It is understood that all discussions between parents of the children in my care and I are confidential. I will not divulge any information that is of a confidential manner to any person without prior written consent from the parent or guardian.
I will not discuss any situation that involves other children in my care without their parents being present. It is understood that all discussions will be done in a respecting and caring manner.
I will not participate in discussions that disclose information about children and families in my care. I expect that the families of the children in my care will uphold the same consideration.
It is understood that discussions between parents and I will occur during a time in which confidentiality can be upheld (i.e. not during busy drop off and pick up times or in the presence of the children.) I will make myself available for meetings or phone discussions to ensure they can be conducted in a confidential manner.
All parents/guardians will fill out an emergency consent form prior to starting home child care that includes:
- Parents home and work numbers
- Health card number
- Consent to treat child in care with first aid (i.e. bandages and disinfectant for cuts, ice for bumps and bruises)
- Names and accessible phone numbers of emergency contacts
- Family Physician and phone number
- Any allergies or special medical conditions
Signed consent by parent/guardian, which authorizes administration of any medical procedures deemed necessary by an attending doctor. Please note that often this signed consent will not be considered valid by a doctor unless it is a life-threatening situation.
I will have emergency information on all the children in an easily accessible form when an emergency arises. Emergency information will be taken on all off-premise trips (trips, walks, etc.)
I will NOT release your child to anyone unknown to me unless the parent/guardian of the child informs me prior to release. I request that whenever possible I be introduced to any person(s) who might pick up the child. If this is not possible, I request that a picture be shared with me so that I may recognize the person picking up the child and/or I may request the following information:
- Name of the person
- Make of the persons car
- Description of the person
- A code word
- Personal photo ID shown (Driver license) upon arrival at my home child care
Please note that these requests are not meant to embarrass or make things difficult for you or the person picking up your child. These are safety measures that are in place to protect your child. It is important that I am aware of any child custody issues so I can respond appropriately.
If I am ill, I will make every attempt to give parents 12 hours notice so they can make decisions on the following:
- If I am feeling somewhat under the weather but do not really feel ill, I will contact the parents to discuss whether they want to send their child on that day. Dependent on the conditions, I will negotiate payment with the parents for that day
- In the event that I am unable to provide care due to illness/appointments, it is important for the parent to have an alternate/back-up caregiver that can be called on short notice (i.e.: family member, neighbour, friend, etc.)
- If I am too ill to provide care and do not have a substitute, the parent does NOT have to pay for that day
Note: If my child is ill, I will attempt to have alternate care for my child on that day. It must be noted, however, that the home daycare is my child's home and there may be times when alternate care is not possible. In this case, I will contact those parents to allow them to decide if they want to send their child on that day. I will negotiate payment for that day with the parent dependent upon the circumstances.
If a child is not able to participate in the daily routine of my program due to illness, then the child should be at home or at alternative care until they are well. Please do not bring children to home child care if they have been ill in the previous 12 hours.
If I feel that a child is too ill to participate in the daily routine or may have a communicable virus, then I will notify the parent/guardian to come to the home child care and take the child home. In cases where I cannot locate the parent, I will call the emergency contact to negotiate procedure for alternate care. In all cases, the welfare of all the children in my care is first consideration.
I will ask that children go home if I notice any of the following:
- Fever of 101 degrees or more
- Vomiting
- Abnormal diarrhea
- Child cannot participate in activities due to lethargy or any of the above
- Change in behaviour and any of the above
- Pink eye
- Impetigo
- Contagious diseases (i.e. measles/mumps)
- Colds with any of the above and a green or yellow nasal discharge
Note: If your child is ill and unable to attend home child care, payment is still required.
If at all possible, I prefer the parent/guardian administer any medication to their child prior to arriving at or following the pick-up of their child from my home child care program.
When it is not possible, I will administer prescription medication only to your child under the following circumstances:
- The prescription medication is in the original container and is clearly labelled with your child's name, dosage, times to be administered, name of the physician and instructions for administration.
- When you provide written authorization by completing and signing the Authorization to Administer Medication Form.
Although I will not typically administer non-prescription medication, I will request that parents complete and sign an Authorization to Administer Medication form giving their consent to apply sunscreen or medicated diaper cream to their child as needed. These items need to be labelled with the child's name.
I offer nutritious snacks and meals each day dependent upon the time of day the child is in my care. It is my practise to offer meals and snacks that are based on the Canada's Food Guide. In all cases, I strive to serve a well-balanced weekly meal plan.
- Please let me know if your child has any allergies of which I need to be aware of prior to planning my menu for the week. In this case I will offer your child an alternative lunch or snack item.
- Please let me know if your child has any dietary restrictions due to special needs, etc.
- Although there may be minor fluctuations:
- Morning snack is served based on the schedule
- Lunch is served based on the schedule
- Afternoon snack is served based on the schedule
Children need to feel loved and cared for. I will always treat a child in a manner in which I would want to be treated. I discuss behaviour guidance issues with all families during the initial interview. In this way, guidelines are recognized and agreed upon by both parties.
- I will never strike, hit, or harm in any manner a child that is in my care
- I always use positive behaviour techniques when working with children in my care based on the age and level of development, for example: redirection, removal of a toy, withdrawal of a privilege
- I use praise to reassure children that the behaviour they are demonstrating is appropriate
- I use natural and realistic consequences for actions and behaviours
- I assist children by teaching them ways to problem solve efficiently
- I redirect behaviours that are unacceptable. At all times, I reinforce that it is the behaviour that is unacceptable not the child
- I encourage children to problem solve by giving them choices
- I recognize that positive behaviour guidance is an ongoing skill that requires patients from the child and me. We are all leaning to work together
Children will be encouraged and supported to complete self-help skills as independently as possible (i.e.: dressing, undressing, feeding, toileting, etc.) appropriate to their age and level of development.
I will be happy to work with the parents on toilet training his/her child once the child is showing signs of being ready to learn (i.e.: dry diaper after rest time, understands the concept of dry and wet, shows interest in washroom activities, indicates when he/she needs to be changed, etc.) It is recognized that toilet learning is a gradual process and works best when both the parent and child care provider are positive and consistent in their approach with the child.
It is my practise when biting occurs to observe when and where the behaviour is occurring to determine the possible reasons why the child is biting. This will assist in determining possible reasons or strategies to handle the biting occurrences, such as:
- Helping the child to identify the issue, brainstorm and choose alternate solutions to the situation
- Try to prevent the incident by recognizing cues prior to when the biting generally occurs and change the environment
- Discuss the situation with the parents to identify reasons and strategize possible solutions
We have scheduled outdoor playtime every day as it is an important component of a good home based child care program. It is also fun and healthy for children to exercise outdoors and get fresh air.
- The children will be supervised at all times during outdoor playtime
- It is expected that all children will go outdoors each day. If a child is too ill to go outdoors to play, then that child is too ill to come to home child care on that day
- All parents are to dress their children in appropriate clothing suited to weather conditions
- In cases where the weather changes drastically, I will take that into account and either offer to lend the child extra clothing for that day or make a change to the program
- We will not go outdoors if the temperature goes down to -5 degrees Celsius with the wind-chill factor. In this case it is understood that it is too cold for the children to play outdoors safely
- In the summer, I request that the parents send sunscreen to be left at my home so that I might administer it frequently throughout the day as required. I also request a sun hat and bathing suit be left at my home during the summer months
- In the case of inclement weather, I will use my judgement to decide if we will go outdoors. We may change the schedule and go outdoors at another time of the day when the weather is nicer
- In all cases I ask that the parents accept my judgement of the current weather conditions
Neighbourhood outings such as visits to the Library, Local Park and other points of interest which are within walking distance will be a regular and ongoing aspect of my home child care program.
Field Trips which require the use of a motor vehicle and/or public transportation will be included as an occasional outing within my home child care program. In this case, a separate written field trip form outlining the details will be provided to the parent at least 3 days in advance of the outing. Written permission from the parent is required in order for the child to participate. If the parent chooses not to have their child participate in the scheduled field trip, it is the parent's responsibility to find alternate arrangements and or back up care for their child.
Rest time or in some cases, quite time will be based on the child's age, level of development and needs and will be discussed with the parent/guardian. Children will be encouraged to rest and/or play quietly (i.e. books, puzzles, table toys, etc.) if they are unable to sleep.
