Littlehouseinthecountry.net
“a place like home”
At Little House in the Country, it is our mission to foster the development of the whole child, according to his or her individual needs and abilities. In working cooperatively with the child and family, our goal is to help guide the child on his unique path to realize God’s ultimate purpose in his life.
Policies and Information
(Revised July 5, 2016)
PHILOSOPHY/ PURPOSE
Aside from a safe and healthy environment, the most important aspect of quality child care is an atmosphere that is comforting and enjoyable for the children as well as the care givers. We strive to provide every child with a level of care and comfort that will help him or her to be relaxed and ready for learning.Through a “home like” environment, we are able to provide developmentally appropriate activities that are challenging but not overwhelming and thus foster optimal growth for a well rounded early childhood experience.
Play and exploration are key factors in the learning process for young children. Through hands-on experiences, children develop their natural curiosity of the world around them. Learning and laughing are what life is all about for a pre-schooler. At Little House, the emphasis is on learning through fun!
An effective teacher understands that teaching is an art-form. An artist is able to recognize the inherent beauty in his materials and harmonize the unique qualities for others to appreciate. As such, we believe that a child is God’s most spectacular creation. We do not attempt to “form” or “mold” the child, rather, our goal is to foster the child’s inner beauty while helping him develop the confidence necessary to handle the types of situations that he will eventually face on his own.
Because children learn what they live, it is essential that care givers model acceptable behavior. When treated with respect, patience, love and understanding, children will learn to take on these qualities for themselves. It is our concern for the well-being of future generations that inspires us to pass on positive attitudes and personal qualities through any means possible. Christian values and spiritual growth are fostered through the use of children’s Bible stories, Christian songs, holiday celebrations, and community service projects.
At Little House, we understand that your child is one of the most important people in your life. Please remember that your child’s day care teacher is one of the most important people in his or her life.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM; INTRODUCTION
At Little House the emphasis is on learning through fun. We believe that developing a child's natural curiosity and love for learning is best achieved through a balance of teacher guided and self initiated activities. Children learn best when they are having fun and when their daily activities are governed by a flexible schedule and include developmentally appropriate experiences, stimulating as well as relaxing activities, and an environment that is clean, safe, and enjoyable.
Our program is designed for the development of the whole child. The loosely structured curriculum allows for teacher creativity as well as individualizing for each child's personal needs and developmental stage. Daily activities allow for growth and learning in all developmental areas: spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive, creative, and physical.
Learning experiences in each of these areas will be available to each child on a daily basis through a variety of means. For example, our program is designed to foster spiritual development through prayer, Bible stories and songs, and community service projects. Multiculturalism is encouraged through the exploration of geographical, social and cultural diversity throughout our world.
Social development takes place each time a child interacts with another child during free play, and also during the more structured circle time when the child learns to listen, to speak in turn, and to share thoughts with the group. Emotional growth occurs as the child learns to deal with separation from parents and through daily teacher guided experiences, as well as through dramatic play and discussions about our own and other people's feelings.
The best way to promote cognitive development in preschool children and foster their natural curiosity of their world is by providing an intellectually stimulating environment and asking open-ended questions which will encourage discussion and contemplation. We achieve this through the monthly concepts which are discussed during circle time and reinforced throughout the day with books, projects, activities, games and field trips.
Creative expression is encouraged during art time, through dramatic play, and in many other ways throughout the day. Art projects are presented by the teacher in a way that encourages the children to use their own creativity. In this way, children learn that it is the process, not the product, which is important.
A good portion of each day is set aside for physical activity and gross motor development. Being physically active is a major part of a young child's life, and Little House is well equipped to accommodate this need. Outside, our playgrounds are designed to encouragemotor skills development and provide a safe place for children to releaseenergy. Indoors, the open space in our play room encourages block building, singing and dancing, as well as dramatic play and fine motor activities.
At Little House, your child will be learning, growing, and sharing, in an enjoyable atmosphere that feels like home.
ENROLLMENT AGREEMENT/OPERATING POLICIES
Every child must be accompanied into the building and signed in by an adult. The day care is not responsible for the child until he has been signed in. No child will be allowed to leave the building with anyone other than a parent or adult who has been approved by a parent in writing.
Except in extreme weather, outside play will be a part of the daily program. Please dress children accordingly. Remember to send snowsuits in winter, and to assist your child in removing boots and putting shoes on as you enter the day care.
Every child must bring in a small bag or diaper bag each day labeled with his/her name and containing: a lunch, extra clothing including socks and underwear. Infants and toddlers will also need enough diapers for the day (wet wipes will be provided by Little House,) pre-mixed and labeled bottles, baby food, bibs and burp-cloths. If sun block or non-prescription diaper ointments are sent in for re-application throughout the day, forms must be filled out and signed before the child is dropped off.
Each week, every child (except in the infant room) must bring in a crib sheet and small blanket for rest-time (each labeled with child’s name) to be brought home and laundered on Fridays.Your child will be provided a special “Little House” nap bag. This bag is to remain at the daycare at all times and is not to be used to transport belongings home. Please bring only what fits into this bag for nap time as classroom space is limited. Any extra items such as pillows and stuffed animals that do not fit into this nap bag may not be left at the daycare.
Please remember to label EVERY item that comes into the day care, including food, bottles, pacifiers, baby food, snacks, diapers, diaper bags, bibs, bedding, hats, boots, gloves, coats, sweaters, extra clothing, sun block, diaper ointment and any other item belonging to your child. Medications or prescription ointments are not permitted in the day care as we are not certified to administer medications and therefore it is against state regulations for these items to be on the premises.
Field trips and outings are also a part of the program, for which the children will be transported in the day care van. Parents will be informed of outings in advance, and a permission slip must be signed. During warm weather, parents should apply sun screen for their child before coming to day care. We request that an extra swimsuit be sent into the day care for water play during the summer if possible.
The day care will provide two snacks per day with juice, as well as milk at lunch time. Parents are expected to supply lunches and utensils and any special foods required for your child. Please do not allow your child to bring any gum or candy items from home.
For birthdays and special occasions, parents are encouraged to send in small goodie-bags to share with all classmates containing stickers or inexpensive items that are not choking hazards, as opposed to candy or cupcakes. Due to allergies, we will not be able to share treats from home unless they are washed and cut fresh fruits and vegetables. If you do not want your child to share in any of these types of special snacks sent in by other parents, please inform your teacher and the office in writing so that we can make sure this restriction is posted in the classroom.
A special toy may be brought in for showing and sharing (no toy guns, please) on show-and-share days only.We are not responsible for toys brought in by your child. Electronic toys, music players and video games should not be brought to the day care.
Parents will be allowed free access into the day care at any time during operating hours for drop off and pick up. Please inform us immediately in writing of any change of address or phone number at home or at work.
In the case of parents/guardians who live separately with joint custody, an agreement must be signed by both parties indicating pick up and drop off arrangements. If both parties do not provide a written schedule of pick up and drop off arrangements, the child will be released to either parent who comes to pick up without our prior notification to the other parent/guardian.
Little House does not provide letters of reference for employees and does not approve of or recommend staff members to “babysit” or care for children enrolled in our program at home or outside of our facility. We take no responsibility for the actions of staff regarding child care provided outside of our facility. Little House staff members are prohibited from transporting children enrolled in our program in their personal vehicles.
TUITION AND FEES
Hours of operation at Little House are from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Children are enrolled for specific time slots (to be scheduled at least two weeks in advance) and may not be left at the day care beyond the end of the time slot that they have been scheduled for. If a parent is unable to pick up at the scheduled time due to an unexpected emergency, please contact us as soon as possible. In such case, the parent will be charged for the following time slot and an additional $5 fee for late pick-up. For any child picked up after our 6:00 PM closing time, a fee of $15.00 per fifteen-minute period will be charged in addition to the $5.00 late pick-up fee.
It is vital for Little House to have updated emergency contact information at all times. Please inform us immediately if your contact information has changed. Emergency contacts are used when the child is sick or injured, or needs to be picked up do to early closing. If we need to contact you and are not able to reach you or your emergency contact within an hour of our attempt, there will be an additional $25 charge per occurrence.
Tuition and fees are due on or before Friday of the week prior to the week scheduled for day care (example: tuition due Friday, Jan 4 for the week of Jan 7-11.) If payment is not made by 6:00PM on Friday, a late payment fee of $10.00 will be added to the child’s tuition. No child may be dropped off on Monday morning without previous payment. Rates are set for weekly periods and absent days may not be deducted from the weekly rate.
In the case of families who receive Care for Kids funding, tuition will still be due in advance of care as explained above. Tuition must be paid in full by the parent until payment is received by Little House from Care for Kids. When the first Care for Kids payment is received, the amount received will be credited toward future care, not refunded for care already provided. This credit will be carried forward along with the parent copayment until such time as the child is disenrolled. At that time, any credit remaining after all care provided including the required two weeks’ notice period has been paid, the remaining credit will be refunded to the parent.
There will be a $50 fee for returned checks, as well as for declined credit card or ACH checking account deductions.
Occasionally, the daycare will have a delayed opening, early closing, or will be closed due to extreme weather or power outage. In this case, your regular weekly tuition will be due. We cannot give discounts for closings as we still pay our staff.
A non-refundable retainer fee of one week's full tuition as well as a $100 enrollment fee and completed enrollment forms (including state health record form) will be required in order to secure a position.If a child is temporarily disenrolled from our program for more than two weeks, this enrollment fee and retainer fee must be paid at the time of two weeks’ advance notice in order to secure the spot for the child to return to our program. The retainer fee will be applied to the first week's tuition.
For families who have had their children enrolled with us full-time or in our open enrollment program for a full year, including a full summer season, and have paid the full tuition amount each week with no other discounts taken or payments made late, Little House will allow for one week of unpaid vacation per year, provided that at least 30 days written notice is given for the family's vacation schedule.
Little House will be closed and regular tuition will be charged on the following holidays: Memorial Day; Fourth of July (or the following Monday or preceding Friday); Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, Christmas Eve(or the following Monday or preceding Friday), Christmas Day (or the following Monday or preceding Friday), and New Years Day (or the following Monday or preceding Friday). Little House will close early (1:00 PM) on New Years Eve. Regular tuition is due every week regardless of attendance including vacation days. Rates are subject to change with 30 days prior notice.
As of Dec 4 2015, all payments made to Little House will be collected through our Tuition Express software. Tuition and fees are automatically charged to your credit card or checking account every Friday. Please see attached information for frequently asked questions regarding the Tuition Express program.
SECURITY POLICY
In order to help provide a safe environment we ask that all of you adhere to the following:
Each family will be asked to submit a four digit number to the director. This number will be entered into our security code system. It is imperative that you keep your code confidential and that you use it for only your family’s purposes. Do not allow anyone into the building. They must gain admittance by their own code. Anyone else must use the doorbell to enter. If using the doorbell, an assigned staff will be responsible for admitting them into the center. That staff member will ask for the proper ID and the purpose of their visit before they are allowed to enter the program.
When your child begins to attend the center, parents please keep in mind that staff will ask for ID for anyone picking up the children. As soon as we become better acquainted with you, daily ID will not be necessary. If anyone else should be picking up, even though they are already on the authorization forms, they will be asked for the proper ID.
CENTER COMMUNICATIONS/FIELD TRIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
From time to time we will be hosting special events, parent/teachers conferences, and scheduling field trips. Information regarding the center’s activities will be posted in your child’s classroom, printed in the monthly newsletter, and distributed by your child’s teacher. All field trips require a signed and dated permission slip. Please note that we do not mail any of this material. It is the parent’s responsibility to secure this information and any other related details when you are at the center.
CENTER CLOSINGS/EARLY DISMISALS/DELAYS
If we need to close the center or delay opening due to inclement weather or any building emergencies, we will notify you through the media. Early closings and other important notices and communications will be sent by email. Please provide us with up-to-date email addresses and be sure to check your email or call the center in the case of inclement weather.