicken pox, strep throat or pinkeye
An unidentified rash
Has not been on a prescribed medication for at least 24 hours or continues to have symptoms of illness
Has a constant, thick, colored nasal discharge

If a child should become ill while at the center, 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 2 hours. If the child is not picked up within 2 hours, the emergency contact person on the child's enrollment form will be called.

Children may return to the center when they are fever and symptom free, have been appropriately treated or have been given medical approval to return to child care. 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 Department of Children and Families, to the local health department, and to parents of all enrolled children. Parents of all enrolled children will not 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.

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 the child is picked up at the center or delivered to the parent or other authorized person.

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. I have a current certification in infant and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) including training in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

If there is a need for emergency medical treatment, 911 will be called and the child will be taken to Children’s Hospital at Froedtert. 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 your child be taken to the emergency medical facility that you designated on the child enrollment form.

All medication 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 the center'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. 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. Blanket authorizations, such as dispensing Tylenol at my discretion, are not allowed.

Prior to applying sunscreen or insect repellant to a child, I will obtain a written authorization from the child’s parent. The authorization shall include the brand and the ingredient strength.

C. Smoking

Smoking is not permitted on the premises of the center.

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 hours. I will offer the following meals and snacks to all children in attendance at the times identified in the daily schedule.

Breakfast - 8:00AM

A.M. snack - 10:15AM

Lunch -12:00PM

P.M. snack - 3:00PM

Parents providing their own children's meals and snacks will be informed in writting of the USDA nutritional requirements.

If your child has special dietary needs (medical condition or personal choice) or has food allergies, parents must notify the center in writing.

Weekly records of meals and snacks are available for your review upon request.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare does not currently participate in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program.

School-aged children will be offered an afternoon snack upon arrival from school.

Children younger than 12 months must be served formula or breast milk unless written direction is on file from the child's health care professional. All bottles and commercial baby food must be labeled with your child's name.

VII. DAILY ACTIVITIES

I do not include religious instruction or practices in my daily activities. We do not offer prayers before meals and snacks. We do not offer a religious education program or curriculum.

We celebrate the following occasions: Christmas, Halloween, and each child’s birthday.

I will plan activities and provide children with a variety of experiences. Some of the activities will include:

Language development: Books, music, story time, fingerplays
Large muscle skills: Balls, hula hoops, jump ropes, outdoor play
Small muscle skills: Arts / crafts, puzzles, blocks, lacing
Creative expression: Dramatic play, finger puppets, music / instruments, dancing
Self-help skills: Assist with mealtime preparation, dress self for outdoors
Literacy skills: Books, alphabet and writing games

PLAY is the major component of our program. Enough time, materials and space will be provided for children to actively explore the world around them. Children will have an opportunity to use a variety of art materials and manipulative and housekeeping equipment.

Children, including infants and toddlers, will go outdoors daily when weather permits. The children may be kept indoors during inclement weather such as any of the following:

Heavy rain
Temperatures above 90 degrees F.
Wind chills of 0 degrees F. or below for children age 2 and above.
Wind chills of 20 degrees F. or below for children under age 2

There is an outdoor play space on the premises of the center. If I choose to provide a wading pool for the children, I will be outside providing sight and sound supervision when the wading pool contains water and is present in the outdoor play space.

I do not have a swimming pool on the premises.

Infants and toddlers (children under two years of age) will have a flexible schedule which reflects the child's individual needs. They will be given individual attention including lots of time for talking. The body position of non-mobile infants and their location in the center will be changed frequently. I will provide safe, open spaces for children who are creeping and crawling. Infants and toddlers will be encouraged to play with a wide variety of safe toys and objects.

School-age children will have a quiet place to study or relax, access to appropriate materials and activities and will have ample time for large muscle activities and to participate in food preparation.

Night Care.

I am not licensed to provide care between the hours of 9 P.M. and 5 A.M.

Rest or naptime will be provided for all children younger than five years of age who are in care for more than four consecutive hours. Children who do not sleep may get up after 30 minutes, and children who awaken early will be allowed to get up when they awake. I will help awake children find appropriate activities. I will launder the bedding after every five uses or sooner if necessary.

A crib or playpen is provided for each child under 18 months of age. Children over the age of 18 months will sleep on a two inch thick mat.

I will occasionally allow children to watch television including DVDs. Children may not bring VHS or DVDs from home. The children will be allowed to watch television under the following situations: PBS children’s programing during lunch, and for educational purposes having to do with the week’s lesson plan . Children are not required to watch television, and other activities will be available during that time for children to use.

We occasionally take walks around the neighborhood. Emergency information for each child will be taken whenever the children leave the premises.

The center’s accurate daily attendance record will be used as the procedure to ensure that the number, names, and whereabouts of the children in care are known to the provider at all times.

VIII. CHILD GUIDANCE

Children's behavior will be guided by setting clear limits or rules for children. I will talk with children about expected behaviors and model those behaviors consistently for them. I will state positively what children can do, using specific terms (e.g., "you need to walk" rather than "don't run"). Undesirable behavior will be redirected to another activity. Children will be given a wide variety of age-appropriate activities to choose from and will be given the attention they need before they demand it. Behavior management will be for the purpose of helping children develop self-control, self-esteem and respect for the rights of others.

I understand that there will be times when a child will become distraught, fussy or won’t quit crying. My first action in these situations will be an attempt to determine the cause of the distress. It may be related to a basic need such as hunger or comfort, or it may be that the child just needs some extra time and attention. I understand that crying is normal, and that all babies will have times when they cannot stop crying. At these times, I will stay calm and will do whatever I can to soothe your child. Sometimes this may mean just allowing the child to cry for a few minutes and then trying again. However, there also may be times when I need your advice or assistance, and I won’t hesitate to call you if I feel that it is necessary.

I use “time outs” to deal with unacceptable behavior. A "time out" or "take a break" may be used when other techniques have not been successful. A time out will be used to remove a child from a situation that has gotten out of control before a child can hurt himself or others. Time outs will never exceed five minutes and will not be used with children under three years of age. When used, the time out will immediately follow the behavior. I will stay with the child and talk about what behavior was unacceptable, and what else s/he might have done or said instead. Rather than use a specific time-out chair or corner, I will have the child "take a break" near the others so the emphasis is on relax / cool down rather than isolation and punishment. The child will be praised after completing the time out and will be helped to rejoin the group.

I recognize that no single technique will work with children every time. If a child exhibits unacceptable behavior, I will request a conference with parents to consider how to deal with the behavior. If the behavior continues, the next steps may include referrals to appropriate community resources, and / or discharge of the child from care.

In accordance with DCF 250 Licensing Rules for Family Child Care Centers, actions that may be psychologically, emotionally or physically painful, discomforting, dangerous or potentially injurious are prohibited. Prohibited actions include spanking, hitting, pinching, shaking, slapping, twisting, throwing or inflicting any other form of corporal punishment on the child; verbal abuse, threats or derogatory remarks about the child or the child's family; physical restraint, binding or tying the child to restrict the child's movement; enclosing the child in a confined space such as a closet, locked room, box or similar cubicle; withholding or forcing meals, snacks or naps; actions that are cruel, aversive, humiliating or frightening to the child; or punishing a child for lapses in toilet training. These forms of punishment will never be used, even at a parent's request.

IX. TRANSPORTATION

I do not provide transportation.

Public transportation is not used for field trips requiring transportation.

X. PETS

Tadpoles Pollywogs & Froglets Daycare does have pets on the premises.

Tadpoles Pollywogs Froglets Daycare has two dogs on the premises. One is a 6 year old, male, Irish Terrier named Keeley. And the other is a 3 year old, female, mixed breed named Teagan. Pets will be allowed in areas accessible to children during the hours of operation. The children will be closely supervised when the animals are accessible to ensure that both the children and the animals are protected from harm, and Tadpoles Pollywogs & Froglets Daycare has liability insurance that includes coverage for pets. All pets for which there is an effective vaccine against rabies have been vaccinated. Prior to adding new pets to the center, I will notify parents in writing.

If your child has pet allergies, please inform me verbally and also be sure to write them down on the Health History and Emergency Care Plan under the non-food allergies section.

XI. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

I do not provide care between 9PM and 5 AM.

Fire drills shall be practiced with the children every month, and completion of the practices will be documented. In addition, tornado drills shall be practiced during the tornado season which is April through October.

In case of an emergency that would require an evacuation, children will be evacuated through the nearest safe exit. The attendance form and list of phone numbers for parents and emergency contacts will be taken along to ensure that all children are accounted for and all families notified. Children will be assembled at the tree in front of my neighbor’s house at 1050 N. 46th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208.

In the event of a tornado warning, the children will be taken into the room in the northwest corner of the basement. Blankets and a portable radio and flashlight, with extra batteries for both, are kept in this tornado shelter area at all times. The attendance form and emergency contact information will be brought along.

In the event of a lost child, I will check all areas of the center. If the child cannot be found, the child's parents and / or emergency contact and the police will be notified immediately. I will notify the Department within 24 hours after the occurrence.

If the center should lose the use of heat, water or electricity before the center opens, the center will have to be closed and I will notify parents of the situation immediately .

If the center should lose the use of heat, water or electricity while children are in attendance, I will notify parents of the situation immediately and together decide if the children will remain in care until pick up or if arrangements will be made to have children picked up immediately.

In the event that local schools close due to severe weather, the center will not close.

If we are unable to re-enter the building after a necessary evacuation, I will take the children to Washington Park Senior Center, which is located at 4420 W. Vliet Street in Milwaukee and parents will be contacted to pick up children as soon as possible.

In the event that the center receives a threat to the building or it’s occupants (e.g., bomb threat, bodily injury threat, etc.), law enforcement and the parents will be immediately contacted to advise them of the threat. Depending on the nature of the threat, evacuation and/or closure may be required.

XII. CONCEALED WEAPONS

Firearms and weapons of any kind are prohibited in my daycare home and tract of land. No person may carry weapons while on the premises of the child care center during licensed hours. Signs (at least 5” x 7”) providing notice of refusal to allow weapons are posted near all probable access points where any individual entering the building or grounds can be reasonably expected to see the sign.

XIII. ITEMS TO BE PROVIDED

Parents are asked to provide: lotions/ointments, a full change of clothing including underware and socks, sunscreen, insect repellent, clothing suitable for outdoor play for each season, and baby formula or breast milk.

The center provides: disposable diapers, baby wipes, labeled sheets and blankets, bottles, cribs/playpens, and baby food.