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... where every child is a star! Jodi Grochowski Kathryn Snarich Owners / Directors

This documentation is available online for your consideration, review and convenience. A signed copy of the policy must be presented at the time of enrollment. Please choose a format below to print a copy of the Child Care Policy form AND Enrollment/Parental Agreement form or ask for copies when you visit the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts.

CHILD CARE POLICY

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts is licensed by the State of Minnesota, Department of Health and Family Services. Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts is licensed to care for no more than 10 children at any one time. I am inspected regularly to insure that I meet licensing standards. Smoking is not permitted on the premises of the center at any time.

Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts is covered by liability insurance for the premises and/or my operation.

Parents are welcome to visit the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts at any time during the hours of operation unless prohibited by a court order. If so, I will need a copy of the order.

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

If the parent or 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 of a regular basis, Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts provides scheduled conferences with parents.

To protect each family's confidentiality, Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts will not share information about a child or a child's family with anyone who is not authorized to receive this information.

Child care services will be provided between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. No service will be provided on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day through New Year's Day. 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.

II. ENROLLMENT AND DISCHARGE OF ENROLLED CHILDREN

Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts will provide care for children between the ages of 2 ½ (and potty trained) and 5 years. I will never refuse to enroll a child on the basis of race, sex, color, creed, political persuasion, national origin, handicap, ancestry or sexual orientation. All children will be enrolled for a trial period of 2 weeks. During the trial period either the provider or parent may terminate childcare without advance notice.
Parents must meet with me to discuss their child's specific needs and to review program policies. The following items must be completed and returned to the center by the first day of attendance:

• Child Care Enrollment Form
• Health History and Immunization Form
• First Week's Tuition

Updates will be requested on a regular basis and I will inform you of any updates that are needed and give you 1 week to submit the updated form.

Children may be enrolled on a full-time basis (32 hours or more per week), or on a part-time basis (less than 32 hours per week) on Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday. I do accept children for drop-in care if prior enrollment arrangements have been made and space if available.

A child may be discharged from the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts for reasons such as, but not limited to the following:

• 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 scheduled time.
• Failure to complete and return required forms.

Parents must give a 2 weeks written notice of their intent to withdraw the child(ren), and will be required to pay for those 2 weeks, whether or not children continue to attend. All outstanding fees must be paid.

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 due to a parent's failure to keep current with fees owed. Should parent remove the child from the preschool during a notice period I initiate, fees will not be charged for remaining unused days.

III. FEE PAYMENT AND REFUNDS

Fees are to be paid in advance on Monday for the following week's service. If there will be a third party, 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 specific co-payments or unpaid amounts.

No refunds will be given for days when children do not attend for illness or other reasons. I will establish a regular rate based on your child's hours of enrollment.

Additional fees will be assessed for additional hours if part-time or hours exceed 45 hours a week.

The full-time rate is offered for children who will be in care for 32 hours or more, 5 days a week.

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

After a child has been enrolled for 2 weeks, I will allow 10 days off per year for full-time children (32 hours per week or more) or 5 days off for part-time (32 hours per week or less). These "Free Days" may be used for sick, vacation or emergencies. After these hours are used, I will require full payment for any absences for the rest of that year. I will take two weeks (but not limited to two weeks) of vacation each year. I will let you know at least 30 days in advance of these vacations.
Current fees appear on the rate sheet.

IV. CHILD AND PROVIDER ABSENCE

If your child will not attend of a regularly scheduled day, please let me know by 8:00 a.m. so we can start our day.

In case of an emergency situation that requires my immediate attention, I will call a certified substitute. He/she will come to the center to stay with the child(ren) during my absence. Parent's will be notified of this situation and children may be picked up at their regular scheduled time.

In the event that I am scheduled to be gone, I will provide a certified substitute or alternate service.

In the event that I or a household resident is ill, I will notify the parents of all regularly scheduled children no later than 7:00 a.m. that the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts will be closed.

V. HEALTH

CHILD ILLNESS: Children with these symptoms are not to be brought to the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts:

• A temperature of 102 degrees F or higher (if not due to teething or shots).
• Vomiting or diarrhea has occurred more than once in the past 24 hours.
• A contagious disease such as chicken pox, strep throat or pink eye.
• Have not been on a prescribed medication for 24 hours or continue to have symptoms of illness.

Children may return to the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts when they are symptom free, have been appropriately treated, or have been given medical approval to return to child care.

I will report all communicable diseases, when required, to the local health department and to parents of all enrolled children.

If a child should become ill or seriously injured while at the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts, parents will be contacted immediately. Sick children will be isolated within my site and made as comfortable as possible. The child should be picked up within two hours or the emergency contact person will be contacted.

Should an ambulance be needed, parents will be responsible for any cost. Parents will be contacted as soon as possible after contacting 911.

MEDICATIONS: I will administer medications. Prescriptions and non-prescriptive medication will only be given to children if parents have completed the authorization form provided. All medicine must be in it's 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.
All medication administered, accidents or injuries occurring on-site, marked change in behavior or appearance, or any observation of injuries to the child's body received outside of my care will be entered into the Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts' medical logbook. As a licensed child care provider, I am required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the local authorities.

VI. NUTRITION

I will follow USDA guidelines when planning our snack menus. Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts does not participate in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. Parents are responsible for packing their child(ren)'s lunch and we will provide a milk with the lunch. The Duluth Preschool of Fine Arts will provide a morning and afternoon snack with milk or juice. Please notify me if your child has any allergies so the proper snack can be provided.

VII. DAILY ACTIVITIES

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, flannel board stories
• Large Muscle Skills: Balls, bean bags, swinging, outdoor play
• Small Muscle Skills: Arts/crafts, stringing beads, pegboards, blocks
• Creative Expression: Dramatic play, dance, puppets, music/instruments, flannel board
• Self-Help Skills: Assist with mealtime preparations, dress self for outdoors

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, manipulative and housekeeping equipment.

Children will be allowed time to play outside when weather permits.

Rest or nap-time will be provided for all children. Parents will be required to provide a pillow and blanket for rest/nap-time.

We occasionally take field trips, including walks around the neighborhood or to the park. Emergency information for each child will be taken with whenever children leave the premises. You will be notified in advance of any field trip requiring transportation.

VIII. GUIDANCE / DISCIPLINE

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 with 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 the purpose of helping children develop self-control, self esteem and respect for the rights of others.

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 could hurt him/herself or others. Time-outs will never exceed five minutes in length. 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 he/she 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 the Minnesota Rules for Licensing Group Day Care, "actions that are aversive, cruel, humiliating, and 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, or inflicting any other form of corporal punishment on the child; verbal abuse, threats or derogatory remarks about the child's family; physical restraint, binding or tying the child to restrict the child's movement or enclosing the child in a confined space such as a closet, locked room, box or similar cubicle; withholding or forcing meals, snacks or naps; punishing a child for lapses in toilet training. These forms of punishment will never be used, even at a parent's request.

IX. TRANSPORTATION

Field trip transportation will mainly be DTA or parent's vehicles with proper child seats. Parents will be asked to sign a form authorizing transportation prior to the planned event.

X. ITEMS TO BE PROVIDED BY PARENTS FOR CHILD

• Labeled pillow and blanket/sleeping bag
• Labeled outer clothing based on weather conditions
• Labeled extra change of clothes to include socks, underwear, pants/shorts, shirt

Contact us at (218) 722-3688