PARENT HANDBOOK
Upon enrollment, parents must provide the following (these items will be kept at the preschool):
· Rain boots
· Rain coat
· Soft long sleeve shirt
· Soft pants
· Pair of socks
· Bathing suit/swim trunks (for water/mud play)
· Natural Diaper Ointment (Burt’s Bees works well), if needed
· Nap mat/Sleeping Bag/Pack n Play
Drop off Time:
Please call AT LEAST 15 MINUTES in advance of your normal drop off time if your child will not be coming on any given day. This helps me to plan our daily activities and also to accept any drop-ins that may call that day.
Parents are welcome to stay for during the first 30 minutes to help settle their child into the preschool. However, when you are ready to leave, I ask that you do so in an efficient manner. It is not unusual for there to be stress and anxiety for both the child and the Mother/Father when being dropped off. To ensure that this stressful period is kept to a minimum, when you are ready to leave, I ask that all parents prepare to say a short and sweet goodbye to their child and allow me to take the child into another room so I may involve him/her in an activity. If you are concerned that your child will not stop crying, I encourage you to listen from outside the front door that I have successfully soothed your child and he/she is now ready for playing. This cannot be expected in the beginning from all children, as some may continue to cry for several minutes. If I cannot calm your child within 30 minutes, I will call you.
I understand the need to make sure your child is safe and comfortable, but when the parent lingers, it makes it more difficult for the child to let go, and my focus is taken away from the children because then I worry about the Mother/Father and child being able to say good-bye.
Please have your child dressed and ready for play upon arrival. PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD BAREFOOT OR WITH FLIP-FLOPS.
Open Door Policy:
I have an open door policy. If you want to stop by for any reason, you are welcome to do so. If you are a nursing mother, you are also welcome to stop in and nurse your child. You may ring the doorbell or walk down the driveway and enter through the back porch.
First Aid:
Scratches and scrapes will be treated with soap and water and a Band-Aid (if needed.) You will be notified immediately for anything more serious. For major emergencies, which require the services of an emergency medical team, the child will be transported by ambulance. For minor emergencies, you will be notified and you will transport the child if medical treatment is needed. If circumstances warrant, and you cannot be reached, I will get in touch with your emergency contact.
Discipline and Behavior:
Your child will be disciplined in a manner appropriate to the situation. This discipline is not abusive and does NOT include corporal punishment. Discipline consists of redirection and cooling down periods. I do not use “time-outs.” I will separate a child from the group if needed, but he/she will accompany me in something else so that he/she can calm down and maybe talk about it. If needed, we will discuss behavioral problems and ways to solve them.
Discipline will be:
(1) Individualized and consistent for each child;
(2) Appropriate to the child’s level of understanding; and
(3) Directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self-control.
A caregiver will only use positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage
self-esteem, self-control, and self-direction, which include at least the following:
(1) Using praise and encouragement of good behavior instead of focusing only upon unacceptable behavior;
(2) Reminding a child of behavior expectations daily by using clear, positive statements;
(3) Redirecting behavior using positive statements; and
(4) Using brief supervised separation or time out from the group, when appropriate for the child’s age and development, which is limited to no more than one minute per year of the child’s age.
There will be no harsh, cruel, or unusual treatment of any child. The following types
of discipline and guidance will never be used:
(1) Corporal punishment or threats of corporal punishment;
(2) Punishment associated with food, naps, or toilet training;
(3) Pinching, shaking, or biting a child;
(4) Hitting a child with a hand or instrument;
(5) Putting anything in or on a child’s mouth;
(6) Humiliating, ridiculing, rejecting, or yelling at a child;
(7) Subjecting a child to harsh, abusive, or profane language;
(8) Placing a child in a locked or dark room, bathroom, or closet with the door closed; and
(9) Requiring a child to remain silent or inactive for inappropriately long periods of time for the child’s age.
Meals:
I serve only meals and snacks that are all natural, whole, and mostly organic. I keep a lacto-vegetarian kitchen (we don’t eat meat, chicken, seafood, or eggs but we do eat dairy.)
In my home, “junk” food items are qualified as any food that has artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial ingredients, is not mostly whole grain, has an inordinate amount of sugar (especially white sugar,) and anything else I would not otherwise feed my own children on a daily basis. Occasionally, we have a treat of cookies or ice cream. Sometimes, I give out natural chewing gum as treats. Usually it is xylitol-based gum such as Xylichew.
Personal Belongings and Clothing:
I am not responsible for lost articles. Please do not allow your child to bring toys. If they have a special naptime lovey, they may bring that. Make sure to label everything.
Children should wear play clothes and dress according to the weather. Please make sure to dress according to weather as we play outside most days with only extreme weather keeping us in (very high winds, heavy rain, lightning storms, hail, etc.)
Vacation/Holiday/Sick Days:
Absences of the child are still payable. Absences of the provider are not payable.
You do not pay for my vacation days or sick days, but you must pay your alternate childcare provider. If I need to take a day off, or when I decide to take my vacation, it is your responsibility to find back up care. I will give you at least 2 weeks notice if there is a need for an alternate provider (with the exception of sick days.)
Evangeline’s Playhouse is closed on all holidays observed by the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Tuition is not prorated for these days.
Illnesses and Medication:
If your child is sick during the day, I will call you and isolate your child until you arrive to pick him/her up. It is best to pick up your sick child as quickly as possible.
If your child is sick through the night, the child cannot be brought to the day care.
If your child needs to be given medication or supplements, you will need to fill out an administration of medication form. The medication should be in the original containers, with your child's name and current exp. date.
************I CANNOT ACCEPT YOUR CHILD FOR CARE IF: *****************
(1) The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in child-care activities, including outdoor play;
(2) The illness results in a greater need for care than caregivers can provide without compromising the health, safety, and supervision of the other children in care;
(3) The child has one of the following, unless medical evaluation by a health-care professional indicates that you can include the child in the child-care activities:
(A) Oral temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater, accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness;
(B) Rectal temperature of 101.4 degrees or greater, accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness;
(C) Armpit temperature of 99.4 degrees or greater, accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness;
(D) Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness, such as lethargy, abnormal breathing, uncontrolled diarrhea, two or more vomiting episodes in 24 hours, rash with fever, mouth sores with drooling, wheezing, behavior changes, or other signs that the child may be severely ill; and
(4) A health-care professional has diagnosed the child with a communicable disease, and the child does not have medical documentation to indicate that the child is no longer contagious.
Your child is welcome when he/she has only a mild cold (e.g. runny nose or mild cough), but is able to participate in the day's activities.
Please notify me at once if you find out that your child has a contagious disease, so that I may respond appropriately. I will also notify you if your child has been exposed to any contagious illness.
Advance Notification for Child Pick-Up:
If someone is not listed in the contract as being authorized to pick-up, a written authorization is required.
I will ask for proper identification and I will also require that the person picking up the child to sign a release form. If I do not receive written authorization from you, I will NOT allow the child to leave with him/her.
There will be NO Exceptions.
Nap Time:
Children, who stay 5 or more hours, will lie down for a rest period. If they do not normally nap, they will be provided with a quiet environment in which to rest with some soothing music and/or books. If you like, you may send your child’s favorite blanket or stuffed toy along for them to sleep with.
Child Abuse Prevention:
If I suspect that any child is being abused or neglected in any way I will notify CPS. If your child comes to my home with suspicious bruises, I will inquire as to how the child got hurt. I will note down the day and the date that I noticed the bruise, the time of day and the location of the mark on the child’s body. I will also write down the explanation that the parent(s) or the guardian(s) gave me. Providing the child is old enough, I will also question the child on how they were injured and record their explanation. This will also be recorded in your child’s records. If this occurs more than once I will turn your child’s files over to CPS.
Potty Learning:
When you feel your child is ready to learn how to use the toilet, I ask that you begin this teaching at home. I will follow through and encourage your child while in my care. Please keep in mind that the activity level here can distract your child from responding to an urge to use the potty, more so than at your home. Therefore, I will continue to use diapers or pull-ups until your child can and will announce that he/she must use the bathroom (not just at home, but here, also) and can control his/her bladder and bowels for a few minutes beyond that announcement. When the child has reached this point, training pants may be used.
Do not bring your child in panties or underwear until he/she has naptime and bedtime control established.
I also ask that during toilet learning, the child be dressed in "user-friendly" clothing as much as possible. The best items are shorts and pants with elastic waists, or dresses for girls. Try to avoid really tight clothing, pants with snaps and zippers, and overalls as often as you can. Your child will want to help pull pants, etc. up and down, plus clothing with too many "gadgets" makes it harder to get the child on the potty in time.
Property Damage:
It is expected that each child be respectful to our personal property. A certain amount of wear and tear is normal, but you will be required to replace any object or its’ value if your child has "maliciously" broken or damaged any property (personal or otherwise) while in my care.
Special Arrangements:
Arrangements can be made with me for childcare on weekends, evenings, overnight, and holidays, circumstances allowing.
Parent/Provider Communication:
I will speak with the parent’s on a daily basis for a few minutes upon pick up, and make a weekly post on the preschool blog so parent’s can see what we are doing and what the menu for the week is. Daily menus and activities will be posted on a bulletin board.
There will also be a monthly potluck in the home preschool. Parents are not required to attend every month, but are encouraged to attend regularly. This allows the children to show their parents what they have been creating and learning. It also gives parents the opportunity to offer suggestions for our curriculum, and ask any questions. It also helps create a community and strong connection between home and school.
Animals:
Evangeline’s Playhouse has one dog, a Springer Spaniel/Border Collie mix named Girly. She lives outside, and never comes in the house. We also have a Beta fish.
Texas Department of Family Protective Services Minimum Standards for Child-Care Homes:
A copy of the minimum standards for Registered Child-Care Home can be reviewed at Evangeline’s Playhouse or at
http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Documents/Child_Care/Child_Care_Standards_and_Regulations/Homes_747.pdf.
The most recent Licensing inspection for Evangeline’s Playhouse will be posted on the school’s bulleting board.
The local Licensing office may be contacted at:
14000 Summit Dr, Ste 100, Austin, TX 78728
Phone: 512-834-3195
Fax: 512-339-5911
Texas Department of Family Protective Services website: www.dfps.state.tx.us/
24-Hour Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 1-800-252-5400
