Primary Colors Edu~Care
Parent Handbook
It is very important for us to maintain honest and open communication covering your child's well-being and daily life. It has been my experience that confronting any problems early on has helped to dispel any bad feelings further down the road. I am not a perfect person, but I do strive to do the best job possible in my chosen profession. Your comments and suggestions are welcomed, as they will offer me the opportunity to better myself and provide you and others with better service.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to care for your child. Let’s work together to keep your child in the type of environment we both desire for him or her.
ALL FORMS ARE SUBJECT TO YEARLY REVIEW AND THE PROVIDER CAN RAISE THE RATES ON A YEARLY BASIS. FURTHERMORE THE PROVIDER MUST BE KEPT UP TO DATE ON ANY CHANGES THAT OCCUR.
Thirty Day Trial Period: The first thirty days (30) can be a challenging time for all parties involved, therefore we have a 30 day trial basis. During this time if either party is unsatisfied or if the child is not acclimating into my program I or the parent can terminate the childcare agreement without notice provided the parent does not owe any fees. During this time I or the parent can terminate without the traditional two week notice
ENROLLMENT FEES: This program requires an enrollment fee and the first payment on the first day the child attends the program. It is possible for the enrollment fee to be made in advance of the child’s placement in our program. An enrollment fee is not a deposit, and is non-refundable or negotiable. The enrollment fee is $300.00 and is payable in cash or check or money order.
HOURS OF OPERATION
MY daycare hours are from 7:00am to 6:00pm on MONDAYS through FRIDAYS. All children must be signed out and walking out the door no later than 6:00pm. No overtime is allowed without prior approval.
RECORDS AND FORMS: THIS HOME IS LICENSED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
· A completed enrollment form.
· A copy of your child's up-to-date immunization record signed by the child's physician. I must be given all updates to immunization records as they occur.
· A signed and notarized form to authorize emergency medical care to be submitted to me prior to the first day of care provided.
· A signed copy of “Primary Colors Parents Handbook”
· A signed copy of “Primary Colors” enrollment contract.
· Emergency kit
No child will be admitted without these forms being on file at the daycare.
TUITION & PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Your tuition reserves a space for your child in my daycare program, and is NOT BASED ON DAYS YOUR CHILD IS IN ATTENDANCE. You are responsible for your weekly tuition (52 WEEKS A YEAR) for as long as your child remains enrolled in my daycare program. No discounts are given if your child does not attend. Weekly tuition is required in full prior to your child's departure for vacation. Also, keep in mind; you will be required to pay your weekly tuition when I take vacation time. If you are planning to seek substitute childcare during this time, you will need to pay for their services, also. I reserve the right to deny entry to the daycare without payment. Payment should be made on Monday morning. I will not accept post-dated checks, but I will deposit them on the due date. A late fee of $10.00 per day, per child will be assessed for payments received late. If you know that you will be off on Monday, payment can be made on Friday, and I will hold your check until Monday. Initial and date here__________
TUITION FOR CHILDCARE SERVICE IS AS FOLLOWS:
$50.00 dollars per day (9 hours) or portion there of.
For each additional hour of care the cost is $10.00
Hours purchased after signing your contract are $10.00 per hour between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm after 6:00pm you will pay the late fee rate. Please sign and date here________________________________
We base our weekly tuition on an nine (9) hour shift, this is referred to as a ‘block of time’, which cannot be split or altered. If you pick up your child early, the remaining time cannot be used later, it is non-transferable. Anytime your child is here after and 9 hour block of time, that is considered overtime, which will have to be discussed with me in advance. If on occasion you would like to purchase additional hours after you have set your contracted time, the cost of those additional hours are $10.00 per hour between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm
Just so this is clear, you are paying for a seat in the program and payments are still due when your child attends our program or not. Remember all holidays are paid holidays
*** Once you have chosen the time block you desire you must adhere to it, please make your choice carefully in order to avoid incurring late charges.
LATE DEPARTURE/ EARLY ARRIVAL FEES: Parents I do understand that sometimes you cannot avoid being late to pick up your child; however that does not dismiss the fee that is charged for being late to pick up your child. The late fees are listed below.
· If you drop off your child BEFORE your contracted time block you will owe $1.00 per minute.
· If you collect your child AFTER your contracted time you will be billed $1.00 per minute
· If you collect your child AFTER 6:00 pm you are charged $25.00 per 15 minutes of portion there of. These fees will not be waved or negotiated so please don’t ask. There is no grace period.
RETURNED CHECKS
A $35.00 fee will be assessed for returned checks. In addition, you will be responsible for reimbursing me for any other charges assessed to my bank account due to non-payment of your check. ONE returned check will result in your account being placed on "CASH ONLY".
EXTRA FEES
From time to time, parents may be requested to pay extra fees for field trips, art supplies and/or other special projects and activities.
CHANGES
Families frequently have changes - new homes, new jobs, and new telephone numbers. Please keep me informed. Accurate information is critical for efficient, professional handling of emergencies. You are required to inform me if you are at any other location than what is listed on your Enrollment Form and to provide a telephone number for that place.
CHILD'S ABSENCES
Please inform me NO LATER THAT 9:00 A.M. if your child is to be absent due to late arrival, early departure, illness, or vacation. This will allow me to adequately prepare for the children's meals and activities. NO CHILD WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT A PHONE CALL AFTER 10:00 A.M. At 9:00 a.m. classes begin so you must have your child here on time so they can benefit from the structured learning time.
No child will be admitted after 10:00 AM, Or after a doctor’s or dentist visit.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Children are to arrive clean, healthy, and ready to participate in the day's activities. It is normal for children to be hesitant and even cry sometimes when dropping them off. Please be very brief during drop off times (2-3 minutes) - the longer you prolong the departure, the harder it gets. A smile, cheerful good-bye kiss, and a reassuring word that you will be back is all you need to do. Most of your morning should be spent with your child in a relaxed manner getting him/her ready for school. Your job is to go to work, their job is to go to school. Give your child a pep talk in the car while listening to “Barney”, another pep talk at the gate and finally a pep talk at the door of the daycare. After doing that your child should be in a great frame of mind to begin his/her day at school. Remember children can read or nonverbal cue’s so let them know that you are happy with their school and secure with them being here other than yourself to pick up your children, they will be required to show a driver's license and sign our in/out form. That person must also give me the “codeword” that you and I decide upon that day. I will not release your child unless I have received authorization prior to their arrival.
VISITATION
My family daycare home has an "open door" policy, I encourage parents to make "brief" drop-in visits. However, I ask that courtesy be exhibited. I ask that these visits not be made between the hours of 1:00pm to 3:30pm, as this is naptime and our clean up time. I ask that your presence does not disturb the harmony of the daycare environment, if it does I will ask you to leave. Also keep in mind that I must continue to give the children my undivided attention. If your child is very upset by your departure, you may have to take your child with you. I would appreciate you taking into consideration my schedule when dropping in or calling, and remember that visitors usually cause the children to react in an excited manner that does not normally occur when I am alone with the children. Try to call to see if we are in the middle of a messy art project or out for a walk. If we don’t pick up the phone we may be outside, please leave a message or an email at : laurentrosclair@gmail.com
SIGN-IN SHEET: The staff will record your actual time in and out and parents or authorized adults will be required to initial "in" and "out" when dropping off or picking up daycare children. YOU Will STILL BE CHARGED LATE FEES IF YOU ARE STILL HERE LATER THAT 6:00 PICKING UP YOUR CHILD, IF YOU ARE HERE AFTER 6:00 PM YOU ARE STILL ON THE CLOCK.
DIVORCE RECORDS/CUSTODY AGREEMENTS
Divorced or estranged parents are required to provide a copy of custody papers to be kept in the child's file at the time of enrollment. Without custody papers, I have no legal way of preventing the child's natural parents from removing them from the facility. If I do have copies of papers, I can then call the police if the non-custodial natural parent does try to remove your child. If the non-custodial parent attempts to pick up a child or makes an unscheduled visit during daycare hours, the custodial parent will be verbally advised. When dealing with these delicate matters, the health and safety of all of the children in my care must be considered. If the non-custodial parent continues to abuse his/her rights, that parent will be banned from the daycare. If it occurs again I will have no choice but to terminate my childcare services for that child. Please do not involve me in a disagreement with your mate, have the necessary papers on file so I can follow your wishes, legally.