Welcome to Green Gables Daycare

At Green Gables Daycare we believe in fostering all aspects of a child’s growth and development. We believe that providing a healthy, safe environment to enrich growth of each individual child is of the upmost importance.

Each child’s growth and development is primarily achieved through play. We provide an environment in which children are encouraged to explore and make choices. Our program is based on each child’s individual interest and needs in all social, emotional, cognitive, creative, and physical components to the child’s day.

Children learn best in a warm, loving and positive environment. They need to be nurtured in all areas to develop to their fullest potential. We believe that by nurturing and providing the right atmosphere for our children in the early years, we are creating the best base for their future.

We believe that we are an extension to the family and that with open communication and involvement from the family we can create an environment that will be an equal balance between home and the daycare.

The Centre will be open Monday – Friday from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Green Gables has an open door policy. Parents are welcome to visit the centre as they please. We ask that you make arrangements or call ahead if you plan on visiting between 12:30 pm and 2:30pm. This is the rest time at the centre and we keep the doors locked. Any other time of the day you are free to come and go as you please.

Statutory Holidays

We will be closed on all statutory holidays. These include:

All of our centres will also be closed on Easter Monday and Boxing Day and Christmas Eve

If a holiday falls on a weekend. (A day that the centre is not normally open)  All centres will be closed on the next business day.

Payment for daycare closures is still required as these amounts have been taken into consideration when setting our monthly rates.

Registration

All parts of the registration package must be filled out and dropped off at the centre on or before the child’s first day of attendance. Including written acknowledgement of understanding the Parent/Guardian Manual.

Enrollment is on a first come first serve basis. Special consideration is given to existing families and new siblings.

A non-refundable $ 100.00 deposit is required to hold a child care space. This deposit will be deducted from your first month of fees when the child begins at the centre.

Parent/Guardian and child will be encouraged to attend the centre prior to the first day of attendance. Visitation days can be arranged with the supervisor of the room you are attending. Please call ahead to set up your orientation times.

 Orientation session will include a walkthrough of the centre, parent/guardian and supervisor reviewing the parent/guardian Manual, answering questions and making payment arrangements.

Fees

Payment is due on the first day of each month. Post-dated cheques will need to be left at the centre dated for the first day of each month for a 6 month period.
If payment arrangements need to be made, please speak to Jennifer about this issue.
Please make cheques payable to GREEN GABLES DAYCARE Ltd.

If payment is not made by the 10th of the month, children will be asked not to attend the centre until the matter is cleared up.

Families receiving child care subsidy are responsible for the application and renewal of authorizations. A caregiver profile sheet will be faxed in by the centre upon acceptance of registration. If subsidy is not applied for or renewed by the 10th of the month, the child will be asked not to attend until an authorization number is received from the subsidy office.

SUBSIDY OFFICE – 1-888-338-6622
SUBSIDY FAX        - 1-877-544-0699
http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/childcare/subsidy_promo.htm
Hours of operation are Mon-Fri 7am – 6pm

NSF

A $35.00 fee will be charged for NSF or any cheque returned to the daycare. Upon receipt of an NSF cheque, the payer will be asked to settle up the payment in cash including the additional fee.   

Arrival and Departure

Upon arrival and departure from the centre the child will need to be signed in and out. The sign in sheet will be posted in a designated area within the centre.

Only people authorized for pick-up on the registration package will be permitted to remove the child from the centre.
If pick-up is necessary by someone not on the registration package, written permission from a legal guardian is necessary. The designated pick-up person will be required to show photo identification before leaving the centre with the child/ren. You CANNOT phone in your pick-up people.

Our policy is that any pick-up person leaving the daycare with any child in care is 16 years of age. If exceptions need to be made, please speak to the manager of your centre.

Late Pick-up/Late drop-off

If a parent or guardian is going to be dropping a child off later than our designated drop-off time, (7:30am-10:00am) a phone call is necessary to confirm your child’s enrollment for that day. (All drop-offs must be completed before 12 pm.) We staff our centre and base our outings on our enrollment at 10:00am. If you have not made arrangements for a late drop-off, the child care space is not guaranteed for that day. However, you will still be billed for that day. CALL US!!!

Our centre closes at 5:30 pm. Any person picking up after the centre closes is subject to a $1.00 per minute fee (per child) to be paid directly to the staff member who stayed late with your child. This fee is to be paid by the closing of the following business day.
After 3 late pick-ups, the parent will be informed in writing, and may be asked to leave the centre.

If a parent/ guardian are late picking up and cannot be reached, an alternate person on the pick-up sheet will be contacted. If a pick-up person cannot be reached within 30 minutes of the centre closing; the Ministry of Children and Families will be notified and they will provide alternate care until a parent/guardian can be reached.

Impaired Pick-up

In the event that the caregiver believes that the parent/guardian or authorized pick up person is impaired, (alcohol/drugs) the parent or guardian will be advised to arrange for alternate pick-up.

Staff members will gladly contact an alternate pick-up person from the registration list. If an alternate pick-up cannot be arranged, taxi service will be arranged at the expense of the parent/guardian.
If the parent/guardian still insists on leaving the facility with the child, the caregiver will notify the parent/guardian that the RCMP will be notified of their departure.

Car seats are mandatory for transporting children under the age of 9 to and from the daycare. If you are transporting children to and from the centre without a car seat, first you will be reminded of our policy. The next occurrence will result in the notification to the RCMP upon your arrival or departure from the centre without a car seat.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted on any of our premises. If someone is found smoking on the premises; they will be asked to extinguish immediately, or leave the grounds.

Guidance

The purpose of our guiding techniques is to provide children with positive self-image, independence, problem solving skills, and enhance self-esteem.
The staff at Green Gables Daycare will use the following techniques:

• promoting child initiated problem solving
• setting clear and consistent limits
• active listening
• redirecting child’s interests/energy
• modeling appropriate behavior
• give children time to respond to direction
• acknowledging feelings and needs
• respecting children’s personality and individuality
• provide choices that are real and appropriate
• promote autonomy
• share power with children
• logical and natural consequences
• reinforce positive behavior
• Removing a child from a situation or area if their behavior is endangering themselves, others or the environment.

Corporal punishment, physical discipline, isolation and verbal threats are not acceptable and will not be used under any circumstance.

If any staff, supervisor, volunteer or parent/guardian witness inappropriate guidance techniques they must report it to a staff member. If a child continually exhibits harmful, hurtful or inappropriate behavior to other children, themselves, or staff members the following steps will be taken.

• Parent/Guardian will be informed by supervisor or staff involved and informed about the situation.
• Staff and parents will have a meeting to address the issue and problem solve together to create a plan that will attempt to change the child’s detrimental behavior. (It is necessary that all children directly involved in the care of the child attend the meeting.)
• Caregivers will implement the plan at the centre and the parents/guardians will implement their part of the plan at home.
• Parents/Guardians and caregivers will exchange progress and review the plan once a week, and decide if further action need to be taken.
• Once a mutually agreed upon time period has passed, and there seems to be little or no progress within the centre, the parents will be asked to find alternate care for their child and will be referred to other resources that may be better able to help them.

Illness

Children must have alternate care when they have any communicable disease. Parents must phone the centre and give notice if the child will be absent from the centre. Please notify us of the disease.

If the child shows symptoms that require attention while at the facility, the parent/guardian or authorized pick-up person will be phoned to pick up the child immediately.

If your child is too sick to keep up with the program (Including outdoor play time), they are too sick to attend the facility.

It is not a requirement of daycare that your child be immunized; however, we do need a record of any immunizations that they do have. In the event of a breakout and your child is not immunized or we do not have a record that they have been immunized, you will be asked to leave the centre for 30 days.

Our head lice policy is as such: If we find head lice in your child’s hair, you will be notified at the end of the day. Your child will not be permitted back into the centre until proof of treatment has been shown and the child’s hair has been picked free of both live lice and eggs. This treatment needs to be on going and retreated every 10 days. After the initial notification, if we find lice in your child’s hair, you will be contacted immediately for retreatment.

Medication

For the protection of the children, Green Gables will only administer medication that is
in the original container and prescribed by a doctor. Pain relievers and cold medications will not be administered unless accompanied by a doctor’s note and the parent medication form is completed.
Medication needs to be put into the locked boxes in the daycare. Please do not leave medications in your lunch kits or backpacks. This is a big hazard.

Toys From Home

At Green Gables Daycare, we ask that children do not bring toys from home to avoid conflict and loss of toys. There will be designated “show and tell” days which can be found in the newsletter for each centre. On these days your child is welcome to bring ONE toy from home on this day.

Field Trips

At Green Gables Daycare, field trips will be a regular part of our programming. Any scheduled field trips will be posted.
Spontaneous field trips will be made to local area parks. Blanket permission forms are required for all children.
Occasionally your child may have to be transported to and from the local schools to do the drop-offs and pick-ups.
If you do not want your child to participate in spontaneous or scheduled field trips, it is your responsibility to notify the daycare in writing.
There may be times that your field trip is scheduled to leave prior to the required 10am drop-off time. It is your responsibility to keep yourself informed of any early departures. If your group has already left, you are welcome to meet the group at their location.

We have several vehicles in which to transport your children. We have the 21 passenger bus equipped with lap belts; and we have a 22 passenger bus with no seat belts. These buses meet the guidelines to not have to install car seats/booster seats or seat belts. (They are the same as riding on public transit or a school bus)

We also have 15 passenger vans that have booster seats and shoulder belts down the outside rows and they are equipped with the standard lap belts down the centre rows.

If there is a field trip, and we are using a vehicle that is equipped to have car seats installed, you are welcome to bring and install your car seat. If you do not bring a car seat on field trip day, we will load vans and busses according to the child’s weight and height.

All seats in all of our vehicles are legal for transporting the way they sit. It is your choice as to whether or not you would like your child in a car seat. We will no longer require you to sign the car seat waiver form each time.

Rest Time

In accordance with Licensing we will provide the opportunity for each to child to rest. Children will be given the opportunity to have a security item during rest time only. Sheets and blankets will be provided by the parents.  (Crib sheets fit best) They will be sent home for laundering on Fridays each week.

Custody

If custody is an issue, legal documentation is required. A copy of this document is to be given to the supervisor to be put in the child’s personal file. The supervisor will inform all staff members of any custody issues.

Snack/Mealtimes

All food and snacks for the children are to be provided by the parent or guardian. Please provide a variety of nutritious choices for your child.  (Please be aware that any treats or junk food will not be permitted and will be sent home) Please remember that there are 2 snack times and 1 meal time throughout the course of the day. You are welcome to send warm-ups for your children; however, there are no cooking facilities at the centre. (Please try to limit the amount of microwave cooking we need to do. i.e. Easy Mac as they take a long time to cook and to cool.)
ALL food must come prepared to eat. (oranges peeled, apples sliced) All grapes, wieners, and all other choking hazards need to be sliced LENGTHWISE. We will not serve them if they are not sliced.
Please consider the size of your child’s lunch box when purchasing. Keep in mind that we have to fit many of them into the fridge so smaller is better.

Water will be supplied throughout the day when the child is thirsty. Any other beverages must be provided by the parent. (i.e. Milk, soy products. We do not encourage sending juice and flavored crystals.) 
Parents are welcome to bring the child’s breakfast to the centre in the morning if they are early to arrive. Breakfast table will be made available until 8:30 am.

On occasion, your child will receive food other than that you have sent. ( i.e. Baking and cooking activities, outside food from parents (birthdays and special occasions) and general food shortage in their lunch kits).
Any of these food items will be documented in our daily log in case of allergy or other reasons. If you do not want your child to receive outside food at the centre; it is your responsibility to inform us in writing. We are also required by licensing to ensure that all children have the food and nutrition they require.  See quotes below:

48 (1) A licensee must

(a) ensure that each child has healthy food and drink according to the Canada’s Food Guide, and

(b) promote healthy eating and nutritional habits

3) A licensee must ensure that the food and drink given to a child is sufficient in quantity and quality to meet the developmental needs of the child, having regard to

(a) the child’s age

(b) the number of hours the child is under the care of the licensee, and

(c) the child’s food preferences and cultural background

Clothing

Parents must provide children with one set of seasonal, labeled clothing to be left at the centre in a large Ziploc. (socks, undies, pants or shorts and a shirt) Appropriate headwear must be provided according to the season (sun hat, toque) for outside use. Parents with children in diapers will be required to supply diapers, wipes and cream. Please label these items. You will be notified in your lunch kit when anything is running low. Please ensure your child has hard soled foot wear for inside use only. (Fire Drills)

Emergency Procedures

Our main focus is the safety of the children; fire drills will be held once a month.

In any emergency situation, the staff will notify the parent/guardian or authorized pick-up person upon arrival at the emergency destination.

Please read the Emergency Evacuation Plan for your centre posted at each location.

Child Abuse

All staff members who have reason to believe that a child has been or is in danger of being abused or neglected as defined in the “Green Gables Abuse and Neglect” policies; will report their concern immediately to their manager and the proper steps will be taken in accordance with the manual.

Alternate Care

I cannot stress the importance of having alternate care. There will be times that your child will become ill or that the centre will have to close for reasons that we have no control over. It is your responsibility to have an alternate care plan. The daycare will not take responsibility for any missed work or school. Things happen and as a parent you must be prepared for these things. Please see refund policy regarding repayment.

Withdrawal

30 days of written notice is required when a child will be withdrawn from the program. The manager must sign and date the parent/guardians Notice of Termination form to confirm the withdrawal. This form must be completed on the 1st day of the month.

Refund Policy

Only during the first 2-week probation period will a refund be given for unused space. This will be calculated by using the daily drop-in rate for the amount of time used. The $100 deposit is non-refundable. A minimum of $100 will be retained by the daycare if the space is terminated prior to the use of the fees. There are no refunds given for any other reason.

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