Handbook Policies | Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC

Tuition Policies

Tuition is paid in advance of care on 30th of each month with no deduction for absences, vacation days, or emergency closings.
Accounts with an unpaid balance will incur a $5.00/day late fee.
If a check is returned for insufficient funds, the parent will be charged an additional service fee of $25.00.
Tuition statements will be distributed upon request or annually, no later than January 31.
Parents are responsible for returning all assigned door keys to Wee Friends upon termination of the daycare contract. A fee of $5.00/ missing key will be assessed for any not returned. A charge equal to half of the replacement cost will be made for any requests to change the door locks due to custody issues, lost keys, or any other situation that may arise. This cost will range from $50-100.
Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC annually reviews cost of living and operating cost changes. Tuition increases can range from 4%-10% annually and will go into effect on July 30^th of each year. The tuition increase notice will be given on the Re-enrollment Agreement that is distributed in February of each year.
Birthday rate changes will begin the first full month after the child’s birthday.

Hours of Operation Policy

Wee Friends is open Monday through Friday. Children may be dropped off no earlier than 8:15 a.m. each morning and must be exiting the building no later than 5:30 p.m. each evening. Lateness will cause a $2.00 per minute late fee for each child and regular lateness can result in the termination of this contract.

Pick-up and Drop-off Policy

We have an open door policy and each family is assigned 2 keys to our front door to enter as needed. However, during our very busy transition times:
- from 8:15-8:30 and 5:25-5:30 preschool classroom parents do door drop offs and pick ups.
- from 8:30-9:00 and 4:45-5:30 parents are to stay in the cubby areas and exit quickly. If you need to chat with a teacher longer, you may arrange a phone conversation or an in person meeting time.
Parents dropping off or picking up between 9:00-4:45 may enter the classroom for short visits. Please limit visits to no more than 15 minutes and please park at the church lot. Breastfeeding mothers have no time limitations.

Illness Policy

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC will care for your child while ill only if the illness is minor, such as a cold. If your child becomes severely ill, begins to run a fever during the day, or if in sole judgment of the teacher, your child is too ill to remain, you will be notified and asked to pick-up your child. Please pick your child up promptly. After 30 minutes we will contact the emergency contacts as indicated by the parents. Parents are responsible for providing alternative child care arrangements when their child is ill.

WE WILL NOT SERVE CHILDREN WITH:
- A FEVER OF 100F OR ABOVE OR HAS HAD A FEVER OF 100F IN PAST 24 HOURS
- Unidentified skin rash
- Diarrhea (2 or more times with no other symptoms)
- Vomiting
- Evidence of lice. Child needs to be lice/nit free.
- Evidence of parasites
- Difficulty breathing/ cough severe enough to cause shortness of breath
- Eye infection
- Skin infections
- Severe cold sore
- ANY OTHER UNFORSEEN CONDITION THAT CALLS FOR EXCLUSION

CHILDREN MAY BE READMITTED:

If visibly free from communicable disease, fever free without benefit of fever reducing medicines for 24 hours, and free from vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours while on a normal diet.

With a physician’s statement that the child is free from communicable disease, and that returning poses no risk to the child or others.

Emergency Closing Policy

We ask each family to sign up for text notification for immediate communication of important or emergency information. Parents are responsible for providing alternative child care arrangements for their child during any emergency closing.

Text this message: @weefr

To this number: 81010 (works like a traditional 10 digit phone number)

All emergency closings will be communicated via the text service.

Inclement Weather- Be on the lookout for text communication if South Bend or School City of Mishawaka is closed or delayed as I will send confirmation that we are open or if we are delayed/closed. Parents must make their own alternative accommodations in the event of a Wee Friends closure.
Utilities– if for any reason we are without electric, gas or water.
Disease- Board of Health orders closure for disease control.
Illness:
- Provider illness– multiple teachers are ill with a contagious illness.
- Child Illness– more than 50% of the children have a contagious illness.

Fire and Weather Emergencies

Fire safety skills are practiced monthly with all children to evacuate the house promptly when the smoke alarms go off. Children are evacuated to the back yard. Parents would be notified via our text service if there is ever a fire emergency.

During a tornado weather emergency children are evacuated to the basement of their classroom. Parents are notified via our text service if we must shelter in place in the basement.

Parent Involvement

We believe that a close relationship between the parents and child care is in the best interest of each child. A close relationship and effective communication will provide greater consistency between home and school and will foster a greater sense of security for the child.

Here are some of the ways that parents can be involved:

Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled annually each February for all families. However, you may request additional in-person or phone conferences at any time.
Our daily blog informs parents about our everyday activities.
Electronic Portfolios are regularly emailed to parents recording the child’s interests and developmental growth.
Parents are invited to chaperone on field trips.

If you have any questions about your child, please do not hesitate to ask. If you would like to ask a question without your child present, please schedule a conference, call before or after hours, or email Tami at [email protected]

Substitute Teachers

If ratio necessitates covering an absent teacher, we will substitute with a teacher from the other classroom or with the Director, Tami Barbour.

Classroom Management and Behavior Expulsion Policy

Children’s misbehavior can be frustrating and disturbing to adults, but we like to see it as an opportunity to teach and a chance to model self-discipline and character. Here are some of the ways that we guide children in the classroom:

We understand that many problem behaviors are simply related to a stage in the child’s development and find age appropriate solutions to resolve or reduce the behavior.
We analyze each child’s temperament and use this information to properly guide the child.
We consider psychological reasons for problem behaviors. For instance, we would ignore behaviors that are not harmful when a child is doing them for attention.
Our learning environment offers many choices and is designed to support peaceful learning.
We have open dialogue with families when there are cultural differences which may be impacting classroom behavior and we will work together to determine realistic expectations.
Our staff is aware of stereotyping and implicit bias and they will use this knowledge to create nonjudgmental and unbiased expectations.
We are respectful to children. We make sure that children feel heard and strive to introduce emotional vocabulary so they are able express their feelings.
We actively teach problem solving to the children. Problem solving equips children with the skills necessary to peacefully work out solutions.
Our goal is to be clear and consistent. We set and discuss rules and consequences. Rules are clear, simple and few.
We redirect as an alternative to time-outs. Children are only separated from the group when a child loses control and the welfare of the other children is a concern. Moderate restraint may be used to prevent a child from self harm, hurting others, destroying property, or leaving the premises without a parents.
Our staff participates in ongoing professional development designed to assist them in distinguishing concerning behaviors from developmentally appropriate behaviors.
The use of physical punishment is never permitted.

As your partner for caring for your child, it is important that good communication exists between the home and us. If your child is experiencing a change in home environment that may result in changes in behavior at Wee Friends, it is important for you to notify us. We will keep you informed of any behavioral problems which may occur, or any information which we feel you should know about your child that may seem unusual.

When behavior challenges are present, we will take following steps to ensure open honest communication and attempt to resolve them:

We will communicate behavioral concerns with the parent via conversations in person, telephone or through electronic means such text or email.
We will ask the parent for a parent-teacher conference without the child present. We will present our current strategies to manage the behavior, listen to parent strategies, brainstorm new strategies, and make recommendations for outside support from mental health professionals or community resources, if applicable.
We will continue to engage in open dialogue with the parent and follow up with additional feedback and requests for assistance or further parent-teacher conferences as needed.

Wee Friends will ask you to make alternative arrangements for the care of your child when:

The parent is unable or unwilling to participate in conversations and/or any initial or follow up parent-teacher conferences that we have requested to discuss behavior challenges.
The parent is unable or unwilling to engage in outside help when we have determined that a child needs support beyond what we can provide.
We have taken steps to modify the behavior and we feel that the safety of the other children or staff exists that cannot be addressed with reasonable modification and/or the use of positive behavior supports.

Toilet Training

Wee Friends will support you as you make this important step in your child’s development. We have a gentler approach that does not rush or force a child to begin toilet training before they are ready. When a parent believes their child is ready to begin this important step, we ask the parent to take a full weekend (at a minimum) to practice at home and achieve a successful toilet routine before they bring their child in underwear. The parent will need to provide us with several extra sets of clothing with easy up and down elastic waist bands on the first day their child attends in underwear.

We give new toilet trainers a 1 week trial run to work at being only in underwear. If after 1 week the child is still having accidents, to maintain sanitation in our classroom, we will ask the parent to provide plastic underwear covers or pull-ups until their child is further along in the process. Please keep in mind that newly toilet trained children are generally more successful at home when it is one child to one parent. In our busy classroom, children are more absorbed and independent so it is not unusual for them to miss the cues that they would notice in their home.

Potty trained children who soil during nap time will be required to wear a diaper, pull-up or plastic underwear covers.

When a toilet trained child regresses and begins to have accidents in our classroom, we may ask the parent to provide plastic underwear covers or pull-up to maintain the sanitation of our classroom.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is expected for new enrollments. We offer multiple transition visits for new families before the enrollment date to help alleviate this. It is also normal for children who have already transitioned to begin a new pattern of separation anxiety because saying goodbye can be very hard.

In both instances, we require the same from parents: if your child has entered the classroom calmly, please feel free to stay. However, if your child is upset when you enter the classroom, we need the parent to say a very quick goodbye and leave the classroom immediately. Our teachers will support and comfort the child (as they permit) and upon request they will text the parent an update when the child has calmed.

Parent Involvement

Here are some of the ways that parents can be involved:

Parent/Teacher conferences are available during or after hours at the request of the parent.
Our daily blog informs parents about our everyday activities.
Electronic Portfolios are regularly emailed to parents recording the child’s interests and developmental growth.
Parents are invited to chaperone on field trips.

Field Trips

Children must be 4 years old and fully potty trained and remain potty trained without accidents to participate in ANY driving field trips. Parents/grandparents are invited to join us with their younger or un-potty trained child. Children need a signed permission slip to participate in any field trips.

Reenrollment Policy

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC, requires the parent to submit an annual Reenrollment Agreement and a nonrefundable reenrollment fee by March 1^st to enroll their child in the school year beginning September 1^st. If the parent is unable to fully commit to reenrolling by March 1^st, they may in writing request a space be held while they make a final decision. Reenrollment decision extensions are not guaranteed.

A parent who declines reenrollment is still required to submit the Reenrollment Agreement no later than March 1^st with a withdrawal date listed. If a parent fails to provide a withdrawal date, Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC will provide one. The parent is responsible for tuition through the withdrawal date they have submitted regardless of whether they choose to leave at an earlier time.

Annual reenrollment is not guaranteed and is always at the discretion of the director. If a parent breaks their Reenrollment Agreement by withdrawing their child after Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC has held that space for any length of time, Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC reserves the right to terminate any remaining Reenrollment Agreements for that family.

Termination of Contract

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC reserves the right to terminate the Enrollment Contract at any time for any reason.

A parent may terminate the Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC Enrollment Contract in one of the following ways:

1. The parent declines re-enrollment on the Re-enrollment Agreement and submits a written request for withdrawal on the Re-enrollment Agreement that includes a withdrawal date that is between April 1^st and September 30^th.

2. Families who are experiencing major life changes (relocation, illness or injury of a family member, unemployment, or irreconcilable program issues) may terminate this contract during the school year October 1 to (date listed in your Enrollment Contract) by submitting a written notice of such termination a minimum of one (1) month before the effective date of the termination. The parent is responsible for tuition through any termination date they have submitted in writing regardless of whether they choose to leave at an earlier time. If the termination date provided is less than the required one (1) month notice, the parents are still required to pay one (1) month of tuition.

3. A parent who has a signed Re-enrollment Agreement and wishes to terminate this contract in the months of (in your enrollment contract) must submit a minimum of one (1) month written notice of their child’s last day of attendance and pay full tuition through September 30^th regardless of when their child’s last day occurred.

Sibling Priority Wait List and Sibling Priority Enrollment Policy

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC makes every effort to keep families together as they grow their families and seek care for new infants. The infant spots we offer are very limited to ensure quality of care and are offered based on the order of the sibling priority wait list. Our sibling priority wait list and sibling priority enrollment extends only to a parent who currently has an enrolled sibling, who through the Re-enrollment Agreement process commits to re-enrollment of the older sibling, and who maintains fall enrollment for the older sibling. If the parent chooses to terminate the Re-enrollment Agreement or terminate the older sibling’s enrollment at any time, the parent loses their position on the sibling priority wait list for their infant.

Accidents and Injury Policy

Parents are notified in writing (daily sheets) of all minor injuries that occurred during that day. When an injury or illness is more serious in nature, we will determine whether emergency services are required and call 9-1-1 if we feel the injury is life threatening or requires immediate medical attention. We will make every effort to contact the parents immediately by telephone and then, if necessary, contact the emergency contact listed in your child’s file.

For less urgent injuries or illness, we will first try to contact the parents and/or emergency contact people. If we are unable to contact any of these people, we reserve the right to transport your child to the hospital for treatment with the use of your signed consent for medical treatment.

Child Release Policy

Parents must fully enter the classroom and make contact with a teacher at both drop off and pick up times.

Parents need to notify the program if an unauthorized person will be picking up their child. Any person that we have not previously met will need to have valid ID available for review.

Safe Sleep Policy

We follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Consumer Safety Commission for safe sleep environments to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Our policy is all infants under 12 months of age will:

Be placed on their backs to sleep in safety approved cribs. A doctor’s note is required for any alternate sleep position.
Will sleep only in a safety approved crib. Any infant brought to childcare sleeping in a car seat will be transferred to a crib.
Will sleep devoid of blankets, stuffed animals or any other loose items. Sleep sacks will be provided for any infant that needs warmth beyond their regular clothing.
The state of Indiana updated their child care provider licensing requirements on safe sleep on July 1, 2019. The new safe sleep guideline states infants can no longer be swaddled in child care settings. This update is based on both national recommendations and pediatric research that show swaddling can increase the risk of serious health outcomes. It can also be a risk factor for developmental dysplasia of the hip, child overheating, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

When infants reach 12-15 months old, they will be evaluated for their level of development and it will be determined whether they can safely continue in a crib. Any toddlers that could climb and fall from their crib, will be moved to our toddler Montessori beds.

Medications Policy

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC will dispense medications during the day only with parental permission, in accordance with Indiana State Board of Health Regulations. Prescription items must be in their original container with the original prescription label, showing the child’s name, medication name, physician’s name, date and directions for use.

A NOTE ABOUT NON-PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS…

If you would like Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC to administer over-the-counter medications, you must fill out the written permission slip on the day you bring in the medication. Non-prescription items must be in their original container, unexpired, and the directions given must not exceed the recommended amounts listed on the bottle for times and amounts.

Equal Access Policy

Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC will work with families to assess individual needs and make adaptations to the activities and child care program for children with special needs, cultural needs, and varying family structures. We will assist parents and families to locate resources and become stronger advocates for their child’s education. We will also cooperate and communicate with outside agencies that may be involved in planning for future educational and developmental needs.

Child Abuse Reporting Policy

Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect is present in our society. Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC is required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to Indiana’s Child Protective Services (CPS) through their toll-free hotline (1-800-800-5556).

Child abuse is defined to include acts or omissions which cause or permit:

mental or emotional injury to a child.
physical injury or threat of physical injury to a child.
failure to make reasonable efforts to prevent action by another person that results in physical injury to a child.
sexual contact with a child

Neglect includes:

leaving a child in a situation where the child would be exposed to a substantial risk of harm.
requiring the child to use judgment or take actions beyond the child’s level of maturity, physical condition or mental abilities.
failure to obtain medical care for a child.
failure to provide a child with food, clothing or shelter necessary to sustain the life or health of the child.

WF Substances Policy

Tobacco: Wee Friends Early Childhood Program LLC operates a no smoking policy at all times throughout the building and grounds. This policy applies to children, employees, parents and visitors. Parents and visitors must not smoke while on trips, or in circumstances where they are identified as part of the childcare community, e.g. on the way to or from childcare.
Alcohol: The possession and use of alcohol on WF premises during the working day is prohibited for all children, staff, parents, and visitors.
Drugs: The possession and use of illegal substances on WF premises is prohibited for all children, staff, parents, and visitors.
Substance abusing parents: Some children may have a parent or guardian whose drug use (legal and/or illegal) is problematic. The child’s welfare is paramount and the childcare will act, with reasonable care, to support the child, practically and emotionally. (See Abuse and Neglect Policy)
Weapons: The possession and use of weapons on daycare premises is prohibited for all children, staff, parents, and visitors of the school community, excluding officers of the law.