Handbook4

100 Acre Wood Handbook
Page 4
Trial Period:

The first month of care is used as a trial period for both of us to determine whether or not my care is a good match for your child and visa-versa. At the end of two weeks we will sit down and discuss how we feel care is going at that point. If either party is unsatisfied, the contract may be broken with the below stated 2 weeks notice. Discipline Policy:

I do not believe in spanking, slapping, smacking, or hitting of any kind. This type of discipline will not be used in my home, regardless of your practices in your own home. Instead, I use the following discipline methods to handle any dangerous or hurtful offense:
For children under the age of 2 years, I find it most effective to remove the child from the situation, and redirect their attention elsewhere. Although I will most likely explain to the child that the offending behavior was inappropriate, children of this age are rarely able to fully understand what they have done. Fortunately, their attention span is also usually shorter than with older children, so simply showing them a different toy or activity usually does the job.
For children of about age 2 and over, I will use a method called "1,2,3 Magic" for discipline. With this method, the children are told ahead of time of the rules, and explained how offenses will be handled. When a child misbehaves, I will say "That's 1" the first time, "That's 2" the second time, and "That's 3 - timeout" the third time. The child is then placed on a designated time out chair under isolated observation for a period of one minute per age. For serious offenses (those involving the harm of other children or the destruction of property) I will skip the first and second warnings and will immediately place the child in time out. This method is extremely effective and once a child learns it, they very rarely get to three.
At the end of the time-out I will ask the child if he or she understands why they had a time-out and if they understand why they shouldn't do that behavior, then ask if they are ready to play nicely again. This method not only stops the offending behavior, but also teaches the child consequence, responsibility, and empathy in a positive manner.
To a point, kids will be kids, but only as long as the emotional and physical safety of all of the children in my care is protected. In the rare instance that I feel any child in my care has a serious discipline problem, I will request a conference with the parent(s). If an understanding cannot be reached, I reserve the right to terminate our contract with as much notice as possible in order to guarantee the comfort and safety of the other children in my care.

Child Abuse:

Unfortunately, this is a topic that must be addressed in today's society. It goes without saying that I will not knowingly allow any form of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse of any child in my care at any time. This includes the time that the child is in their own home. On the surface, this may sound like an invasion of privacy, but I cannot ethically turn a blind eye toward such abuse.
I have been trained in the recognition of all forms of child abuse, and will do everything in my power to prevent any instances from occurring. If I notice any signs of abuse at any time, I will alert that child's parent(s) immediately both verbally and in writing, along with a full description of the symptoms (bruising, sores, sudden extreme behavioral changes, etc). I will document this same information for myself, and if necessary, alert the proper authorities after first attempting to handle the situation discretely. You need to be aware that as a childcare professional I am bound by law to report all incidents of "real" or "suspected" child abuse. I take this oath very seriously.
You may get notes about your child having bruises or scrapes without needing to fear that I suspect you of abusing your child. Be assured, if I think your child has been abused, I will let you know! The notes I send home are just to alert you in general of any instances that may come up, and also to protect myself from mistaken accusations of abuse. I would prefer not to have to deal with this issue, but I think it is best that we handle it openly and honestly to avoid any possible misunderstandings. We both want what is best for our children. Please feel free to discuss this or any other issue with me at any time.

Naps:

I will offer infants a morning nap, generally between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00am, or as needed. Older children will be offered an afternoon nap after lunch, generally between the hours of 12:00pm and 3:00pm. All children will be expected to at least rest quietly during this time, so that the children who need to sleep can do so. If your child does not take naps then please help me to encourage your child to rest quietly during this time by having conversations with them about the importance of other children getting their sleep. During this time (called "Quiet Time") movies will be put on in the Family room and all non-napping children will be asked to remain in this room and watch the movie or look at books. I do not allow play during this time because I have found that once I allow quiet play it very quickly turns into noisy play and the napping children are woken up. If you do not agree with this, then please feel free to address your concerns with me. Even if there are no napping children in my care, this quiet time will be enforced. This is to allow downtime for the children in my care, and myself. In every job there is an allowed break time, and this quiet time, is my break time. Your children will still be supervised, but they will be quietly supervised.
Nap times will start with a story or music to encourage children to fall asleep. All bedding and linens will be provided. However, if your child has a favorite blankie or other comfort object, you are certainly welcome to bring these. Each child will have their own regular sleeping space such as a crib or bed, and each child's linens will be washed each weekend, or more often if needed.
Because naptime is a very important part of a younger child's well being, it is requested that drop-offs or pick-ups, or visits, do not occur during this time. Also, if you need to drop off any forgotten items please do not do it during this time if it can be helped. It is too disruptive for the children who are trying to sleep, and it is very hard on the children who are awake because they become very excited over visitors. Please feel free to drop by any other time of the day during normal childcare hours.

Meals and Snacks:

I will provide all meals and snacks, with the exception of infant formula or breast milk and baby food. You are also certainly welcome to provide any favorite foods your child may have, but please provide enough to share with all of the children. Should any child in my care have a food allergy, all parents will be notified so that food sent from home will be non-allergenic to that child.
Snack times will be between 9:00-9:30am and between 3:00-3:30pm. For some children the morning snack may also be their breakfast. For children arriving before 8:00am I will serve an additional breakfast if needed. Morning snack and breakfast will typically consist of Milk or 100% juice, and cereal, waffles or other breakfast foods. Afternoon snacks will typically consist of whole milk, filtered water, or 100% juice, whole-grain crackers and cheese, graham crackers, baked goods or fruit.
Occasionally, I will serve homemade or all natural cookies, all natural potato chips or other home made treats, however highly sweetened snacks such as Kool-Aid, soft drinks, cakes and candies (except as an occasional holiday treat or training motivator) will not be offered during regular day-care hours.
Lunches will typically consist of a balanced meal such as: a serving of whole milk or 100% juice; a main course such as a healthy sandwich on whole-wheat bread (including peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, deli meats, etc.), or real macaroni and cheese, whole grain pastas with spaghetti-sauce, all natural hot dogs, beans and vegetables, and home-made soups, etc.; a vegetable side dish such as veggie-sticks and dip, or other simple steamed vegetables, or a salad; and a fruit serving (fresh whenever possible) such as apples, grapes, bananas, kiwi, mandarin oranges, raisins, strawberries, melon balls, etc. This is a guideline and will be based on what is typical for the children in my care. If your child does not normally eat vegetables with lunch then I may omit them unless you specify otherwise. All juice products will be 100% juice with no artificial ingredients.
Also, to avoid triggering any allergic reactions, I will not serve the following foods to children under 12 months of age, unless you specifically request them for your child: citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, nuts (including peanut butter), soy products, eggs, and honey.
All foods will be cut into safe-size pieces and served in child-sized portions. Children may always have seconds upon request, and no child will be forced to eat anything. It is my experience that children will eat when they are hungry, and will get all of the nutrients they need when consistently presented with a variety of healthy choices.

Seasonal Outdoor Policy:

We will not be going outside in the winter unless the temperature is above 40 degrees and the children show an interest in being outside. On the days when it is above 40 degrees we will only go outside if all children are appropriately dressed. This means that all children must have a winter coat, mittens or gloves, and a winter hat. In addition, if there is snow or mud on the ground, snow boots will also be necessary. No child can be left in the house alone, so if one child forgets his winter gear, all children must remain indoors. For this reason, you may want to leave an extra set of winter gear here. Please feel free to share your desires for the amount of time that you wish your child to be outside and I will attempt to be accomodating. If you wish your child to be outside daily then let me know. If you prefer your child is only outside occassionally and for short periods of time, let me know that as well. I will try to find something that works for everyone. During nice, mild weather, we are typically outside for a block of time in the morning and another block of time in the afternoon. A wading pool or sprinkler may be set up in the summer time, so a swimsuit and water shoes should be kept here.
You will notice that I have a large trampoline in my backyard. This trampoline was purchased for my children for therapy reasons due to their special needs. Unfortunately, state law prohibits me from allowing ANY daycare children on this trampoline, regardless of whether a parent is present or not. Please respect this law by not placing your child on the trampoline at any time. If you feel that this is unfair, then please feel free to find care at a facility without a trampoline. I will not jeapordize my license for anyone and if you chose to break this rule your child's care will be immediately terminated and the reasons fully documented. There may be times during care when my children will be on the trampoline and your children will wish to be on it as well. Please help me in explaining to your children why this is not allowed. I will make every attempt to re-direct your child to another fun activity, and, at my own discretion, to direct my own children's use of the trampoline during times when the daycare children are not outside.

House Rules:

Please read this section with your child so that they know what is expected of them during childcare.

No biting, hitting, pushing, kicking, etc.
No throwing or intentionally breaking anything
No running or shouting in the house (an outside activity)
No jumping or climbing on the furniture
No picking up babies or toddlers
No leaving the house or yard
No name calling, teasing, etc. Everyone is treated with respect.
No Gum! No food brought from home unless pre-arranged.
No toys brought from home unless the child is prepared to share.
No Smoking!

Parents take full responsibility for any loss or damage to toys that are brought from home. Parents will also be responsible for replacing anything that is intentionally broken or broken as a result of excessive aggressiveness - not normal wear and tear. This includes items of other children, as well as those that are the property of this facility.

Miscellaneous:

1. Send extra clothes marked with your child's name.
2. Help keep the floors clean and safe by removing all wet/muddy shoes at the door.
3. Call as soon as possible if your child is not attending or will be late.
4. Be prompt in picking up your child after work.
5. Share info with me that will help me better care for your child such as complaints of a tummy ache, throwing up over the weekend, medicine given, a bad night, etc.
6. Please respect me, my profession, my family, my property, my home, and my other families in my care.
7. If your car leaks oil, please park in the road.
8. Label all possessions. Be sure that boots slip off and on easily, zippers zip, clothes are easy for the child to take off and put on so that they can go potty themselves, etc. All of this contributes to a healthy self-esteem in a child.
9. You will be responsible for providing your child's diapers, diaper wipes, diaper rash ointment, sterilized bottles and nipples including optional bottle liners, formula or breast milk, baby food, medicines and medicinal supplies and spare clothes. I will provide all other food and supplies.
10. You are responsible for notifying me of any change in address, place of employment, and other identification or emergency information. If I cannot get in touch with you or any one else during an emergency, due to incorrect information provided by you then your child will be turned over to the authorities.
11. I am not responsible for replacing any lost or broken toys. This is why I request that such items are kept home.
12. If someone else will be picking up your child please notify me in advance. This notification MUST be in writing if the person picking up is not on your alternate pickup list. No child will be released to anyone, other than an adult, who is on your alternate pickup list, or who you have notified me in advance will be picking up your child.
13. No child will be released to any person smelling of alcohol or obviously under the influence of drugs. If you show up to pick up your child under the influence, someone else will need to be called to pick up your child, or the authorities will be notified.

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