Parent Handbook
Please read the "About Us" section
Welcome / Philosophy
Welcome to Wee Childcare. This handbook has been created to outline expectations and answer as many questions as possible. This handbook covers our childcare philosophies, business policies, and expectations. Please read this handbook carefully, and feel free to discuss with a staff member any questions that you may have.
Wee Childcare is committed to creating a safe, warm, loving environment for children where they can learn and grow physically, emotionally, creatively, intellectually, and socially at their own pace. We want to help your child increase their confidence, and self-esteem by treating them as unique individuals and allowing them to express themselves in a variety of ways. We strive to make your child’s time at daycare the best experience it can be for them as well as you, the parents.
We are committed to supporting families by maintaining open communication and encourage parental involvement in our programming and care activities. Our objective is to care for your child the same way you would.
Deposits and Payments
Deposits are non-refundable or transferable. An $100 dollar registration fee is required at the time of registration. We understand unexpected changes may happen prior to your start date but unfortunately, the deposit remains non-refundable. Our current waitlist does not change this policy.
Monthly fees are one year's worth of fees divided equally over 12 months taking into account longer months, shorter months, stat holidays and centre closures. fees are discounted as per the number of days a week your child is registered for.
If a family decides to not start at our facility the deposit will not be refunded.
If 8 weeks' notice is not given for the withdrawal of care the cheque for the balance of the next 2 month’s fees will be cashed and considered binding. If 8 weeks' notice is not given before your start date, the first month's cheque will be deposited and considered binding.
Full fees are due regardless of a child's illness, statutory holiday or holiday days off taken by families, your fees reflect a spot at our facility not attendance. If we are informed by a family of time away from your regular scheduled attendance, your spot may be filled temporarily by a drop child, we do not reimburse for absences. Please note we do have enrichment programs that are optional.
Fees are due by the first day of care each month. Fees are to be paid by post-dated cheques, made out to Wee Childcare or South Delta Wee Clubhouse depending on the location you are attending. Any fees received later than the first day of the service month are subject to the $ 5-a-day late charge and any returned cheques are subject to the bank charge. Returned cheques may result in a cash-only payment policy for future services. (Our fees are a total of a years service divided evenly over 12 months) A receipt for fees paid throughout the year will be provided at the end of each year for tax purposes, we do not offer monthly receipts. As we do register families so far in advance the fees may have a small increase of approximately 3% (calculated from our full fees not minus any government funding) per year and this fee will be required.
Head Injury/Bump Policy
The safety and well-being of all children entrusted to our care is our utmost priority. In the event of a child hitting their head at the daycare, this policy aims to ensure appropriate and timely response, communication, and follow-up procedures to safeguard the child's health and provide support to their families.
** Procedure: **
1. Immediate Response:
- Upon observing a child hitting their head, daycare staff will immediately attend to the child to assess the situation.
- Ensure the child's safety and provide comfort and reassurance.
- If the child exhibits signs of distress or injury, staff will administer basic first aid as needed or call 911.
2. Assessment and Documentation:
- A staff member trained in first aid will assess the severity of the injury.
- Document the incident, including the time, location, circumstances, and any observable symptoms.
- If necessary, seek guidance from healthcare professionals or emergency services for further assessment.
3. Parent/Guardian Notification:
- Contact the child's parent or guardian promptly to inform them of the incident.
- Provide clear and factual information regarding the child's condition and any necessary next steps.
- Offer support and reassurance to the parent/guardian and instruct if the child needs to be picked up and monitored at home, in this case we recommend seeking medical help.
4. Observation and Monitoring:
- After the incident, closely monitor the child for any signs of concussion or worsening symptoms.
- Inform parents/guardians of any observed changes in the child's behavior or condition.
- If necessary, seek medical attention or follow-up with the child's healthcare provider.
5. Communication and Documentation:
- Maintain open communication with parents/guardians throughout the incident and recovery process.
- Document all interactions, observations, and follow-up actions taken regarding the child's injury.
- Ensure confidentiality and sensitivity in handling the incident information.
6. Preventive Measures:
- Review and reinforce safety protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
- Educate staff and parents/guardians on recognizing signs of head injury and appropriate response procedures.
**Policy Review: **
Regularly review and update the policy based on best practices, feedback, and any changes in regulations or guidelines related to child safety and healthcare.
This policy is intended to guide staff members in responding effectively and ensuring the well-being of children who experience head injuries while in our care. If a child is injured or hit head outside of childcare they must be monitored at home.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function. Effects are often short term and can include headaches and trouble with concentration, memory, balance, mood and sleep.
Concussions usually are caused by an impact to the head or body that is associated with a change in brain function. Not everyone who experiences a blow to the body or head has a concussion.
Symptoms in children
Concussions can be hard to recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't describe how they feel. Concussion clues may include:
• Dazed appearance.
• Listlessness and tiring easily.
• Irritability and crankiness.
• Loss of balance and unsteady walking.
• Excessive crying.
• Change in eating or sleeping patterns.
• Lack of interest in favorite toys.
• Vomiting.
When to see a doctor
See a healthcare professional within 1 to 2 days if:
• You or your child experiences a head injury, even if emergency care isn't required.
Children and adolescents need to see a healthcare professional trained in evaluating and managing pediatric concussions.
Seek emergency care for an adult or child who experiences a head injury and any of these symptoms:
• Repeated vomiting or nausea.
• A loss of consciousness lasting longer than 30 seconds.
• A headache that gets worse over time.
• Fluid or blood draining from the nose or ears.
• Vision or eye changes. For example, the black parts of the eye, known as the pupils, may be bigger than usual or unequal sizes.
• Ringing in the ears that doesn't go away.
• Weakness in the arms or legs.
• Changes in behavior.
• Confusion or disorientation. For example, the person may not recognize people or places.
• Slurred speech or other changes in speech.
• Obvious changes to mental function.
• Changes in physical coordination, such as stumbling or clumsiness.
• Seizures or convulsions.
• Dizziness that doesn't go away or that goes away and comes back.
• Symptoms that worsen over time.
• Large head bumps or bruises, such as bruises around the eyes or behind the ears. It's especially important to seek emergency care if these symptoms appear in infants under 12 months of age.
Extreme Weather Policy
SAFETY IS A PRIORITY.
We understand our decision to open, close or delay school opening during extreme weather disrupts family schedules. We also understand that our children are better served – academically, emotionally and socially – by being in school or daycare. But, as always, our top priority is the safety of our children and staff, so the decision to close or delay opening is not an easy one. The process is elaborate and involves everyone within our centre.
HOW DO WE MAKE OUR DECISION?
Please understand that we make the decision to open or close the centre in bad weather based on all relevant factors, including:
• Information on road conditions from local law enforcement and road crews
• Amount of snow and/or ice accumulated
• Whether precipitation will continue throughout the day
• Temperature and wind chill
• Weather predictions (including those from a weather alert service)
• Storm timing, trajectory and projection
• Building conditions (such as whether our building’s electricity and/or heat service is disrupted)
WHO MAKES THE DECISION?
Ultimately, Wee Childcare directors are responsible for the final decision based on the above factors and school closures. Often our directors consult with other area centre directors who are similarly affected by extreme weather/school closures.
WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?
We strive to make the decision to close as soon as we can which allows families to have the chance to prepare. We cannot make any decisions until we have all the information necessary, so we can notify parents immediately via our seesaw app and our Instagram account. As we reside in a Delta School District building, we must close if the district closes due to insurance. Please note that the school district does not often make the decision until 7:00 am. If they remain open, we still may opt to close, not all of our staff live in this community and we have ratio numbers we must follow.
WILL WE CLOSE WEE CHILDCARE IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?
If conditions worsen throughout the school day, we may need to have an early dismissal, but we will give as much notice as possible through the previously mentioned methods of communication. However, it is very important for parents to have plans in place. We encourage you to consider driving conditions. Always allow yourself plenty of time in the afternoon to pick up your child when the centre closes early.
Although we do our absolute best in this process, we know that often no perfect decision exists. If you do not feel that it is safe for your child to attend, use your best judgment whether or not he or she should attend. Again we try to do our absolute best to remain open even if that means adjusting opening and closing times during extreme weather.
Absences/Illness from Childcare (Please refer to our Illness Policy in the "About section")
If a child is too sick to attend daycare, please keep him/her at home. There is no “sick room” at the daycare, and the best place for a child to be recuperating from an illness is at home. You must have a plan B in place if daycare is not an option. There are also many symptoms that a child may have that may prevent them from being able to partake in everyday activities. If your child experiences any of the following please keep them home until they are gone, or are well enough to participate in normal everyday activities. Please refer to our illness policy for when a child will be sent home or cannot attend the daycare.
If your child(ren) is sent to daycare with any of the symptoms listed in our illness policy or develops symptoms during the day they will be sent home. Children should NEVER be medicated and then sent to daycare (i.e. given Tylenol to break fever). If children are sent to daycare medicated but still contagious it puts at risk all the other children and all of the teachers. NO ONE wants to have all the caregivers unable to attend work! You should arrange for backup care when your child is sick, and unfortunately, there are no refunds or discounts for days that your child does not attend daycare. There are still costs associated with each childcare spot each day that unfortunately cannot be avoided if your child is not in attendance.
If your child will not be attending daycare due to illness or any other reason, please send a message over seesaw as soon as possible, as well as the reason they will not be attending.
If the centre is unable to maintain child to staff ratio due to the spread of the flu we will close and families will not be reimbursed for the closure. We do everything to stay open and we ask our families to be considerate and not bring sick children to daycare.
Potty Training
If you feel your child is ready to potty train it is important to have that discussion with your teacher to come up with strategies and tools you would like to do while they are potty training. Examples, using a sticker chart, treats, and any reward system. It is best to start it over a long weekend/weekend to give them a few days at home to test the waters and become comfortable with it. Make sure to read over the signs of being ready to potty train before you make any decisions.
Signs showing a child is ready to begin potty training with a pull-up:
- The child’s diaper is dry after nap times and for long periods during the day.
- The child must be able to express the need to go.
- The child recognizes if they have a pee or poo in their diaper and can differentiate whether it is poo or pee.
Signs showing a child is ready to begin potty training with underwear:
- The child is able to hold their bowels and bladder until they get to the potty once they realize that they need to go.
- The child must not be having more than two accidents per week.
- The child must be able to pull up and down their own pants.
We ask that if you feel your child is ready to begin potty training that they are presenting the signs to potty train with a pull-up. We require the children to begin their potty training at home and not start their first day of potty training with us at school. The child must wear a pull-up at school for the first week or longer/less depending on the child and if we feel they are 100% ready without it. We will continue the use of the pull-up once they start showing signs of being ready for underwear only. We will always encourage children to use the potty regularly, even during the "pull-up phase". When your child does potty train, we ask that you provide extra clothing, pull-ups and remove soiled clothing daily. If we run out of clean clothes and underwear we will use their pull-ups as a backup. Once the child has two-three accidents within one day and they are in the "underwear phase" we will have to put on a pull-up as it is for sanitary reasons.
If we are feeling the child is just not ready to potty train yet, we will make sure to have that discussion with you as potty training at home versus at school can be much different, and it can be a lot more challenging at school. Children will show signs of not being ready so it is important to watch out for them. We do not want to make them afraid, stressed or dislike potty training. This can cause them to not want to do it at all and prolong things a lot longer.
Biting
When a child is bitten, it is a traumatic situation for both children and both sets of parents. Yet, biting is not unusual behaviour for pre-verbal children. They may become frustrated when they cannot say “Move”, “I was playing with that”, or “You are too close”. Because they cannot speak, some children will bite.
When a child is bitten, the area is cleaned and ice may be applied. They are held and consoled until they are ready to rejoin the group. The biter is told that biting is not allowed and that it hurts.
Napping
As per licensing requirements"(3)A licensee providing a care program to any child younger than 36 months of age must provide a separate sleeping area located away from any activity area." Any child between ages 36 months to 4 years of age will have quiet time in an area that is physically separated from children who are engaged in activity that will disrupt napping or resting time.
Although many children have more than one nap a day before they start at our centres, parents can start nap training their children to one nap at the same time as each centre as instructed at the time of registration.
Clothing
Children should come dressed in comfortable, season-appropriate clothing that can get dirty since some activities we do on a daily basis are messy. A spare change of clothes is required for all children in case of soiling clothes. Children under the age of 3, and those who are potty-training require three or more changes of clothing (including socks). We want to keep your children happy and comfortable.
Evacuation Procedures
In case of emergency (fire/flood/otherwise), children and staff will be evacuated to the closest fire hall, located up the street. This is just a short walk from the centre, and that is how the children will be transported there. Emergency contact information will be transported along with us, so you will be contacted to pick up your child at an alternate location. If we are unable to reach a parent we will also post information on the outside door of the centre, and the children will remain safe with the teachers. If mass flooding is the emergency we will move the children to the second floor of our building and notify emergency services of our location.
Signing in and out/Attendance Records Policy
Children are signed in and out by a teacher upon their arrival and departure. (Please be sure to connect with staff and answer all relevant questions before leaving the centre) We ask that if your child is not going to attend care as per usual that you inform the centre by 8:30 am. When your child does not attend daycare you must send a message to let us know the reason – if it is a communicable illness we are required to record this in case of other cases breaking out. If someone else will be picking up your child please let staff know upon arrival or a message on Seesaw. If the person picking up your child is not familiar to the staff, that person will be required to show a photo ID. Please let any individuals other than parents who may pick up the children that they will be asked for picture ID in order to ensure the safety of all children.
Children will not be released to unauthorized individuals. If someone shows up to pick up your child and staff was not made aware of it, we will have to track you down to confirm that this is in fact permitted, as well as see a picture ID of that individual to confirm their identity. Any Court Order or Custody Order will be kept on file and strictly followed.
Late Child Pickup Procedure
The Centre closes at 5:00/5:30 p.m. Parents are asked to plan sufficient time to dress their child, collect the child’s clothes, and artwork, speak to staff (if necessary) and leave the centre by 5:00/5:30 p.m. If the parent/guardian is aware that they are going to be late, they should call the Centre to advise staff of this and of their plan to pick up their child(ren). Due to the operational and staffing costs incurred when a parent/guardian is late, a late fee will be charged.
When the parent/guardian is late:
1. Contact the parent/guardian at the numbers on the child’s file card
2. If contact with the parent/guardian is not established, call the emergency contact(s) on the child’s file card and make arrangements for the child to be picked up.
3. Contact the Supervisor/designate.
4. In the event that the parents/guardians/emergency contact(s) are not available and it is 6:00 pm; contact the appropriate Children’s Aid Society and follow their instructions. Under no circumstances is the staff to remove the children from the Centre.
5. If the parent/guardian is repetitively late, staff will notify the Supervisor/designate who will meet with the parents/guardians regarding the situation.
Drop Off/ Appointments
We ask children are dropped off no later than 10 am. If you have an appointment please let us know and drop off time is no later than noon (12:00pm). Once lunches and/or naps have started we cannot have children arriving or being dropped off.
Late Fees
- From 5:00 p.m. to 5:30/6:00 p.m. the fee for the first time late is $1.00 per minute until 5:30/6:00 p.m. (maximum charge: $60.)
- The fee for the second time late is $3.00 per minute until 5:30/6:00 p.m. (maximum charge: $180) and any time late after that in a 30 calendar day period, the rate will be $3.00 per minute.
- If late four times in any four-week period the family faces removal from the centre.
- The daycare clock is the time used to determine the late payment. Late fees are required to be paid at the start of the following day.
Withdrawal of Services Policy
A minimum of 60 days (8 weeks) notice is required for termination of childcare services. Even if your child does not attend during that eight-week period, a payment for the remainder of the fees is still required on the last day of care. This gives us some time to fill your spot. Any fees not paid on time with regard to the termination of childcare services will also be subject to daily late fees until full payment is received. If fees are not paid, the unpaid bill will be placed into collections.
If for any reason the child/family cannot adjust to our facility, we reserve the right to give notice to the family to find other care. Once you let us know your child will be leaving, please fill out the Withdrawal Form
Click here for the Withdrawal Form
Telephone Communication
If you need to contact the daycare for any reason, please feel free to send us a message at 778-994-6933 or if signed up for Seesaw, please send us a message there. If you do not get a response right away do not worry, as often we are out or busy with the children and unable to get to the phone at that moment. We do check messages regularly and return phone calls or messages as soon as we get the chance. We do not mind messages to check to see how your children are doing during the day. We do please to ask to limit them to 2 per day, as they do disrupt the classroom to pull a teacher away from the children to use the phone. Thank you for your understanding.
If you call outside of daycare hours please leave a detailed message. You can also use Seesaw to communicate outside daycare hours if needed. Someone will return your message at our next earliest convenience.
What to Bring when you Start!
- Bedding for nap time:
o Fitted crib sheet
o Blanket for them to cover up with or if your child is sleeping with a sleep sac
o Any comfort items they may need to sleep with.
o We send bedding home every Friday to be washed and returned the following week.
- Spare Clothing – including underwear and socks, at least 3 complete sets of clothing
o Please ensure that children come dressed in “play” clothes. Although we are careful while doing art and playing outside; there are instances where clothes could become dirty and stained. We appreciate your understanding. Extra supplies can be left at the daycare and replenished when necessary space permitting.
- Muddy Buddy: this is a cover that goes over the top of children’s clothing in case of rain or mud. You can find this on Amazon or at Walmart
- Emergency Kit: A list of what is required is in our registration package
- Inside AND outside shoes
- Sunscreen (spray sunscreen is preferred)
Diapering - When we are running low in these items we will let you know ahead of time.
- Sleeve of diapers
- Pack of wipes
- Lunch bag:
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A large enough lunch bag to hold all items nicely
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Water bottle that does not leak & has a straw
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Ice pack - this is a licensing requirement and there MUST be one packed everyday.
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Cutlery if needed - we do not supply cutlery
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3 items for morning snack (fruit, yogurt, cheese, muffin, etc)
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1 main meal & extra snacks for lunch (if item is hot, please pack in a thermos as we do not heat up the food.
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3 items for afternoon snack
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Bento boxes are not a great option for lunches/snacks. Please try and refrain from using them. Bento boxes cannot be used in an infant/toddler room for children under the age of 3 years old.
Medications
All medications are stored in a lockbox that is inaccessible to children. Children are not given any medication without the parents’ written consent and all medications must be in their original bottles with original labels. Staff must also indicate on the administering form the date, time and dosage of medicine given at each administration, and then initial this information.
For prescription medication, only the directions on the bottle will be accepted for administering the medication. And in all instances staff need to know when the child received his/her last dosage of the medication, to ensure medication is given at appropriate times consistently.
With any prescription antibiotics, children may not return to care until they’ve had a full 24 hours of dosage, are no longer contagious and ready to participate in the full childcare day, to ensure they are well on the road to recovery.
Birthdays/ Special Occasions
If there is a special occasion or birthday, we are recommending that families make goody bags and refrain from bringing in treats due to allergies within our classrooms. Some examples of items you can add to goody bags are, stickers, bubbles, chalk, colouring pads and colouring markers/crayons.
We reserve the right to make any changes to these policies in the form of written notice.
Gradual Entry
This is a requirement of our facility. Please arrange commitments according to your child's gradual entry schedule. Transitioning in to the centre can be a very difficult part of starting daycare. It is important that we follow our gradual entry as it will help each child(ren) have a comfortable transition and will allow time for your child(ren) to have the opportunity to create relationships with their teachers before being away from their parents for long periods of time.