MELROSE
DAYCARE HANDBOOK
MELROSE
DAYCARE HANDBOOK
Dear Parent:
Welcome to the Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
serving children age one month to six years old.
I am happy to have you and your child join our child care family.
You, no doubt, have many questions about such
things as daily schedule, yearly calendar, medical forms and so forth.
I have prepared this HANDBOOK to help answer such questions.
Please read it before your child attends our program and consult it as
needed throughout the time that your child is enrolled in the Melrose Day Care
Center, Inc.
We have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since September of 1997.
Our website address is melrosedaycarecenter.com.
A handbook cannot anticipate all the questions that
a parent might have, so feel free to contact me (781-662-6539) if you need any
further information.
Definition
of Parent:
For the purposes of this handbook, the word, “parent”, will be used
to define the person who is the child’s primary caregiver or legal guardian.
Sincerely,
M. Caroline Yoder, M.S. Administration
Co-Director, Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
Janet Dotolo, B.S. Education
Co-Director, Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
“I
think one of the greatest advances to child care was the creation of the NAEYC
Accreditation system, which has
helped so much to raise the quality of programs.”
-T.
Berry Brazelton, M.D., The Brazelton Institute, Children’s Hospital Boston,
Harvard Medical School
“The
primary gauge of quality has been accreditation by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children . . . whose seal of approval is regarded
as the gold standard by parents, educators and facilities.”
-
The Wall Street Journal, March 24, 2006
“.
. . The gold standard of approval is accreditation by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children. NAEYC
carefully evaluates schools and childcare centers based on curriculum, teacher
qualifications, class size, and health and safety standards; only about 8
percent of U.S. preschools are currently accredited. . . .”
- Parents Magazine, February 2007 6/08
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
History and Organizational Structure
2.
Philosophy and Activity Plan
3.
General
Information (Including enrollment information,
arrival and departure information, hours of operation,
late policy, field trip information)
4.
Research, Non-Discrimination Clause, Americans with
Disabilities Act, Drug-Free Workplace
5.
Tuition
6.
Meals (and
important allergy info)
7.
Scheduling
Changes (and transitions)
9.
Part Time Preschool Program
(Polar Bear)
Daily Schedule
10.
Behavior Management & Termination Policy
11.
Termination Policy (Parent Grievance Procedure)
12.
Resource and Referral List
14.
Institutional Abuse and Neglect Policy
15.
Staff Information (including Cori Policy)
17.
Health Policies
18.
Emergency Procedures (including snow closings)
20.
Mass. Child Passenger Safety Law
22.
Holiday Closures (Daycare)
23
Holiday Closures - Part Time Pre-school Program
(Polar Bear)
24.
Board of Director’s Information
25.
Parental Rights
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. was
founded in 1971 by a group of citizens from Melrose including members of the
First Congregational Church, who were instrumental in setting aside space in
the new church building for a day care center, which would serve the whole
community. Our Center cares for
children one month through no older than 7 years of age. We are a private,
non-profit, non-sectarian organization, which receives funds from parent
tuition, the Community Partnership for Children, the Bureau of Nutrition,
Kappa Delta Psi of Melrose, and other charitable organizations.
The Center is governed by a volunteer
Board of Directors which is responsible for setting policies, raising funds,
evaluating the program and the staff, and networking with the community. The Board has annual elections in June of each year at which
time new Board members and officers are elected.
Four to five parents from the Center are invited to be on the Board.
If you are interested in serving on the Board, please let the Director
know so that s/he can inform the nominating committee.
(A complete list of the Board of Directors is attached).
Parent participation in activities of
the Center is strongly encouraged. From
time-to-time, ad hoc committees will be formed by the Board of Directors, and
it is hoped that parents will be actively involved in these bodies.
The Director of the Center meets with
the Board at least once per month. The
Director supervises the full-time teaching staff, the cooks, part-time aides,
and volunteers.
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.'s
goal is to provide a program to supplement the child's family life.
This includes well-rounded, high-quality, comprehensive care to meet
the needs of all infant/toddler, pre-school, and pre-kindergarten children
from a variety of backgrounds. We
are concerned with more than a "care-taking service" and have a deep
concern for the total child. We
provide a continuous learning experience designed to promote a child's
physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.
Our program allows time and space for
active and quiet learning/play experiences, both indoors and outdoors, with
the goal of instilling, within each child, a sense of individual worth.
We foster in the child a sense of security, continuity, trust,
autonomy, initiative, and pride. It is our goal to provide a safe, healthy, educational
environment with an emphasis on helping the child to achieve self-discipline
and learn positive ways of expressing him/herself.
Our Center has been a NAEYC (National
Association for the Education of Young Children) accredited program since
1997. NAEYC is a high-quality
voluntary accreditation system. Their
philosophy is similar to MDCC’s in that our curriculum is a hands-on,
developmental one, in which the classrooms are set up accordingly. PLEASE NOTE: Because
children between the ages of birth to 6 years old are concrete, tactile
learners, you will not see a lot of work sheets or group, teacher-directed
activities at our Center. You
will almost never see this in our infant and toddler rooms.
Rather the classrooms will demonstrate a literature-rich environment
set up in a way that children can learn on their own with teacher guidance.
For example, even for the older children when they are becoming
familiar with their letters, we would typically not use a worksheet format to
teach this. Although, you may see
them in an older classroom to enhance a skill already mastered.
However, typically, we would simply expose them to the written word as
much as possible through books, print in the classrooms, journals, word boxes,
etc. This way when the child is developmentally
ready to start to write and put together words, the teacher will follow the
individual child’s lead and work with that specific child on letters,
writing, and reading.
As
mentioned previously, we are a NAEYC accredited facility.
Our classrooms and our curriculum are set up and created with a
developmental learning style in mind, which means that we strive to teach
children according to their unique learning style versus always teaching to
the class as a whole. The
developmental approach also means that you will see a lot of hands-on
activities going on in the classroom since children under the age of 7 are
still in the concrete learning-phase, meaning that hands-on activities are
more meaningful to them, thus giving them the desire to expand their learning
independently.
All
of our classrooms are set up in a way that you will see areas throughout the
classroom. For example, there are
quiet areas and more active areas. There
is a book area in each classroom and gross motor areas in each classroom.
As the children move into the older classrooms the areas become more
defined. There are block areas,
art areas, fine motor and gross motor manipulatives, and book areas in all of
the older classrooms.
The
Center has a large outdoor space, which is used daily weather permitting.
We also provide indoor gross motor in the cases of inclement weather.
The
Center strives to infuse multi-culture into the classrooms rather than simply
incorporate this at holiday times.
Each
classroom schedule is balanced so there are a variety of quiet and active
times as well as a variety of child-initiated versus teacher-initiated
activities available to the children.
There
is great opportunity for independent play in an organized environment where
the teachers create a curriculum that allows the children to move from area to
area independently.
Typically,
the older classrooms run a weekly or monthly theme. Their curriculums and daily activities throughout the
classroom will reflect this theme.
Transition to Kindergarten:
Our pre-kindergarten teachers work closely with the Melrose Public
School Kindergarten teachers. Each year the Kindergarten teachers update a list of
goals for us to work on with the children throughout their pre-kindergarten
year. We try to share this list
with families so that we can work together to achieve our goal of providing a
smooth transition to Kindergarten.
Six principles which underlie the goals
of our program:
1.
A belief that children's play is their work; they learn by taking part
in a variety of activities which support and enhance growth and development.
2.
Children grow and change in different ways and at different rates.
Day care provides an environment which meets their individual needs.
3.
The Center strives to create an atmosphere of support and trust where
children are encouraged to strengthen individual interests, establish lasting
friendships, and develop self-esteem.
4.
The Center strives to teach children life skills such as: thoughtful decision-making and problem solving; productive
use of time; working or playing cooperatively; handling strong emotions
successfully; treating themselves, each other, and their environment with
respect; seeing projects through to completion; and self-expression through
dramatic play, arts and crafts, music, dance, etc.
5.
We encourage parent involvement and support in our program by welcoming
suggestions, feedback, and questions.
6.
We strive to create and maintain a well-rounded program where we are
able to service families from all cultural, economic, and religious
backgrounds.
GUIDELINES
FOR REGISTERING AT THE MELROSE DAY CARE CENTER:
PARENT
ORIENTATION:
When a parent is interested in
enrolling their child in the Center, they will contact the Director and set up
a pre-enrollment visit. During
this visit, the parent will come with their child (some parents choose to come
on their own for the first visit) and tour the Center and particularly their
child's room. They will also meet
their child's teachers. If the
Center currently has a waiting list for your child's age group, then the
Director will put you on it if you so desire.
The registration/waiting list fee is $35 and is non-refundable.
Quality child care is always at a
premium, and space is limited, therefore, we cannot guarantee that a space
will be available, but we will make every effort possible to accommodate you
and your child(ren) here at Melrose Day Care Center.
Please note that children enrolled at MDCC get first choice of adding
days or moving to an older classroom. Also,
families currently enrolled get preference when they are expecting another
child. Feel free to call us to
get an update on your child’s status on the waiting list. We will only
call you if we have an opening, as we cannot guarantee that a space will be
available.
If the Center does not have a waiting
list or knows that they will have an opening on a specific date, for which you
are interested, then a slot may be reserved with a week's deposit and the
Registration/waiting list fee. The
registration/waiting list fee is $35 and is non-refundable. At this point, the
parent will be given a parent handbook and health policies.
Before a child's "official" start date, the Center recommends
that a child visit their new classroom several times.
Typically, a child will come 2 to 3 times during the week before they
are scheduled to begin school. This
helps the child feel more comfortable with his/her new teachers and new peers.
This helps significantly to smooth the transition from home to school.
Staff try to help parents with smooth
transitions by communicating with a child's future school any information that
may be useful to the further education and development of that child.
The staff will also ask a parent for permission to contact a child's
previous school if they feel it is necessary for a successful transition into
the Center.
1.
Children must be at least one month old to come to the Center in the
infant program, be at least 15 months old to be in the toddler room, be at
least two years nine months to be in the preschool room, and be no older than
7 years to attend the Center.
2.
Children enrolled in the Center will be given first priority to move
from one age group to another, but switching rooms or groups depends on
availability.
3.
Any child who will be leaving at the end of June or the end of August
must let us know in writing by the end of May, so
we are able to enroll new children for the summer and the fall.
Any child, who will be leaving at any other time during the year, must
give us at least 3 week’s written notice of withdrawal from
the center.
4.
Registration for low-income families is based on the Community
Partnership’s income guidelines and the Child Care Circuit’s intake
procedures.
5.
The Center maintains a waiting list.
Intake is based on first come, first served.
REQUIRED
FORMS:
The following files must be kept in our
files:
-
Face Sheet/Child's History Form (Must Be updated annually)
-
Developmental History and Background Information (Must be updated
annually)
-
Emergency Card Information (Must be updated annually)
-
First Aid and Emergency Medical Care Consent Form (Must be updated
annually)
-
Permission and Release Form (Must be updated annually)
-
Physician’s Form (completed by a doctor) including a lead screening.
This form must also be updated annually.
-
Custody agreement of guardianship papers (if applicable)
All of these forms will be given to you
with the handbook. New forms must
be completed annually. The office
or the child’s classroom teacher will notify parents when they need to
update their forms. If anything,
for example, address, phone numbers, change through the year, please notify
your child’s teachers, and the office immediately.
ARRIVAL:
- The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
runs Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Children must arrive at the Center by
9:00 a.m. If your child is going
to be late or absent, we ask that you call before 9:00 a.m. to let your
child's teacher know so that they will not delay activities while waiting for
your child.
- Please be sure to bring your child to
one of his/her classroom teachers at the time of your arrival.
This is especially important if the children are on the playground.
ENTERING
AND LEAVING MELROSE DAY CARE CENTER:
We want to remind you to drive in the parking lot in a safe manner for the well being of all the children. Remember that the lot is one way, which should be entered from West Foster Street and exited onto Cherry Street. You will notice arrows on the driveway. Please drive slowly since a child could dash away quickly. We do not want to have any accidents.
-If a car is parked on Cherry Street,
please do not park directly across from it, as it does not allow enough space
for emergency vehicles.
-Please note that you cannot park in
our lot for the entire day.
DEPARTURE:
- Children must be picked up promptly
by 6:00 p.m.
- If an emergency arises and you know
that you will be late, please notify us as soon as possible.
- Your child will be released only to
you or the other adults (age 16 or older with a picture I.D.) listed on the
Authorization and Consent Form. Non-custodial
parents will be permitted to pick up their children unless the custodial
parent states, in writing, that they are not permitted to do so and give us a
copy of the custody agreement. Please
remember to add new names to the pick-up list as needed.
- If you wish to have someone pick up
your child who is not on the list, a written, signed request is necessary.
We cannot accept telephone requests!
- Staff are instructed to ask for
identification from any adult (age 16 or older) whom they do not recognize.
- As with arrival, please be
sure to let one of your child’s classroom teachers know when you are picking
up your child, especially when you are picking your child up from the
playground.
-In cases where one parent is the
custodial parent, the Center will need a notarized court document showing the
custodial agreement. This is the
only way the Center is able to enforce the agreement and even then sometimes
the non-custodial parent will get very upset and will try to take the child.
The teachers will do what they are capable of to prevent this from
happening. They will try to call
the custodial parent and/or the police if necessary, but if the non-custodial
parent is causing too much trouble for the teachers and the group as a whole,
the teachers may be unable to enforce the agreement.
It would be in the custodial parent's best interest to inform the
teachers of what exactly they would like them to do if the non-custodial
parent were to show up and become violent.
Please try to refrain from involving your child's teachers in the
details of your custody issues. Their
job is to be sure that your child is receiving high quality care while they
are at the Center. If issues
directly affect the child, then the teachers should be informed; however, if
the issues are personal between the two parents, then the staff should not be
involved.
In cases where shared or joint custody
is established by the courts, a notarized court document, stating the specific
custodial agreement must be in the child’s file. This agreement must show who has the right to make decisions
regarding the pick up of the child. For
example, if the father wants to add a person to the pick up list on one of his
days, can he just do this or does the mother need to approve and visa versa.
These details must be spelled out for the day care center so
inappropriate pick up of a child does not occur.
If these details are not spelled out, then the center will assume that
both parents have the right to pick up their child at any time.
Each parent will also have the right to individually determine who
(besides themselves) has the authority to pick up their child.
INAPPROPRIATE
PICK-UP:
-If a parent, or other authorized individual, arrives at the Center to pick-up a child, and appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the child will not be released to that person. In these circumstances, Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. will retain the child in its care until another individual authorized to pick up the child is contacted and reports to Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. to safely pick-up the child. The “late pick-up policy will apply if a staff person needs to remain at the Center after hours to await the child’s alternative pick-up. Melrose Day Care Center, Inc’s repeated need to obtain an alternative pick-up for a child may result in the family’s dismissal from Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
LATE
POLICY:
Please remember the day care center closes at 6 p.m.
The late fee is $5 for the first 15
minutes you are late and a dollar a minute for each minute after that per
child, paid directly to the teacher in charge of your child. It is important that we do this because the teachers are only
scheduled until 6:00 p.m., thus anytime after that is overtime.
If a parent or authorized individual
(must be age 16 or older with a picture I.D.) is repeatedly late picking up a
child, this may result in the family’s termination from Melrose Day Care
Center.
We do understand that many unforeseen
circumstances come up and often times it is impossible for you to get to the
day care by 6 p.m. We do
appreciate it, if you know you will be late, to try to give us a call ahead of
time.
FIELD
TRIPS:
The Permission and Release Form, which
you have been asked to sign is required for general trips (e.g. walks to the
center of town, walks to the library, trips to local parks, etc.).
Special field trips (e.g. museums, theaters, The Aquarium, etc.) will
require specific written authorization.
The Center does go on various field
trips throughout the year. Parents
are informed of these trips well in advance and are required to sign specific
permission forms in order for the child to be able to go on the trip.
If you ever did not want your child to go on a particular field trip,
there is always the option for your child to stay behind at the Center in
another classroom. You would need
to make these arrangements ahead of time with your child’s teacher.
There is usually a nominal cost associated with each trip and, if your
child is under the age of 5 and/or weighs less than 40 pounds, you must send
in a car seat for your child or ask the Center ahead of time if there will be
an extra one you can borrow for the day.
We use staff vehicles, a large school bus, and parent vehicles to
transport children to and from the day care center on field trips.
The teachers would inform you ahead of time who your child will be
riding with and whether it would be on a large school bus or in someone’s
car. The day care center carries
the maximum auto insurance (100,000-300,000) to transport children to and from
the Center. This applies to any
staff or parent vehicle being used for a “school related” event such as a
field trip.
CLOTHING:
-Dress your child in sturdy, washable
clothes that can take wear, tear, and occasional spills. Children cannot wear sandals to play on our outdoor equipment
for safety reasons. Try to send
children in clothes that will make it easy for them to dress themselves.
-A complete change of clothing,
including underwear, socks, pants, sneakers, and shirts should be sent in.
Infants/toddlers should have at least two changes available each day.
-The children will play outside almost
everyday, weather permitting. Please be sure to send in the appropriate
clothing each day (i.e. snow pants, hat, boots, mittens, sun hat, etc.).
Oftentimes, even if it is really cold or hot and muggy outside, just
getting out for 5-10 minutes is all the children need.
The teachers use their own discretion as to when it is appropriate for
their classroom to go outside. Unfortunately,
due to staffing issues we cannot accommodate requests to have one child stay
inside all day. If the rest of
the class is going out, then both teachers would need to go outside with the
class, thus there would not be a teacher available to stay inside.
-In the spring and summer, children
will go in wading pools and the sprinkler.
Children should bring a bathing suit and towel, which are washed here
daily.
All clothes and shoes (boots) must be
clearly marked with your child's name. We
cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items. A lost and found box is
located in the classroom. We
can’t stress enough, the importance of sending your child to school in
clothing that can get dirty, stained, or possibly lost.
It is very difficult for the teachers to keep track of every article of
clothing a child wears to school on a daily basis. We always have extra clothing on hand.
BIRTHDAYS:
The staff will acknowledge each child's
birthday on the day closest to it.
Due to the increase in food allergies,
all food brought to school to share (for birthdays or other classroom
festivity) must be approved by the teacher in the classroom ahead of time.
We appreciate your cooperation.
OBJECTS
FROM HOME:
Some children like to bring items from
home to day care. We appreciate the young child's need for security objects
and the parent's need to say "take that along" when play must be
disrupted at home to leave for day care.
However, problems occur at day care when:
-The objects brought in encourage a
kind of play we discourage (e.g. gun play, super hero play, etc.). Please see our “war toy” policy to follow, which explains
in more detail what toys are appropriate and what toys are not.
-The objects are very unique or popular
and the owner of the object allows some children to have a turn but refuses to
give a turn to others.
In order to keep the peace among the
children and facilitate reasonably calm play, we ask that children only bring
in toys/objects that they need for security reasons and that these objects be
placed back in their cubby when they are no longer needed.
The following suggestions can help meet
children's needs but avoid problems:
-Try to send a toy that is important to
your child but not especially interesting to the other children.
A favorite stuffed animal is often a good choice.
Most children have their own favorite stuffed animal at home and do not
quickly warm up to someone else's. Books,
too, are good choices, because a book is easily shared with others as a
teacher reads the book to the owner, other children can listen.
We wish to support children who need an
object to make the transition from home to day care.
We also wish to optimize the day care experience for everyone which
sometimes becomes more difficult when certain items are brought in.
We appreciate your sensitivity to this matter and hope that the
suggestions given above will help all of us.
The Center will not be held responsible
for any item which is brought from home that is lost or damaged.
We strongly encourage you to label EVERYTHING you bring in for your
child, including his/her clothes.
WAR
TOY POLICY:
Melrose Day Care Center does not allow or encourage “war
toys” of any kind in the classrooms. This
includes bringing such things in for show and tell.
Some examples of these would be: guns, plastic soldier figures, GI Joe
action figures, etc. If you are ever unsure as to what would constitute a “war
toy”, please do not hesitate to ask one of your child’s teachers.
It is the Center’s viewpoint that war and the concept of
war are so difficult for anyone to grasp, that expecting a child to fully
understand it, is just too complex. We
feel that if we were to allow the use of war-related toys in our early
childhood classrooms, we would be sending the message to our families that we
feel qualified to address this topic with the children, fully and completely.
Not only, do we not have this qualification, we feel it is not our
place to educate your young child on such a sensitive topic.
Thus, it is our goal to provide your child with as positive
of a “play” environment as possible through competent, caring teachers,
developmentally appropriate toys, and a safe and educational classroom
environment. Children have their whole lives to learn about “war” and the
complexities of the world. Learning
these things while at Melrose Day Care Center would be inconsistent with the
philosophy and mission of our program, in which we pride ourselves so highly.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Each child has a file which will
contain all the required forms, any written communications from you, and any
information your child's teacher may have in regards to your child, including
a copy of the child's progress reports. The
child's file and record are available to the Director, the teachers, and
social workers on staff. You will
be asked for a written and signed request before the file will be shared with
other professionals. Parents may
request access to their child's file at any time.
- Staff may not discuss any child or
child's family with other children's parents.
- The Director will discuss financial
issues with the Board of Directors.
Although this does not happen often,
researchers may ask to use the day care center as a site to conduct a study on
which they are working. If it is
an observational study in which the researcher will have no contact (verbally
or physically) with the children and all names and
identifying information will remain
confidential, the researcher must request, in writing, to the Director who can
approve or disapprove of the request.
If the project entails contact with the
children, a thorough proposal must be submitted to the Director.
This type of research requires the approval of the Director and
the Board. If approved, the
researcher must supply permission slips to all the parents for approval to
work
with their child. A final version of the research paper must be sent to the
Director, the Board, and any parent who requests one.
The Director will notify the Board that this type of research is being
conducted.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
CLAUSE:
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. is an
equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, special needs, religion, marital status,
political beliefs, or national/ethnic origin in admissions, hiring, policies,
financial aid, or other aspects of its operations.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:
In accordance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. affirms the legal rights
of individuals with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination based on
disability and promoting equal opportunity in employment and service delivery
for persons with disabilities, and the provider shall meet the standards
applicable to itself and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 12101 et seq., 28 CFR Part 35).
DRUG
FREE WORKPLACE:
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
maintains a drug free workplace at all times.
Any question of drug or alcohol use while working would result in
immediate dismissal of any Melrose Day Care Center employee. MDCC reserves the right to request a drug test at any time
before or during employment because our employees work closely with children.
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.'s
fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th.
The following fees are now in effect; however, our rates may change
sometime during the next fiscal year, which runs from 7/1-6/30.
INFANTS (1 MONTH TO 15 MONTHS): 5
DAYS: $330/WK.
3
DAYS: $247/WK.
2
DAYS: $185/WK.
TODDLERS (15 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS 9
MONTHS): 5 DAYS: $287/WK.
3 DAYS: $214/WK.
2
DAYS: $164/WK.
PRE-SCHOOL/PRE-KINDERGARTEN (2 YEARS 9
MONTHS TO 5 YEARS):
&nb