1

MISS JEN'S HOME DAYCARE & PRESCHOOL

http://www.missjenshomedaycareandpreschool.com

1722 Serrano St.

Oceanside, CA 92054

(760)822-1453 LIC#376623186

2019 - 2020 Parent Handbook

Welcome to Miss Jen's Home Daycare & Preschool!

Thank you so much for signing up with Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Pre-

school. I am very excited for the opportunity to get to know you and your fam-ily. I cannot wait to see your child grow. I want you to enjoy my services and I

do hope that we get to spend some time getting know each other. I really ap-preciate you! You and your family are invited to volunteer and take part in our

community. Help make our community grow in a healthy happy way. Share

your good experiences with your friends and Family. You are invited to contact me with any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions that you have.

Please read and reference this handbook so that you are aware of my policies and guidelines. ~Miss Jen~

About Miss Jen Licensed by the State of California, license # 376623186.

Allowed to care for up to 8 children (12 years old and under) in my home at one time.

CPR and First Aid certified. Background checked, Fingerprinted through Live Scan.

Certified as a Preschool Teacher through Mira Costa College, graduating class of 2003.

15 years of experience working with children of all ages in small and large group settings.

6 years of continued education through the YMCA and other avenues to be

the best family child care provider possible.

About Miss Jen’s Assistants CPR and First Aid Certified.

Background Checked, Fingerprinted though Live Scan. Attend regular training and educational programs in child development.

2

My Mission When children are here they

Spend time in a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment. Have access to caring, supportive adults who believe in them. Have opportunities to develop self-control. Can get a sense of their own competence.

At Miss Jen's Home Daycare and Preschool, our teachers and assistants work with

the parents to provide a positive and supporting learning environment for your

children.

We offer: a fun, play-based, developmentally appropriate learning experiences, a

home and family environment, organic snacks and meals, participation in the Farm to Preschool program (www.OurCommunityOurKids.org), cosmic kids yoga,

dance and beat dancing, limited screen time, mother goose time curriculum, field trips, parent night out, occasional night and weekend child care, mom meet-ups,

playdates, quality infant care, toddler care, and school age child care.

Certified as a Wellness Champion through the YMCA Child Care Resource Service!

My YMCA Wellness Champion Promise to serve and provide

1. Eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day 2. Limit recreational screen time to two hours or less.

3. Getting 1 hour or more of physical activity every day 4. Drinking 0 sugary drinks, more water and low fat milk

5. Other Health Policies:

• Support breastfeeding and coordinate child care feeding schedules with the mother’s schedule.

• Accept expressed breast milk and use within 72 hours of being expressed. • Store breast milk in the refrigerator in a bottle labeled with the baby’s name

and date the milk was expressed. • Provide mothers who want to breastfeed a clean, private location in the facility.

• Never deny children entry into the facility because they are breastfeeding. • Include parents in healthy eating and physical activity planning.

• Seek continuing education for child care employees about how to make the fa-cility a healthy place.

3

Hours, Holidays and Vacation Time

We are open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In addition to the following holidays, we may close for up to 2 weeks per year for vacation, illness or family emergency.

We are closed the following holidays New Year's Day

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

If the holiday falls on a Saturday, Miss Jen's Home Daycare & Preschool will be closed the Friday before. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, Miss Jen's Home Day-

care & Preschool will be closed the Monday after.

Notification of at least 30 days will be given prior to any closed vacation days ex-

cept in the event of an illness or family emergency.

If we have to close because of an illness or family emergency we will notify you as quickly as possible to arrange alternate care.

In the event that Miss Jen will be away for a period of time – substitute care will

be provided by a back-up or assistant provider.

4

Drop-In Child Care – Ages 1 to 10 Space is limited and must be reserved at least 7 days in advance. Enrollment

forms must be on file before any care is given.

Payments Drop-In Child Care is $10 per hour per child.

Reservations

You can call text or email to check availability. To reserve your spot, request can

be made up to 30 days in advance. Children will be admitted as space allows. If your days or times are not available, you can request to be put on the waiting

list. We will give you a call when we know those days and times are going to be available.

Cancellations and Fees

A 24 hour notice is needed to chance or cancel your appointed time. Cancellations are subject to a $20 fee for no show or if you do not give a 24 hour notice.

Parent's Night Out

Healthy Dinner & Snack, Outside & Inside Play time. $30 per child for 4 hours, $25 for each additional sibling.

Children need to be walking. Ages 1 to 10 years old.

5

Our Preschool Program We offer: a fun, play-based, developmentally appropriate learning experiences, a

home and family environment, organic snacks and meals, participation in the Farm to Preschool program (www.OurCommunityOurKids.org), cosmic kids yoga,

Dance and Beats Dancing, limited screen time, Mother Goose Time Curriculum, and Field Trips.

Mother Goose Time

Mother Goose Time creatively weaves together art projects, music, storytelling,

math games and science experiments around a monthly theme. Mother Goose Time publishes research-based curriculum, books, music and authentic assess-

ment tools serving child care providers, teachers, and parents of young children since 1987. Their mission is to inspire both educators and children to experience

learning through creative expression, play and open-ended discovery. This curric-ulum supports a child's social-emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Activities During Class

1. Circle Time 2. Child Directed Play

3. Small Group Activities 4. Math

5. Science 6. Art

7. Gym

8. Creative Movement 9. Music

10. Healthy Snacks & Meals 11. Quiet Time (Afternoon only)

Program Ages

1 to 5

Program Hours 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Weekly Tuition

5 Days 8 Hours $200 5 Days 4 Hours $150

1 Day 8 Hours $40 1 Day 4 Hours $30

$50 Enrollment Fee

Early drop off and pick up is an additional $7.5 per hour.

6

School Age Kids Club Safe and Supportive Environment

Activities Homework, STREAM (Science Technology Reading Engineering Art Math), Build-

ing, Cooking, Yoga, Dodgeball, Basketball, Gardening and more!

Before and After School Care Offering drop-off and pick-up for South Oceanside Elementary School

Healthy Organic breakfast and snacks included Small group in-home setting.

Program Ages

5 to 10

Program Hours

7:00 am - 9:00 am Mornings 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Afternoon

Fees

$7.50 per hour $25 Enrollment Fee

7

*Our Schedule*

7:00 Child Directed Activities

7:30 Cosmic Kids Yoga, Child Directed Activities

8:00 Breakfast

9:00 Preschool Time, Kids N Beat Dancing, Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

9:30 Circle Time, Story Time, Small Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

10:00 Snack Time

10:30 Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

11:00 Outside Play Time, Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Cosmic Kids Yoga, Child Directed Activities

1:00 Quiet Time, Quiet Child Directed Activities

3:30 Snack Time

3:45 Kids n Beat Dancing, Child Directed Activities

4:00 Circle Time, Story Time, Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

4:30 Outside Play Time, Group Activities, Child Directed Activities

5:30 Cosmic Kids Yoga, Child Directed Activities

6:00 Dinner

8

Enrollment forms must be complete before attending any of our Child Care Pro-

grams. To enroll you can pay the enrollment fee during your tour and take your child’s enrollment packet home. For Drop-In Child Care and School Age Kids Club

the enrollment fee is $25 per family. For Preschool students there is a $50 regis-tration fee per child.

Eligibility

Miss Jen's Home Daycare and Preschool enrolls children between 12 months and 10 years old. Limited infant and toddler spots are available.

Registration and Enrollment

Registration paperwork including a number of forms that are required by Com-munity Care Licensing and your child’s immunization record must be submitted

before anticipated care. The immunization record should be signed and stamped

by a physician or other medical professional, which shows that all currently re-quired immunizations have been received.

Waitlist

Depending on availability, your information may be held until a space comes available when the space is available; your enrollment fee can be paid to register.

With your registration fee, the spot can be held for 30 days.

Payments Payments can be made online, or in person by venmo, check or cash. All pay-

ments are due in advance. This could be at check-in, the week before or can be made up to 30 days in advance before anticipated care. This payment is typically

non-refundable but the days are transferable. For drop-in child care, a credit will be given if original appointment wasn’t kept for whatever reason as long as the

appointment is cancelled/reschedule at least 24 hours in advance. No refunds af-

ter services are provided or if your child is dropped-off late or picked up early.

If your child is enrolled in our preschool program, you are paying monthly for a spot.

In some cases, such as family emergency, your paid hours for drop-in childcare

can be transferred to a later date.

Receipts will be kept on file and can be provided at the time of payment and giv-en will be given to you at your request.

There is a $35.00 service charge for any check returned for non-sufficient funds,

stop payment, or closure of account.

9

Schedule Agreement

- The Schedule Agreement should be submitted along with registration.

- If a schedule change is needed with fewer days than originally agreed upon, a 30 day written notice is required along with a new Schedule Agreement.

- If extra days or different days are needed sooner, we will try our best to accommodate you. We may not always be able to grant these requests.

- If care is needed at a time that is different than that stated in the Schedule Agreement, a request should be made prior to the day the care is needed.

- If you are going to drop-off earlier than the scheduled time, you need to call or text the day before to check availability.

- If you are going to pick up earlier or later than scheduled, call or text to let Miss Jen know as soon as possible.

Payments

Tuition or fees can be paid weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. - Drop-In Childcare payments are due at drop off.

- Payment methods are online, in person– Check or Cash.

- Preschool Tuition and School Age fees are due by 6:00 pm on Fridays for the following week.

- All tuition is due in advance. - After 6:00 pm, the late fee will be assessed.

Tuition is due regardless of whether or not your child attends, regardless of un-

foreseen or arranged absences such as illness or appointments.

Fees 1. Late Payment: $10, if payment is not received before 6:00pm on Friday.

2. Return Checks: $35

Termination of Service We require a 30 days advance notice in writing prior to leaving. Parents will be

responsible for paying for these 30 days after notice is given regardless of when

the child leaves the school.

If a period of 30 days passes and no payment has been received, your account will be sent to collections.

Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool reserves the right to terminate the ser-

vice if: Immunizations are not kept current

Tuition/fees are not paid in full If the parent is not supportive of the policies and procedures

The provider is treated in an abusive or derogatory manner Child fails to adjust

If the child’s behavior is disruptive, unmanageable, and/or harmful to the other children

10

If we feel that the requirements of the contract are not being met or if there is a

conflict in caring for a child, we may choose to terminate the contract. If immedi-

ate termination/dismissal is required (for any reason including non-payment) payment is still required with no further care provided.

Late Pickup Please understand when a parent is late it makes it inconvenient for everyone. If

late pick up is necessary, notify me as soon as you can to make arrangements. If your child is picked up after we close, the charge will be $1 per 5 minute for the

additional time they are in our care. Please be aware that if a child is not picked up 1 hour after closing and we have not made contact with a parent, the police

will be alerted. Therefore, please be sure to contact me if you will be late.

Safety and Security Keeping your child safe and secure is our first priority. To ensure your child’s

safety, the front door is always kept locked during activity times. I am usually

quick to answer the door unless I am in the bathroom changing a child. Please be patient and knock a couple of times to make sure that I hear you. If the dogs are

barking you do not have to keep knocking. They make good alarms!

Check-in/Check-out All children must be signed in and out on our attendance log. When you enroll,

you will complete all Registration forms including the emergency contact and re-lease sections. These sections authorize specific individuals to drop off and pick

up your child. You are responsible for maintaining accurate, complete, and cur-rent information. Written authorization must be on file prior to your child's release

to anyone. For the safety and security of your child, telephone request are not encouraged. Anyone who is not positively known will be asked to show their iden-

tification.

Children must enter and exit with you.

Do not leave your car running. Do not allow your child to play near the vehicles at any time.

One family in the house at a time. All children must be signed in and out on our attendance log located in the

front room walkway. Upon entering have them use the bathroom (if possible) and wash their

hands with soap.

Field Trips We have field trips throughout the year. Parents are always invited to join us.

Places include; Legoland CA, Sea Life Aquarium, Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch, The SD County Fair, etc. These will be scheduled 30 days in advance to allow

families to find alternate care if necessary. Children under 2 must be accompa-nied by a parent or guardian. A child may not participate on field trips unless the

parents have signed the travel authorization form. If I do not have your permis-

11

sion to transport your child, you are required to make alternate childcare ar-

rangements. I may request a car seat be left for field trip days. All traffic and

safety laws will be followed. No child will ever be left unattended in a vehicle.

School Drop Offs and Pick Ups There are designated times that we will travel to and from the school nearby.

Children that are under 3 will be carried in a stroller or wagon, Children older than 3 will be asked to hold the colored handle of a safety walking rope and fol-

low me safely in a line.

Outdoor activities Miss Jen's Home Daycare and Preschool schedule allows 2 or more hours of out-

side play time. During this time we may do such things as walk to the park or play in our play yard. Other times we may spend more time outside for things like

snacks and meals. Please apply sunscreen if your child will need it during outside play time. You are welcome to bring some for me to apply on your child only. A

medication form is necessary.

Television Viewing

TV time will be very limited and monitored. Viewing time may be allowed in early mornings (prior to breakfast), 1/2 hr. prior to lunch, and after toy pickup while

waiting for parents. This can amount to 1/2 hrs. to 2 hours per day depending on when your child is here or if they want to watch. Sprouts, PBS kids, Disney Jr or

Nick Jr. Disney and similar movies that are rated G and PG will also be available if time allows in such events as bad weather or special times that we have movies

planned. Other screen time would be during times that we do yoga with Cosmic Kids Yoga (YouTube) and Dance ‘N Beats DVD’s (Mother Goose Time) If there are

any objections to this, please let us know. We will honor parent’s personal rules about television viewing.

Pets

At Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool we have dogs and cats. They are kid-

friendly, loveable animals. They have been certified as healthy by a veterinarian and are current on all immunizations. They tend to stay away from children, but

do occasionally come to visit. No child will be left unsupervised around the ani-mals at any time.

Diapering and Toilet learning Children best learn toileting skills through consistent, positive encouragement

from all the adults who care for them. When your child shows interest, we will discuss how to work together to encourage toilet learning. Every child begins toi-

let learning at a different age and progresses at a different rate. Until your child shows interest in using the toilet, we will provide diaper changes on an as-needed

basis.

12

Rest Time

For healthy growth and development, it is essential for children of all ages to

have time to rest or enjoy quiet activities during the day. Here at Miss Jen's Home Daycare and Preschool, your child will rest in the afternoons for one to two

hours or longer. Children who do not sleep can read a book, play with puzzles, or participate in other quiet activities.

Infant and Toddler Sleep

Infants and toddlers sleep will be based on their needs. All infants will be placed on their backs to sleep as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Meals/Snacks

Nutritionally balanced meals and snacks will be served.

Meals/Snacks will be served at the following times 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast

10:00 a.m. - Morning Snack

12:00 p.m. - Lunch 3:30 p.m. - Afternoon Snack

6:30 p.m. - Dinner 8:30 p.m. - Evening Snack

Infant and Toddler

When it comes to the nutritional needs of infants and toddlers, families have a variety of preferences. That’s why we typically require you to bring all food for in-

fants and toddlers until they begin eating the food we serve.

Birthdays and Holidays When bringing food for a birthday or holiday celebration please consider healthy

food options such as organic fruit, crackers, cheese, yogurt, etc. The food must be store bought and in its original packaging.

Food From Home Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool wants your child to feel as comfortable as

possible, so please let me know if there are any special nutritional requirements or needs for your child. If you wish to send a bag breakfast/lunch/dinner with

your child, do so making sure the container is properly marked. Please do not send food that must be cooked as we cannot cook any food items for your child

(we can heat up pre-cooked foods). You may also send snack items for your child however we do provide meals and snacks at scheduled times throughout the day.

Sippy cups brought from home are not encouraged. We offer water at snack

times and all day long. With meals, a serving of milk is provided. If your child is drinking non-dairy milk, please provide that at drop off. We will put a label on it

and keep it in the refrigerator.

13

Allergies

It is vitally important during registration that you let us know of any allergies and

dislikes. Please let us know if your child has any allergies. We will gladly work with you and your pediatrician to accommodate your child's dietary needs.

What Should I Bring?

Personal Belongings and Supplies Each child needs to have a backpack designated for their personal items.

Please bring the following items for your child to have

One or Two complete sets of extra clothing, including socks A Blanket to use during nap ( if necessary)

Sunscreen during hot weather. Note: A Medication form must be filled out, give to Miss Jen at drop off.

Jackets or sweatshirt during cold weather

Please note

Children should wear clothing for comfort and convenience. Mark names on your children’s items.

Shoes are required for all walking children. We are not responsible for stained, soiled, or torn clothing.

While we welcome any comfort items for your child it is the parent/legal guardi-

an’s responsibility to make sure these items return home with the child. We ask that you please do not bring toys or easily lost personal items. For your conven-

ience, anything left will be deposited in a lost and found.

If your child is not fully diaper trained please ensure that we are informed and

send all necessary supplies (disposable diaper, training pants, diaper wipes and a clean change of clothes).

Health We work extremely hard to keep our home clean, it is very important to the

health and safety of all the children that we work together to keep everything

clean. We ask that your child/children’s hands be cleaned with soap or hand sani-tizer at drop-off. We ask that your child/children are appropriately dressed in

clean play clothing.

Hand Washing Teaching your child the importance of hand washing at an early age helps main-

tain his or her health. Your child will be required to wash his or her hands before and after eating, after bathroom visits, when returning from outside and at any

other appropriate time.

14

Illness

We do not allow children to attend who are sick in order to maintain a clean and

healthy environment in our home. We are extremely careful to protect your child against sickness. We ask that you do not bring your child to our home if they

have an illness.

If a child is sick, unable to play outdoors, and/or unable to participate in regular

daily activities, alternate arrangements for care must be made.

Signs of illness below are indicators that let you know that your child should not come

Sore throat Cough

Rashes Diarrhea

Pink eye Fever

Vomiting

If your child has had these symptoms within twenty-four hours you should not

bring your child to our home.

If you have any questions concerning this policy and whether your child should

attend, please call me before bringing your child.

Should your child become sick while here, you will be asked to pick-up your child immediately.

Medications Medications will be administered if necessary. Please provide medication in the

original packaging and fill out a medication authorization form.

Child Accidents

In the event of minor bumps, bruises and cuts, we will administer first aid and in-form you of what happened. During a medical emergency, your child will be

transported to the appropriate medical facility through the use of the local emer-gency services for treatment at the expense of the parents/ guardian.

For emergency purposes, please keep all emergency contacts up to date. In the event of any injury (other than minor scrapes, bumps, scratches, etc.), the par-

ents will be notified immediately. Although supervision is constantly given, we cannot be by the child’s side at all times to prevent falls, tripping, bumps, etc. If

the child is injured in a non-life-threatening way, we will assess the child and pro-vide home first-aid. In the event of a serious injury, the parents will be notified

15

immediately and necessary steps will be taken to obtain medical aid. If immediate

intervention is required, we will take appropriate action, including calling 911 and

having your child transported by ambulance to the hospital. You and your family insurance is responsible for the cost of medical help or treatment due to accidents

or illness while at Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool.

Emergency Situations and Evacuation Plans Miss Jen’s Daycare and Preschool is set up as a safe environment for children. We

have emergency fire and earthquake procedures. Practice drills are completed regularly. In the event of an evacuation, we will be situated in the baseball field

of South Oceanside Elementary School. If this location is not available, we will evacuate to the nearest city evacuation site. Notifications will be sent out via

phone call, text, or email as soon as possible if we have to evacuate for any rea-son.

Behavior

It is our policy at Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool to encourage all chil-dren to make good choices about how they behave. We will do this with incen-

tives, coaching and positive reinforcement. We will always attempt to redirect a child into another activity so as to remove them from a situation. For the safety

of all the children, excessive aggressive behavior will result in the parent/legal guardian or emergency contact being contacted, and asked to come and pick up

their child/children. Unfortunately, the child/children will not be allowed to return unless there is a great improvement in their behavior. Children are expected to

act in manner that is appropriate for the social setting that they will be enjoying.

We encourage all children to clean-up after themselves, encouraged to share, lis-ten to adults and participate in our scheduled activities. Should your child experi-

ence separation anxiety (crying when parent or legal guardian leaves) we will at-tempt to comfort the child and divert the child’s attention with activities. If after

fifteen minutes this strategy does not work we will try to coddle the child to

soothe the child and if after a further fifteen minutes this does not work the par-ent or legal guardian will be contacted to pick-up their child.

Family Involvement

We encourage you to visit and join in our activities. Your participation and in-volvement is important to us as we work as partners to provide the best care and

education possible for your child.

Open Door Policy You are invited and welcome to visit anytime your children are present.

Please avoid visiting during nap/quiet time as much as possible. Call or text any-time. If there is no answer, leave a message, and you will get a call back as soon

as possible.

16

Weapons and Violence

Family members, children, and guest are strictly prohibited from possessing fire-

arms or other weapons on our property. When a particular child or parent’s be-havior threatens the safety of others, or if a child or parent becomes abusive to-

ward other children, parents or staff, we will call the appropriate authorities and dis-enroll the child immediately.

Mandated Reporting Requirements

The law requires everyone who works directly with children to report suspicions or evidence of child neglect or abuse to individual state child care licensing agen-

cies or law enforcement agencies.

Drug-Free Environment We are committed to fostering and maintaining a healthy and safe environment

for everyone. There is no smoking allowed anywhere on or near Miss Jen’s Home Daycare and Preschool.

Communication, Satisfaction and Resolution The purpose of these policies is to keep misunderstandings from happening. We

hope it provides parents with a clear picture of the expectations we have for them and that they may have for us.

If at any time a parent has a question concerning any part of this contract, please

talk to us about it immediately. Communication is the key to each child getting the best care possible.