Parent Handbook
Lil’ People Daycare Center, Inc. - 5364
Five Forks Trickum Rd. - Lilburn, GA 30092
Phone: (770) 921-3888 Fax:
(770) 921-6469
Dear Parents,
We at
Lil’ People provide a place where your child is happy and safe while starting
to develop their learning habits. Your child’s health and safety are among
our main concerns. Local regulatory boards inspect our facility frequently and
fire drills are conducted monthly.
Lil’ People’s learning programs, created by early childhood
curriculums specialists, help children grow physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally. Experiences are also offered that help children at expressing themselves creatively. We guide the children to learn as they play. In addition,
Lil’ People equips its centers so that all of our rooms and materials are
age appropriate for the children.
Our
main goal is to provide you and your child with the best quality childcare available. We recognize the trust that you have placed in us and offer
your child an opportunity to share in the wonders of childhood at Lil’ People. We provide laughter, hugs, caring and sharing, which is what childhood is all about.
Your participation
as a partner in your child’s early learning experience is very important to us. Please feel free to call us at (770)
921-3888, or if you wish to talk with us in person stop by the office when you pick up your child.
We hope
that this handbook answers any questions you might have regarding childcare and Lil’
People Daycare. We appreciate the trust you have placed in us.
Cordially,
Charmaine
M. Perez -Owner
Janelle
L. Polito -Owner
Tuition
and fees
A
non-refundable registration fee is due upon enrollment, and thereafter annually on the anniversary of your child’s enrollment
date. This will cover accident insurance and annual cost of buying supplies. Payment of weekly tuition is due on Monday.
If tuition is not paid by Tuesday a $5 late fee will be added to the balance and will accumulate weekly. By Wednesday
we must have a check in hand with appropriate late fees included in order for your child to attend the center. If your child is enrolled on a full-time basis, the full week tuition is charged if
your child attends any portion of that week. If your child is out for the entire week and vacation time is not available to
you than the fee is ½ of your full time tuition cost.
·
If you are paying
on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, payment must be made in advance.
·
If you are paying
by check, please remember to put your child/ children's name on the check.
·
All fees are subject
to change.
Vacation or absences
Lil'
People has a vacation policy of two weeks (10 days) per year, providing that the child has been continuously enrolled for
one full year with full time tuition being paid. There is a $5.00 per child
per week charge that holds their spot. For any additional weeks, half of the
weekly rate is due. The two $5 weeks are, renewed each calendar year and are
not carried over if they go unused.
For preparation purposes, please notify us if your child will be absent for the day.
Lil’
People accepts part-time children and daily drop-in w/ reguard to availablity. Please
check with the director for the current prices. Vacation policy does not
apply to part-time or drop-in children.
Late pick up fee
Our
business hours are 6:30 a.m. to
6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday - except on posted
holidays. A fee of $1 per minute is added on for pickup after 6:00 PM. This fee must be paid prior to your child's return
to school. There will be no exceptions.
We request
that all children be in by 9:00
a.m. as this is when classes start. We understand that there are circumstances that would prohibit children from being in attendance, such
as Dr.’s appointments, etc, and will work with the child’s schedule. However
children that come in after activities have been done can not be guareented them to be made up.
Returned check fee
It is our policy on NSF (non-sufficient fund) checks that we receive
returned from the bank, will result in a
$28.00 fee effective 7/1/01 (NSF fee is subject to change). Additionally the cost will also include a
late fee of
$5.00 per week that the funds are being held up. These charges must
be paid at the same time that the funds are
either redeposited or replaced with cash or a money order. The late
charges will accumulate. Repeat offenders
may be asked to present cash or money orders instead of checks. All fees are subject to change. Fraudulent
checks will be prosecuted with
the State Attorney’s Office. Any fees that are charged by a collections agency or
legal fees involved in the collections
process will be paid by the Parent's above what is owed.
Parents-staff communications
It
is very important for us to provide quality services for our children and parents. In
order for us to maintain this level of quality, it is extremely important that we receive parents’ feedback. Please feel free to communicate with us when you are particularly pleased with your child’s care,
as well as if you have an area of concern. It is our policy to encourage parents
to discuss all concerns with the teacher, director or owner.
Lil’ People Daycare mangement is required to report to the appropriate State
Department suspected child abuse, neglect, exploitation or deprivation.
Allergies
Allergies
are common, particularly among young children. If your child has an allergy,
please notify the director or owner; this allows us to take any necessary precautions to safeguard your child's health.
Communicable diseases
Illness
and childhood diseases are an unavoidable part of growing up. If a communicable
disease is present at Lil’ People, every effort will be made to inform you of the situation. We also report such diseases to the local health authorities. Frequently,
we distribute literature about children's health issues.
Medicine policy
We know
that there are times when your child may need medications during the day. We
administer only dated, labeled, prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medication that is in its original container. This requirement is consistent with federal law.
The
parent/guardian must sign the ‘medicine authorization form’ when you wish for us to dispense medication to your
child. Yiu must list a time we can not dose on a “as needed” basis.
As per the States Rules & Regulations for Daycare, we must have a signed permission
slip to apply either bug
spray and or sunscreen on your child. If you would like bring it in we will apply
it as needed during the school
day. Parents must supply these items.
Health forms
In the
interest of the children’s health, it is manditory by the state for you to submit a current health form that is completed
by your physician. Your child’s immunization records must be on file with
in 30 days of entering the day care. Immunizations and medical records must be
updated as required by the state of Georgia.
Visitation policy
We
have an open door policy for visits to the center during the day. However, we
do ask that you take into consideration that your child has a schedule and there are certain times, such as nap time, that
visitation can be detrimental to the child's daily routine as well as the remainer of the class.
Security precautions
At
the time of pickup, the caretaker will call for your child over the center's intercom so that their teacher can prepare them
for departure. Your child can be released only to adults [ages 18 or older] who
are designated by you in writing. Identification will be required from the designated person.
We must
have a notarized court order on file regarding parental custody matters.
Outside play
Fresh
air and exercise are very important to a growing child. During inclimate weather
the children participate in indoor activities. If the weather is nice, children
are allowed to play outside on the designated playground areas. Please be sure
that your child has appropriate clothing for all kinds of weather, enclosed shoes with ties or sneakers are preferred to sandals.
Weather
If snow or ice conditions
become apparent, and public school closes than we will likely close also. A sign
will be posted to verify this. Every effort will be made to open the Center, but we must maintain our ratios and the safety
of our staff and your children. Please stay in touch with the Center / TV News for information.
In the event of severe
weather or evacuation of the building due to fire, gas leak, or physical plant problems, the protection of the children is our major concern. Emergency plans
are posted in each room and we run thru “drills” for each situation. Parents
would be notified as soon as we are able of any closing or evacuation of the center.
Please understand that it takes time for us to move the children in an emergency and that is the primary focus for
us is not to answer the phones. Be patient and as soon as it is safe and the
children are back in their rooms we will resume normal proceedures.
Sickness
Sick children may not be brought to the center. If child is running a
temperature, having diarrhea, or vomiting, they should not be brought to the center.
If your child becomes ill while they are at the center, you will be called to come and pick them up.
Accidents
and emergency care
It is required that we have the names, addresses and phone number of persons authorized to pickup your child, as well
as the name and phone number of your child's physician and preferred hospital.
In
the event of emergency or serious accident, an emergency vehicle will be called - if there is a less serious situation, you
will be asked to transport your child. Please notify us of any changes regarding
your listed emergency telephone numbers/contacts.
Clothing
Your
child will be active both indoors as well as outdoors. It is important for your
child to be dressed in comfortable, washable, play clothes. Please label all
jackets, sweaters and any other belongings that will be left in the child’s cubby. Shoes must be worn at all times.
In addition, the older children play hard and tend to get dirty; it would be beneficial if you send a change of clothing for
them.
Toilet
training
During
this crucial time in children’s’ development, it is important at the center and home worked closely together. This provides a consistent toilet training routine for the child.
If your child is in the process of being potty-trained, we asked that you provide us with multiple changes of clothing. We recommend that the clothes you include are easy for the child to remove –
this teaches the child self-help skills and does not frustrate them in the process.
Rest time
Your
child’s day at Lil’ People provides many exciting, and sometimes physically tiring, activities. A rest time is scheduled each day to offset the activity time. We
provide cribs for the infants, and the crib sheets are changed daily. For the
older children, we provide cots, which are disinfected regularly.
During
rest periods we play music, and encourage each child to sleep or rest. Younger
children may bring a blanket to have during naptime.
Nutrition
Your child
is served two snacks and lunch [after 8:30a.m. no morning snack & 12 o'clock no lunches are served] daily. If your child requires
a special diet, or has a specific religious belief that we can not accomadate, you must provide their food. Otherwise no outside
food is allowed to be brought in. A menu will be posted weekly in the director’s office .
Discipline
At
Lil' People we recognize that positive discipline teaches and encourages the healthy development of a child self-esteem. Our caregivers praise and acknowledge appropriate behavior.
We set limits that are developmentally appropriate and consistently enforced. We
use a “Thinking Chair”
method
(similar to time out with no negativity) to give the child an opportunity to regain /calm
themselves before rejoining the group. We stress “redirection”
to our staff before tempers escalate.
Lil’
People does not condone corporal or physical punishment. If a child is having
consistent discipline problems, the
caregiver
and the parent will be encouraged to work on a program appropriate for that child.
Field trips
Your
child will have numerous opportunities to take educational and entertaining field trips.
These trips are an important part of learning about the world and community around us.
Frequently, these trips are planned to coincide with the weekly learning seen in your child's classroom.
We
must receive a permission-slip, which would authorize us to take your child on the field trip.
There may be a fee related to a field trip activity. In these cases, we
will notify you in advance of these trips [the fees can be added to your weekly tuition].
If
your child’s class is scheduled for a field trip, you must have your child to the center prior to their departure or
you must make arrangements to bring them after the class returns for the day; there will be no teacher there to watch the
children.
Holidays
Lil' People observes the following holidays. We
will post a reminder notice on the front door in advance.
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King's Birthday
Presidents' Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day and Friday following
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year's Eve
If the holiday falls on a weekend we will observe the holiday in accordance with the national Monday holiday bill. Since our rates are figured on a weekly basis, a full week's tuition is charged during
a holiday week if your child attends for any part of that week - unless vacation time is used.
School pictures
Each
year your child will have one or more opportunities to have their picture taken. The
purchase of these pictures is optional and is offered to you as a service.
Birthdays
Birthdays
are very special in the life of a child. We welcome your involvement when arranging
a party for your child. If you want to provide a treat for each of the children
in your child's class, please contact the director to arrange the details.
Show and tell
Each
class has a weekly "show and tell" which is on Friday’s. Please restrain
your children from bringing toys in everyday.
Age group overview
Each
child is uniquely with individual interests, abilities and needs. Our age appropriate
programs are planned to the flexible and promote development of each child's physical and social needs. We accept children
from 6 weeks old up to 12 years or 5th grade.
Infants
receive individual care and attention. Their physical needs are monitored carefully,
and their daily schedule is planned to coincide with their home schedule, specifically regarding sleeping and eating patterns.
Toddlers
are more in gear with a schedule. They will eat at the table in the kitchen like the big kids do. We have high chairs and
bouncy seats for those that need them. We plan activities for the toddlers but on a relaxed schedule.
The
two-year olds develop social skills and learn how to interact with others as they explore their independence. Their daily activities are not highly structured - they are varied and fun filled.
Three-year-old
have a program that includes a wide variety of learning experiences, such as arts and crafts to painting, learning colors
and shapes, counting and imaginative play.
Four-year-olds
have a busy and varied curriculum is designed to prepare them for their kindergarten experience. They are taught how to write their names and numbers, develop problem-solving skills, follow directions,
and work cooperatively. Students are also exposed to basic math and science experiments.
At the present time we have the Georgia Pre-k progam.
Our
school age children have a fun filled schedule on the days they are out of school. Field
trips include many educational and entertaining places, such as, bowling, swimming, roller-skating and many other activities.
After
care students are encouraged to do their homework and other related activities upon arrival at the school. They are also provided a snack and time to play outside.(weather permitting)
We
must be notified if your child will not be picked up at school by our bus or droped off by the public school bus on any given
day. This is your responsibility - it is imperative that you cooperate for the
safety and well being of your child.
Our
learning programs are geared for a specific age child and our equipment and furnishings are sized especially for children. We have different outside play areas that separate the various age groups. Age appropriate toys and activities are provided in each of the playground areas.
At
Lil' People we believe that learning is accomplished through interesting, motivational activities and well-rounded programs
that help children discover the fun of growing.
Again, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for the trust you have placed in us. We will strive to make your child’s stay at Lil’ People a positive experience.
Rev 10/07
