MELROSE
DAYCARE HANDBOOK
MELROSE
DAYCARE HANDBOOK
Dear Parent:
Welcome to the Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
serving children age one month to six years old.
I am happy to have you and your child join our child care family.
You, no doubt, have many questions about such
things as daily schedule, yearly calendar, medical forms and so forth.
I have prepared this HANDBOOK to help answer such questions.
Please read it before your child attends our program and consult it as
needed throughout the time that your child is enrolled in the Melrose Day Care
Center, Inc.
We have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since September of 1997.
Our website address is melrosedaycarecenter.com.
A handbook cannot anticipate all the questions that
a parent might have, so feel free to contact me (781-662-6539) if you need any
further information.
Definition
of Parent:
For the purposes of this handbook, the word,
'parent', will be used
to define the person who is the child’s primary caregiver or legal guardian.
Sincerely,
M. Caroline Yoder, M.S. Administration
Co-Director, Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
Janet Dotolo, B.S. Education
Co-Director, Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
|
T.
Berry Brazelton, M.D., The Brazelton Institute, Children’s Hospital Boston,
Harvard Medical School
The
primary gauge of quality has been accreditation by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children . . . whose seal of approval is regarded
as the gold standard by parents, educators and facilities.
The Wall Street Journal, March 24, 2006
Parents Magazine, February 2007 6/08 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
History and Organizational Structure
2.
Philosophy and Activity Plan
3.
General
Information (Including enrollment information,
arrival and departure information, hours of operation,
late policy, field trip information)
4.
Research, Non-Discrimination Clause, Americans with
Disabilities Act, Drug-Free Workplace
5.
Tuition
6.
Meals (and
important allergy info)
7.
Scheduling
Changes (and transitions)
9.
Part Time Preschool Program
(Polar Bear)
Daily Schedule
10.
Behavior Management & Termination Policy
11.
Termination Policy (Parent Grievance Procedure)
12.
Resource and Referral List
14.
Institutional Abuse and Neglect Policy
15.
Staff Information (including Cori Policy)
17.
Health Policies
18.
Emergency Procedures (including snow closings)
20.
Mass. Child Passenger Safety Law
22.
Holiday Closures (Daycare)
23
Holiday Closures - Part Time Pre-school Program
(Polar Bear)
24.
Board of Director’s Information
25.
Parental Rights
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. was
founded in 1971 by a group of citizens from Melrose including members of the
First Congregational Church, who were instrumental in setting aside space in
the new church building for a day care center, which would serve the whole
community. Our Center cares for
children one month through no older than 7 years of age. We are a private,
non-profit, non-sectarian organization, which receives funds from parent
tuition, the Community Partnership for Children, the Bureau of Nutrition,
Kappa Delta Psi of Melrose, and other charitable organizations.
The Center is governed by a volunteer
Board of Directors which is responsible for setting policies, raising funds,
evaluating the program and the staff, and networking with the community. The Board has annual elections in June of each year at which
time new Board members and officers are elected.
Four to five parents from the Center are invited to be on the Board.
If you are interested in serving on the Board, please let the Director
know so that s/he can inform the nominating committee.
(A complete list of the Board of Directors is attached).
Parent participation in activities of
the Center is strongly encouraged. From
time-to-time, ad hoc committees will be formed by the Board of Directors, and
it is hoped that parents will be actively involved in these bodies.
The Director of the Center meets with
the Board at least once per month. The
Director supervises the full-time teaching staff, the cooks, part-time aides,
and volunteers.
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.'s
goal is to provide a program to supplement the child's family life.
This includes well-rounded, high-quality, comprehensive care to meet
the needs of all infant/toddler, pre-school, and pre-kindergarten children
from a variety of backgrounds. We
are concerned with more than a "care-taking service" and have a deep
concern for the total child. We
provide a continuous learning experience designed to promote a child's
physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.
Our program allows time and space for
active and quiet learning/play experiences, both indoors and outdoors, with
the goal of instilling, within each child, a sense of individual worth.
We foster in the child a sense of security, continuity, trust,
autonomy, initiative, and pride. It is our goal to provide a safe, healthy, educational
environment with an emphasis on helping the child to achieve self-discipline
and learn positive ways of expressing him/herself.
Our Center has been a NAEYC (National
Association for the Education of Young Children) accredited program since
1997. NAEYC is a high-quality
voluntary accreditation system. Their
philosophy is similar to MDCC’s in that our curriculum is a hands-on,
developmental one, in which the classrooms are set up accordingly. PLEASE NOTE: Because
children between the ages of birth to 6 years old are concrete, tactile
learners, you will not see a lot of work sheets or group, teacher-directed
activities at our Center. You
will almost never see this in our infant and toddler rooms.
Rather the classrooms will demonstrate a literature-rich environment
set up in a way that children can learn on their own with teacher guidance.
For example, even for the older children when they are becoming
familiar with their letters, we would typically not use a worksheet format to
teach this. Although, you may see
them in an older classroom to enhance a skill already mastered.
However, typically, we would simply expose them to the written word as
much as possible through books, print in the classrooms, journals, word boxes,
etc. This way when the child is developmentally
ready to start to write and put together words, the teacher will follow the
individual child’s lead and work with that specific child on letters,
writing, and reading.
As
mentioned previously, we are a NAEYC accredited facility.
Our classrooms and our curriculum are set up and created with a
developmental learning style in mind, which means that we strive to teach
children according to their unique learning style versus always teaching to
the class as a whole. The
developmental approach also means that you will see a lot of hands-on
activities going on in the classroom since children under the age of 7 are
still in the concrete learning-phase, meaning that hands-on activities are
more meaningful to them, thus giving them the desire to expand their learning
independently.
All
of our classrooms are set up in a way that you will see areas throughout the
classroom. For example, there are
quiet areas and more active areas. There
is a book area in each classroom and gross motor areas in each classroom.
As the children move into the older classrooms the areas become more
defined. There are block areas,
art areas, fine motor and gross motor manipulatives, and book areas in all of
the older classrooms.
The
Center has a large outdoor space, which is used daily weather permitting.
We also provide indoor gross motor in the cases of inclement weather.
The
Center strives to infuse multi-culture into the classrooms rather than simply
incorporate this at holiday times.
Each
classroom schedule is balanced so there are a variety of quiet and active
times as well as a variety of child-initiated versus teacher-initiated
activities available to the children.
There
is great opportunity for independent play in an organized environment where
the teachers create a curriculum that allows the children to move from area to
area independently.
Typically,
the older classrooms run a weekly or monthly theme. Their curriculums and daily activities throughout the
classroom will reflect this theme.
Transition to Kindergarten:
Our pre-kindergarten teachers work closely with the Melrose Public
School Kindergarten teachers. Each year the Kindergarten teachers update a list of
goals for us to work on with the children throughout their pre-kindergarten
year. We try to share this list
with families so that we can work together to achieve our goal of providing a
smooth transition to Kindergarten.
Six principles which underlie the goals
of our program:
1.
A belief that children's play is their work; they learn by taking part
in a variety of activities which support and enhance growth and development.
2.
Children grow and change in different ways and at different rates.
Day care provides an environment which meets their individual needs.
3.
The Center strives to create an atmosphere of support and trust where
children are encouraged to strengthen individual interests, establish lasting
friendships, and develop self-esteem.
4.
The Center strives to teach children life skills such as: thoughtful decision-making and problem solving; productive
use of time; working or playing cooperatively; handling strong emotions
successfully; treating themselves, each other, and their environment with
respect; seeing projects through to completion; and self-expression through
dramatic play, arts and crafts, music, dance, etc.
5.
We encourage parent involvement and support in our program by welcoming
suggestions, feedback, and questions.
6.
We strive to create and maintain a well-rounded program where we are
able to service families from all cultural, economic, and religious
backgrounds.
GUIDELINES
FOR REGISTERING AT THE MELROSE DAY CARE CENTER:
PARENT
ORIENTATION:
When a parent is interested in
enrolling their child in the Center, they will contact the Director and set up
a pre-enrollment visit. During
this visit, the parent will come with their child (some parents choose to come
on their own for the first visit) and tour the Center and particularly their
child's room. They will also meet
their child's teachers. If the
Center currently has a waiting list for your child's age group, then the
Director will put you on it if you so desire.
The registration/waiting list fee is $35 and is non-refundable.
Quality child care is always at a
premium, and space is limited, therefore, we cannot guarantee that a space
will be available, but we will make every effort possible to accommodate you
and your child(ren) here at Melrose Day Care Center.
Please note that children enrolled at MDCC get first choice of adding
days or moving to an older classroom. Also,
families currently enrolled get preference when they are expecting another
child. Feel free to call us to
get an update on your child’s status on the waiting list. We will only
call you if we have an opening, as we cannot guarantee that a space will be
available.
If the Center does not have a waiting
list or knows that they will have an opening on a specific date, for which you
are interested, then a slot may be reserved with a week's deposit and the
Registration/waiting list fee. The
registration/waiting list fee is $35 and is non-refundable. At this point, the
parent will be given a parent handbook and health policies.
Before a child's "official" start date, the Center recommends
that a child visit their new classroom several times.
Typically, a child will come 2 to 3 times during the week before they
are scheduled to begin school. This
helps the child feel more comfortable with his/her new teachers and new peers.
This helps significantly to smooth the transition from home to school.
Staff try to help parents with smooth
transitions by communicating with a child's future school any information that
may be useful to the further education and development of that child.
The staff will also ask a parent for permission to contact a child's
previous school if they feel it is necessary for a successful transition into
the Center.
1.
Children must be at least one month old to come to the Center in the
infant program, be at least 15 months old to be in the toddler room, be at
least two years nine months to be in the preschool room, and be no older than
7 years to attend the Center.
2.
Children enrolled in the Center will be given first priority to move
from one age group to another, but switching rooms or groups depends on
availability.
3.
Any child who will be leaving at the end of June or the end of August
must let us know in writing by the end of May, so
we are able to enroll new children for the summer and the fall.
Any child, who will be leaving at any other time during the year, must
give us at least 3 week’s written notice of withdrawal from
the center.
4.
Registration for low-income families is based on the Community
Partnership’s income guidelines and the Child Care Circuit’s intake
procedures.
5.
The Center maintains a waiting list.
Intake is based on first come, first served.
REQUIRED
FORMS:
The following files must be kept in our
files:
-
Face Sheet/Child's History Form (Must Be updated annually)
-
Developmental History and Background Information (Must be updated
annually)
-
Emergency Card Information (Must be updated annually)
-
First Aid and Emergency Medical Care Consent Form (Must be updated
annually)
-
Permission and Release Form (Must be updated annually)
-
Physician’s Form (completed by a doctor) including a lead screening.
This form must also be updated annually.
-
Custody agreement of guardianship papers (if applicable)
All of these forms will be given to you
with the handbook. New forms must
be completed annually. The office
or the child’s classroom teacher will notify parents when they need to
update their forms. If anything,
for example, address, phone numbers, change through the year, please notify
your child’s teachers, and the office immediately.
ARRIVAL:
- The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
runs Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Children must arrive at the Center by
9:00 a.m. If your child is going
to be late or absent, we ask that you call before 9:00 a.m. to let your
child's teacher know so that they will not delay activities while waiting for
your child.
- Please be sure to bring your child to
one of his/her classroom teachers at the time of your arrival.
This is especially important if the children are on the playground.
ENTERING
AND LEAVING MELROSE DAY CARE CENTER:
We want to remind you to drive in the parking lot in a safe manner for the well being of all the children. Remember that the lot is one way, which should be entered from West Foster Street and exited onto Cherry Street. You will notice arrows on the driveway. Please drive slowly since a child could dash away quickly. We do not want to have any accidents.
-If a car is parked on Cherry Street,
please do not park directly across from it, as it does not allow enough space
for emergency vehicles.
-Please note that you cannot park in
our lot for the entire day.
DEPARTURE:
- Children must be picked up promptly
by 6:00 p.m.
- If an emergency arises and you know
that you will be late, please notify us as soon as possible.
- Your child will be released only to
you or the other adults (age 16 or older with a picture I.D.) listed on the
Authorization and Consent Form. Non-custodial
parents will be permitted to pick up their children unless the custodial
parent states, in writing, that they are not permitted to do so and give us a
copy of the custody agreement. Please
remember to add new names to the pick-up list as needed.
- If you wish to have someone pick up
your child who is not on the list, a written, signed request is necessary.
We cannot accept telephone requests!
- Staff are instructed to ask for
identification from any adult (age 16 or older) whom they do not recognize.
- As with arrival, please be
sure to let one of your child’s classroom teachers know when you are picking
up your child, especially when you are picking your child up from the
playground.
-In cases where one parent is the
custodial parent, the Center will need a notarized court document showing the
custodial agreement. This is the
only way the Center is able to enforce the agreement and even then sometimes
the non-custodial parent will get very upset and will try to take the child.
The teachers will do what they are capable of to prevent this from
happening. They will try to call
the custodial parent and/or the police if necessary, but if the non-custodial
parent is causing too much trouble for the teachers and the group as a whole,
the teachers may be unable to enforce the agreement.
It would be in the custodial parent's best interest to inform the
teachers of what exactly they would like them to do if the non-custodial
parent were to show up and become violent.
Please try to refrain from involving your child's teachers in the
details of your custody issues. Their
job is to be sure that your child is receiving high quality care while they
are at the Center. If issues
directly affect the child, then the teachers should be informed; however, if
the issues are personal between the two parents, then the staff should not be
involved.
In cases where shared or joint custody
is established by the courts, a notarized court document, stating the specific
custodial agreement must be in the child’s file. This agreement must show who has the right to make decisions
regarding the pick up of the child. For
example, if the father wants to add a person to the pick up list on one of his
days, can he just do this or does the mother need to approve and visa versa.
These details must be spelled out for the day care center so
inappropriate pick up of a child does not occur.
If these details are not spelled out, then the center will assume that
both parents have the right to pick up their child at any time.
Each parent will also have the right to individually determine who
(besides themselves) has the authority to pick up their child.
INAPPROPRIATE
PICK-UP:
If a parent, or other authorized individual, arrives at
the Center to pick-up a child, and appears to be under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, the child will not be released to that person. In
these circumstances, Melrose Day Care Center will retain the child in its care
until another individual authorized to pick up the child is contacted and
reports to Melrose Day Care Center to safely pick-up the child. The
“late pick-up policy will apply if a staff person needs to remain at
the Center after hours to await the child’s alternative pick-up.
Melrose Day Care Center repeated need to obtain an alternative pick-up for a
child may result in the family’s dismissal from Melrose Day Care Center.
LATE
POLICY:
Please remember the day care center closes at 6 p.m.
The late fee is $5 for the first 15
minutes you are late and a dollar a minute for each minute after that per
child, paid directly to the teacher in charge of your child. It is important that we do this because the teachers are only
scheduled until 6:00 p.m., thus anytime after that is overtime.
If a parent or authorized individual
(must be age 16 or older with a picture I.D.) is repeatedly late picking up a
child, this may result in the family’s termination from Melrose Day Care
Center.
We do understand that many unforeseen
circumstances come up and often times it is impossible for you to get to the
day care by 6 p.m. We do
appreciate it, if you know you will be late, to try to give us a call ahead of
time.
FIELD
TRIPS:
The Permission and Release Form, which
you have been asked to sign is required for general trips (e.g. walks to the
center of town, walks to the library, trips to local parks, etc.).
Special field trips (e.g. museums, theaters, The Aquarium, etc.) will
require specific written authorization.
The Center does go on various field
trips throughout the year. Parents
are informed of these trips well in advance and are required to sign specific
permission forms in order for the child to be able to go on the trip.
If you ever did not want your child to go on a particular field trip,
there is always the option for your child to stay behind at the Center in
another classroom. You would need
to make these arrangements ahead of time with your child’s teacher.
There is usually a nominal cost associated with each trip and, if your
child is under the age of 5 and/or weighs less than 40 pounds, you must send
in a car seat for your child or ask the Center ahead of time if there will be
an extra one you can borrow for the day.
We use staff vehicles, a large school bus, and parent vehicles to
transport children to and from the day care center on field trips.
The teachers would inform you ahead of time who your child will be
riding with and whether it would be on a large school bus or in someone’s
car. The day care center carries
the maximum auto insurance (100,000-300,000) to transport children to and from
the Center. This applies to any
staff or parent vehicle being used for a “school related” event such as a
field trip.
CLOTHING:
-Dress your child in sturdy, washable
clothes that can take wear, tear, and occasional spills. Children cannot wear sandals to play on our outdoor equipment
for safety reasons. Try to send
children in clothes that will make it easy for them to dress themselves.
-A complete change of clothing,
including underwear, socks, pants, sneakers, and shirts should be sent in.
Infants/toddlers should have at least two changes available each day.
-The children will play outside almost
everyday, weather permitting. Please be sure to send in the appropriate
clothing each day (i.e. snow pants, hat, boots, mittens, sun hat, etc.).
Oftentimes, even if it is really cold or hot and muggy outside, just
getting out for 5-10 minutes is all the children need.
The teachers use their own discretion as to when it is appropriate for
their classroom to go outside. Unfortunately,
due to staffing issues we cannot accommodate requests to have one child stay
inside all day. If the rest of
the class is going out, then both teachers would need to go outside with the
class, thus there would not be a teacher available to stay inside.
-In the spring and summer, children
will go in wading pools and the sprinkler.
Children should bring a bathing suit and towel, which are washed here
daily.
All clothes and shoes (boots) must be
clearly marked with your child's name. We
cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items. A lost and found box is
located in the classroom. We
can’t stress enough, the importance of sending your child to school in
clothing that can get dirty, stained, or possibly lost.
It is very difficult for the teachers to keep track of every article of
clothing a child wears to school on a daily basis. We always have extra clothing on hand.
BIRTHDAYS:
The staff will acknowledge each child's
birthday on the day closest to it.
Due to the increase in food allergies,
all food brought to school to share (for birthdays or other classroom
festivity) must be approved by the teacher in the classroom ahead of time.
We appreciate your cooperation.
OBJECTS
FROM HOME:
Some children like to bring items from
home to day care. We appreciate the young child's need for security objects
and the parent's need to say "take that along" when play must be
disrupted at home to leave for day care.
However, problems occur at day care when:
-The objects brought in encourage a
kind of play we discourage (e.g. gun play, super hero play, etc.). Please see our “war toy” policy to follow, which explains
in more detail what toys are appropriate and what toys are not.
-The objects are very unique or popular
and the owner of the object allows some children to have a turn but refuses to
give a turn to others.
In order to keep the peace among the
children and facilitate reasonably calm play, we ask that children only bring
in toys/objects that they need for security reasons and that these objects be
placed back in their cubby when they are no longer needed.
The following suggestions can help meet
children's needs but avoid problems:
-Try to send a toy that is important to
your child but not especially interesting to the other children.
A favorite stuffed animal is often a good choice.
Most children have their own favorite stuffed animal at home and do not
quickly warm up to someone else's. Books,
too, are good choices, because a book is easily shared with others as a
teacher reads the book to the owner, other children can listen.
We wish to support children who need an
object to make the transition from home to day care.
We also wish to optimize the day care experience for everyone which
sometimes becomes more difficult when certain items are brought in.
We appreciate your sensitivity to this matter and hope that the
suggestions given above will help all of us.
The Center will not be held responsible
for any item which is brought from home that is lost or damaged.
We strongly encourage you to label EVERYTHING you bring in for your
child, including his/her clothes.
WAR
TOY POLICY:
Melrose Day Care Center does not allow or encourage “war
toys” of any kind in the classrooms. This
includes bringing such things in for show and tell.
Some examples of these would be: guns, plastic soldier figures, GI Joe
action figures, etc. If you are ever unsure as to what would constitute a “war
toy”, please do not hesitate to ask one of your child’s teachers.
It is the Center’s viewpoint that war and the concept of
war are so difficult for anyone to grasp, that expecting a child to fully
understand it, is just too complex. We
feel that if we were to allow the use of war-related toys in our early
childhood classrooms, we would be sending the message to our families that we
feel qualified to address this topic with the children, fully and completely.
Not only, do we not have this qualification, we feel it is not our
place to educate your young child on such a sensitive topic.
Thus, it is our goal to provide your child with as positive
of a “play” environment as possible through competent, caring teachers,
developmentally appropriate toys, and a safe and educational classroom
environment. Children have their whole lives to learn about “war” and the
complexities of the world. Learning
these things while at Melrose Day Care Center would be inconsistent with the
philosophy and mission of our program, in which we pride ourselves so highly.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Each child has a file which will
contain all the required forms, any written communications from you, and any
information your child's teacher may have in regards to your child, including
a copy of the child's progress reports. The
child's file and record are available to the Director, the teachers, and
social workers on staff. You will
be asked for a written and signed request before the file will be shared with
other professionals. Parents may
request access to their child's file at any time.
- Staff may not discuss any child or
child's family with other children's parents.
- The Director will discuss financial
issues with the Board of Directors.
Although this does not happen often,
researchers may ask to use the day care center as a site to conduct a study on
which they are working. If it is
an observational study in which the researcher will have no contact (verbally
or physically) with the children and all names and
identifying information will remain
confidential, the researcher must request, in writing, to the Director who can
approve or disapprove of the request.
If the project entails contact with the
children, a thorough proposal must be submitted to the Director.
This type of research requires the approval of the Director and
the Board. If approved, the
researcher must supply permission slips to all the parents for approval to
work
with their child. A final version of the research paper must be sent to the
Director, the Board, and any parent who requests one.
The Director will notify the Board that this type of research is being
conducted.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
CLAUSE:
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. is an
equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, special needs, religion, marital status,
political beliefs, or national/ethnic origin in admissions, hiring, policies,
financial aid, or other aspects of its operations.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:
In accordance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. affirms the legal rights
of individuals with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination based on
disability and promoting equal opportunity in employment and service delivery
for persons with disabilities, and the provider shall meet the standards
applicable to itself and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 12101 et seq., 28 CFR Part 35).
DRUG
FREE WORKPLACE:
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
maintains a drug free workplace at all times.
Any question of drug or alcohol use while working would result in
immediate dismissal of any Melrose Day Care Center employee. MDCC reserves the right to request a drug test at any time
before or during employment because our employees work closely with children.
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
no longer accepts Credit Cards and the fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th.
The following fees are now in effect; however, our rates may change
sometime during the next fiscal year, which runs from 7/1-6/30.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MELROSE DAY
CARE CENTER, INC.
NEW TUITION RATES
As of: January 4, 2010
Infants
Toddlers
Pre-S/Pre-K
F/T:
$354
$308
$237
P/T:
$266
$230
$177
(3
days/week)
P/T:
$200
$177
$141
(2
days/week)
***
$40 Registration fee – Deposit is one week’s tuition (held entire time
child is enrolled at MDCC).
Drop-in
Rate:
$40
Registration Fee.
Infant/Toddler:
$10.00/hr.
Pre-School/Pre-K:
$8.00/hr.
*************************************************************
Nursery/Half Day
Pre-School Program
(2.9 YEARS TO 5 YEARS):
2009/2010 school year
9 -1:30
9 -12
4 days per week
$489/month
$385/month
3 days per week
$382/month
$304/month
2 days per week
$276/month
$224/month
*** $40 registration fee
– Deposit is $100 which will be applied to your
June tuition
Part Time Preschool (Polar Bear) prices
include lunch and snack daily. There
is a $140 non-refundable registration fee.
$100 of the fee will be credited toward June’s tuition payment.
Part
Time Preschool (Polar Bear) Parents, please note:
Despite
June being a shorter month, as is September, through
May, the monthly fee is the same. The
monthly Part Time Preschool (Polar Bear) fee is an average of all 10 months,
so tuition can remain consistent throughout the school year.
One
Day
- If you want a permanent one day slot for your child, you will be charged
weekly for it (including holidays) as of October 2, 2006.
Depending on your average day, you can pick a four hour day or an eight
hour day. Please understand
anything over four or eight hours you will be charged the drop-in rate. Please
note that a one day slot is only done at the Director’s discretion.
Please
see Director for rates.
Please
note: There is a
$20 fee for bounced checks. ($10 is the portion the day care center bank
charges and $10 is the portion the day care center charges the parent.)
Drop-in
Program:
The Center
also has a drop-in program, which is based on availability in the Center.
The drop in registration fee is $35/child and the rates are $7.75/hr.
for pre-school children and $9.50/hr. for infants and toddlers.
Any portion of an hour will be rounded to the later quarter hour.
The registration for a drop-in child is the same as the registration
for a permanently enrolled child. All
the same paperwork must be filled out, including the child information packet
and a recent physical form, in order for a child to begin in the drop-in
program. The way the program
works is if you are in need of drop in care, you call the Center as soon as
you know the date you need the care. If
we have availability for that particular day, then we will hold the slot open
for you. The slots are filled on
a first-come/first-served basis. Often
times if a particular room is fully enrolled, we probably will not have
availability unless a child permanently enrolled in the room is out sick or on
vacation. Part-time
families already enrolled at the Center are also able to use the drop-in
program and pay the drop-in rate if they would like to add an extra day or
half day on a particular week, although they cannot exchange
days. However, drop-in slots are
ultimately up to the discretion of the Director.
At times, even though there may be availability in a particular
classroom, due to staffing issues and other factors, we may NOT take
any drop-in children on a particular day.
Part-time families, already enrolled at the Center, do not have to pay
the $35 drop in registration fee but they will be billed the appropriate
hourly rate for the extra time their child attended the Center.
If
you book more than 4 hours of drop-in and then do not give at least 24
hours’ notice that you will not be using it, you will be charged a $25
non-use fee.
Melrose Day Care Center is part of the Family
Connections of Stoneham/Melrose/
Wakefield.
This Partnership helps parents in need pay for part of their daycare.
Children need to be 2.9 up to (but not including) Kindergarten age;
parents must be working and living in Stoneham, Melrose, or Wakefield.
Costs are based on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts sliding fee scale.
You can call (781) 246-6425 and speak to the Director, Molly Goyette,
for more information.
The day care center offers scholarship
slots. We have full scholarships
as well as partial scholarships available, depending on your household income
and depending on the funds available at the day care center.
Please speak to the Director if you are interested in a scholarship
slot.
The day care center also has a contract
with the Child Care Circuit to take families on a sliding scale.
It is part of MDCC’s philosophy to service children of all economic
backgrounds. Thus, we feel it is
important to make sliding scale slots available to families so day care is
equally available to all children.
Parents are billed either monthly or
weekly. If you choose to be
billed monthly, you will receive your bill in the last week of the month
before you receive the care, and it should be paid by the 5th of the month
in which you will be receiving the care for your child. If you choose to be billed weekly, you will be
billed on Thursday or Friday of the previous week and you are expected to pay
by the following Monday for that particular week (or the first scheduled
day for your child in a particular week.
In other words, if your child comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then you
are expected to pay on Tuesday). All tuition payments are expected before you
receive the care for your child, not afterwards.
If you choose to make a tuition payment in cash, please be sure to get
a written receipt.
Effective
7/1/08: Melrose
Day Care Center will be implementing a fee for late tuition.
For each day that your tuition is late, you will be charged $5/day.
Please Note: If you are going on vacation, you are still responsible
for paying your tuition before you
go on vacation not afterwards.
The Center does not accept credit cards as a form of payment.
Parents, who are on a scholarship slot,
should note that if their child is absent for more than
5 days in a given month, they may need
to be reassessed and could possibly lose their childcare.
All parents are expected to pay for
their child's tuition 52 weeks out of the year.
In other words, if you go on vacation, if your child is sick, if a
holiday falls on one of your child’s days during the week, or if your child
is out for any other reason (for example, inclement weather, or any state of
emergency, or any type of loss of power or water), you are still expected to
pay the day care center your regular weekly tuition prior to your trip.
The main reason for this is that regardless of whether or not your
child is here we still need to pay our teachers as well as our other monthly
bills.
In cases where the two parents are
separated or divorced, it is the responsibility of the parents to see
that the bill is paid on time, in full! The
daycare is not responsible for making sure that each parent pays a portion of
the bill. The parents,
together, are responsible for seeing that their child’s entire
tuition is paid on time.
If a tuition check is returned to the
day care center for insufficient funds, the parent will incur the full cost of
the bounced check, per our financial institution. In addition to this, the
parent will be charged the late fee for that particular tuition payment.
Furthermore, if a payment is returned 2 times for insufficient funds,
then the family will need to pay the Center with either a money order or cash
from that date on.
We offer a 10% second child discount.
The discount is applied to the least expensive of the two weekly rates.
We also offer a 10% third child discount.
In the case of the third child discount, the discount applies to the
least expensive of the three tuitions. This
discount does not apply if you receive any kind of subsidized childcare nor
does it apply to the drop-in rate.
The Center
does charge a $35 registration/waiting list application fee.
This fee is non-refundable and is required for any family who wishes to
be placed on our waiting list.
Upon enrollment or prior to your
child's enrollment (as described below), you are required to leave a week’s
deposit, which is kept in your deposit account.
This deposit is non-refundable if you decide not to take the opening.
This deposit is held the entire time your child is enrolled at the
Center and may be used towards your last week’s tuition, provided we receive
at least
3 weeks' written notice
of your withdrawing your child from the Center. If we do not receive at
least 3 week's written notice of the withdrawal of your child from
the Center, then your deposit becomes non-refundable (and is not used towards
your last week’s tuition). As
your child moves from room to room, or you add days, or additional children
come to the Center, your weekly tuition amount changes and the deposit amount
needs to be changed to reflect this.
If you are interested in holding a
future slot for your child and if we know we will have the slot available, you
may do that by leaving a week's deposit with us.
This deposit is a non-refundable
deposit if you do not end up enrolling your child(ren) into the Center.
If you do enroll your child(ren) in the Center, the deposit will serve
as your required deposit and may be used towards your last week's tuition
provided we receive at least 3 weeks written notice of your
withdrawing your child from the Center. All
families must also pay the $35 application fee.
The Center operates under a Bureau of
Nutrition Contract under the Department of Education.
We serve nutritionally balanced meals.
A description of our typical meals is written below:
The Center strives to serve whole
grain, healthy foods to the children. We
only server 100% whole wheat breads and try to serve multi-grain carbs, fruit
or protein for snacks. As
recommended by the American Academy for Pediatrics, we try not to serve too
many sugary drinks and/or snacks. We
try to limit the amount of juice intake to under 6 ounces a day.
The children will be served breakfast
from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast consists of cereal (usually cold, but occasionally hot),
toast, bagels, or English muffins, milk, juice, and fruit.
Occasionally, we will serve waffles, pancakes or fruit breads.
Lunch is served each day around 11:30
a.m. The following is a sample of
typical food served to the children:
Chicken, casseroles, turkey, grilled
cheese sandwiches, fish, sandwich meats, soups, macaroni, ravioli, spaghetti,
pancakes, french toast, salad, relish trays, rice, corn, carrots, potatoes,
broccoli, peas, applesauce, watermelon, peaches, pineapple, ice cream, frozen
yogurt, fruit cocktail, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables, and
milk.
The weekly menu is posted on the main
parent bulletin board, in each classroom, and online at
www.melrosedaycarecenter.com. If
you would like a copy in your mail slot, please ask your child’s teacher.
Parents have the option of sending in
meals for their child if they do not like what is being served or if their
child has food allergies.
Children receive a morning and an
afternoon snack, which could consist of fruit, vegetables, whole grain
crackers, whole grain pretzels, smoothies, etc.
Typically, juice will be served with one snack and water will be served
with the other snack. Milk is
served with lunch and breakfast.
Allergy
Info:
PLEASE
BE SURE TO LET US KNOW IF YOUR CHILD HAS ANY FOOD ALLERGIES OR RESTRICTIONS.
THERE IS A PLACE IN YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY FORMS, WHICH ARE
UPDATED ANNUALLY. PLEASE INDICATE
IT ON THE FORMS AS WELL AS VERBALIZE IT TO YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER AND TO THE
DIRECTOR, DURING YOUR INITIAL INTERVIEW WITH HER.
IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN EIP-PEN, WE NEED A DOCTOR’S NOTE STATING WHY THE
CHILD MAY NEED THE EPI-PEN AND WHETHER OR NOT IT IS A LIFE-THREATENING
ALLERGY.
There are parental consent forms in the
office for parents of children with allergies to sign. This allows the Center to post information about your
child’s allergy in conspicuous places in the school.
IF YOUR CHILD HAS A SPECIFIC FOOD ALLERGY, PLEASE CHECK THE MENU DAILY AND
PLAN TO BRING YOUR CHILD’S OWN MEALS.
Parents of
infants and toddlers who are too young to eat the meals prepared by the center
will have to send in cereal, baby food, baby fruits, etc. as well as
formula/breast milk (bottles should already be prepared) each day.
For
children with specific health care needs or food allergies or special
nutrition needs, the child’s health provider must provide the parent or
guardian with an individualized care plan that is prepared in consultation
with family members and specialists involved in the child’s care.
If you want to make any changes
(terminate, add, subtract) in the days your child attends Melrose Day Care
Center, it must be put in writing to the office.
At we require at least 3 week’s notice to a change in your child’s
schedule. We will then respond to
your request in writing, letting you know if your request will work in our
enrollment. If you want to
permanently switch days, drop days, or add days, you must first check with the
office to see which days are available or which day would be the best day to
drop. Requests to add days may
not always be accommodated. This
is ultimately up to the discretion of the Director and is dependent upon
factors such as the teacher’s schedules, the general classroom dynamic, and
the child’s “readiness” to spend more time in day care.
You cannot drop the day that is most convenient for you because that
may not be the best day for the classroom.
For example, we rarely allow a family to do a Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday slot because it is very difficult for us to fill the resulting
Monday, Friday slot. Also,
priority will be given to children of staff if it is in the best interest of
the center to move their child out of a particular classroom.
We will do our best to accommodate your request, but it is not always
possible.
If you are waiting to pick up a certain
day in a classroom, it is up to the discretion of the Director and what is
best for the center as to when you will receive that day.
Also, we allow you to make two (2)
changes to your child’s scheduled days per calendar year.
After that, you will be charged $25 per enrollment change.
Part-time families already enrolled at
the Center are also able to use the drop-in program and pay the drop-in rate
if they would like to add an extra day or half day on a particular week,
although they cannot exchange days.
A family would always be billed for any extra day/time they use beyond
their established enrollment days. Part-time
families, already enrolled at the Center, do not have to pay the $35
registration fee but they will be billed the appropriate hourly rate for the
extra time their child attended the Center.
Again, any request for a schedule change should be put in writing and given to the office, not the teachers. And at least 3 week’s notice is necessary for any schedule change.
Transitions:
Please keep in mind that we will do our very best to
move your child from one classroom to the next when s/he is ready to
transition. We always try to
discuss this with the parent ahead of time.
However, we do give priority to older children, assuming that both
children are equally ready to move to the older room and assuming we have the
correct days available for the older child.
Ultimately, the decision to actually move a child is up to the
Director.
All families are offered a transition conference each
time their child moves from room to room.
A teacher from each classroom will attend the conference.
Group
Size: 7
infants and 2 adults (at least one adult is a teacher)
The infants are all basically on their
own individual schedules. They
are fed and put down to nap according to their schedules at home. As the infants get closer to their move into the toddler
room, they will start adapting more to the toddler schedule, so the transition
will be as smooth as possible.
The infants are changed every hour and
a half or as needed. They also
will go outside everyday, weather permitting.
The older infants will have two snacks per day, just as the toddlers
do, and they generally eat lunch around the same time too.
The infant teachers will enhance the
infant's social, emotional, and cognitive development by providing a variety
of developmentally appropriate activities.
They sing and read to the children.
They also provide water play and opportunities for climbing, walking,
and running.
Group
Size: 9
children and 2 adults (at least one adult is a teacher)
6:30-7:30-
Combine with Pre-School/Free choice activities
7:30-8:00-
Combine with Infant Room/Breakfast served/Free Play
8:00-
Breakfast ends
8:00-9:45-
Free choice activities
9:45-10:00
Diaper changing/Hand Wash/Clean Up
10:00-10:15-
Snack
10:15-11:45-
Outside Time/Going for walks/Also playing in the yard
**During inclement weather, an inside gross motor activity will
be
offered: tunnel, dancing, walks around inside of church, etc.
11:45-12:00-
Clean up/Wash hands/One teacher prepares lunch while the other one
helps children wash hands.
12:00-12:30-
Lunch Time
12:30-12:45-
Finish lunch/Diaper change/Wash hands/Begin nap
12:45-2:00-
Nap or Quiet Time
2:00-3:00-
Waking Up/Quiet choice activities/Diaper changing/Wash hands
3:00-3:15-
Snack time/Clean up
3:15-3:45-
Free choice activities/Clean up
4:00-6:00-
Outside Time/On rainy days or cold winter days, we may come in early
for free play.
* In cases of inclement weather, an
alternative gross motor activity will be offered in lieu of outside time.
OLDER
TODDLER SCHEDULE
Group
Size: 9
children and 2 adults (at least one adult is a teacher).
6:30-7:30-
Arrival time/Breakfast in pre-school
7:30-8:30-
Breakfast & Free Play (Singing and Stories go on during this
time too.)
8:30-9:45-
Free Play continues/Table activities introduced:
Sensory table/
Group
time
9:30-10:30-
Diaper Change/Toilet/Wash Hands/Art Activities/Special
Activities
(Singing and Stories go on during this time too.)
10:30-11:00-
Clean Up/Hand Wash/Snack Time
11:00-11:30-
Daily walk (In case of inclement weather, special/art activities will
be
done.)
11:30-12:15-
Outside time (In case of inclement weather, gross motor activities will
be
done.)
12:15-12:40
Diaper Change/Toilet/Wash Hands/Singing
12:40-1:00-
Lunch Time
1:00-3:00-
Rest Time
3:00-3:30-
Quiet activities for those awake (books, puzzles, crayons)
3:30-4:00-
Put nap things away. Diaper/Toilet/Wash
Hands/Snack
4:00-4:30-
Singing/Stories/Art/Free Choice/Clean up
4:30-5:30-
Outdoor Play or Gross Motor Activity Inside
5:00-5:30-
Diaper/Toilet/Wash Hands (combine with Younger Toddler)
5:30-6:00-
Free Choice/Quiet
Activities/Going Home (Singing
and stories go on
during
this time too.)
* In cases of inclement weather, an alternative gross motor activity will be offered in lieu of outside time.
Group
Size: 15
children and 2 adults (at least one adult is a teacher)
6:30-8:30- Breakfast/Free
choice/Clean up
8:30-9:15-
Clean up/Bathroom time
9:15-9:30-
Circle/Story time
9:30-10:30-
Activities
10:30-10:45-
Clean up/Snack
10:45-11:30-
Outside Time
11:30-12:30-
Quiet activities/Circle
12:30-1:00-
Lunch
1:00-3:00- Rest
Time
2:00-3:00-
Wake up and read books (quiet activities)
2:45 –3:00-
Wash hands and p.m. snack
3:00-3:45-
Free choice time
3:45-5:30-
Outside play
5:30-
Quiet choice activities/Clean up
6:00-
Home
*In cases of inclement weather, an
alternative gross motor activity will be offered in lieu of outside time.
**PLEASE NOTE: THE CHILDREN ARE PERMITTED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM WHENEVER THEY NEED TO. THEY JUST NEED TO LET A TEACHER KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING. THEY ARE ALSO PERMITTED TO GET A DRINK OF WATER WHENEVER THEY WANT, AS LONG AS THEY LET A TEACHER KNOW.
Group
Size: Dolphins:
1 teacher-qualified person to 10 children.
6:30-8:30- Arrival/Breakfast
8:30-10:00-
Free Choice/Outside
10:00-10:15-
Clean up
10:15-10:30-
Bathroom/Wash for snack
10:30-10:45-
Snack
10:45-11:45-
Circle/Activities
11:45-12:15-
Free choice/Outside
12:15-12:30
Wash up
12:30-1:15-
Lunch
1:15-1:30-
Bathroom
1:30-3:00-
Nap/Quiet Activities
3:00-4:00-
Table activities/snack as a choice
4:00-6:00-
Free Play/Outside
*
In cases of inclement weather, an alternative gross motor activity will be
offered in lieu of outside time.
***
PLEASE NOTE: THE CHILDREN ARE
PERMITTED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AND WASH THEIR HANDS WHENEVER THEY NEED TO.
THEY JUST NEED TO LET A TEACHER KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOING.
THEY ARE ALSO PERMITTED TO GET A DRINK OF WATER WHENEVER THEY CHOOSE TO
AS LONG AS THEY LET A TEACHER KNOW.
Group
Size: Penguins:
2 adults (at least one teacher qualified) to 20 children.
6:30-8:30- Arrival/Breakfast
8:30-10:00-
Free choice/Outside
10:00-10:15-
Clean up
10:15-10:30-
Welcome/Calendar
10:30-11:00-
Wash up/Snack
11:00-12:00-
Circle/Activities
12:00-12:30-
Free Choice/Outside
12:30-1:00-
Wash up/Lunch
1:00-1:30-
Bathroom/Quiet choice
1:30-3:00-
Nap
3:00-4:00-
Table activities/Snack as choice
4:00-6:00-
Free choice/Outside
* In cases of inclement weather, an
alternative gross motor activity will be offered in lieu of outside time.
***
PLEASE NOTE: THE CHILDREN ARE
PERMITTED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AND WASH THEIR HANDS WHENEVER THEY NEED TO.
THEY JUST NEED TO LET A TEACHER KNOW THEY ARE GOING.
GETTING
A DRINK OF WATER IS ALSO
PERMITTED, WHENEVER THEY CHOOSE,
AS LONG AS THEY LET A TEACHER KNOW.
PART TIME PRESCHOOL PROGRAM (POLAR BEAR):
Our Part Time Preschool Program (Polar
Bear) is a half-day program serving multi-aged children between the ages of
2.9 to 5 years old. The
nine-month program will follow the public school calendar year.
(see Part Time Preschool Program (Polar Bear) Holiday Closures)
The hours are 9:00 - 12:00 or 9-1:30 daily, with the option of a 2, 3,
or 5-day schedule. The Center
will provide a mid-morning snack as well as lunch.
The children should arrive at 9 a.m.
If your child will not be in, please call the Center.
Children need to be picked up promptly by 1:30 p.m.
The program is designed to enhance the children’s social, emotional,
and cognitive development by providing a variety of developmentally
appropriate activities.
Please note:
Our part-time Part Time Preschool Program (Polar Bear) often times has
space available in the fall for extra full-day children.
When this situation occurs, we always move the oldest children from the
Penguin Room. Typically, these
children are turning 5 by the end of the calendar year.
Occasionally, we will also move some older Penguins again in
January and then in June (for the summer).
If you would like more information on our Part Time Preschool Program
(Polar Bear), please see one of the Directors.
9:00-9:30-
Doors open. Children
arrive, quiet activities/snack choice/clean up.
9:30-9:45-
Circle
9:45-10:30-
Activities
10:30-11:15-
Outside*
11:15-11:30-
Show & Tell/story time
11:30-12:00-
Clean up/wash for lunch/lunch
12:00-12:30-
Open areas
12:30-1:15-
Outside*
1:15-1:30-
Goodbye time
1:30-
Dismissal
* In cases of inclement weather, an
alternative gross motor activity will be offered in lieu of outside time.
***PLEASE
NOTE: THE CHILDREN ARE PERMITTED
TO GO TO THE BATHROOM WHENEVER THEY NEED TO.
THEY JUST NEED TO LET A TEACHER KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING. THEY ARE ALSO PERMITTED TO GET A DRINK OF WATER
WHENEVER THEY WANT, AS LONG AS THEY LET A TEACHER KNOW.
Melrose Day Care Center is open year
round and during all school vacations. Our
hours do not change during school vacations either.
Melrose Day Care Center is also open
all summer long. The day care
schedule runs similar to a summer camp from the end of June to the end of
August. The main difference in
the daily schedule is that the children will spend more time outside in the
mornings and the afternoons. For
example, morning free play and morning activities are typically held outside,
weather permitting. The day care
offers water play and frequent field trips during these summer months.
PART TIME PRESCHOOL PROGRAM (POLAR BEAR) VACATION INFORMATION:
The Part Time Preschool Program (Polar
Bear) starts the beginning of September and ends the middle of June.
The Part Time Preschool Program (Polar Bear) does not meet during
school vacations. The Program
follows the public school calendar year.
There may be some different holiday closures for the Part Time
Preschool Program (Polar Bear) from the rest of the Center (for example,
Veterans’ Day, Martin Luther King Day). Please see the Part Time Preschool (Polar Bear) Holiday
Closure list at the back of this book.
The goal of the day care is to help
each child develop inner control and master his/her environment. Each child, who needs support in managing behavior, will be
approached, individually, depending on the situation. However, these guidelines will be followed as general rules
for all children when discipline is the issue.
The teachers will make sure that each
child understands the expectations of the teacher and the rule of the group.
Often this is a major step in helping children develop control.
When a child needs more help than this,
the following techniques are beneficial to the staff. They will:
- Speak in a low, firm, supportive, and
non-threatening voice at all times.
- Ask the child to refrain from
unacceptable behavior in a clear manner, giving him/her the reason why, at
his/her developmental level.
- If possible, elicit from the child
other ways to achieve his/her objective; if this is not possible, verbalize an
alternative for the child. Always
help the child accept responsibility for his/her behavior.
- Try to anticipate an impending
situation by reaching out to the child before his/her behavior gets out of
control. At this point, diversion
often diffuses an imminent problem.
- When these techniques do not work,
explain to the child that s/he must calm down by leaving the situation until
ready to return. If this does not
work, the child will remain in the room, seated in a chair apart from the
group until s/he is calm and feels ready to return to an activity.
A staff person will remain close to the child.
-If a child cannot regain control or
continues to misbehave (especially if the behavior has occurred multiple
times), the parents will be called to pick up the child and take him/her home.
In cases of severe behavior, such as
biting or significantly hurting another child, the parent will be called to
pick up the child immediately. No
advance warning will be given in these cases.
The following means of discipline are
prohibited:
1. Corporal punishment, including
spanking.
2. No child will be subjected to cruel
or severe punishment, humiliation, or verbal abuse.
3. No child will be denied food as a
form of punishment.
4. No child will be punished for
soiling, wetting, or not using the toilet.
In cases of consistent problem behavior
on the part of a child or a parent, the Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. reserves
the right to ask a child/family to leave the Center. The Center reserves the right to immediately terminate a
child if that decision is in the best interest of the Center as a whole.
If the child's behavior or the parent's behavior is uncontrollable or
if a child has special needs which cannot be met at MDCC, the Center reserves
the right to terminate the family. If
a parent is being disruptive and causing undue stress to the staff at the
Center, this would also be reason for termination from the Center.
The following actions will be
considered due cause for termination of a family from the Center:
1.
Excessive Biting.
2.
Severe behavior problems, which cannot be controlled and endanger the
child and/or other children.
3.
Physical, mental, or emotional problems that require constant
one-on-one attention for a period of more than 30 days.
4.
If a parent refuses professional help when recommended by Center staff,
or when a parent refuses to cooperate with the Center's policies.
5.
Failure to pay tuition on time is grounds for termination from the
Center. The Director and/or the
Board of Directors will determine when this is necessary. If a tuition check is returned to the day care center for
insufficient funds, the parent will incur the full cost of the bounced check,
per our financial institution. Furthermore,
if a payment is returned 2 times for insufficient funds, then the family will
need to pay the Center with either a money order or cash from that date on.
6.
If a child has a disability which the school cannot accommodate.
7.
Melrose Day Care Center closes at 6 p.m. A parent or authorized individual (must be age 16 or older
with a picture I.D.) needs to pick up your child by 6 p.m. If a parent or authorized individual is repeatedly late
picking up a child, this will result in the family’s termination from
Melrose Day Care Center.
8.
Or any other issue, which may be disruptive to the Center.
* The
Center always reserves the right to immediately terminate a family if it is in
the best interest for Melrose Day Care Center.
*Please
Note:
In the cases where a particular child is consistently being hurt by the
same child, the teachers and/or Director will schedule a meeting with the
family (of the injured child) to explain the measures that are taken to manage
the situation. If your child’s
teacher or one of the Directors has not approached you regarding this meeting
and you would like one, PLEASE contact one of the Directors to schedule
the meeting.
WRITTEN PLAN FOR REFERRAL SERVICES AND TERMINATION
Withdrawal:
Any parent wishing to withdraw his/her
child from the Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. must give the Director at
least 3 weeks’ written notice.
The parent is responsible for all fees applicable until the end of the
three-week notice. This notice must be in writing!
Referral:
The Melrose Day Care Center, Inc. shall use the following procedures
for referring parents to appropriate social, mental health, educational, and
medical services for their child, should the Center staff feel that an
assessment for such additional services would benefit the child.
Center
Liaison:
The center
liaison is a staff person (at least teacher qualified) assigned to a child to
serve as that child's liaison between the classroom and the other teachers and
outside referral agencies. This person could be the Director or another
teacher in the day care center.
1. Any staff member who is concerned
about a child's development or behavior will report her concerns to the
child's classroom teacher. The
lead teacher will review the concerns with the Center Liaison and, if
necessary, the Center Director. *PLEASE
NOTE: In cases where behavior
is the issue, it may not be possible for the center to go through all of these
steps. In certain cases,
immediate termination is necessary and it would be impossible for the Center
to go through all of these steps.
2.
If the Center Director and the Center Liaison agree, the lead teacher
will complete and begin documentations of the child's behavior.
The parent will be informed of the problem and the attempts to be taken
to resolve it. The documentations
and the child's record will be reviewed by the Director and Center Liaison.
3.
If the Director agrees, the Director, Liaison, and Lead Teacher will
meet with the child's parent(s) or legal guardian.
The Center Liaison will maintain a list
of current referral resources in the community for children in need of social,
mental health, educational, or medical services. Please see the Resource and Referral List, located on the
pre-school room bulletin board (as you enter the Center from the playground it
is posted on the bulletin board to your left) and on pages 29-30 of this
handbook.
REFERRAL
MEETING:
The Director and the Center Liaison
will schedule a meeting with the child's parent(s) or legal guardian to notify
them of the Center's concern.
At the meeting, the Director or the
Center liaison will provide to the parent a written statement including the
reason for recommending a referral for additional services, a summary of the
Center's observations related to the referral, any efforts the Center may have
made to accommodate the child's needs, and a current list of possible referral
resources.
The Director or Center Liaison will
offer assistance to the child's parents in making the referral.
Parents should be encouraged to call or request in writing an
evaluation. If
parents need extra support, the Center
may, with written parental consent, contact the referral agency for them.
If a child is at least 2 1/2 years of
age, the Director or Center Liaison shall inform the child's parent(s) of the
availability of services and their rights, including the right to appeal,
under Chapter 766.
If a child is under the age of three,
the Director or Center Liaison shall inform the child's parents of the
availability of services provided by Early Intervention Programs.
FOLLOW-UP
TO THE REFERRAL:
The Director or Center Liaison will,
with parental permission, contact the agency or service provider who evaluated
the child for consultation and assistance in meeting the child's needs at the
Center. If it is determined
that the child is not in need of services from this agency, or is ineligible
to receive services, the Center shall review the child's progress at the
Center every 3 months to determine if another referral is necessary.
PLEASE
NOTE: Below
are procedures the Center will try to follow.
However, in cases where immediate termination is necessary, the Center
would be unable to follow this protocol.
Termination:
In the event in which a teacher feels
that a child should be terminated from our program, s/he will inform the
Director. The child's teacher
will document all relevant information regarding the termination of any child.
The child's teacher will also communicate this information verbally to
the parent/legal guardian and set up a referral meeting (please see the above
description of a referral meeting) to discuss their concerns.
If following the meeting with the parent/legal guardian, the Director
and the child's teacher feel that further participation in the program would
not be in the best interest of the child or the program, the parent would be
asked to withdraw their child from the program.
At this time the parent/legal guardian will also be provided with
written documentation of the reasons for their child's termination.
At this time the parents would again be informed, as they were in the
referral meeting, of the availability of information and referral for other
services, which may benefit their child.
When a child is going to be terminated
from the program, the day care center will attempt to prepare the child for
their termination. They will do
this by discussing the child's eventual departure with the child and with the
other children in his/her class. Soon
before the child's last day the teachers and other children will have a
good-bye snack or party for the child, so they are able to say their final
good-byes. PLEASE
NOTE: It is not always
possible to do this if the termination needs to occur immediately.
Parent Grievance Procedure:
If a parent
has a particular issue or grievance, which they would like to discuss, they
should use the following procedure:
If the issue has to do with your child
and your child’s teacher, it is recommended that you first discuss the
problem with one of your child’s teachers.
If, at that point, you are still unsatisfied, then discuss the issue
with the Director (in the case of a classroom issue), and eventually a board
member. If the issue is more of a
whole center issue or has to do with billing, transitions, or a handbook
policy, please discuss these issues with the Center Director.
The Board of Directors of Melrose Day Care Center ultimately oversees
the program and supervises the Directors.
They approve all financial and policy changes for the whole center.
RESOURCE AND
REFERRAL AGENCIES FOR PARENTS
SUPPORT GROUPS:
Early
Intervention: 781-935-3855
Parents
Helping Parents: 1-800-882-1250
SPECIAL EDUCATION:
Speech &
Language Therapy: (781) 662-2000
x221.
Eastern
Middlesex Association for Retarded Citizens (EMARC):
(781) 942-4888
Early
Childhood Center @ Franklin School: 781-979-2260
Main number
for the Melrose Public School System is: (781) 662-2000
MEDICAL:
Post-partum
pampering: (781) 979-0159
Board of
Health: (781) 979-4130
Family and
childbirth education program/Infant & Child CPR (Hallmark): (781) 338-7561
Dental:
Mass. Dental Society 1-800-342-8747
Vision and
Hearing: Call either the Board of
Health Nurses of your town (Melrose
(781)
979-4130) or the Visiting Nurses of your town (Melrose (781) 665-4800) to
make arrangements for testing.
RESOURCE AND REFERRAL AGENCIES CONTINUED:
STATE AGENCIES:
Department of
Early Education and Care (EEC)
(formerly the
Department of Early Education and Care – EEC) Local #: (978) 740-3060;
EEC Boston #: (617) 988-6600
Department of
Social Services (DSS) Local #: (781) 388-7100;
DSS
Boston #: (617) 748-2000
Department of
Public Health: (781) 979-4130
Early
Intervention: (781) 935-3855
GENERAL RESOURCE & REFERRAL AGENCIES:
Community
Partnership for Children: (781)
246-6425
Child Care
Circuit (Beverly): (978) 921-1631
Health
Resources (Boston): (617)
357-4140
North
Suburban Family Network: (781)
662-2722
OTHER:
The Melrose
Family Room (781) 979-7668
Melrose
Baby-sitting Exchange: Lisa
781-620-1323
North
Suburban Babysitting Co-op: Leslie
781-322-0725
Department of
Education: (781) 338-3000
Federation
for Children with Special Needs: (617)
236-7210
SafeLink
(domestic violence hotline): 1-877-785-2020
When a child with a developmental delay
or a special need would like to enroll at our Center, the Director will meet
the family and take them on a tour of the Center.
If the child requires one-on-one care,
due to the size of the group and teacher to child ratio, we may not be able to
service the family. In this case,
professional referrals will be given to the family.
Before the child enrolls, the Director
meets with the staff to explain the child's particular needs.
If the child has an IEP (Individual Education Plan), staff are made
aware of the plan.
After the child enrolls, parents are
included in all conferences regarding the IEP and the development of the
child. Staff will meet regularly
with the Director to discuss the IEP, as well as the program of the child.
Whenever any incident of suspected
abuse or neglect by any staff member of the Day Care Center is reported to the
Director, the Director shall immediately notify the Board of Directors, and
together they will investigate the allegation.
If, as a result of this investigation, these people have
"reasonable cause to believe" that a child is suffering from
physical or emotional injury resulting from abuse, including sexual abuse or
from neglect, the Director will notify the parents of the child and shall
report the condition to the Department of Social Services as per the
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 119, Section 51-A.
Immediately when a 51-A report is made, the accused staff person shall
be suspended without pay. The
Director and the Board of Directors shall consider the results of the DSS
investigation and other relevant information to determine whether further
disciplinary action, including termination, shall be taken or whether the
accused staff member shall be reinstated if there is not indication that the
staff person acted inappropriately.
In the event that an outside person or
agency files a 51-A report raising concern about suspected abuse of a child in
the program by a staff person, the Board of Directors shall immediately be
notified. The suspected staff
member shall be suspended without pay immediately.
The Director and/or the Board of Directors will review the results of
the DSS investigation and other relevant information to determine whether
further disciplinary action, including termination, shall be taken or whether
the accused staff member shall be reinstated if there is no indication that
the staff person acted inappropriately.
Depending on the results of the
allegation and the regulations of the Department of Early Education and Care,
the person can return to work. However,
until the investigation is complete, the allegedly abusive or neglectful staff
member will not work directly with children.
The Director will also notify EEC after
filing a 51A report or learning that a 51A report has been filed alleging
abuse or neglect of a child while in the care of the program or during a
program related activity.
Melrose Day Center will cooperate in
all investigations of abuse and neglect in any way the office deems necessary.
In the event that a staff member
suspects abuse or neglect of a child by a parent, family member, staff member,
or any person who may be associated with that child, that staff member is
responsible themselves to report the suspected abuse or neglect to the
Department of Social Services. The
staff member should inform the Director of the suspected abuse or neglect but
it is the staff member's (not the Director's) responsibility to make sure that
a 51-A is filed through the Department of Social Services.
All staff are mandated reporters.
Department of Social Services:
(617) 748-2000 Boston; (781) 388-7100 Malden
Department of Early Education and Care:
(617) 988-6600 Boston; (978) 740-3060 Salem
The staff, along with a brief
description of their duties, are listed below:
DIRECTOR:
The Director, along with the Board of
Directors, sets all the policies relating to the operation of the day care,
supervises all staff, oversees daily functioning of the program, and monitors
all the finances of the Melrose Day Care Center, Inc.
The Director is the liaison for the
parents, staff, and Board to each other and the community. Although parents should discuss day-to-day issues with the
teachers, the Director is also available if you feel the need to discuss
certain issues in more detail.
The Director is certified in
Infant/Child First Aid and Infant/Child CPR.
A Criminal Records Check is also done on the Director upon her/his
employment and yearly thereafter.
LEAD
TEACHERS:
Lead teachers all have at least 4
courses in Early Childhood Education and varied experience working with young
children. They are responsible
for overseeing their room. They
work with the teachers to plan and implement the daily curriculum, provide
progress reports for
each child at least twice per year, as
well as maintain effective daily communication between parents and staff.
All lead teachers are certified in
Infant/Child First Aid and Infant/Child CPR.
Criminal Records Checks are also done on all lead teachers, upon their
employment and yearly thereafter.
TEACHERS:
Teachers all have at least one course
in Early Childhood Education and varied experience working with young
children. The teachers in each
room work with the lead teacher to plan and implement curriculum, fulfill the
necessary amount of progress reports for each child, and maintain a pleasant
flow of communication between themselves and the parents.
All teachers are certified in
Infant/Child First Aid and Infant/Child CPR.
A Criminal Records Check is done on all teachers upon their employment
and yearly thereafter.
TEACHER'S
AIDES:
The aides may be full or part time.
They are responsible for helping the lead teachers and teachers with
the children and their daily activities.
They are also responsible for doing things that the lead teachers or
teachers may not be able to do because they are needed to be
with the children. Some of these duties may be:
washing snack dishes, putting away yard toys, snack preparation, etc.
Teacher's aides are never left alone with a group of children.
All aides are certified in infant/child
first aide. A Criminal Records
Check is done on all aides seventeen years or older upon their employment and
yearly thereafter.
ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANTS:
The Administrative Assistant positions
are part-time. They are
responsible for handling the general business management and record keeping of
the day care, including paying all bills and doing weekly and monthly invoices
for families enrolled at the Center. They
are also responsible for all filing, maintaining staff and child records,
doing general typing for teachers and the Director, and ordering supplies for
the office and classrooms. They
assist the Director with enrollment and monthly state billing.
They also answer the phones, set up appointments, and take messages.
A Criminal Records Check is done on all Administrative Assistants upon
their employment and yearly thereafter.
COOKS:
The cooks plan the menus, buy the food,
prepare all food, and clean up the kitchen.
They post the menus each week. A
Criminal Records Check is done on all cooks upon their employment and yearly
hereafter.
SUBSTITUTES:
If a staff person is absent and our
staff:child ratios are out of compliance, substitute teachers will be hired on
a day-to-day basis. The Center
also has a floating teacher, who is used to cover for permanent staff when
they are out sick or on vacation.
STUDENTS/VOLUNTEERS:
Periodically, local schools,
universities, or youth organizations will ask to place a student in our
program as a learning experience. All
students are carefully screened by the Director and given close supervision. The same is true of volunteers.
CORI
POLICY:
All employees and volunteers undergo a
criminal records check prior to employment.
Without a completed criminal records check (through EEC and DSS), the
staff person cannot begin work at MDCC. The
CORI is re-done every 2 years. If
there is a question on the CORI once it is returned, the Directors will use
their discretion to determine the status of the employee’s possible or
continued employment at MDCC.
COMMUNICATION:
Teachers and
parents need to be in frequent contact with each other.
Try to speak with the teachers when you pick up your child.
The infant and younger toddler rooms give a daily sheet to all parents,
describing what your child ate, when they slept, and any other important facts
you need to know about your child's day.
Most rooms will jot down on a white board in the room what was served
for meals that day and anything special they did during the day as a group.
In addition
to this, many parents like having a teacher/parent notebook available so they
can further communicate with their child's teacher. Typically, these notebooks are filled out on a weekly or
bi-weekly basis. The teachers
will write a little note and send it home on the last day of the week for your
child and then we ask that the parent writes in the notebook over the weekend
and brings it back to school the following week.
This is a nice way to facilitate conversation with your child about
what happens at school. It also
really helps to improve teacher/parent communication.
If you would like to have a daily or weekly communication notebook,
please speak to your child’s teacher about this.
These methods
help to keep parents and staff mutually informed so that a consistent and
sensitive environment can be created for the children.
In addition to the daily communication,
each classroom writes and distributes a monthly newsletter.
This newsletter has important notices in it such as special events
which are going to occur during the month, any days the Center would be closed
during the month, and the overall classroom schedule (theme) for the upcoming
month.
For
all classrooms:
All
classrooms will be as sensitive to the individual needs of the children in the
room as possible. In certain
classrooms (usually infant and toddlers), each teacher will be specifically in
charge of a certain group of children for things such as their bi-annual
evaluations and any other specific developmental issues relevant to the child.
Some of our larger classrooms work together on these things, so the
group is treated as a whole. However, if you would prefer for a specific teacher to handle
these more “major” things for your child, please either speak to the
teacher yourself or talk to one of the Directors.
CLASSROOM
PARTICIPATION:
Parents are encouraged to visit the
Center throughout the year. You
may want to share in a daily activity or plan a special project to do with the
whole group. Although parents are
free to drop in any time, if you would like to participate in an activity,
please let your child's teacher know in advance.
PARENT
CONFERENCES:
Scheduled conferences for the parents
and teachers are of tremendous importance in setting appropriate goals,
exploring the child's needs and discussing areas of concern and progress.
The teachers strive to set these up at convenient times for parents to
attend but if an alternative time is more convenient, we are willing to
accommodate that. The teachers try to give parents specific ideas in regards to
their development at home and at school.
Teachers will schedule a minimum of four conferences for infants and
two conferences for toddlers, and
preschoolers. Others can be
arranged as needed. If parents
would like to discuss programmatic issues rather than child-focused issues,
please arrange an appointment with the Director.
BOARD
PARENTS:
Each year, a parent or parents will be
asked to serve on our Board of Directors as a parent representative.
These parents will serve as liaisons between the Board and the
classroom. They will attend
monthly board meetings and help with various board events throughout the
fiscal year. The busiest time for
board enrollment is at the beginning of our fiscal year, which is on July 1st.
According to the Board’s By-Laws, it cannot be comprised of more than
50% parent representatives. As openings become available, the Director will ask parents
if they are interested in serving on the Board.
We try to have parents representative of each age group in the Center.
SPECIAL
EVENTS:
Parent/Board/Staff events are held
throughout the year. They will be
held in the mornings or evenings and may take the form of pancake breakfasts,
potluck dinners, workshops, etc. These
events are good times to meet other parents, speak with Board members, and
chat with the staff on an informal basis.
Parents are encouraged to make every effort to attend these gatherings.
EMAIL:
The day care communicates regularly
through email. All newsletters
and other correspondence are sent via email.
Parents will be asked for their email address upon enrollment and are
then responsible to inform the office of any changes. We do this for efficiency purposes as well as to strive to be
more “green” by saving paper.
WEB
SITE:
The day care center also has its own
web site. Melrosedaycarecenter.com. All
sorts of things are available on the web site:
a full copy of the parent handbook, our menu, event photos, child
rearing tips, etc., etc.
PARENT
BULLETIN BOARD:
The large bulletin board to the left
when you enter the day care center from the playground will have information
posted for parents. There is also
a smaller bulletin board to the right as you enter the brown doors off the
parking lot with parent information on it.
Please take a minute to look at one of the boards each day.
PARENT
MAILBOXES:
Each classroom has its own set of
parent mailboxes. They are
located in a central spot in your child's classroom.
Please ask your child's teacher where your specific mailbox is located.
Classroom newsletters, Center newsletters from the Director, the
Parent-to-Parent newsletter, bills, and any other important notices will be
placed in your mailbox. Please
check it daily.
FUNDRAISERS:
During the year, Melrose Day Care Center holds many fundraisers and participates in a lot of community events. In order to do this, we need help and support from parents. We would like to ask for one hour per year from each family to help at one of these events. The sign up sheet for the year’s events will be passed around at room meetings and then a fundraising committee member will contact you prior to the event with the time you signed up for and the location of the event.
IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN EIP-PEN, WE NEED A DOCTOR’S NOTE STATING WHY THE
CHILD MAY NEED THE EPI-PEN AND WHETHER OR NOT IT IS A LIFE-THREATENING
ALLERGY.
-Your child's doctor must complete the
Massachusetts School Health Record, including the lead screening.
-You must also fill out all enrollment
forms prior to your child's first day at school.
-Children must have had a complete
physical within six months of the completion of the medical form. This form
along with the other enrollment forms must be updated every year on or before
your child's anniversary date.
-For the sake of your child's comfort
and the health of the other children, please keep your child home if any of
the following conditions exists:
-sign of a fresh cold (runny nose,
watery eyes, etc.)
-fever
-diarrhea
-vomiting
-untreated infection, e.g. strep
throat, ear infection
-infectious rashes
-contagious conditions, such as lice or
chicken pox
If your child has an infection that
requires antibiotics, s/he can return to the Center after they have been on
the antibiotic for at least 24 hours and only if no fever is present.
If your child is sent home with a
fever, s/he must be fever-free for at least 24 hours before s/he may return to
school.
If your child has a communicable
illness, e.g. lice, strep throat, chicken pox, etc., you must let his/her
teachers know; they will inform the other parents and the Center's health care
consultant.
Infants and toddlers may not wear cloth
diapers. We do not have adequate
storage for the soiled cloth diapers. You
are welcome to bring your child in with a cloth diaper on, but we will need to
change them in disposable diapers throughout the day.
If your child becomes sick while in our
care, your child's teacher will call you to take your child home. If you
cannot be reached, your delegated "emergency" person will be
expected to pick up your child and provide care until you return. Please be sure that the people on your emergency list
understand that responsibility. Your
child will be placed in a quiet, cozy area in the Center and will be
supervised until you or the emergency person arrives.
If a parent is asked to pick up their child, they must arrive at the
center to pick up their child within 2
hours of the time of the phone call.
Prescription medicine can be
administered by staff ONLY with a note written by the child's doctor
specifying dosage and restrictions. Medication
must be in the original prescription container.
Non-prescription medication may be administered by staff, but we also
need a doctor's note specifying dosage and duration.
It is a requirement from the Department
of Early Education and Care (EEC) that all children 12 months and older must
have a lead screening done prior to enrollment in the Center and then annually
after that. If your child’s
doctor does not feel that this is medically necessary, she/he must write a
note stating this, which will be put into your child’s file.
Although we understand that it is
difficult for a parent to miss work, in many cases it is not in the best
interest of the sick child and/or the center community to have the child at
Melrose Day Care Center. The MDCC
health policies set up the basic criteria that MDCC follows regarding
necessary treatment, and exclusion of MDCC care, for common conditions found
in early childhood. In general,
we ask a parent not to bring their child to MDCC if their condition is
contagious, requires medical treatment, or if the child is obviously too
uncomfortable functioning in group care. Also, if your child's condition
requires a 1:1 ratio or if it interferes in any way with the adult/child
ratio, we are unable to allow them to attend MDCC that day.
For example, we cannot accommodate requests to keep a child inside for
the day due to mild illness (cold) or due to weather.
The only way this would be possible would be if part of the group
happened to be staying in anyway.
The MDCC staff try to be reasonable
when determining whether or not a child is sick; however, we do adhere
strictly to the health policies, for the benefit of the sick child and the
total group. If a parent is asked
to pick up their child, they must arrive at the center to pick up their child
within 2 hours of the time of the
phone call. If a parent will not
be at their usual number, they must leave the number where they can be reached
in case their child becomes ill during the day.
If your child appears to have symptoms of illness, as described in
the policies listed below, please keep
her/him home. When in doubt, a
parent is welcome to call the center in the morning to ask for advice in
judging the condition. Please try
to call before 9:00 a.m. if you know your child will not be coming to school
that day, as this helps us to identify similar symptoms in other children and
it also helps in program planning.
Notification of any highly contagious
condition (chicken pox, etc.) is very important to us, and we do post notices
of such illnesses to inform all parents.
For children who are enrolled in a
public or private school outside of the Center, if the child was to get sick
while at their public or private school, the school should call the parent
directly, not the day care center. If
we were to get a phone call from your child’s other school during the day,
informing us that your child was sick, we would inform the school that they
must call the parent to notify them directly.
We would provide them with the appropriate phone number if they needed
it. We would then try to call the
parent ourselves to inform them that their child’s other school was trying
to contact them because their child was sick.
In these cases, the child would not be allowed to return to MDCC for
after-school care. They must be
picked up by the parent at their other school and taken home.
For those situations where a parent may
need substitute child care, these are 3 places that provide listings of
individuals willing to care for sick children:
The Child Care Resource Center:
Beverly (978) 921-1631
Parent's in a Pinch: Boston (617) 739- KIDS
DIARRHEA:
A child will be sent home if s/he has
had 2 watery stools. If we do not
have an explanation from your Doctor, and the diarrhea continues (one more
time) on the day your child returns to MDCC, your child will need to go home.
Children may return to the center once they have had a firm stool.
However, if your child has one diarrhea the day before and then comes
to day care the next day and has one more diarrhea, s/he will need to go home,
regardless of whether or not they had a firmer stool at home the previous
night.
Your child may return to the center
with occasional diarrhea, due to antibiotics, teething, etc. only if we have
written or verbal notification from your pediatrician that the diarrhea is not
due to a contagious illness. The
only exception to the requirement of a Doctor's note for diarrhea, which is
being caused by an antibiotic, is in the case of Augmentin.
Since diarrhea is such a common side effect of the antibiotic,
Augmentin, our health care consultant said that this can be the one exception.
In other words, if your child is on Augmentin and is experiencing NO
other symptoms other than the diarrhea, it would be OK for your child to attend day care unless there is a
stomach bug in the center. In
which case, the child would be sent home after 2 watery stools as the diarrhea
policy states. Since our health
care consultant has approved this, this is the one exception where a Doctor's
note is not required if your child
has diarrhea as a result of taking Augmentin.
If diarrhea is only caused by
antibiotics, but the antibiotics are also causing distressful cramping, we
will ask that your child be taken home if s/he is very uncomfortable.
VOMITING:
A child who vomits at MDCC must leave
the center until the following day, returning only if s/he is well enough.
If your child vomits at home during the night or in the early morning,
s/he should not be brought to MDCC since not enough time has passed to
determine the cause of the vomiting. (Vomiting for a non-health related reason
such as motion sickness is not considered an illness and would not exclude a
child from MDCC).
COLDS:
Normal colds may occur frequently in
early childhood and children with very mild symptoms such as a runny nose or
slight cough may be in the center. However,
if your child is not well enough to participate with the rest of their
classroom, then they will not be permitted to attend school that day.
The center does not have the staffing to provide 1:1 ratios for
children who are feeling sick. Please remember that a child must also be well enough to play
outside to be at MDCC.
FEVER:
Parents will be called and asked to
pick up a child who has a 101 degree temperature or higher. Although, often times we will still contact parents even if
their child's temperature is under 101, just to let them know that their child
has a slight fever. The child may
return to MDCC within 24 hours ONLY IF the fever was under 101, ALSO ONE OF THE PARENTS MUST BE REACHABLE BY PHONE AND BE ABLE TO
ARRANGE PICK-UP in case the teachers observe that the child is not well
enough to be at MDCC after all.
MDCC typically cannot give
fever-reducing medication to your child.
In other words, if your child has a fever, you cannot send them in with
Tylenol or some other over-the-counter medication to reduce their fever.
If they have a fever of 101 or higher, they are not allowed to be in
day care. However, if we had a
doctor’s note to administer Tylenol, we would give it to the child to make
them comfortable while waiting for the parent to pick up.
If the fever was 101 or higher, the
child must remain out of the center until at least 24 hours from the time the
fever breaks (this is not necessarily 24 hours from the time the child leaves MDCC).
An exception to this
would be if the fever was caused by an ear infection for which the child was
now taking an antibiotic. If this
was the case, we would need a note from the child's doctor, stating that their
fever was due to an ear infection.
Please note:
Often times certain immunizations cause fevers.
If we have a note from your child’s doctor stating that the fever is
due to the immunization, we can allow the child to remain at day care.
The fever policy is based on mutual
trust and respect for the judgment of teachers and parents. It is not designed to allow for care for mildly ill children,
but to allow for flexibility to assess children's recuperation from fever
producing illnesses on an individual basis.
This is done for the benefit of the parent, but not to the detriment of
the child, other children, or teachers. The
policy will not work without total cooperation between teachers and parents.
RASHES:
Solid
red, tender, warm areas that are spreading may be caused by infection.
Many infections that affect the whole body are associated with rashes.
Many rashes look alike; frequently, even the doctor cannot make a definite
diagnosis. The best clues are provided by any other symptoms
accompanying the rash and knowing what’s going around. For ex., where
did the rash begin on the body, was there a recent injury, medication, food?
Although
most rashes are more troublesome than dangerous, there is a group of rashes
associated with severe and life-threatening illness. These rashes look
like little blood spots or bruises under the skin. Children may develop
little blood spots around their faces and necks from crying hard or vomiting,
but when this type of rash appears elsewhere on the body without being
explained by injury, a health professional should be called immediately.
A rash from spontaneous bleeding into the skin signals serious disturbances in
the body’s bleeding control systems. Spontaneous blood-red or
purple spots or bruises appearing without injury should be treated as a
medical emergency. Also, a rash of hives or welts that appears quickly
should be evaluated immediately by a health care professional.
Fortunately, these illnesses occur rarely.
If
a rash or hives are present on a child and seem to be getting worse or if the
child just doesn’t seem to be feeling well (in conjunction with the rash),
the parent will be called to pick up their child. The child must be seen
by a doctor to determine the severity of the rash and whether or not it is
infectious. The child may return to daycare when the rash is gone or
with a note from the doctor stating that the rash is not infectious and that
the child is fine to attend daycare.
PLEASE
NOTE:
If a fever, vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms are present along with the
rash, then those particular health policies would also apply.
FIFTH
DISEASE:
Fifth
Disease is a virus that most often affects children. It starts with a
headache, body aches, sore throat and possibly a low grade fever. Then a
rash will appear (bright red) on the cheeks and possibly a lacy rash elsewhere
on the body.
By
the time the rash appears, children are no longer contagious, thus do not need
to be excluded from daycare unless other infectious symptoms are present.
Careful
hand washing is the best protection against the spread of fifth disease.
IMPETIGO:
There are two types of impetigo:
one caused by strep and the other by staph.
A culture must be taken to determine which bacteria is causing the
impetigo. If it is strep, as is usually the case, a child may return to
MDCC 24 hours after medication is applied.
If it is staph, the child must be out for 72 hours after application of
the medication.
CONJUNCTIVITIS:
This is a highly contagious infection
of the eye, characterized by tearing, a yellow/green discharge, and/or
"pink eye". If it is
suspected, we will call you and ask you to take your child and have her/him
checked by a doctor. If the
diagnosis is confirmed, your child must
be on antibiotics for 24 hours before
returning to MDCC, and then only if the yellow/green discharge is gone.
In cases where a child has a diagnosed
(by your child’s pediatrician) blocked tear duct, we will need a note from
your child’s pediatrician stating this.
However, if conjunctivitis is running through the classroom AND your child’s eyes are producing a yellowish/green
discharge, then your child will need to go home and cannot return until they
have been on the antibiotic for conjunctivitis for 24 hours AND
their eyes have completely
stopped producing the yellowish/greenish discharge.
Usually, the first symptom of a blocked
tear duct is excessive tearing, ranging from a wet appearance of the eye to
tears running down the cheek. Babies
who have blocked tear ducts usually have symptoms within the first few days to
the first few weeks after birth. If
infection develops in the eye’s drainage system for tears, inflammation that
includes redness and swelling may develop around the eye or nose.
Also, yellow/green mucus can build up in the corner of the eye, and the
eyelids may stick together. In
severe cases, infection can spread to the eyelids and the area around the eye.
If there is yellow/green mucus from an infection, the child cannot be
at MDCC until the yellow/green discharge is gone.
As in the case of diarrhea, if
conjunctivitis is running rampant in a particular classroom, a doctor’s note
(stating that your child’s “goopy” eyes are NOT contagious)
is NOT permitted. We
do this for the health of all children in the classroom.
Because conjunctivitis is so contagious, it is very difficult
for us to discriminate among the different children’s “goopy” eyes.
Thus if it is prevalent in the classroom, we CANNOT honor
a doctor’s note. Your child
must go home and cannot return until they have been on the antibiotic for 24
hours AND when their eyes have stopped gooping.
STREP
THROAT:
Strep can cause a variety of symptoms.
You should have your child checked for strep if s/he has a fever, rash,
and/or sore throat. If a child
has strep throat, s/he must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to
MDCC.
COXSACKIE:
Hand, food, and mouth syndrome is a
mild disease caused by a germ called coxsackievirus.
Symptoms may include fever, sore throat, stomach pain and diarrhea, and
a rash of tiny blisters on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and in
the mouth. It is most common in
the summer and fall, and the virus can be shed in the stool for many weeks.
If children and staff are well enough
to attend the program, there is no need to exclude them.
Because the virus is contagious before symptoms begin, other children
and staff have already been exposed.
CROUP:
Croup is caused by an inflammation of
the larynx, usually following a cold. The
major symptoms of croup are labored breathing and a harsh "barking"
type of cough. A child with croup
may not be brought to the center until the "barking" has stopped,
which can take from a few days to 2 weeks in more severe cases.
CHICKEN
POX:
Children who have chicken pox should
not return to MDCC until all of the pox are dried up and scabbed over in order
to prevent the spread of the disease. This
usually means the children are out for 5 to 7 days.
EAR
INFECTIONS:
Many ear infections are accompanied by
a fever and in these cases we do follow the policy regarding fevers.
Occasionally, there is no fever but it is often apparent that the child
with an ear infection is very uncomfortable and out-of-sorts.
In these cases, even though ear infections are not contagious, your
child will either have to leave day care or will not be allowed to come to day
care. It is important to trust the teacher's judgment on this
matter.
If a child has to go on an antibiotic
for an ear infection, they do not have to wait the 24-hour waiting period.
TEETHING:
Infants and toddlers present a special
health problem due to teething. Teething
is often accompanied by a slight fever, diarrhea, and general cold symptoms,
none of which are contagious but do make your child feel unwell.
We will try to ease your child through this time, especially by
following the methods that have been successful at home.
If the day seems particularly stressful for your child because of
teething, we may suggest that you pick him/her up early.
MONILIA/THRUSH:
These are yeast infections (candida/fungus)
which appear as white spots or patches inside the mouth (thrush) or in the
genital area (monilia). Once
discovered, parents will be called to remove the child from the center so that
the child may be taken to the doctor for appropriate
antibiotics.
A child with monilia may return to MDCC on the following morning, after
receiving the antibiotic, since the infection will be covered by the child's
clothes. However, since the
infection is contagious, a child with thrush must be on the antibiotic for 24
hours
before returning to MDCC, as it is
impossible to control completely the transmission of an infection in the
mouth.
LICE:
Head lice are tiny bugs, approximately
1/8th of an inch long and tan in color. They
do not transmit disease, but they do bite and they do spread easily because
they lay eggs (nits) and are able to be transmitted from a head onto something
or someone else. The nits are
grayish-white, oval, and tiny, and they adhere tenaciously to hair strands
about 1/2 to 1 inch from the scalp. The
noticeable symptom of lice is itching, and the child often constantly
scratches the head. MDCC
occasionally has lice epidemics; when it occurs, guidelines for the fairly
simple treatment of the hair will be posted in the Center.
If a parent would like a specific copy, they can request one from their
child’s teacher. If lice
or lice eggs (nits) are found on a child's head, parents will be called to
pick their child up immediately. If
your child has lice or nits or is sent home with lice or nits, they cannot
return to school until their head is free of all lice and nits.
Even if the nits are dead, it is too difficult for us to determine
whether or not some could be alive; so the child is not permitted to return to
MDCC until their head is completely
free of any evidence of lice or nits.
ANTIBIOTICS:
When a child is being treated with
antibiotics, s/he must remain home for at least the first
24 hours of treatment. If a child is on the antibiotic for the first time, then the
24 hour waiting period always applies, except for in the case of an ear
infection. Since ear infections
are not contagious, the 24 hour antibiotic waiting period does not apply.
However, keep in mind that under our specific ear infection policy, if
the child is not feeling well enough to come to day care or seems very
uncomfortable, they will not be allowed to attend day care regardless of the
24 hour waiting period. The other
exception to the 24 hour waiting period is monilia.
Again, if it is an antibiotic which the child has taken previously, and
the child feels fine, then they are still allowed to attend day care.
Please remember that antibiotics are
only effective when taken as per their prescribed dosage and duration.
Keep us alert to any side effects your child may experience from the
medication to prevent us from suspecting another illness.
If the side effects are strong enough to cause the child to feel unwell
and too uncomfortable to be in group care, you will be asked to pick up your
child.
If your child
is on the antibiotic, Augmentin, and is experiencing NO other symptoms other
than the diarrhea, it would be OK for your child to attend day care unless there is a stomach bug in the Center.
In which case, the child would be sent home after 2 watery stools as
the diarrhea policy states.
LEAD
POISONING:
The Department of Early Education and
Care would like us to recommend to parents that they test their child(ren) for
lead paint poisoning. Many older
homes in the area were painted with paint containing lead and it would be
dangerous to the health of a child if s/he has consumed any chips or particles
of this paint.
MEDICATIONS:
If you have given your child any
medication before coming to MDCC, please let your child’s teacher know what
time you gave your child the medication and how much medication was given.
Prescription
Medication:
The
Department of Early Education and Care will not allow staff to administer any prescribed
medication to a child without a written request, or prescription from the
physician. MDCC also requires
that parents complete medication forms for prescriptive medicines.
Prescription medications must come in their original containers, with the child's name and the appropriate
dosage on the label. MDCC cannot
administer outdated medication of any kind.
Medication forms for parents to complete are available from your
child's classroom teacher. Please
return it promptly to your child's teacher following its completion.
Medications are stored appropriately; make sure your child's name is
clearly marked and take all unused meds home promptly or they will be thrown
away.
Non-Prescription
Medication:
The
Department of Early Education and Care will not allow staff to administer any non-prescribed
medication to a child without a written request, or prescription from the
physician. Some examples of
non-prescribed medications are: Tylenol,
Benadryl, Dimetapp, etc. MDCC also requires that parents complete medication
forms for both prescriptive and non-prescriptive medicines.
Non-prescriptive medications must also come in their original
containers, with a Doctor's note specifying dosage amount and how often it
should be administered. MDCC
cannot administer outdated medication of any kind.
Medication forms for parents to complete are available from your
child's classroom teacher. Please
return it promptly to your child's teacher following its completion.
Medications are stored appropriately; make sure your child's name is
clearly marked and take all unused meds home promptly or they will be thrown
away. Anytime a staff member administers non-prescriptive medicine of any
kind, they must attempt to call the parent prior to
administering the medicine (even though we have a permission form from the
parent stating it is OK to give the child the medicine). If the staff member
has attempted to reach the parent and after a reasonable amount of time has
not heard back, then they will administer the non-prescription medication as
directed. A staff member will
also give the parents written notification when non-prescription medication is
administered. Since it is our
policy to send children home with a fever of 101 or higher, we cannot give
Tylenol to a child simply to bring down their fever.
The only exception would be if there was a doctor's note saying that
the fever was not due to a contagious illness.
The note must state why the child did have a fever.
Some acceptable reasons would be teething, an ear infection, a shot,
etc.
Topical
Non-Prescription Medication:
The
Department of Early Education and Care will not allow staff to administer any topical
non-prescription medication to a child without a written request from
parents. MDCC also requires that parents fill out a medical permission form
for all topical non-prescription medications.
Some examples of topical non-prescription medications would be:
Balmex, sun lotion, Bacetracin, etc.
Parents must bring the topical medication in with their child’s name
written on the original container
and the teachers will put them in a designated spot in the room (not in the
child’s cubby). MDCC cannot administer outdated medication of any kind.
Medication forms for parents to complete are available from your
child's classroom teacher. Please
return it promptly to your child's teacher following its completion. A staff
member will also give the parents written notification when topical
non-prescription medication is administered.
Medications are stored appropriately; take all unused meds home
promptly or they will be thrown away. The sunscreen/diaper creams would be
administered as specified on the parent permission form.
All medical forms are kept in a medical book in your child's classroom. Upon completion of the form, your child's teacher puts the
form in your child's file.
PROCEDURES
FOR MILDLY ILL CHILDREN:
If a child comes to the Center feeling
ill, (suffering from fever, nausea, etc.), the child's teacher will attempt to
contact the parent at his/her place of employment. Unfortunately, parents are not always able to leave work
immediately. In these situations,
the teacher will isolate the child in the quiet area of the classroom or in
the office under the Director's supervision and make him/her feel as
comfortable as possible until the parent is able to arrive.
The Teacher or Director will offer the child food (such as saltines or
bread) and water. Also, if the
child is feeling well enough, we will offer him/her a toy or a quiet activity.
This activity must be one that can easily be sanitized, such as Legoes
or Fisher Price cars, which can also be run through the dishwasher.
MDCC staff are required to successfully
complete a First Aid course for infants and young children during the first
few months of employment, and to update their certification every
3 years.
A complete first aid kit is always available at the center.
We also have a portable kit to bring with us on field trips and on
walks. All full time staff have
their certification in Infant/Child CPR.
We are required by the Department of Early Education and Care to have
one person on site at all times who has the Infant/Child CPR certification.
In the case of a medical emergency,
children are taken to the following hospital:
MELROSE/WAKEFIELD
HOSPITAL: (781) 979-3000
The hospital requires parental consent
to treat a child, and although you sign a medical release form upon
enrollment, we ask that you come to the hospital ASAP in the event of an
emergency.
It is essential that you provide the
center with a number where you can be reached should it become necessary.
In addition, an alternate number is needed for someone who is willing
to accept emergency responsibility for your child in the event that you cannot
be reached.
In cases where a child would need to be
taken for emergency treatment before the parent or guardian was able to get to
the Center, a teacher qualified person (in most cases it would be one of the
child’s primary teachers) would call 911 or would transport the child to the
nearest hospital, if necessary. (The
closest hospital to the Center is Melrose/Wakefield Hospital.)
The teacher in charge and/or Director will determine whether the injury
can wait for the parent or guardian to arrive and take the child themself or
whether a staff member or an ambulance should take the child directly to the
hospital, in which case the parent/guardian would meet the staff member right
at the hospital. Again, our auto
insurance would cover such an event because this would certainly be considered
a “school related” event. A different center staff person would call the parent to
inform them that their child had to be taken to the hospital.
The Center staff person would take the child’s emergency file with
them and would assume full responsibility for the child until the parent
arrived at the hospital at which time the parent would take over full
responsibility for their child.
SNOW DAYS AND CLOSINGS:
- The Center will normally stay open
during winter storms. There may
be times, however, when the Center will have delayed openings or will dismiss
early depending on the time and severity of the storm.
The Center may close if the weather is particularly bad or if there is
a declared snow emergency. The
Center does not necessarily coincide its' closings, delayed openings, or early
dismissals with the Melrose Public School System.
-
Please call the Center before leaving your home in the morning when
there is bad weather or a storm prediction.
There will be a message on the answering machine after 5:45 a.m. if
there is a delayed opening or closing. The
answering machine is not affected by a power outage.
- There will be no refund or
compensation for closings that are beyond the control of the Center Staff (for
example, inclement weather, or any state of emergency, or any type of loss of
power or water).
In the case of a fire, power outage,
lack of water, lack of heat, or any type of natural disaster where the Center
is unable to operate as usual, the Center would close.
If the Center is forced to close temporarily due to snow, natural
disasters or problems with the building (for example, a power outage, loss of
heat, or loss of water), parents would be called at work or if the problem
occurred during non-operating hours then a message would be left on the day
care answering service (not affected by power outages) stating that the Center
was closing for
the day.
In the case where the problem occurred during the day and it was
necessary that the children be removed from the building, the Center’s
emergency site is the Chime Time Children’s Center, 561 Main Street,
Melrose, (781-665-0131), on the corner of Main Street and Upham Street, in the
First Baptist Church. The
Center’s emergency contact, Maureen Kearnan, would be notified.
The Center would not remain open or open the following day if there was
no power, heat, or water. The
Center’s secondary emergency site is the Melrose YMCA, 106 Main Street,
Melrose (781) 665-8522.
If Melrose Day Care Center does need to
relocate, parents will be notified and ID’d when they arrive at the
relocation site to pick up their child. Melrose
Day Care Center is a part of the city’s Emergency Management Plan.
If for some reason we were unable to walk to our location site, the
City Emergency Coordinator would send us transportation to our relocation
site.
If we removed
the children from the building, we will try to notify the parents.
However, if we cannot notify you and you haven’t heard from us, you
may call the center and we will have a message stating our location on the
answering machine.
There will be no refund or compensation
for closings that are beyond the control of the Center Staff (for example,
inclement weather, or any state of emergency, or any type of loss of power or
water).
Any decision to close the Center for
any reason would be made by the Director and the Board of Directors.
The Center owns several car seats,
which may be appropriate for your child.
You are more than welcome to borrow one if you need one. Any child who weighs under 40 pounds and/or is under 5 years
old, who is ever transported by a MDCC day care staff person must be in a car
seat. This means that if you have
a small child (under 40 pounds who is also 5 years old or younger, they must
still be in a car seat until they reach 40 pounds). In addition to this, as of 7/10/08 any child who is under the
age of 8 and who is under 57 inches tall must sit in an appropriate booster
seat. This is currently the
Massachusetts State car seat law. We
would also never place a child in the front passenger seat of any vehicle that
has an airbag. Please Note: If you
ever need to borrow a car seat from the Center for the night, please feel free
to ask in the office or call and ask your child’s teacher.
For everyday pick-up and drop-off
procedures: For all other parties
(parents, legal guardians, designated friends or relatives) who drop off
children at the day care center or another location where someone from the
Center staff will be meeting their child (for example a field trip location)
that person is responsible for the child until they have dropped the child off
at the Center or other location safely. Pick
up procedures would work the same way. The Center staff or designated person at alternative location
would be responsible for the child
until the parent or legal guardian
arrived to pick up the child. Once
the parent or legal guardian arrives at the Center or other location, they
assume full responsibility for the child.
In the case where a child may walk to
the Center by him/herself, the parent/legal guardian will assume complete
responsibility for the child until s/he reaches the day care center. It is rare that we have children who walk to the Center by
themselves, but in the cases where they do, most parents will ask that the
child call them at work when the child arrives at the Center.
The parents should make these arrangements with their child and the
teacher at the day care center.
MASSACHUSETTS CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY LAW
(For children under 12)
MGL Ch. 90, Sec. 7AA; Ch. 90, Sec. 13A
When riding in motor vehicles, infants and children must ride in a federally approved child passenger restraint:
1)
They
are at least 5 years old
AND
2)
They
weight over 40 pounds.
3)
They
are under the age of 8.
AND
4)
They
are under 57 inches tall.
Types
of child passenger restraints: (read manufacturer’s
instructions for exact weight and height limits)
·
infant
seat – for
children from birth to 20-22 pounds and approximately 1 year old
·
infant/toddler
seat (convertible
seat) – for children from birth to 40 pounds.
·
Booster
seat –
recommended for children who weight 40-60 pounds.
·
Devices
for children with special health care needs.
*Children
who weight more than 40 pounds but are under 5 years old must ride in a
booster seat.
*Children,
who are under the age of 8, and who are under 57 inches tall, must ride
in a booster seat. All
other children, who are 8 and older, and all adults must continue to wear a
safety belt as required by the Massachusetts Safety Belt Law.
*For safety reasons, children using the vehicle safety
belt should place the shoulder strap across the chest.
They should not place the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the
back.
This
law applies to children riding in:
*all types of
privately owned vehicles,
*vehicles for
hire, including taxi cabs.
This
law does not apply to:
*children
riding in school buses,
*children
riding in a vehicle made before July 1, 1966 that does not have safety belts,
*children
physically unable to use either a conventional car seat or a child restraint
specifically designed for children with special needs.
Inability to use a child restraint of either type must be certified in
writing by a physician.
*The
safest place for children is in the back seat.
Fine:
The driver
will be fined $25 for each unrestrained child.
Exception: If a
child rides unrestrained in a taxi cab, the taxi driver will not be fined.
Note:
This is a
primary enforcement law. A police
officer may stop your car if one or more children are riding unrestrained.
No other reason is needed.
For more information: Injury Prevention and Control Program, Massachusetts
Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, 4th floor,
Boston, MA 02108-4619. Call toll free:
1-800-227-SAFE.
Article
published by Air Bag Safety Campaign, National Safety Council, 1019 19th
Street, NW Suite 401, Washington DC 20036-5105
Buckle Everyone – Children in Back
Air
Bags Work – They Save Lives
They do their job best when everyone is
buckled and kids are properly restrained in the back seat.
Air Bags saved almost 500 lives in 1995
alone. However, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that tragically several children
have been killed or injured by the force of a deploying air bag.
In many cases, the children were riding in the front seat either in a
rear-facing child safety seat or “out of position” – either unbuckled,
or not wearing the shoulder portion of the safety belt.
An air bag is not a soft, billowy
pillow. Rather, to work
effectively, an air bag comes out of the dashboard at rates of up to 200 miles
per hour – faster than a blink of an eye.
Drivers can entirely eliminate any danger to children from a deploying
air bag by placing kids properly restrained in the back seat.
With or without an air bag, the back seat is the safest place for
children to ride.
As the number of motor vehicles
equipped with air bags increases, the risk to kids riding in the front seat
will also increase. That is why
we must all work to educate people now that air
bags save lives and work best when
everyone is buckled and kids are in back, properly buckled up.
Air
Bag Safety Tips
Kids
ride in back - Infants in rear-facing child safety
seats should NEVER ride in
the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag.
Children, typically ages 12 and under, should also ride buckled up in
the back seat.
Child
Safety Seats - Young children and infants always
should ride in age and size appropriate child safety seats. The safety seat should be held properly in place by the
vehicle’s safety belts and the child should be correctly buckled in the
child safety seat. A child who
has outgrown a convertible child safety seat will need to ride in a booster
seat in order for the vehicle’s safety belt to fit properly.
Wear
both lap AND shoulder belts -
The shoulder strap should cross the collarbone and the lap belt should
fit low and tight on the hips. The
shoulder strap should never be slipped behind the back or under the arm –
this is a dangerous habit, especially in cars with air bags.
Move
the front seat back - Driver and front passenger
seats should be moved as
far back as possible, particularly for
shorter statured people.
The Air Bag Safety Campaign is a
public/private partnership of automobile manufacturers, insurance companies,
occupant restraint manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals,
and child heath and safety organizations.
The goal of the Campaign is to increase the proper use of safety belts
and child safety seats and to inform the public about how to maximize the
lifesaving capabilities of air bags and minimize the risks.
For more information in Massachusetts,
call 1-800 CAR SAFE.
There is a detailed organizational
hierarchy posted on the main bulletin board along the wall as you enter the
Center from the playground.
One of the Co-Directors, Caroline Yoder
or Janet Dotolo, is always in charge when she is in the building.
In their absence, a lead teacher would take over.
However, any staff person as long as they are at least teacher
qualified is legally allowed to be in charge of the Center.
If you call the center looking for the Director and she is gone, ask
who is in charge. All staff are
informed of who is in charge in her absence.
The Department of Early Education and Care is our licensing agency. Their phone number is: 617-988-6600 in Boston, or 978-740-3060 in Salem.
2010
1/01/10 New Year's Day - Friday
2/12/10
Staff Development Day - Friday
2/15/10
President's Day - Monday
4/19/10
Patriot's Day - Monday
5/31/10
Memorial Day observed - Monday
7/5/10
Celebrating Independence Day - Monday
9/03/10
Staff Development Day - Friday
9/6/10
Labor Day - Monday
10/11/10
Columbus Day - Monday
11/25/10
Thanksgiving Day - Thursday
11/26/10
Day after Thanksgiving - Friday
12/23/10 Christmas observed - Thursday
12/24/10 Christmas Eve - Friday
12/31/10 New Year's Eve
PLEASE
NOTE: The Center is always closed
for 2 Staff Development Days per year, one is the Friday before Labor Day and
the other one is the Friday before President’s Day. The staff are here for the Staff Development Days but we are
closed to all families. The
Center is always closed for Thanksgiving Day and the day after. It is also always closed for 2 to 3 days around Christmas
time. These days vary depending
on the day of the week in which Christmas falls.
If one of these holiday closures occurs on one of your child’s
days during the week, you are still expected to pay for that day.
Unfortunately, we are unable to allow families to switch their days
during a holiday week. This would be impossible for us to do for all families each
time a holiday occurs.
2009-2010
Part-time Preschool
HOLIDAY CLOSURES
October
12, 2009
Columbus Day observed - Monday
November 11, 2009 Veterans' Day observed -Wednesday
November
26, 2009
Thanksgiving Day - Thursday
November
27, 2009
Day after Thanksgiving - Friday
December 24, 2009
to
January 3, 2010 Holiday Break
January
18, 2010
Martin Luther King Day - Monday
February 12, 2010
Staff Development Day - Friday
February 15-19, 2010
Winter Break
April 19-23, 2010
Spring Break
May 31, 2010
Memorial
Day observed - Monday
Important
Dates:
September
9, 2009
Open House - Wednesday 9:30
- 10:30
11:00 - 12:00 - returning children
September
10, 2009
First day of school - Thursday
June18, 2010
Last day of
school followed by graduation- Friday
PLEASE NOTE:
The Center is always closed for 2 Staff Development Days per year, one
is typically the Friday before Labor Day and the other one is typically the
Friday before President’s Day. The
staff are here for the Staff Development Days but we are closed to all
families. The Center is always
closed for Thanksgiving Day and the day after.
It is also always closed for 2 to 3 days around Christmas time.
These days vary depending on the day of the week in which Christmas
falls.
If
one of these holiday closures occurs on one of your child’s days during the
week, you are still expected to pay for that day.
Unfortunately, we are unable to allow families to switch their days
during a holiday week. This would
be impossible for us to do for all families each time a holiday occurs.
2008-2009
MELROSE DAY
CARE CENTER, INC.
Maureen
Kearnan, President
23
Avon Street
Melrose,
MA 02176
(781)
979-0739
Elizabeth
Brodeur, Secretary
Maia Moran
125
Trenton Street
27 Virginia
Avenue
Melrose,
MA 02176
Melrose, MA 02176
(781)
979-9271
(781) 662-5443
61 Clifton Park
182 Ashland Street
(781)
662-7611
781-665-3935
Paul
DeCelle
Janet Runge, Clerk
79
Circuit Street
11 Aaron Street
Melrose,
MA 02176
Melrose, MA 02176
(781)
665-0797
(781) 665-2713
Denise
Gaffey, Vice President
Amy Spollett
29 Leonard Road
295 Broadway (Maplewood Place)
(781)
665-5054 (PS Parent)
(781) 322-2249
Melrose,
MA 02176
Melrose, MA 02176
(781)
665-8580
(781) 665-2111
PARENT INFORMATION, RIGHTS, AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Chapter 28, Section 10 of the General
Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts mandates to the Department of Early
Education and Care the legal responsibility of promulgating rules and
regulations governing the operation of day care centers (including Part Time
Preschool (Polar Bear) schools).
The licensee (day care center owner) is
required to inform all parents of specific information about their rights and
responsibilities at the time of admission of their child to the center.
Section 7.04 of 102 CMR 7.00, the regulations which govern day care
centers, contains more information.
PARENT’S
RIGHTS:
Right
to Visit:
You have a
right to make unannounced visits to your child’s room while your child is
present. However, please try to
be sensitive to the other children in the classroom when “popping in” to
visit your child. Many children,
particularly infants and toddler, experience stranger anxiety when people they
are unfamiliar with spend time in the classroom.
If this were to become a problem in your child’s classroom, we may
ask that you try to come at a different time or take your child to a different
part of the center until we can calm the children down.
We find that if parents are willing to work with the teachers when
issues like these arise, everyone, especially the children, will feel more
comfortable.
Parent
Input:
The program
must have a procedure for allowing your input in the development of center
policy and procedure. The program
must allow you to make suggestions, but it is up to the program to decide
whether or not they will be implemented.
Conferences:
You have a right to request an
individual conference with the program’s staff.
The licensee has the responsibility to make the staff available.
Meeting
prior to admittance:
The licensee
shall assure that the administrator or his/her designee meets with you prior
to admitting your child to the center.
At the meeting, the licensee in
addition to the information contained in this fact sheet, must provide you
with: the center’s written
statements of purpose; types of services provided; referral policy; behavior
management policy; termination and suspension policy; a list of suggested
nutritious foods you could send for snacks and meals, if it is your
responsibility; the policy for identifying and reporting child abuse and
neglect; the transportation plan; a copy of the health care policy (if you
request it); procedure for administration of medication; procedures for
providing emergency health care and the illness exclusion policy; and a copy
of the fee schedule. All of this
information may be contained in the “Parent Handbook”.
You should also be given the
opportunity to visit the center’s classrooms either at the time of the
meeting or prior to the enrollment of your child.
Progress
reports:
At least
every six (6) months, you should either meet with the center’s staff to
discuss your child’s progress, or receive a written progress report of your
child’s activities and participation in the center.
The report must become part of your child’s center record. If your child is an infant or is a child with disabilities,
you should receive a written progress report every three (3) months.
Center staff must bring any special problems or significant
developments, particularly if they regard infants, to your attention as soon
as they arise.
YOUR
CHILD’S RECORDS:
Information contained in your child’s
record is privileged and confidential. The
center’s staff may not distribute or release information in your child’s
record to anyone not directly related to implementing the program plan for
your child without your written consent.
You must be notified if your child’s record is subpoenaed.0
Access
to the record:
You should be
able to have access to your child’s records.
The center must provide access within two business days, unless they
have your permission to take longer. You
must be allowed to view your child’s entire record, even if it is located in
more than one location. The
center must have procedures regarding access, duplication, and dissemination
of children’s records. They
must maintain a written log, which identifies anyone who has had access or has
received any information out of the record.
This log is available only to you and the people responsible for
maintaining the center’s records.
Amending
the record:
You have the
right to add information, comments, data, or any other relevant materials to
your child’s record; you also have the right to request deletion or
amendments of any information contained in your child’s record. Such request shall be made in accordance with the procedures
described below:
1.
If
you are of the opinion that adding information is not sufficient to explain,
clarify, or
correct objectionable material in your child’s record, you have the
right to have a conference with the licensee to make your objections
known;
2.
The
licensee shall, within one (1) week after the conference, give you a decision
in writing stating the reason or reasons for the decision.
If his/her decision is in your favor, he/she shall immediately take
steps as may be necessary to put the decision into effect.
Charge
for copies:
The licensee
shall not charge an unreasonable fee for copies of any information contained
in your child’s record.
Transfer
of the record:
Upon your
written request, when your child is no longer in care, the licensee can give
you your child’s record or transfer them to any other person that you
identify. The center should ask
you to sign a form verifying that you have received the record.
RESPONSIBILITIES
OF THE PROGRAM:
Providing
Information To The Department of Early Education and Care:
The licensee must make available to the
Department of Early Education and Care any information required to be kept and
maintained under these regulations and any other information reasonably
related to the requirements of these regulations.
This includes information in your child’s records.
Authorized employees of the Department of Early Education and Care are
not to remove identifying case materials from the center premises and are
required to maintain the confidentiality of individual records.
Reporting
abuse or neglect:
All center
staff are mandated reporters. They
are required by law to report suspected abuse and neglect to either the
Department of Social Services or to the licensee’s program administrator. The licensee must have written policies and procedures for
reporting and must provide the written policy to you upon enrollment.
Notification
of injury:
The licensee
must notify you immediately of any injury which requires emergency care.
They must also notify you in writing, within 24 hours, if any first aid
is administered to your child.
Availability
of regulations:
The center
must have a copy of CMR 102 7.00, Standards for the Licensure or Approval of
Group Day Care and School Age Child Care Programs, on the premises, available
to any person upon request. If
you have questions about any of the regulations, ask your center to show them
to you.