HANDBOOK. Sweet Sparrows Daycare is an in-home family daycare with a welcoming environment and Christian values woven into every aspect of your childs day. Your child will enjoy circle time, loving care, and a variety of developmental play. You can breathe easy knowing your child is in a reliable, trustworthy daycare that is city and state registered. I also participate in the Child and Adult-Care Food Program (CACFP) through the federal Food and Nutrition Service. This means all standards regarding the home, staff, health, safety procedures, nutrition, care giver to child ratios, and record keeping will be met for best interest of the children. Our home is open to inspection by state and city health, fire, and licensing officials.Your Childs DaySweet Sparrows is open Monday through Friday. Drop-offs may begin as early as 7:00 a.m. with pick-up by 5:30 p.m. Your childs day will follow a flexible routine depending on curriculum, weather, age of children present, etc. Throughout the day your child will be exposed to numerous learning opportunities through play. I include guided curriculum during circle time and preschool time (for children that no longer need naps). Circle and preschool time consist of prayer, pledge of allegiance, calendar time, weather, memory verses, songs, themed studies for letters, numbers, shapes, colors, art, handwriting, math, science, sensory, dramatic play, music, movement, and other developmental activities. Themes and memory verses will be announced in advance so you can participate in your childs learning. I do this through a monthly newsletter and calendar. Special events are also included in the monthly calendar. Some examples of special events are holiday parties, family summer picnic, field trips, birthday celebrations, and parents night outs for occasional evening care. 7:00 a.m. - Arrivals / Breakfast / Brush Teeth / Free Play8:45 a.m. - Clean Up / Restroom / Wash Hands9:00 a.m. - Circle Time / Reading / Memory Work10:00 a.m. - Guided Play / Circle Time Craft10:30 a.m. - Gross Motor Skill Play11:15 a.m. - Restroom / Wash Hands11:30 a.m. - Lunch12:00 p.m. - Clean Up / Restroom / Wash Hands12:15 p.m. - Settle Down Music / Story Time12:30 p.m. - Nap Time / Preschool Time3:00 p.m. - Wake / Restroom / Wash Hands3:30 p.m. - Snack4:00 p.m. - Fine Motor Skill Play4:45 p.m. - Clean Up / Restroom / Wash Hands5:30 p.m. - ClosedIf you are going to be late for pick-up, please notify me as soon as you know the time you will pick-up your child. A late fee of $15 will be assessed for each 15 minutes you are late to pick up. Please be courteous about this because this time for me to spend with my family. You will be expected to pick up your children unless an alternate person has been authorized for pick-up. He/she will be required to show identification upon arrival. Please feel free to come and go throughout the day, but know this can be disruptive to the other childrens schedule. Also, if you or another member of your family would like to spend an extended amount of time with your child, please make plans to go off site for the visit. As with everything, written notice of who will be picking up for your child, the times, and a photo ID will be required. Not Attending for Holidays / Vacations / IllnessSweet Sparrows will be closed on the following holidays annually: New Years Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. If the holiday falls on a Saturday, Sweet Sparrows will be closed the Friday before. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, Sweet Sparrows will be closed the Monday after. In addition to these days, I will have no more than 10 vacation days. One full week of vacation will be at no cost to you and I will break up the other 5 days throughout the year. An annual holiday schedule will be posted by the childrens cubbies and given to you well in advance. I recommend having a plan for back-up care in case there is an illness in my family. Of course I will give as much notice as possible.For the health and safety of your child and the children in the daycare, please do not bring your child to daycare sick. Specifically keep your child home if:•They have vomited two or more times in 24 hours.•They have a body rash (especially with a fever or itching), lice or nits.•They have had 3 or more watery stools in 24 hours.•They have an eye infection or thick mucus draining from the eye.•They have a sore throat with fever or swollen glands.•They are unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, confused or cranky. •They have a fever with a temperature of 100(F) or more with other symptoms.If you are not sure if your child should be brought to daycare, call and me and we can discuss the situation. If a child becomes ill during daycare hours, you will be contacted to come and pick-up your child. You will need to pick up your child(ren) within one hour of being notified. In order to return, the child must also be void of any contagious disease, unless accompanied by a doctor's note stating the illness is no longer contagious. Medication will be administered upon request; however an authorization form must be completed.If your child will not be attending daycare due to illness or for any other reason, please let me know as soon as possible for meal and activity planning. You can notify me by texting or emailing me and I will respond when time permits. If it is an emergency, please do not hesitate to call at 605-321-8029. No discounts will be given for your child's absences due to illness or vacations. Rates & Payment ScheduleFull-time children will be charged a rate of $125 per week for the first child and $75 per week for each additional child. Part-time and drop-in rates are $3.50 per hour per child. Payments are due each Friday for part-time and full-time families. Drop-in payment must be paid the day of the care. If your payment is not received on time, a late fee of $5.00 per day (including weekends) will be assessed. Rates do not include diapers, pull-ups, formula, bottles, medication costs, a change of clothes or a swimming suit; however, all other daily necessities will be provided. Daily necessities include breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, beverages, sippy cups, curriculum supplies, SPF 30+ sun screen, toys and other items not mentioned. A one-time enrollment fee of $50 will be assessed for each child, to secure their enrollment and purchase supplies unique to your child. Receipts will be issued in January detailing payments made throughout the previous year unless otherwise requested.Enrollment Procedures•Interview with a parent (child is welcome but not required)•Contract with start date indicated•Enrollment forms•Enrollment fee of $50 per childThe first two weeks will be a trial period, where either party may terminate the contract without notice. After the first two weeks of enrollment, two weeks written notice from parent or provider is required to terminate the contract, with the exception of gross misconduct on part of the provider, parent, or child. Gross misconduct is grounds for immediate discontinuation of care. In cases of non-payment, legal action may be taken, and the parents will pay all legal fees incurred.Behavior Management & DisciplineI believe that the discipline of a child is achieved through patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. I also try and teach each child manners, kindness and to be respectful to others. I do this first by example. I understand that my actions and reactions speak much louder than words. The children are explained the rules of the daycare frequently, so they understand what is expected of them at all times. Once a child is old enough to understand the rules and disobeys them the following developmentally appropriate guidance techniques will be used. These techniques are as follows:1.Positive Reinforcement: The child will be encouraged when he or she is demonstrating acceptable behavior.2.Redirection: The child is redirected to another activity and given an opportunity to try again at another time.3.Time-Out: The child is separated from the group for an age appropriate amount of time (one minute per one year of age). This technique is only used when a child repeatedly will not following directions or listening, is exhibiting temper tantrum type behavior, or hurting themselves, others or equipment. When the child shows that he or she is ready to demonstrate acceptable behavior, they are encouraged to join the rest of the group to try again.4.Incident Report: If consistent time-outs are not effective, a report will be sent home to notify you of the problem. Incident reports must be signed and will be added to your childs file. 5.Conference: When a child's behavior is continually upsetting or dangerous to others, a parent conference will be called. If the problems cannot be resolved, arrangements will need to be made for the child to go elsewhere for care.The following is what is expected of children:1.All food and drinks must be kept in the kitchen area.2.No playing in the bathroom.3.Name calling, foul language, and yelling are not allowed.4.No hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching, biting, spitting or pulling hair.5.No picking-up, pulling, poking or squeezing of babies or pets.6.All kitchen and bathroom cupboards are off limits.7.Take turns and share.8.Help clean up.9.Laugh, smile, play, and be happy.Other PoliciesPhotographs: Photographs will be taken on occasion. These will be used internally for identifying personal boxes or making crafts and externally for marketing (when parental approval form is signed). Pets: I have one small shi-tzu. Moji is child-friendly and up to date on all shots. He will spend the majority of the day outside or in another room. Toys: I have well organized, separate, age appropriate toys. Infants will not be allowed to be around or play with small objects and toys. Please do not bring your child's toys to daycare except on designated sharing/show and tell days. The only exception to this rule is one special blanket or stuffed toy that will be pulled out for nap time. As much as I try to encourage sharing, this seldom works when it is the child's own personal toy. I ask that you never send your child with toy weapons.TV Time: Television viewing is only done on occasion. During this time an appropriate children's video will be shown (G rated movie, Little Einsteins, Sesame Street, Cat in the Hat, etc.). On pajama days, the children will be invited to bring a movie from home and we will pick one to watch. Please only send G rated movies with your child. Children are never required to sit and watch TV, and TV is not offered in place of free play or learning activities.Potty Training: I am more than happy to encourage potty training as long as the child is ready (typically between 2 and 3 years old). The initial start needs to be done at home. Communication between parents and the daycare provider is imperative for a successful transition from diapers to toilet.Skill Review: Semi-annual skill reviews will be given to assess the children on their abilities. This is also a great time for you to schedule a conference if you would like to discuss the development of your child. Referrals: Referrals are one of the biggest compliments I can receive. As a special thanks to you, I offer families a $75 gift certificate to be used toward a week of childcare for each referral that has successfully enrolled in the daycare. Your gift certificate is given to you after the referred child has attended the daycare through the two week trial period. Contract Fulfillment Since this is my home and my business, I ask that you please be respectful of my family by following the policies and procedures outlined in the handbook. I realize this is a lot of information to absorb, so please keep your handbook accessible and periodically review the policies and procedures. I reserve the right to amend any portion of the Enrollment Contract and Handbook at any time. You will be given a copy of the new Contract and Handbook to sign off on in the event that a change is made.It is important that you feel comfortable with my policies and procedures. If you do not understand something, have a concern, or you feel uncomfortable with one or more of my policies I would like to discuss that with you before enrolling your child. I am always open to suggestions and feel communication is a very important part of a quality daycare. If there are any problems or concerns in the future, I encourage you to talk to me about them. If a lengthy discussion is needed, a time that is convenient for both of us will be scheduled outside of daycare hours. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you and care for your little one.
Handbook
Handbook and Contract.pdf
