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The Official CDC (Daycare and Preschool) Parents Handbook

Welcome to Children's Development Connection (CDC). We are pleased that you are considering our Center. We look forward to sharing with you in the development of your child's body and mind. This handbook is offered as a means of familiarizing you with the policies and procedures of the school and to help you understand our program and goals for our students.

PHILOSOPHY: The program at CDC is based on the philosophy that your child needs to be exposed to the widest variety of experiences in order to arouse his/her physical and intellectual abilities and encourage self expression, as a sense of joy, wonder and curiosity in the world around them.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: It has been said that "play is the business of childhood, through play a child explores and experiences his world."

Our program is designed to develop children's positive self-concept and help them grow and learn at their own pace. We offer educational experiences that seek to further your child's physical and mental development. Learning centers within CDC are designed to promote children's language skills (listening and speaking), creative thinking, problem solving, number concepts, large and small muscle coordination and responsibility for caring for one's self.

INFANT DEVELOPMENT: Although development follows a general pattern, all babies grow and develop at different rates. Some will be learning and doing things at different times than other babies, even their own brothers and sisters.

At birth, your baby's brain is not yet fully developed. Babies are born with over 100 billion brain cells. Some of these cells are connected, but most are not. During the first five years of life (and after that at a slower rate), your child's brain is hard at work connecting these brain cells.

Each time your baby uses one of his/her senses - seeing, tasting, touching, hearing and smelling - a connection is made. When different kinds of experiences are repeated over and over again, the connections in your baby's brain become stronger. These connections shape the way he/she thinks, feels, behaves and learns.

It is important for babies to "attach" or connect strongly with a small, consistent group of people to build secure, meaningful relationships. We pride our selves on providing this kind of environment for your infant in your absence.

TODDLER DEVELOPMENT: Children ages 14 months to three years of age are cared for and taught by trained caregivers. Toddlers' curriculum includes large muscle development and small manipulative skills, arts and crafts, coloring, singing and finger plays. Children are read to and encouraged to join in on all activities. We assist children in potty training. Two snacks, a breakfast and hot lunch are provided for our toddlers every day. Parents must provide diapers and wet wipes which they can store in each child's personal cubby. A toddler topic will go home with your child everyday, telling you how his/her day went.

PRESCHOOL AND FULL TIME DAYCARE: Children three to five years of age are divided into groups by age and ability. Children in need of additional developmental work are put in an appropriate preschool class. Preschool runs each day from 9 AM - 11:15 AM during the school year for all children present at those times. Parents are welcome to get involved in the education of their child(ren) and to offer ideas.

The concepts covered during preschool hours are: sensorial, reading readiness, mathematics, art, music, motor activity, science and everyday living skills. Our sensorial education strives to make the child aware of his/her senses and how to use them to develop attention, observation, comparison and classification skills. Our language arts program is designed to help children associate each letter with its sound, and to form words by combining sounds. In mathematics the child learns to associate the abstract symbols with the real-life quantity, the basics for success in elementary school mathematics. Everyday living skills include how to tie your shoes, personal hygiene habits, safety rules, etc. We also offer a program called HALO, which is a program aimed in having your child make good choices when it comes to the use of alcohol and other harmful substances.

Field trips are planned on a daily basis during the summer for preschoolers and school aged children. During the school year field trips are planned twice a month. We visit businesses, parks and recreational facilities. We offer swimming lessons during the summer, as well as gymnastics, aerobic and computer classes year round.

PHYSICAL: Our center has adequate indoor and outdoor space for each child to explore and play, as well as complete sanitary toilet facilities. Our bathrooms and entire facility are cleaned twice a day. During the academic year, we educate each child on hygiene and basic self-help skills. A Health Department nurse is available to our Center for any health advice we may need. Trained personnel conduct tests for hearing and eyesight problems periodically. Small and large motor skills are emphasized according to the child's individual stages of development.

COGNITIVE: Our program is directed towards whatever each child can accommodate academically. Language and vocabulary are emphasized. With this are the communication skills needed to function as an independent person in our society. Preschool is designed to prepare each child for enrollment in elementary school. Children are not pushed but led through experiences that will make them aware of alternatives and life experiences. Our desire is for each child to have an enriching learning experience that meets his or her needs.

BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE: As an early childhood educational center, we desire to provide care for school children that stimulates but does not exhaust the child. Programs are developed to do this and are carried through by our experienced staff. Children are involved in arts & crafts, large outdoor games, small group games, musicals, plays and literature. IBM compatible computers and play stations are also available to any student who wishes to us it. Snacks are provided for all schoolers. We provide transportation to and from five area schools.

ILLNESS POLICY: We will follow guidelines set forth by the Douglas County Health Department as to when your child will be excluded from CDC and when they can return. Our Exclusion Policy is attached.

SCHOOL HOURS: CDC is open from 6 AM - 6PM, Monday through Friday. Full time students are those who attend CDC more than five hours per day. Part times students are those who attend the Center less than five hours per day.

The Center will be closed for the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas Day. Other holidays may be added, but proper notification will be given to all parents.

TUITION POLICY: Parents will be responsible for the payment of fees for days the child is in attendance, and are not charged for days the child does not attend. THERE ARE TWO EXCEPTIONS: 1) Infants in the infant room will be charged whether the child is in attendance or not. 2) All children will be charged for the six holidays listed above, whether it is a day your child would normally attend or not. This includes the holiday should it fall on the weekend, and be celebrated the Friday before or the Monday after. Parents are expected to notify CDC as soon as they are aware the child will be absent so that we may make appropriate staffing arrangements. In order for us to reserve you a crib, two weeks tuition security deposit will be required. It will be used for daycare, however if you decide not to take the crib it is forfeited.

The child's fee is due on Friday of each week. There will be a $25 fee assessed for any returned checks. The fee for two children from the same family (toddler and above) will be reduced 10% of the total amount. The 10% reduced amount does not apply to infants, children attending preschool only and children who attend before and after school only. Parents are required to give CDC at least two weeks notice of their intention to withdraw their child from the school.

ENROLLMENT POLICIES: A child must meet existing age and health requirements in order to qualify for enrollment. CDC admits children regardless of race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to children at the Center. Failure of parents to pay tuition fees may result in the child's dismissal from CDC.

DELIVERY AND PICK UP POLICIES: No child shall arrive before 6:00 AM in the morning, nor leave after 6:00 PM in the evening. Children will be released to adults as indicated on the Child's Contact Record. If an individual that is not indicated on the form is to pick up, you must call the daycare and inform us of this individual's name. We reserve the right to ask anyone picking up a child for proper ID before that child will be released to the individual. A late fee of $5.00 for every five minutes will be assessed to families arriving at our Center after 6:00 PM.

Thank you for considering our Center for your child!

2005 CDC Exclusion Policy

Because infections spread easily among children, you should look for the following symptoms requiring exclusion of a child from the child care setting.

1. If the child does not feel well enough to participate in routine activities.

2. If the child has a fever, behavior change, or other signs of illness such as sore throat, rash, vomiting, diarrhea, earache, etc. A fever is defined as 101 degrees or higher. If the child has been diagnosed with an infection such as strep throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, RSV, etc. they may not return until they are temperature free for 24 hours, feel well enough to return and are on an antibiotic for 24 hours.

3. Children with signs of severe diarrhea, vomiting, uncontrolled coughing, difficulty breathing or wheezing, will not be allowed to return without a doctor's note. Uncontrolled diarrhea is defined as 4 loose stools in an 8 hour period. In infants and toddlers it is defined as 2 loose stools that cannot be contained by a diaper.

4. Any child who has had two or more episodes of vomiting in the previous 24 hours will not be allowed to return to the childcare setting until vomiting has stopped for 24 hours.

5. Children with mouth sores or undiagnosed rashes will not be allowed to return until they have been seen by a physician, and it is determined that it is not a communicable disease.

6. Any child with eye drainage will be excluded for 24 hours. This is defined as pink or red eyes with white or yellow discharge that causes matting of the eyelids, pain or redness of the eyelids.

7. A child with head lice will be excluded until they have been treated with a recommended head lice medication, have been examined by daycare personnel, and determined that they are nit free.

8. Children with chicken pox will be excluded from the childcare setting until their pox, have scabbed over and are no longer open sores.

9. The director, at her discretion, may exclude a child if there is concern that they are exhibiting symptoms of a possible illness that is communicable to others.

We will strictly adhere to this policy. It is a protection for all of the children and staff as well. We ask that you use your best judgment when determining whether your child is truly well enough to be in the daycare setting.

2005 Code of Conduct

It takes a Village…

Here at CDC we strive to provide each child with a safe and secure environment. Children explore their world and demonstrate a variety of behaviors in an effort to develop self-identity, test their boundaries and learn how to interact with the world. In a preschool setting we are working on skills appropriate to your child's development, such as separating from parents, appropriate interaction with peers, starting and stopping an activity, transitioning to a different activity, and manners. This is, of course, in addition to everything else like skipping, coloring, letters, numbers, tying shoes, etc.

Our experienced staff notes behavior at typical ages …

1-2 year olds… stranger anxiety… stops activity in response to "no"… follows simple commands… test parent and caregivers reactions… enjoys an audience… strong independence… brings or takes objects when requested.

3 - 6 years olds… cooperative play… separates from familiar person… follows rules in a group game with adult help… likes to play with others… shares and takes turns… developing a longer attention span… follows routines.

At CDC, we are able to deal with typical behaviors by demonstrating positive interaction, praising good behavior, offering choices, clearly stating our expectations at a level the child can understand, re-directing to appropriate activity, intermittent rewards, removing a child from an activity when inappropriate behavior is displayed, removing a desired activity from a child, and time-outs.

We also note that there are many factors that can affect behavior such as illness, hunger, tiredness, stress at home, a new house, new job, new baby, etc. We rely on staff and parents to clearly communicate and work together to assist each child.

At times, parents and staff may discuss strategies that may be appropriate at home and at school. We count on parents' efforts at home in assisting with behaviors. We also recognize that home and school are very different environments and behavior strategies may not be able to be implemented equally.

We deal with difficult behaviors on a daily basis including biting, pinching, spitting, hitting, kicking, pushing, rough housing, throwing, crying, tantrums, destruction of objects, screaming, taking others toys, not listening, and general defiance.

As stated previously, we strive to provide a safe and secure environment for all children. With parental assistance, we attempt to resolve all behaviors within the preschool setting.

When typical strategies do not provide resolution, a behavior plan is no longer effective, or there is lack of parental support, the family will be provided a 2- week notice of termination of services.