Shepherds Day Care
Shepherds Day Care
Parent's Handbook
Our Mission | The Motion and Resolution | Programming | Enrollment | Schedule | Late Pick Up | Early Arrival | Inclement Weather Policy | Tuition | Two Week Notice | Federal Tax Identification Number | Registration Fees | Waiting List | Lunch and Snacks | Open Door Policy | Signing In/Out | If Someone Other Than Parents Are To Pickup | Sick Child Policy | Allergies | Guidance Practices | Curriculum | Toilet Training | Napping | Outside Play | Administration of Medications | Appropriate Dress | Other Important Information | Documentation for Religious Exemption Status for Providing Day Care | Staff Qualifications | Physical Facilities | Enrollment Capacity | Food Service | Health Requirements of Staff | Public Liability Insurance | General Notice to Parents
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Our Mission The purpose of Shepherds Day Care, a non-profit ministry, is to assist Smyrna United Methodist Church in accomplishing its vision of providing the local south Buckingham County area with the highest quality Christian day care available. Our mission also includes providing basic care of children to enhance spiritual, emotional, social, physical, and developmental growth provided by trained and caring professionals. The Motion and Resolution The day care concept was formed from a motion given to the Administrative Council by Alice Smith, seconded by David Wise, at a meeting called on May 5, 2000. The meeting was called to order by Wesley Dunkum, Jr. at 4 p.m. In attendance, were Myron Simmons, Pastor; Louise Simmons, Wesley Dunkum, Jr., Chairman of the Administrative Council; David Wise, Vice Chairman of the Administrative Council; Gene Schaeffer, Anna Schaeffer, Estelle Marks, and Sherri Wise. Following the motion, there was discussion, ending with a unanimous vote to go forward with Shepherds Day Care, an outreach ministry. The motion was as follows:
Programming Children will be given the opportunity to learn in a Christian environment with an emphasis on development of self-worth, social skills, and learning skills. From six weeks to five years, students will be involved in activities suited to their developmental needs in religious concepts, art, self-awareness in relationship to God and others, language and listening skills, motor development, math, science and music. Enrollment Prior to your child's attendance at the day care, a registration package, a registration fee, a report of physical examination, an immunization record, and a copy of your child's birth certificate must be on file, as required by state regulations. Please remember that parents are responsible for keeping immunization records up-to-date by submitting a new form to the Director following each new immunization. Schedule
The facility is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning August 14, 2000. Late Pick Up Any child left at the day care after 5:30 p.m. will be assessed a charge of $5 for the first ten minutes and $1 for every minute thereafter. At 5:45 p.m., staff will begin calling emergency contacts. Early Arrival No child should ever be left at Shepherds Day Care prior to 7:30 a.m. If you arrive at the day care prior to 7:30 a.m., please wait until 7:30 a.m. to enter the building with your child. Staff will be ready to assist you and your child at 7:30 a.m. Inclement Weather Policy/Procedure At Shepherds Day Care, we make every effort to be open on all week days of the year, except holidays as noted in the Schedule section of this Parent Handbook. We realize that parents need to work and that reliable day care is very important. However, there are times when it is not safe or feasible to operate the facility, such as acts of nature (snow, etc.) and God (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.). In those circumstances, for the safety of staff and you and your child, we will be forced to close the facility. When this is the case, you will be notified by your child’s teacher or the Director regarding the closing. If the day care needs to close during the day while your child is already in attendance, we will be contacting daytime phone numbers as provided by you so that you may make arrangements to pick up your child immediately. Please notify the Director immediately if any of your contact information such as mailing address, daytime or evening phone numbers should change. Tuition Payment for care must be made in advance on a monthly basis. You may choose to pay by check (made payable to Shepherds Day Care) or cash in the exact amount will be accepted. Payment is due on the first working day of the month. Payments received after the 5th of the month will be charged a 10% late fee unless arrangements have been made with Director in advance. Full tuition is due even when your child is absent (due to sickness) and on holidays as listed in the Schedule section of this Parent Handbook. Fees are $19/day ($95/week) for children over 2 years and $105/week ($21/day) for children under 2 years. Prolonged absences will require special arrangements with the Director in order to avoid an additional re-registration fee of $50 (as noted below). Receipts for your monthly tuition payments will be given, and we will provide an annual summary statement of payments for tax purposes. Two Week Notice Due to the small size of the program, please understand that the Director will need a two week notice if you are planning on taking your child out of Shepherds Day Care. This would give us time to fill your child’s space. Please notify the Director in writing when giving your two week notice. Upon your two notice, tuition is due for the final two weeks whether your child attends or not. Federal Tax Identification Number The Federal Tax Identification Number for Shepherds Day Care is 54-2006196. Registration Fees A $50 initial registration fee/deposit is due prior to your child’s attendance at Shepherds Day Care. An annual re-registration fee of $50 is due August 1, 2001 (and subsequently annually thereafter). This re-registration fee is due August 1st of each year regardless of when your child is initially enrolled at Shepherds Day Care. (i.e. If you enroll your child on June 1st and pay an initial $50 registration fee, a re-registration fee will be due August 1st of that same year and subsequently annually thereafter). This fee assists with ongoing costs of insurance, supplies, equipment, and other programming expenses. Waiting List The Director maintains a waiting list of families that are seeking enrollment at Shepherds Day Care. A completed enrollment application and $50 initial registration fee are required in order for your child’s name to be placed on the waiting list. If you choose to find day care elsewhere after submitting the enrollment application and $50 initial registration fee and understand that we are holding a spot for your child, the $50 fee is not refundable. If you are told that our facility is full but the $50 places you on the waiting list, and before we have an opening you make other arrangements, we will refund your $50 fee. Lunch and Snacks Parents are asked to provide their child with a nutritious morning and afternoon snack, as well as lunch each day. Please pack these items in a lunch box with a thermos. Clearly label the lunch box, thermos, and individual containers with the child’s name. Parents of infants are asked to provide bottles and baby food (where applicable). Please label all of these items with the child’s name. A refrigerator will be available in each room to keep refrigerated items cold. A microwave will be available to all rooms to heat items (when applicable). Please pack items that need to be heated separately from items that are to be served cold, and those to be served at room temperature. Open Door Policy As a parent, you are welcome to visit your child’s room at any time. Please notify the staff that you are interested in observing. Staff will continue with the regular daily activities and will be available for discussion at another time. Signing In/Out Parents are asked to sign children in and out each day on the sign-in sheets located on the podium in the entry foyer. Each day when your child is brought in and when your child is picked up, the person responsible for transporting your child must sign in and out. Please record the time of arrival next to your child’s name each morning. Each afternoon, please sign as the person picking up your child and fill in the time of departure. This record is extremely important for providing necessary information regarding attendence. If Someone Other Than Parents Are To Pickup Children Please notify the Director and your child’s teacher if someone other than you and your spouse are allowed to pick up your child from the day care. For your child’s safety, unless notified as such in writing, we cannot let anyone else pick up your child from Shepherds Day Care. As part of the enrollment process, you will be given a Contact List form to complete. This form includes all contact information for your family and includes Emergency Contacts (other than parents) and Pick Up Contacts (other than parents). Sick Child Policy Good health habits are important for everyone’s well being and safety. Staff are required to conduct a simple but important daily health screening upon each child’s arrival. Children with a fever over 100 degrees or with vomiting, diarrhea, a rash, or any symptoms of a contagious disease will not be allowed to be admitted or stay at day care. Parents are responsible for arranging for the child to leave the center once staff has notified them of the child’s condition. This policy will minimize the risk to other children and staff. Failure to pick up a sick child in a timely fashion could jeopardize continued enrollment with Shepherds Day Care. If a child must leave the day care due to illness, he/she may not return to the day care for at least 24 hours from their time of departure. Please be considerate of the other families served at Shepherds Day Care when your child is not feeling well. We realize that parents need to be at work. However, when your child is or has been sick it is very important that they are fully recovered prior to their return to the day care. The Director has the right to require that recovery be certified by a physician. Allergies It is extremely important that any confirmed or suspected allergies, either to medication, food or insect bites be noted on your child’s application and brought to the attention of the Director and your child’s teacher. Every effort will be made to avoid incidence of allergic reaction when documented. If your child has no known allergies at the time of enrollment, please notify the Director and your child’s teacher if any unusual symptoms develop such as hives, fever, rash, or prolonged irritability that could indicate an allergic reaction so that records can be updated. Guidance Practices Children need the security of knowing what they can and cannot do. Limits must be clear, developmentally appropriate and based on maintaining health, safety, security, and the rights of others. Guidance will always be administered in a caring, loving, consistent manner through positive reinforcement, redirection, and time-out practices. No corporal punishment (i.e. spanking, etc.) will be used at any time under any circumstances. Curriculum The High/Scope Curriculum is used at Shepherds Day Care to enhance learning. The High/Scope Curriculum helps develop adult-child interaction techniques that are responsive to the diverse needs and interests of young children. For more information about the High/Scope Curriculum, please see the Director or visit www.highscope.org. Toilet Training Parents and staff will work together to determine when a child should be toilet trained. Staff will assist the child and family in that process. Parents of children who are being toilet trained are asked to provide two spare sets of clothing as children are prone to accidents while they are learning control. Napping Each child will be provided with a crib (port-a-cribs for infants and younger children) or a sleeping mat (for older children) to use while at the facility. Parents of children under 2 1/2 years are asked to provide two crib sheets. Parents of children over 2 1/2 years are asked to bring two crib/cot sheets, a pillow with pillow case, and a blanket. Parents are responsible for laundering these items each Friday and returning them clean on Monday morning. All items must be labeled with permanent markings with the child’s name. Outside Play Weather permitting children will have time to play outside each day. If you do not want your child to play outside due to health reasons, please keep your child at home. If a child is well enough to come to day care, they are well enough to play outside. Administration of Medications Prior to bringing any prescription medication to school, the child must have a signed statement from his/her doctor and a completed medication form. All other types of medication (Tylenol, Dimetapp, etc.) require the parents to complete the medication form provided by Shepherds Day Care. Appropriate Dress Parents are asked to dress children in clothes which allow for their complete participation in all activities. This means that they may get dirty with mulch, sand, paint, food, etc., while engaging in the learning process. A complete change of seasonal-appropriate clothing, labeled with the child’s name, must be kept on hand at the day care at all times. Parents of infants and toddlers are asked to bring two complete changes of clothes. Preschoolers should wear tennis shoes or other shoes which support their growing feet and allow them to run safely while outdoors. Sandals, flip flops, and other similar types of shoes are greatly discouraged. Other Important Information
Required Documentation for Religious Exemption Status for Providing Day Care Section 63.1-196.3 of the Code of Virginia allows that a child care facility operated under the auspices of a religious institution may be granted exemption from licensure once the documentation requirements specified within the exemption law have been fulfilled. The following information serves to outline the documentation required by the exemption of the law. Public Notice Regarding: Staff Qualifications All staff shall be 21 years of age, a high school or college graduate with experience working with preschoolers. All staff are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education in the field of early childhood development each year of employment. A Criminal history, Child Protective Services check, and a Tuberculosis test are made on each applicant prior to working at Shepherds Day Care. All personnel must be of good character and reputation. Physical Facilities The following rooms will be used daily for the comfort and care of the children. Enrollment Capacity The maximum number of children the facility will enroll is 12. Food Service Parents are asked to provide a morning and afternoon snack, as well as a nutritional lunch daily. Health Requirements of Staff All staff must be certified annually by a practicing physician to be free from any disability which would prevent them from caring for children. The use of rubber gloves is required for diapering, treating an injury, etc. A staff person certified in first aid will be on the premises during the facility’s hours of operation. Public Liability Insurance Shepherds Day Care has liability insurance with Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (David Wise, Insurance Agent). General Notice to Parents We are pleased you have chosen Shepherds Day Care for daily care of your child. We will do our utmost to provide quality Christian day care with an affordable tuition rate. Our goal is to remain a small, intimate, family-like facility that can provide a positive experience for you and your child. Thank you for choosing us. We look forward to serving you and your child. |
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