Parent Handbook

(Revised December 2022)

St. Hilary’s Community Care Centre Inc. operates a quality, non-profit Day Care Centre providing a warm and loving environment for children three months to five years of age.

Our program enables children to develop physically, mentally, socially and emotionally while engaging their families in a meaningful way in day to day activities.

We as a team strive to make children feel competent and capable and encourage their curiosities because we believe that they are rich in potential. The program’s design stimulates their eagerness to explore, provides flexibility to allow each child to reach his/her potential and provides a loving environment where he/she finds security and a sense of self-worth.

We agree with Ontario’s Pedagogy for Early Years and believe that the four foundations to ensure optimal learning are:

1. Every child has a sense of belonging when he or she is connected to others and contributes to their world.
2. Every child is developing a sense of self, health, and well-being.
3. Every child is an active and engaged learner who explores the world with body, mind, and senses.
4. Every child is a capable communicator who expresses himself or herself in many ways.

Keeping in mind the above four foundations of learning, we at St. Hilary’s believe in the emergent curriculum. This is a way of planning the curriculum in response to children’s interests thus creating meaningful learning experiences. Our educators, plan activities and projects to match the skills, interests and unique needs of the children. This requires an understanding of individual children as well as the group as a whole.

In order to ensure an in depth understanding of every child and in order to provide a guide for our curriculum we at St. Hilary’s use ministry recommended documents such as, ELECT (Early Learning for Every Child Today) and Think Feel Act: Lessons from Research about Young Children. The New Child Care and Early Years Act, forms a firm base on which we rely in order to provide superior service to children, families and the community at large.

Our Program

A typical day at St. Hilary’s consists of POSITIVE INTERACTIONS, between staff and families. At drop off, parents are encouraged to come into the classroom and spend some time depending on their child’s needs, whether it is to share or exchange information with staff or even if it is to give their child an extra long hug before they go to work. Throughout the day, children are encouraged to explore their surroundings and freely use materials provided in an imaginative yet, appropriate manner. They are encouraged to be independent in routines such as dressing, toileting, washing, eating, and tidying up their playthings, all while making sure they know they can turn to a caring adult for help if required. At lunch they are given the opportunity to serve themselves, pour their drinks, feed themselves and scrape their plates, keeping age appropriateness in mind. Our lunch setting is family style, where children and adults eat together and share information; you never know when a teachable moment arises. Responsible adults are always available within appropriate ratios based on age grouping at all times.

All staff, students, and volunteers are to use behaviour guidance strategies that support children to develop appropriate social and emotional skills and comply with St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre’s Program Statement. St. Hilary’s Day Care and The Child Care and Early Years Act prohibit the following practices:

a)corporal punishment of a child;

b) physical restraint of a child, such as confining the child to a high chair, car seat, stroller or other device for the purposes of discipline or in lieu of supervision, unless the physical restraint is for the purpose of preventing a child from hurting himself, herself or someone else, and is used only as a last resort and only until the risk of injury is no longer imminent

c) locking the exits of the child care centre or home child care premises for the purpose of confining a child, or confining the child in an area or room without adult supervision, unless such confinement occurs during an emergency and is required as part of the licensee’s emergency management policies and procedures;

d) use of harsh or degrading measures or threats or use of derogatory language directed at or used in the presence of a child that would humiliate, shame or frighten the child or undermine his or her self-respect, dignity or self-worth;

e) depriving the child of basic needs including food, drink, shelter, sleep, toilet use, clothing or bedding; or

f) Inflicting any bodily harm on children including making children eat or drink against their will

Any staff member, volunteer, or student who does not adhere to the Prohibited Practices Policy will be subject to discipline and or dismissal from the Centre.

We work very hard to encourage children to express their feelings through words rather than actions. Guidance is always directed at a child’s action or behaviour, never at the personality of the child, thus helping to preserve and maintain a child’s positive self-concept. Our staff makes sure guidelines for acceptable behaviour are clearly outlined to all children and the consequences of an indiscretion are clearly explained. Children are taught to respect and care for the physical environment, other’s belongings and other material items. All staff is instructed to focus and reinforce positive behavior and promote self regulation. We believe that as children learn how to remain and return to a state of calm in stressful situations, they are best able to control their emotions, pay attention, ignore distractions and understand the consequences of their actions.

Health, Safety

The Centre provides a nutritious mid-day meal, morning and two afternoon snacks. Our Menu is based on Canada’s Food Guide and all the food is prepared on site, with fresh ingredients by our full time cook.

We provide food, homo milk, and water for infants who eat table food, and are able to drink from a cup. Those infants drinking out of a bottle or eating jarred food have meals provided by their parents in clearly marked containers/bottles with their child’s name and contents. Homogenized milk is served to infants and toddlers and 2% milk for preschoolers.

We believe resting is very important as part of a balanced curriculum. Infants rest according to their needs, while the other age groups rest in the afternoon or are allowed quiet time according to their needs. This is usually a two hour period post lunch.

Nutrition And Well-Being

The Centre provides a nutritious mid-day meal, morning and two afternoon snacks. Our Menu is based on Canada’s Food Guide and all the food is prepared on site, with fresh ingredients by our full time cook.

We provide food, homo milk, and water for infants who eat table food, and are able to drink from a cup. Those infants drinking out of a bottle or eating jarred food have meals provided by their parents in clearly marked containers/bottles with their child’s name and contents. Homogenized milk is served to infants and toddlers and 2% milk for preschoolers.

We believe resting is very important as part of a balanced curriculum. Infants rest according to their needs, while the other age groups rest in the afternoon or are allowed quiet time according to their needs. This is usually a two hour period post lunch.

Gross Motor Activities

As required by the ministry we at St. Hilary’s stick to the guideline that every child be taken out-of doors for two hours each day through-out the year, except during inclement weather. Exposure to the open air is a powerful remedy against long-term or recurrent infections, also a time when a child has the opportunity to improve his/her gross motor skills that are a very important part of a child’s development. All children are encouraged to participate in the entire outdoor/gross motor program.

Indoor / Gym Play

It is during inclement weather that we feel very lucky to have a large indoor space that we use as a gym. The staff, along with management, have devised a schedule allowing every age group to have sufficient time in the gym on days when the weather is bad. Teachers make sure to set up the gym with a variety of gross motor toys and activities that will engage the children and keep motivate them to participate.

Outdoor Play

Our beautiful playground is divided into two large sections allowing older and younger age groups to have their own space to play safely.  As we are licensed to run the center with the flexibility of having 24 Preschoolers and 15 Toddlers or 15 Preschoolers, 9 Sr. Toddlers and 15 Jr.  Toddlers, the Preschoolers will share their play space with 4 or 5 senior toddlers (depending on age appropriateness) while the rest of the Senior Toddlers share the other space with younger toddlers and 3 older infants.  The younger infants go on walks in triple strollers.  Each of the playgrounds have varied terrain, climbers and sandboxes allowing for a range of movement and gross motor exposure. In addition to this, teachers plan the outdoor curriculum based on observations and put out toys for the children to play with based on their interest.  We have a separate selection of indoor and outdoor toys that we circulate from time to time based on children’s interests. We also follow safety and cleaning checklists for both indoor and outdoor play areas and the toys that we take very seriously.

Communication with Parents /Parental Involvement

St. Hilary’s encourages and practices open communication with all our families. We believe that families are the experts on their children and therefore we try to foster engagement and communication with them about our program and their child’s learning experiences.
HiMama: The HiMama app is an educational online teaching tool that the educators use as a guide to document children’s learning and daily routines. Parents have unlimited access to go online to attain an overview of their child’s day and can also communicate to educators through the apps email. Reports are issued daily to keep parents informed and up to date with their child’s progress.

Observations based on ELECT (Early Learning for Every Child Today): Staff in each class post observations on children in the developmental domains such as Social, Emotional, Cognitive, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language and Communication.
Monthly newsletters: are compiled by the staff in each class in order to share relevant information and reminders.

Management newsletters: are also shared on a regular basis in order to keep families informed of improvements, changes or any kind of updates from the board and staff.

Parent Communication Boards: are present in each classroom and are updated with information on a daily basis as well as having important policies and health notices posted.

Cubby Communication boards: are used for reminders on daily or weekly activities

Entryway Communication board and information centre: Families can also find information about community programs, fundraising activities and other informative flyers in the entryway passage into the daycare.

Social media: For families that engage in social media we also post pictures of learning experiences and other information on our Facebook page.  Parents will also have access to the private photo galleries found on our webpage.

In addition to all of the above visual communication, we at St. Hilary’s take great pleasure in daily verbal communication with parents and caretakers. We encourage families to enter the classrooms during drop off and pick up to interact with us and share information that will not only helps us to best meet the needs of the children, but also helps us to improve our entire program and services.

Involving Local Community Partners

“It takes a Village to raise a child” is something we at St. Hilary’s strongly believe in. Keeping this in mind we make sure we plan various activities and events throughout our curriculum to safely expose our children to different people and learning experiences in the community.

Volunteers and Students: We welcome volunteers and students on placements at our centre. We believe that we have as much to learn from us as they do from us. Although they are treated as staff they are not counted in our daily staff to child ratios. These volunteers and students augment the high-quality care and individual attention given to the children in our programs

“Move Your Body” Program: This program incorporates music and movement in a fun and interactive way.  The children enjoy using a variety of props to enhance this biweekly 30-minute creative program.

French Program: St. Hilary’s is happy to provide a weekly half-hour French program.  “Magic-Languages” offers a program that is designed to teach French in a fun way by absorbing the artistic, charming, and lively culture that comes with the language.  Their themes come to life through art, games, crafts and songs. Through these activities, the Magic-Languages’ teacher communicates with the students in the new language in an engaging way so they become capable of understanding and repeating new vocabulary. Their method is designed to make your children feel the need to communicate and interact with the teacher and their peers in a new language.

Peel Inclusion Resource Services (PIRS): We have a dedicated resource person assigned to our centre who assists and guides families and staff on how to work with children with special needs. This community helper supports families through home visits and communicates with staff to provide each child with specific and specialized care according to each child’s needs.

Community Fundraising: We take great pride in our fundraising activities at St. Hilary’s. We have a dedicated team of parents and a staff member who make up our very resourceful “Fundraising Team”. Annually this team welcomes summer by organizing “Fridaypalooza” a wonderful community fair with food, games and vendor stalls. This allows our families and staff to mingle and raise money for a good cause. It also allows families in the community to visit our centre and get to know our staff and programs.

Special Programs: Our staff takes great interest in planning fun and educational programs for our preschoolers and toddlers. Each year during our staff meetings we brain storm and try and come up with new and exciting ideas to expose the children to new experiences. Over the years some of our visitors have included reptile/animal presentation, bubbleology show, firefighter/firetruck visit, dental hygienist from a local dental office, pizza making with Domino’s Pizza, and story time with the local librarian.

Food Donation Drive: Every year in order to raise social consciousness among the children and families we organize food donation drives either to the local Fire station or to St. Hilary’s Church food bank. We are proud to say that the children and families respond with great enthusiasm.

All of these community activities generate a lot of interest among the children and peaks their curiosity on various topics. We use their interest and questions on various topics to further our collective learning experiences and plan more interesting activities.

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

St. Hilary’s is dedicated to maintaining skilled and experienced staff at the centre. All our staff members are either Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECE’s) or have many years of experience working in the field of child care.

In order to ensure the centre and the staff stay up to date with child care best practices, we have signed up to be active members of “Raising the Bar in Peel” a voluntary community standards program for early learning and child care programs in Peel. This program makes certain that we at St. Hilary’s commit to additional professional education each year. Our staff regularly attends workshops and professional development courses on various topics throughout the year. In addition, we make sure to keep our First aid and CPR certification current. Our cook and kitchen staff keeps their Food Handlers’ Certificate up to date by attending annual training workshops as well. Not just teaching and kitchen staff but management staff attend workshops and conferences to enhance their understanding of early childhood education and care.
The Centre also provides a level of remuneration, benefits, and atmosphere to attract, encourage and keep a dedicated and qualified staff.

All of the above information is presented in detail in our policies provided in our staff and parent handbook.
Each of our policies are reviewed annually by staff and signed off by a supervisor. This serves as a refresher for all at the centre and keeps us up to date on expectations and best practices.

STRUCTURE

The Board of Directors of St. Hilary’s Community Care Centers Inc operates the centre.  The Board is composed of church members, parent and community representatives. The Corporation is a registered charitable organization.

PARENTAL INVOLVMENT

Parent communication is facilitated through door notes, conversations, newsletters, and parent meetings and/or interviews. Concerns should be addressed through pre-arranged appointments with staff/ Supervisor.

AGES OF CHILDREN

St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre has facilities to accommodate the following children:

1) 9 Infants – 12 weeks to 18 months

2) 15 Toddlers- 18 months to 2 1/2 years

3) 24 Preschoolers – 2 1/2 years to 5 years

Alternate:  9 infants, 24 toddlers, 15 preschoolers,

DAY AND HOURS OF OPERATIONS

The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., for 52 weeks of the year excluding December 25th to January 1st. Please note also the additional closure days of the statutory and civic holidays (9):

New Year’s Day                Canada Day                    Thanksgiving Day

Good Friday                      Civic Day                        Christmas Day

Victoria Day                      Labour Day                     Boxing Day

Family Day

In addition, the Centre will also be closed at 1:00 p.m. on the last working day before Christmas Day.

PLACEMENTS

St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre provides care on a full-time basis.

Part- time attendance is only accommodated if full time fees are paid.

WAITING LIST POLICY

St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre is committed to providing an equal and transparent opportunity for all families to enroll in our Centre.   The Day Care does not charge or collect any fee or deposit for the placement of a child on the waitlist for admission.

Procedure:

1.  Parents are able to register online, call or come in and place their name on the waiting list.
2. The information that is collected is name, number, email, child’s name and date of birth and when the space is needed.
3. Parents are encouraged to contact the Day Care if they require information about their status on the waitlist.  All names on the waitlist are kept confidential.
4. St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre does have priorities when placing children in a vacant spot.  In order of priority they are:

• •  Children already enrolled in the centre waiting to graduate to an older age group.
  • Siblings of children already enrolled in the centre.
  • Returning families or children of staff members

ENROLMENT IN THE DAYCARE CENTRE

A retainer fee must be paid when the child is enrolled and monthly fees must be paid commencing on the day the space is made available, whether the child attends or not.

ENROLMENT POLICY

The following are required prior to enrollment to the Centre:

1) Personal interview with parents or legal guardians, with child in attendance.

2) Retainer fee. (Non-refundable without 2 weeks prior notice)

3) Administration fee. (Non refundable)

4) Enrollment forms completed and signed.

5) Medical report completed.

6) Proof of up to date immunization records or proof of Government approved exemption.

RETAINER AND ADMINISTRATION FEE

An administration fee of $100 is collected prior to admission, which is used to cover the cost of registering the child and subsequent administration costs.

A retainer fee of two weeks fees is required, prior to admission, which is applied to the parent’s account to the last two weeks the child is enrolled at the Centre, if the Day Care Supervisor is notified in writing a minimum of one month prior to the withdrawal of a child or two weeks fees, in lieu of notice, will be required.

If the two week retainer is received the retainer is applied to the final two weeks of service, or a full refund is given.

FEES

Payment is made for each day a child is enrolled in the Centre.  No reduction can be made in a child’s fee for absences.

Payment is monthly by post-dated cheque. Cash payment is only accepted under certain circumstances.

Fees must be dated for the first day of the month.

For any cheque returned to the Day Care, the parent is required to pay the account in full plus all resulting bank charges and a $15.00 administrative day care fee.  If the Centre receives a second returned cheque, in addition to the above, payments thereafter will only be accepted in cash.

Parents whose account remains outstanding after one week will be notified that the child will be on the first week of the two- week retainer. If full payment is not received by the second week Monday, the child’s enrollment in the Centre will be terminated.

DAY CARE RATES

Fees are contingent on the area of the centre in which each child is placed.

In the event that a child reaches the age requirement for the next age grouping and an opening is unavailable, the child will continue to be accommodated in his/her present group at the current fee.  Every effort will be made to move the child to the next age grouping as soon as possible.

Full fees are still due while your child is on vacation or absent due to illness.

SUBSIDIZED DAY CARE

St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre has an Early Years and Child Care Services Fee Subsidy and Funding Agreement with the Region of Peel to provide subsidized day care for families in need.  Upon approval from the Region of Peel, St. Hilary’s Day Care will provide day care at a reduced rate to the specified family.  Families receiving assistance through the Region of Peel are required to abide by all of the policies of St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre, including those relating to payment of the administrative cost, weekly fees, overdue fees and returned cheques.  In addition, these families are expected to comply with the conditions of their subsidized day care agreement as stated by the Region of Peel.

CANADA-WIDE EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE FEE REDUCTION

We are pleased to share that St. Hilary’s Day Care centre has enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System between the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. We believe that child care provides a strong foundation for early childhood development and well-being of children while parents work and we are committed to providing child care services that meet the needs of your children and families. Participating in the CWELCC System will help us continue to provide high quality child care that is accessible, affordable, inclusive, and sustainable.

As a first step, we will be reducing child care base fees:

Age Groups	St. Hilary’s 2022 Monthly Rate	CWELCC 25% FEE Reduction (April 1st -Dec. 31st 2022)	New Monthly Fee (April 1st-Dec. 31st 2022)	New Retainer Fee (April 1st – Dec. 31st 2022)
Infants	$1631.00	-$407.75	$1223.25	$611.63
Toddlers	$1350.00	-$337.50	$1012.50	$506.25
Preschoolers	$1203.00	-$300.75	$902.25	$451.13

***Retainer fees and administration fee have received a 25% reduction

Fee reduction through the CWELCC is for children under six years old (and any child who turns six years old between January 1 and June 30 in that calendar year), retroactive to April 1, 2022. If you would like more information about the CWELCC System, please visit The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system.

LATE FEE

St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre closes promptly at 6:00pm. Please respect this time and notify the center if you are going to be late as staff have other commitments. If a parent arrives after 6pm (Day Care clock) or cause the staff to remain in the building after 6:00pm they will be charged the following fees:

• 6:01 – 6:10 –    $10 flat rate
• 6:11 – 6:30 –    $2 per minute
• 6:31 – 6:45 –    $3 per minute
• 6:46 – 7:00 –    $4 per minute

Please note that the staff have been instructed that late fees are to be strictly enforced.

After the third (3) late occurrence a formal written letter will be given, and the rates will change to the following:

• 6:01- 6:10 – $25 flat rate
• 6:11-6:30 – $2 per minute
• 6:30- 7:00 – $4 per minute

Repeated late arrivals (3 or more) may be subject to dismissal from the center. Every effort will be made to contact the parents and/ or the emergency contact person.  If there hasn’t been any contact or arrangement made by 7:00pm the Children’s Aid Society will be contacted for further direction.

The late fee is to be paid in cash directly to the staff on duty by the next business day.

CHANGE OF INFORMATION

The centre must be notified in writing of all changes in circumstances so that enrollment forms are current.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

The Day Care Supervisor must be notified in writing a minimum of four weeks prior to the withdrawal of a child. The last day must be on the last day of the month or must be dated for the end of the week (Friday). The retainer fee is then applied to the final month of service.

If proper notice is not received, two weeks payment is required in lieu of notice.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

In the event of a severe weather, it may be necessary to keep the centre closed for the day. If the Peel District School Board has closed their schools in the area, St. Hilary’s Day Care will also be closed. You will receive a message on Hi Mama by 6:15am if the Day Care is closed.  As this is an emergency situation full fees are still in effect.

The Day Care will strive to stay open until 6:00pm during stormy conditions with the understanding that if parents are able to pick up their child early, they will do so.

PLEASE NOTE:  If parents will not be here on time, an emergency contact must be notified by the Parent to pick up their child before the regular time of closure.  The late fee will still be in effect.

DISMISSAL POLICY

1. If a child is unable to adjust to St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre, he/she may be dismissed from the Centre at the discretion of the Day Care’s Supervisor

2. If a child displays behaviour that threatens the health and or safety of the other children/staff, the child may be dismissed from the Centre at the discretion of  the Day Care’s Supervisor.

3. If the family/guardian of a child enrolled at St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre, fails to reasonably co-operate with the staff and fails to abide by the policies as agreed upon the child may be dismissed from the Centre at the discretion of the Day Care’s Supervisor.

ARRIVAL AND PICK-UP

All persons picking up children must be 16 years of age.

Young children depend on regular routines for their own sense of security.  We recommend that parents establish fixed hours to pick-up and drop-off children.  When a child arrives, the teacher on duty must be notified as to the child’s presence.  Similarly, when picking-up a child, make sure the staff are notified that the child is leaving. UNLESS OTHERWISE ARRANGED, CHILDREN WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO ANY PERSON OTHER THAN THOSE SPECIFIED ON THE ADMISSION FORMS.

PROCEDURE ARRIVAL AND PICK UP

Staff must be informed by telephone, written or verbal message, each and every time someone other than the designated person will be picking up the child from the centre.  Without any notice, the child will not be released until the staff can (at a convenient time) contact the parent to authorize the child’s release.  Any child that is not released from the centre by 6:00 p.m., the parent will be responsible for paying all applicable late fees to the staff member on duty. Late fees are applicable if arrangements go past 6 p.m. deadline.

CLOTHING

Parents must provide a complete change of clothing to be kept in their child’s cubby.    Parents must provide clothing that facilitates easy toileting.  The clothing must be washable, sturdy, and not too tight and shoes must have rubber soles to avoid slipping.  Running shoes must be provided for your children to wear at school.

All clothing must be clearly labeled with the child’s first and last name.

The centre is not responsible for any damage to/or loss of clothing.

Parents must provide appropriate clothing to accommodate weather changes and to allow caregivers to exercise their professional judgment when dressing the children for outdoor play.

OUTDOOR PLAY

The CCEYA requires that every child be taken outdoors for two hours each day through-out the year, except during inclement weather.  Exposure to the open air is a powerful remedy against long-term or recurrent infections, also a time when a child has the opportunity to improve his/her gross motor skills that are a very important part of a child’s development.  All children must participate in the entire outdoor program.

NUTRITION

1. The Centre provides a nutritious mid-day meal and morning and afternoon snack.  The menu is based on the Canada’s Food Guide.  Menus are posted to assist the parent with their own menu planning at home.  All meals are prepared on the premises by a cook.
2. Infant Room Parents must provide food/ formula/ juices for their children if your child is drinking out of a bottle or eating jarred food. Formula must be in the prepared format.
3. Food/ Formula containers must be labeled with child’s name.  Food containers must list contents.
4. The Day Care will provide food, homo milk, and water for infants who eat table food, and are able to drink from a cup.  Bottles will not be refilled.
5. Homo milk is provided for Infants and Toddlers and 2% milk for Preschool children.
6. Peanut Butter and any products containing nuts, peanut oil or traces of nuts or derivatives are prohibited from the centre.
7. All children are required to have had breakfast prior to coming to Day Care.

PROCEDURE

The Day Care will provide a menu so that Infants may test new foods prior to introductions at the centre.

The parent must provide a substitute food if the infant has not pre-tested it at home.

The parent will test previously restricted foods at home before requesting re-introduction of said food at the centre.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

1. First Birthdays will be celebrated on an individual basis.
2. Toddler and Preschool Birthdays are celebrated for all children having a birthday that month on one day that month
3. The Centre will provide appropriate food for the celebration.
4. The party is held during the P.M snack time.
5. The centre does not allow the giving of “loot bags” because of health and safety concerns.
6. The centre will acknowledge the Birthday Child.
7. The centre will provide appropriate treats for any special occasions i.e. Valentines, etc.
8. The centre will accept cash donations to a Party fund to help alleviate the costs.
9. The Supervisor will administer the fund.
10. The Day Care will request that parents check all treats (received by their child) for individual food restrictions.

Anaphylaxis Policy and Procedure

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction and can be life threatening.  The allergy may be related to food, insect stings, medicine, latex, exercise etc.  The anaphylaxis policy is intended to help support the needs of a child with a severe allergy and provide and training and information to parents, staff, students and visitors at the Day Care.

Strategies to reduce the risk of exposure:

• St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre is a nut safe environment, and all peanuts and tree nuts are not allowed in the centre.
• The Centre does not allow any outside food to come in unless it is in the infant room.
• All infant room parents must bring any foods in the original container or a clearly labelled container.
• All surfaces will be cleaned with a cleaning solution prior to and eating.
• All parents will be notified of all life- threatening allergies in the centre.
• St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre will provide appropriate food when there are special occasions.
• Staff / Visitors/ Volunteers will ensure that all food brought in for their own consumption is nut free.
• Staff must consume all food in the staff room and wash their hands before returning to the rooms.
• Parents are not permitted to bring or purchase food or snacks for their child on a field trip
• Playground areas will be checked and monitored for insects such as bees and wasps.  If such insects have made a nest in the vicinity our pest control company will be notified, and children will proceed to the gym for gross motor activities.

Communication Plan:

• Parents of anaphylactic children are required to indicate this on their enrollment forms which they provide prior to their child starting at the daycare or when their child is enrolled.  They will also be required to develop, in conjunction with the Administrative staff and the child’s doctor, an Individual Plan.
• All families are informed of the known allergies in the centre upon enrollment and are updated as necessary through notices, newsletters, and email if necessary.
• A copy of all anaphylactic children’s picture and plan will be posted in each classroom, kitchen, and gym.
• All staff, volunteers, and students are informed of the known allergies in the centre, policies, procedures, and individual plan as part of the orientation process.
• All staff, volunteers, and students are required to read and sign off on the Anaphylaxis Policy

Individual Plans and Emergency Procedures:

Prior to enrollment or upon diagnosis, parents of anaphylactic children will provide St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre with an Epinephrine Auto –Injector that has name and expiry date. This will remain in a holder and will follow the child at all times, and will be replaced by the parents before the expiration date.

The parents will receive the blank emergency plan to develop in consultation with their doctor.  The form is required to have a Doctor’s signature approving the plan.  Upon completion the parents will meet with the Supervisor to go over the plan.  This plan will include but is not limited to:

• • Description of the child’s allergy
  • Avoidance strategies
  • Signs and symptoms of  anaphylactic allergies
  • Child care staff and responsibilities
  • Parent/guardian consent for administering allergy medication
  • Emergency contact information

Parents are requested to advise St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre if there are any changes to the Individual Emergency Plan or treatment.

Plans will be reviewed yearly by the parent and revised if necessary.

Copies of the Individual Plans are in each child’s file, class backpacks, and posted in each classroom.

Training:

Prior to enrollment or upon diagnosis the parent will train the Supervisor and all available staff.
All staff, students, and volunteers that missed the original training session will be trained prior to working.
All staff, students, and volunteers will be required to sign that they have received the training and by whom.   Individual emergency plans  will also be required to sign off on it

MEDICAL POLICY

The primary objectives in establishing a strict medical policy is to ascertain that each child exhibiting symptoms of ill health receives the required medical attention, as well as preventing the spread of illness to other children in the day care centre.

• Children in need of medical attention will not be permitted to attend the centre until treated.
• The following symptoms are cause of for notification of parent to remove child from
  the centre:  profuse, thick, nasal discharge, redness in and/or discharge from one or both eyes or ears, vomiting, any type of rash, loose, watery or frequent stools, fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), that persists for 30 minutes and/or is accompanied by any unusual behaviour such as lethargy, withdrawal, irritability, aggression, drowsiness, crying, clinging, loss of appetite, or difficulty sleeping or any other medical reason.
• The Day Care will only administer Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen to a child with a fever if the if there is a Doctor’s note on file requesting we do so, and the child’s temperature reaches the degree specified on the note.   A parent’s verbal permission will also be required.
• There must already be a prior consent for Acetaminophen on file.
• Parents must sign “Record of Illness Form” for each medical absence.
• Parents must sign a record of the administration of Acetaminophen.
• The child may not return to the Day Care until either one or more of the following
  have been met:
  • 24hrs since symptoms started to improve, (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting, and /or diarrhea) and 24 hours fever free
  • Follow Legal quarantine guidelines-Health Department
  • Parents sign Day Care “Return to Day Care” form.
• The parent will inform Day Care of reason for any absence.
• The Centre must be notified of any immunization.
• Parents are responsible for seeking appropriate medical advice to meet guidelines of
  this policy.
• The staff will act in an emergency to obtain appropriate care for an injured child.

MEDICATIONS, TOPICAL CREAMS, SUNSCREENS

St. Hilary’s will administer only prescribed medications from the doctor within the capabilities of the Day Care. The regular assigned teachers will administer medication to the child, and will ensure that the medication is in the ready to administer format (unless directed to by the doctor).

Procedures for Administering Medication:

Prescription Medications:

• Each medication must be accompanied with original pharmacy dosage label.
• Medication must be current and have the child’s name on the pharmacy label.
• Medications will only be given by the staff assigned to the child’s room.  In case of a regular staff member from the room not being available the Supervisor or Asst. Supervisor will administer the medication.
• Staff will only administer the medication in front of a witness.
• Parents will fill out the Medication Authorization Form fully on the first day medication needs to be given.
• Each morning that the medication(s) needs to be given the parents will fill out an authorization that includes the following information:
  • Name of Drug
  • Time of last dose
  • Dosage amount
  • Time for next dose
  • Parent authorization
  • Initial that they locked the box after storing the medication.
  • At pick up time the parents will sign the “Acknowledgement of Medication Given
• The Staff will fill out the rest of the form that includes the following information:

• • Name of Drug given
  • Time and dose given
  • Signature
  • Witness initial or signature

Over the counter medications and Physician’s samples

Over the counter medications that require Doctor’s note include but are not limited to acetaminophen, ibuprofen, eye or ear drops, and antibiotic creams such as Polysporin.  These medications have Drug Identification Numbers and are being used for particular symptoms.

• The Day Care Staff will only administer over-the counter medications and Physician’s samples if accompanied by a Doctor’s note stating the following information:
  • Condition requiring medication
  • Child’s name
  • start and end dates
  • Doses and time of administration.
  • Fever reducing medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen must have the temperature that has to be reached before administering medication
• Parents must fill out the Medication Authorization Form as well as having the Doctor’s note.
• Parents will provide the Day Care with the medication.
• Expiry date will be checked and medication returned when it is expired
• Vitamins are a medication under this policy.
• Medications must be kept in locked labeled containers.
• Supervisor or a teacher must administer medications.
• Staff must call Parents for verbal authorization in the case of fever.  Parents will then sign the authorization form acknowledging the medication was given and authorized.
• All medication must be in the original container and the child’s name clearly visible.

Topical Creams and Sunscreens

Topical creams such as Zincofax, Peneton, Vaseline, Chapstick etc, that are used for daily use will not need a Doctor’s note.

• Parents will fill out a Topical Cream Consent form listing the creams and their expiry date.  This will also include creams that have a Drug Identification Number.

Sunscreens  

The Day Care will provide sunscreen that will be applied before afternoon play.  Parents of toddlers and preschoolers are advised to apply sunscreen at home before arriving for morning outside play.  The infants will have the sunscreen applied before they go on a walk or to the playground.  The following conditions will have to be met in order for sunscreen to be applied:

•  The parents have signed Sunscreen Consent Form authorizing us to apply the Day Care provided cream.
• If the Day Care switches sunscreens for any reason a new Sunscreen Consent Form will have to be signed.
• If Parents would like to provide their own sunscreen then the Topical Cream Consent form will include the parent provided sunscreen.

STUDENT AND VOLUNTEER SUPERVISION POLICY

To ensure the safety and well-being of all children in the centre and to provide direction to staff the following procedures must be followed.

All volunteers, College and University, and High School students will abide by the following:

• Only employees will have direct unsupervised access to children, volunteers and students will not be left alone with children.
• Students and volunteers will not be counted in staffing ratio.
• No child is supervised by a person under 18 years of age.
• Vulnerable Sector Criminal reference checks are required for all volunteers and having direct contact with children.
• All volunteers and students will review annually and sign off on all required policies.
• Volunteers and students will be subject to the Program Statement Implementation Policy and Procedures.
• All students will be responsible for calling in absences in a timely manner.

In addition, the Supervisor or designate will go over the specific expectations of students and volunteers, and ensure they are being met.

All staff and students must review the Orientation Checklist. All students and volunteers are required to review, and sign off on this policy at the start of placement and annually afterwards.

The Supervisor and / or designate and/ or Room Teachers will monitor compliance of policies with volunteers.  Supervising teachers will monitor compliance management of students.

All supervising teachers will:

•  Monitor volunteers and students to ensure compliance of all policies
• Role model
• Ensure all observations, evaluations are done in a timely manner

ACCIDENTS / MINOR INJURIES / ILLNESS REPORTING

In the event that your child might get “hurt” or ill while participating in the Day Care program the Day Care staff and/ or Supervisor will strive to administer the best management of the incident while preventing the spread of illness, and safety of the other children. In the case of accidents such as scrapes, bruises, bumps, bites, cuts etc. the following procedures will be taken.

• The situation is assessed and the child comforted.
• First Aid Treatment is applied immediately.
• Appropriate Staff is informed and documentation is noted in the individual child’s classroom “communication book” .

• An “Accident report” is completed by the “Witness” and given to the Administrative Staff for their review and signature.  A photocopy is made.

• At the discretion of the Administrative Staff the parent/guardian maybe notified by telephone of the accident depending on its severity.
• A staff member presents the completed “accident form” to the parent/guardian when they arrive to pick up their child.
• Parents/guardians are asked to read, review and sign the “Accident report”.  A copy of the accident report will be given to parents/ guardian.  If the form is refused a note is made on the form and communication book.

In the case of illness in a child the following procedures will be taken:

• The Day Care will notify the parents or guardians of the symptoms of illness as stated in the Medical Policy.
• The Day Care will only administer Acetaminophen to a child with a fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.4 degrees Celsius if there is a Doctor’s note on file requesting we do so.  A parent’s verbal permission will also be required and sign off on arrival

• There must already be a prior consent for Acetaminophen on file.
•  Parents must sign “Record Of Illness Form” for each medical absence.
•  Parents must sign a record of the administration of Acetaminophen.
• The child may not return to the Day Care until either one or more of the following have been met:

• • 24hrs since symptoms started to improve, (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting, and /or diarrhea) and 24 hours fever free

• • Follow Legal quarantine guidelines-Health Department
  • Parents sign Day Care “Return to Day Care” form.

• • The parent will inform Day Care of reason for any absence.

Parent Issues and Concerns Policy and Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a transparent process for parents/guardians, the child care licensee and staff to use when parents/guardians bring forward issues/concerns.

Definitions

Licensee: The individual or agency licensed by the Ministry of Education responsible for the operation and management of each child care centre it operates (i.e. the operator). Board of Directors

Staff: Individual employed by the licensee (e.g. program room staff).

Supervisor: Individual employed by the licensee to oversee the running of the centre.

Policy

General

Parents/guardians are encouraged to take an active role in our child care centre and regularly discuss what their child(ren) are experiencing with our program. As supported by our program statement, we support positive and responsive interactions among the children, parents/guardians, child care providers and staff, and foster the engagement of and ongoing communication with parents/guardians about the program and their children. Our staff are available to engage parents/guardians in conversations and support a positive experience during every interaction.

All issues and concerns raised by parents/guardians are taken seriously by St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre and will be addressed. Every effort will be made to address and resolve issues and concerns to the satisfaction of all parties and as quickly as possible.

Issues/concerns may be brought forward verbally or in writing. Responses and outcomes will be provided verbally, or in writing upon request. The level of detail provided to the parent/guardian will respect and maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved.

An initial response to an issue or concern will be provided to parents/guardians within one (1) business day(s). The person who raised the issue/concern will be kept informed throughout the resolution process.

Investigations of issues and concerns will be fair, impartial and respectful to parties involved.

Confidentiality

Every issue and concern will be treated confidentially and every effort will be made to protect the privacy of parents/guardians, children, staff, students and volunteers, except when information must be disclosed for legal reasons (e.g. to the Ministry of Education, College of Early Childhood Educators, law enforcement authorities or a Children’s Aid Society).

Conduct

Our centre maintains high standards for positive interaction, communication and role-modeling for children. Harassment and discrimination will therefore not be tolerated from any party.

If at any point a parent/guardian, provider or staff feels uncomfortable, threatened, abused or belittled, they may immediately end the conversation and report the situation to the supervisor and/or licensee.

Concerns about the Suspected Abuse or Neglect of a child

Everyone, including members of the public and professionals who work closely with children, is required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

If a parent/guardian expresses concerns that a child is being abused or neglected, the parent will be advised to contact the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) directly.

Persons who become aware of such concerns are also responsible for reporting this information to CAS as per the “Duty to Report” requirement under the Child and Family Services Act.

For more information, visit http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/childrensaid/reportingabuse/index.aspx

Procedures

Nature of Issue or Concern	Steps for Parent and/or Guardian to Report Issue/Concern:	Steps for Staff and/or Licensee in responding to issue/concern:
Program Room-Related E.g: schedule, sleep arrangements, toilet training, indoor/outdoor program activities, feeding arrangements, etc.	Raise the issue or concern to the classroom staff directly or the supervisor	Address the issue/concern at the time it is raised or arrange for a meeting / telephone with the parent/guardian within (1) business days. Document the issues/concerns in detail. Documentation should include: the date and time the issue/concern was received; the name of the person who received the issue/concern; the name of the person reporting the issue/concern; the details of the issue/concern; and any steps taken to resolve the issue/concern and/or information given to the parent/guardian regarding next steps or referral. Provide contact information for the appropriate person if the person being notified is unable to address the matter. Ensure the investigation of the issue/concern is initiated by the appropriate party within [ 3 ] business days or as soon as reasonably possible thereafter. Document reasons for delays in writing. Provide a resolution or outcome to the parent(s)/guardian(s) who raised the issue/concern.
General, Centre- or Operations-Related E.g: child care fees,  hours of operation, staffing, waiting lists, menus, etc.	Raise the issue or concern to the supervisor
Staff-, Duty parent-, Supervisor-, and/or Licensee-Related	Raise the issue or concern to the individual directly or the supervisor or licensee. All issues or concerns about the conduct of staff,  etc. that puts a child’s health, safety and well-being at risk should be reported to the supervisor as soon as parents/guardians become aware of the situation.
Student- / Volunteer-Related	Raise the issue or concern to the staff responsible for supervising the volunteer or student or the supervisor All issues or concerns about the conduct of students and/or volunteers that puts a child’s health, safety and well-being at risk should be reported to the supervisor as soon as parents/guardians become aware of the situation.

Escalation of Issues or Concerns: Where parents/guardians are not satisfied with the response or outcome of an issue or concern, they may escalate the issue or concern verbally or in writing to St. Hilary’s Day Care Centre Board of Directors..

Issues/concerns related to compliance with requirements set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act., 2014 and Ontario Regulation 137/15 should be reported to the Ministry of Education’s Child Care Quality Assurance and Licensing Branch.

Issues/concerns may also be reported to other relevant regulatory bodies (e.g. local public health department, police department, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Labour, fire department, College of Early Childhood Educators, Ontario College of Teachers, College of Social Workers etc.) where appropriate.

Contacts:

1. [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

2. Supervisor- 905-279-2273 or [email protected]
3.   College of ECEs- 416-961-8558 [email protected]
4. Ministry of Education, Licensed Child Care Help Desk: 1-877-510-5333 or [email protected]
5. Children’s Aid Society – 905-363-6131

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES

St.  Hilary’s Day Care Centre has policies and procedures in place for the management of emergencies such as lock downs, fire, earthquake, etc.  The procedure manuals are kept in each classroom and available for perusal.  In the case of any emergencies parents will be notified by phone by the Supervisor or staff.

OUR PRIMARY DESIGNATED EMERGENCY SHELTER CENTRE IS:

Southgate Executive Centre                     Secondary location:  O.P.P Station

2085 Hurontario Street, Mississauga         Hurontario and South Service Rd.