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 PARENT HANDBOOK696 Johnson RoadNazareth, PA 18064Phone 610-759-8761Fax 610-759-9832holycrossdaycare1@HolyCrossDaycare/Cristina Chiarappa – Center DirectorNicole Miller - Assistant DirectorTABLE OF CONTENTSPurpose, Philosophy, ObjectivesPage 2Groupings & QualificationsPage 2Hours of OperationPage 2Registration ProcedurePage 3Health AppraisalPage 3Release of ChildPage 3Children’s RecordsPage 3AttendancePage 3Late Parent Pick-up ProcedurePage 4TuitionPage 4Vacation CouponsPage 5Late FeePage 5Entering the Classroom ProcedurePage 5Holidays ObservedPage 5Snow & Emergency ClosingsPage 6Illness PolicyPage 6MedicationPage 6Allergies Page 7Daily Schedule/ActivitiesPage 7Field TripsPage 7Electronic Games & Devices from HomePage 8Toys from HomePage 8CleaningPage 8Discipline & Classroom RulesPage 8Clothing & CubbiesPage 9Emergency Drills & Fire DrillsPage 9Parent Bulletin BoardPage 9Parent InvolvementPage 9Parent / Teacher Conferences Page 9Snacks, Birthday Treats, Munchie Maestro/EAT DaysPage 10LunchesPage 10Withdrawal PolicyPage 11Governing BodyPage 11Grievance PolicyPage 11Parking Lot PolicyPage 11Nondiscrimination In Services PolicyPage 12REVISED FEBRUARY 2018HOLY CROSS DAYCARE CENTER & NURSERY SCHOOL operates in accordance with the State of Pennsylvania regarding the discrimination against any person because of race, color, gender, religious creed, lifestyle, handicap, ancestry, national origin, or union membership.PURPOSEHoly Cross Daycare Center and Nursery School is a non-profit program and is licensed by the PA Department of Public Welfare. We have been established to serve the community in assisting parents by providing supervised and developmental care for their children. We participate in the PA KEYSTONE STARS program.PHILOSOPHYChildren learn best through play and exploration in a warm and nurturing environment.OBJECTIVESThe school age program of Holy Cross Daycare Center will strive to provide age appropriate activities so the children in our care can develop socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively. We will provide a relaxing and nurturing environment where children can learn and grow during before and after school hours, on no school days, and during the summer months. It is our goal for them to become responsible, caring, and contributing members of society.GROUPINGSThe children are divided as follows:Infants- 4 weeks to age 1Young Toddlers- 1 year oldsOlder Toddlers 2 year oldsPreschool- 3 year oldsKindergarten Readiness- 4 and 5 year oldsSchool Age - Kindergarten through 6th GradeQUALIFICATIONSThis center is an Early Childcare Center that can accommodate children from 4 weeks old to 13 years old.HOURS OF OPERATIONHoly Cross Daycare Center opens at 6:15. and closes at 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Full time and part time services are provided. For non-established children, there is a 2 day per week minimum enrollment requirement.POLICIESPolicies & procedures are subject to review & may be interpreted at the discretion of the Center Director.REGISTRATION PROCEDUREPrior to registration, parent(s) and child(ren) are required to visit the Center to make observations, discuss the policies, and meet the staff. The initial registration fee is $50. To re-register, the fee is $25. Additional children in the family will be registered at $10 per child. Registration fees are non-refundable. In order to keep a child’s spot during the summer, they must attend 1 day minimum. HEALTH APPRAISALAll children are required to have a physical examination prior to entering. The Center’s Health Appraisal form or a public school physical needs to be completed by the child’s physician. It is the parent responsibilities to have the physician complete the form in its entirety. This is a requirement for licensing.RELEASE OF CHILDWe will not release a child to anyone other than the parents or guardians, or the emergency contact persons, unless signed written permission is given to the staff. The note needs to include the name, address, and phone number of the person picking up the child, the date, and whether the note is temporary or permanent. THE STAFF WILL ASK FOR IDENTIFICATION FROM THE PERSON PICKING UP THE CHILD.CHILDREN’S RECORDSThe children’s records are kept confidential. Parents have access to them if needed. PA DPW Licensing Agents and select staff also have access to records. Emergency contact information needs to be updated every 6 months.ATTENDANCEAttendance is taken daily. It is our policy for the parent to call the center and let the staff know if the child will be absent or arriving late. If there is no call, the staff is required to call the parent. It is especially important for parents to notify the center if the child is not returning to Holy Cross on the school bus. If a child is scheduled and does not return, we need to call parents. This takes staff away from the group and often causes confusion at a very busy time of day. LATE PARENT PICK UP PROCEDUREIf a parent is one hour later than the agreed upon pick up time and there is no word from a parent, we will call the parents. If a child is still at the center at closing time and there is no call from a parent and the parents cannot be reached, emergency people listed on the child’s Emergency Contact form will be called. If no one can be located to pick up the child and it is 2 hours beyond the Center’s closing time, the office of Children & Youth will be called to report the child as abandoned.TUITIONWe will follow a monthly billing cycle for every class except school age. You will be billed based on an average for a year. We will take your weekly billing amount, multiply by 52 weeks & divide by 12 months to get your rate. TUITION PAYMENTS ARE DUE PRIOR TO SERVICE. Tuition shall be paid on Friday before care is given. A two business day grace period will be allowed for payments, following which the account shall be considered delinquent and a late fee of $3.00 per day will be added to your tuition. If tuition is not paid by the Friday after the due date, your child will not be permitted to attend until full payment has been received including late fees. Please adhere to this policy. A deposit of $50 shall be paid upon enrollment. This deposit will be applied to your child’s final week in the program.Checks are payable to “Holy Cross Daycare Center” and should be deposited in the Tuition Box, which is located across the hall from the Preschool Daycare classroom. Please indicate on your check the days, week, or month for which you are paying.We also accept cash, credit card and automatic payment processing. All checks returned for non-payment will be assessed an additional surcharge of $30.00. All future payments of tuition must then be made in the form of cash or money order.Parents must sign an agreement form which explains payment. Tuition is due for all days a child is scheduled to attend regardless of reason for absence. Tuition is not refundable unless approved by the Advisory Board. Parents will receive an invoice each month. Parents may pay weekly or monthly. Any adjustments to the invoice will be made following the additional hours.VACATION COUPONSCoupons are offered for a free day of tuition to be used when your child is absent from the center for a vacation day, illness or other reason. The number of coupons given to each family will be based on the number of days your child attends the center and will only be good for the total tuition amount that is regularly charged to you for that specific day of the week. These coupons will expire June 2 and therefore cannot be used during our summer program or the following school year. The coupon for the day absent will be used to deduct from the following week’s tuition. Blank coupons will be located near the tuition check box in the main hallway. Entitlement to coupons will be as follows:3 days attending Holy Cross Daycare = 1 coupon4 days attending Holy Cross Daycare = 2 coupons5 days attending Holy Cross Daycare = 3 couponsLATE FEEA late fee of $3.00 for every 15 minutes beyond the center’s closing time of 6:00 p.m. will be charged. This fee will be added to the following week’s tuition.ENTERING THE CLASSROOM PROCEDUREBefore entering the classroom, children need to wash their hands and use the bathroom. Students should not be using the hand sanitizer for this purpose.HOLIDAYS OBSERVED The Center will be closed for the following:New Year’s Day (or Friday if the holiday falls on a Saturday or Monday if the holiday falls on a Sunday)Good FridayMemorial DayIndependence Day (or Friday if the holiday falls on a Saturday or Monday if the holiday falls on a Sunday)Labor DayThanksgiving DayBlack FridayChristmas Eve (if falls on a weekday)Christmas Day (or Monday if the holiday falls on a Sunday)* A holiday schedule will be sent beginning of Fall each school yearSNOW & EMERGENCY CLOSINGSIn the event that the Center should need to be closed due to bad weather or other emergencies, the announcement will be made on TV WFMZ Channel 69 and on the internet at , However, our Facebook page is the quickest and most accurate source. We will make every effort to remain open to serve the needs of our working parents. If we deem it necessary to close the center, we will post our closing as early as possible. We will also do our best to email families. Please make sure you check for weather updates throughout the day. If the center is closed, there is no charge for the day.ILLNESS POLICYWhen your child appears ill, we would appreciate that you not bring him/her to the center. Our interest is in the physical well-being of all the children and staff.If a child becomes ill during the day, he/she will be checked by the staff. For a temperature of 101 degrees or more, and/or uncontainable body fluids, such as vomiting, diarrhea, oozing rash, etc., the staff will treat it as a contagious condition. For the comfort and safety of the contagious child, as well as the other children, the child will be removed to an area away from the other children. The parents or emergency contacts will be called to come and pick up the child. The child may not return to the center for at least 24 hours or until the contagious condition has passed.When a child is absent because of a contagious disease, a written note from the attending physician is required, stating that the child is no longer contagious and may return to the center. Examples—Chicken Pox, Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), Flu. For more serious conditions, recommended protocol proposed by the Bureau of Health will need to be followed.Letting us know why a child is absent will help us be aware of illnesses going around and keep everyone informed of any pending problems. This is especially helpful for any children who are susceptible to illnesses.MEDICATIONThe staff may not administer medication of any kind without a note from the attending physician. This note must be dated and state: the name of the medication, the time it is to be administered, the amount to be given, and for what time period the medication is to be given. The parent must also complete the Center’s medication log with the required information. All medication must be in the original container from the pharmacy. We prefer that medication be given at home. If a child requires a regularly scheduled medication, parents are responsible for providing us with an adequate supply. If that supply is not made available to the center staff, it will be at the discretion of the director to decide whether or not to provide care to that child.ALLERGIESParents must inform the center staff, in writing, of any allergies a child may have developed. We will offer substitutions for children with specified food allergies. For severe food allergies, the Center reserves the right to request that parents provide snacks for their child. If parents decline, they will be required to sign a form acknowledging their refusal to do so. If a child requires an epi-pen, the parent must supply one to be kept at the Center.NOTE - HOLY CROSS DAYCARE CENTER & NURSERY SCHOOL IS NOT A PEANUT-FREE ENVIRONMENT. WE USE PEANUT BUTTER AND PRODUCTS PROCESSED IN FACILITIES THAT MAY PROCESS PEANUTS AND OTHER TYPES OF NUTS. DAILY SCHEDULE / ACTIVITIESA daily schedule is posted in the classroom and on the classroom bulletin board. It is designed with flexibility in mind. Changes may be made to accommodate the best interest of the children. The children will be taken outdoors to play on a daily basis when the weather permits. According to NAEYC standards, children are expected to go outside when the temperature/wind chill is above 25 degrees, the temperature/heat index is less than 90 degrees, there is no precipitation falling, and there is no air quality alert.Children should be dressed appropriately for indoor or outdoor play. Shoes and sandals need to have straps that go around the heel of the foot to hold the shoe securely. Heels should not be more than one inch high. NO FLIP FLOPS OR CLOGS. Sneakers are preferred.FIELD TRIPSField Trips are considered an important part of the educational program and will be taken if economically feasible. Parents will be informed when and where the class will be going. A field trip release form will be issued prior to the field trip. The release form must be signed by the parents or guardians or the child may not participate in the field trip. Parents are responsible for paying the cost of the field trips (admission & transportation fees). If we are not able to take field trips, every attempt will be made to plan for programs and/or entertainment to come to the center.ELECTRONIC GAMES & DEVICES FROM HOMEElectronics are allowed in the school age classrooms based on teacher discretion. Holy Cross Daycare and teachers will not be responsible for any damaged or lost items. TOYS FROM HOMEWe ask that no toys be brought to the Center except for a small soft toy for rest time. There may be designated days that toys may be brought in. You will be notified by your classroom teachers.CLEANINGNap time items will be sent home every Friday to be washed. Please also check your child’s extra supplies each week as well. If your child is running low, the teachers try their best to notify each parent.DISCIPLINE AND CLASSROOM RULESAll children are enrolled on a trial basis. If a child does not adapt to the program routine within a reasonable amount of time, the situation will be discussed with the parent(s). If a resolution cannot be met, the parent(s) will be asked to withdraw the child from the program. Any prepaid tuition will be refunded.Our CLASSROOM RULES are:Use walking feetUse inside voicesUse gentle touchesUse kind wordsUse helping handsOur staff use positive redirection and give positive verbal rewards to promote acceptable behavior. This reinforces a child’s good feelings about his/her behavior and serves as an example to the other children. Asking a child to stop and think about his/her unacceptable behavior enables that child to work at self-control. Redirection is our main method of discipline. Corporal punishment is never used. If a child is not cooperating in a group, the child will be seated near a teacher and reminded about acceptable behavior. Separation from the group for a “cool down” period is the next tactic used for a child who continually demonstrates unacceptable behavior. This time-out is not a punishment, but rather a time when the child may calm down and reflect on what behavior the teacher expects, and for him/her to decide when he/she is ready to join the group.If behavior problems persist, the parents are asked to a conference. It may be suggested that the child be involved in a behavior modification program, with the parent having the option of being involved in the process. If a resolution cannot be met, or if the center does not receive the cooperation of the parents, the parents will be asked to withdraw their child from the program. In more severe cases, a community resource person may be called in to observe and provide input. Parent authorization would be required. Deliberate destruction of property will become the financial responsibility of the parents.CLOTHING & CUBBIESChildren should be dressed suitably for indoor and outdoor play. We try to take the children outdoors daily (weather permitting).Each child will have a cubby assigned to him/her. Check this daily for personal articles and notes from the staff. Please encourage your child to keep his/her cubby tidy since they are located in the hall and other people may be in the church. You may want to keep extra clothing in your child’s cubby for an emergency change. Please label.EMERGENCY DRILLS & FIRE DRILLSThese drills are conducted on a monthly basis. The purpose is for the children and staff to become familiar with room/building evacuation strategies in the event of an emergency. The days and times of these drills will vary.PARENT BULLETIN BOARDThe Parent Bulletin Board is an important communication center. It is located next to the door entering your child’s classroom. It is used to display the snack menu, messages, the daily schedule, weekly lesson plans, a copy of the monthly newsletter and calendar, etc.PARENT INVOLVEMENTParent input and participation is important and welcome. Please use the Advisory Board suggestion box in the hall for your use. Parents are invited to help with special activities, field trips, lead an activity, share a hobby or special talent, present information to the class, read a story, have lunch with their child, or just visit. If you will be volunteering in a classroom, you will need to provide us with clearances. See the office for more information. PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCESConferences will be offered twice a year. You may request a conference at any time.SNACKS AND BIRTHDAY TREATSA snack is provided each morning. A copy of the snack menu is posted on the Parent’s Bulletin Board. We try to provide healthy snacks and promote good eating habits. Parents may provide simple birthday treats. The staff should be informed a few days in advance. Half year birthdays are celebrated for children who have summer birthdays. Food that comes from home for sharing among the children must be either whole fruits or commercially prepared packaged foods in factory-sealed containers. We discourage large cupcakes, if you must, please bring in mini cupcakes or muffins or small cookies. Other foods might include: fruits, yogurt, veggies & dip. Please think outside the box – your birthday “treat” doesn’t have to be edible, kids get excited about all kinds of stuff…stickers, bubbles, tattoos, & other cheap trinkets. We want birthdays to be about CELEBRATION, not sweets. NOTE – HOLY CROSS DAYCARE CENTER IS NOT A PEANUT-FREE ENVIRONMENT. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SERVE POPCORN, HOT DOGS (whole or sliced into rounds), WHOLE GRAPES, NUTS, HARD PRETZELS, RAW PEAS, CHUNKS OF RAW CARROTS OR MEAT (larger than can be swallowed whole), AND SPOONFULS OF PEANUT BUTTER TO CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OLD.LUNCHESEach child must bring his/her lunch. We will refrigerate or microwave lunch components as needed. However, please make sure it is a microwaveable container. Please pack a napkin and utensil if necessary. Please put all refrigerated items in a gallon size labeled Ziploc bag & send it back daily so that teachers only have to put the bag in the refrigerator.The Department of Public Welfare, who monitors our center, recommends that each child bring a serving from each of the following food groups:Dairy milk products, cheese, yogurtProteinmeat, fish, poultry, dried beans & peas, nuts, peanut butterFruits/Vegetablesfresh vegetables and/or fruits are recommendedGrainswhole grains & enriched products such as bread, cereal, pasta, crackers, riceIf you send a beverage, please send milk, water, or 100% fruit juice. Drinks such as Hi-C, Kool Aid, Hawaiian Punch, and Capri Sun contain mostly sugar, food coloring, and very little nutrition. Do not send iced tea or carbonated drinks. If you do not send a beverage, we will offer your child milk or water. Children may not eat hard candy or chew gum while at the center.WITHDRAWAL POLICYParents are asked to give the director one week’s notice in writing prior to withdrawing a child from the program. GOVERNING BODYHoly Cross Daycare Center and Nursery School are governed by an Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is responsible for overseeing the finances which includes preparing a yearly budget, bus transportation, utility costs, accounts receivable, accounts payable and approving staff hires. Some other things the Advisory Board is responsible for is reviewing staff salaries, personnel policies and procedures handbook, parent handbook, fundraising, planning fun events for the children and families, putting together the summer camp program, etc. The Advisory Board meets a minimum of eight times a year. Please check the Advisory Board Bulletin Board for future dates. The Board may be comprised of parents and community members. All interested persons are welcome to attend the meetings. All information is posted on the bulletin board next to the coat racks in the main hallway. Underneath, there is a suggestion box where you can place any comments, questions, or concerns. Please feel free to also email at holycrossdaycareboard@GRIEVANCE POLICYAny issues of concern or problems should be brought to our attention immediately. The matter can be addressed to the attention of your child’s Lead Teacher, the Center Director or Assistant Director. If parents feel the matter has not been handled to their satisfaction, they may then bring the matter to the attention of the Daycare Advisory Board. The dates of the Board meetings are posted on the door entering the center. You can also mail a letter of concern to: Holy Cross Daycare Advisory Boardc/o Holy Cross Daycare Center696 Johnson Road Nazareth, PA 18064PARKING LOT POLICYPlease slow down & come to a COMPLETE STOP at the Stop sign. Please turn your car off while in the parking lot. You may not leave your car on while you drop off or pick up your child if nobody is left in the car. HOLY CROSS DAYCARE CENTER & NURSERY SCHOOL696 Johnson RoadNazareth, PA 18064610-759-8761Subject:Nondiscrimination in ServicesTo:Parents / ChildrenFrom:Cristina Chiarappa, Center DirectorAdmissions, the provisions of services, and referrals of clients shall be made without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, or sex.Program services shall be made accessible to eligible persons with disabilities through the most practical and economically feasible methods available. These methods include, but are not limited to, equipment redesign, the provision of aides, and the use of alternative service delivery locations. Structural modifications shall be considered only as a last resort among available methods.Any individual/client/student (and/or their guardian) who believes they have been discriminated against, may file a complaint of discrimination with:Holy Cross Daycare Advisory Board696 Johnson Road, Nazareth, PA 18064Department of Public WelfarePA Human Relations CommissionBureau of Equal OpportunityHarrisburg Regional OfficeRoom 223, Health & Welfare Bldg.Riverfront Office CenterPO Box 26751101 S. Front St. 5th FloorHarrisburg, PA 17105Harrisburg, PA 17104Department of Public WelfareUS Dept. of Health & Human ServiceBureau of Equal OpportunityOffice for Civil RightsNorthern Regional OfficeSuite 372, Public Ledger Bldg.331 Scranton State Office Bldg.150 S. Independence Mall West100 Lackawanna AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19106-9111Scranton, PA 18503 ................
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