Footsteps Family Centre – Our Policies
1- 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).
Staff: Individual employed by the licensee (e.g. program room staff).
General Policy
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 an 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 Footsteps Family 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 1-2 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 the parties involved.
Confidentiality Policy
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 Policy
Our centre maintains high standards for positive interaction, communication and role modelling 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, are 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
2 - Emergency Management
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide clear direction for staff and licensees to follow to deal with emergency situations. The procedures set out steps for staff to follow to support the safety and well-being of everyone involved.
Clear policies and procedures will support all individuals to manage responses and responsibilities during an emergency, resulting in the safest outcomes possible.
Policy
Staff will follow the emergency response procedures outlined in this document by following these three phases:
1. Immediate emergency response
2. Next steps during an emergency
3. Recovery
Staff will ensure that children are kept safe, are accounted for and are supervised at all times during an emergency situation.
For situations that require evacuation of the child care centre, the meeting place to gather immediately will be located at: Crossing Guard Post – County Blvd.
If it is deemed ‘unsafe to return’ to the child care centre, the evacuation site to proceed to is located at: Suomi Koto, 527 County Blvd.
Note: all directions given by emergency services personnel will be followed under all circumstances, including directions to evacuate to locations different than those listed above.
For any emergency situations involving a child with an individualized medical plan in place, the procedures in the child’s individualized plan will be followed, and if any emergency situations happen that are not described in this document, Executive Director/Designate will provide direction to staff for the immediate response and next steps. Staff will follow the direction given.
Communication to Parents
Upon arrival to the emergency evacuation site, Director/Designate/Program Staff will notify parents/guardians of the emergency situation, evacuation and the location to pick up their children.
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Footsteps Family Centre – OLOC school site, Suomi Koto, 527 County Blvd.
If any emergency situations result in a serious occurrence, the serious occurrence policy and procedures will also be followed.
All emergency situations will be documented in detail by, Executive Director/Designate/Program Staff in the daily written record.
Additional Policy Statements
Regular monthly fire drills will be carried out for staff/children training purposes. In addition to fall/spring school fire drills, lock down and evacuation drills will follow the schools .
Supervision of children:
Children attending Footsteps Family Centre are supervised by qualified Registered Early Childhood Educators and/or individuals 18 years of age or older who are otherwise approved by a director. All employees, students and volunteers of Footsteps Family Centre are required to submit Criminal Reference Check – Vulnerable Sector Check.
Volunteers and students are not permitted to supervise children or be alone with children at any time.
Accidents:
Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen even with adult supervision. Should a child receive any injury (i.e. when ice needs to be applied to a wound) while in attendance at Footsteps Family Centre, an accident report will be written up and the parent will be notified. The parent, staff member involved and the Executive Director will sign this report. One copy will be kept in the child’s file, second copy will be given to parents. Should the accident or injury be deemed beyond standard first aid, staff will call 911 & the parent/emergency contact. If an accident happens and a child is physically injured, their recovery might have financial costs. The financial costs of an accident might be ambulance fees, casts, crutches, physiotherapy or emergency dental care. It is the parents’ responsibility to pay the necessary expenses that are not already covered under a government health insurance plan and or the parent’s employer group benefits plan. For parents wishing to purchase accident insurance or for more information please visit www.insuremykids.com or call 1-800-463-5437.
3 - Health/Medication
Health and Illness
The Child Care and Early Years Act stipulates that prior to admission, each child 12 months - 4 years of age must be immunized as recommended by the local Medical Officer or Health. Parents of children who object to immunization due to religious/conscience or medical reasons must complete a standardized ministry-approved form. Medical exemption forms must be completed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Regulations require daily outdoor play for each child. In light of such regulations, it is the Centre's policy that for a child too ill during the day, temporary care will be provided until the parent(s)/guardian(s) are contacted and the child is taken home.
If a child shows any of the following symptoms, he/she cannot attend Footsteps Family Centre until the symptoms have disappeared, 24 hours is the exclusion period. If your child comes in contact with any of these conditions, please inform a staff member.
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Cold symptoms that hinder regular activity (i.e., coloured discharge from nose)
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Earache
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Discharge from eyes or ears
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Repeated diarrhea or vomiting (diarrhea - two bouts in one day)
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Unexplained rash
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Swollen neck glands
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Fever above 38 C or 100.4 F
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Head lice (nits are removed fully)
A child must remain home if diagnosed with any contagious diseases such as:
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Measles
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Chicken Pox
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Impetigo
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Mumps
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Roseola
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Pink Eye
A doctor’s note may be required to confirm the child is no longer contagious and is ready to return to a group child-care setting.
Unfortunately, payments cannot be refunded for children who are ill, as a space is being held for them. Please call the centre if your child is ill and will not be attending on his/her scheduled day.
Drug Administration
Footsteps Family Centre will administer both prescription and non-prescription medication to children in accordance with provincial legislation.
The legislation requires that parents provide:
i) Written authorization form, including dosage, reason for taking the medication and time medication is to be administered.
ii) The medication must be in the original container, clearly labelled with the child’s name, name of medication, the dosage, the date of purchase, and instructions for storage and administration.
iii) Parents must give all medication to a staff person, who will place it in a locked medication box.
4 - Nutrition/Rest Time
Nutrition
Footsteps Family Centre is a NUT/SCENT-SENSITIVE centre. This means that there will not be any peanut or nut products allowed in the centre.
We ask that any children attending our program not bring peanut or nut products into the centre. Please refrain from sending your child into the centre with any food from home. We have children enrolled that are anaphylactic (fatal allergy) to nuts/scents and their derivatives.
A nutritious midday meal, morning and afternoon snacks will be provided for the children. Individual and special dietary needs, including allergies and sensitivitie,s will be posted in the kitchen and both playroom serving areas. Weekly menu plans will be posted for the current and following week. Menus are planned with respect to the Canada Food Guide requirements. We welcome menu ideas that are special to your child’s family or background.
Rest Time
Footsteps Family Centre provides a supervised two-hour rest period after lunch for children attending the centre full day. At this time, the children lie down on cots in a darkened room with soothing lullaby music played. This is a time for the children to sleep or take part in restful activities (i.e., puzzles, books, etc.). Please feel free to send a favourite blanket and /or stuff animal to help your child rest.
Children are monitored to ensure safe sleep by sleep room supervisors. Documentation is logged in 15-minute intervals.
Children unable to fall asleep following a ½ hour period are welcome to quiet rest activities such as books, puzzles & fidget toys.
Children who are awake after one hour of rest will have the opportunity to participate in quiet tabletop activities.
*Educators are required by licensing regulations to ensure a child’s individual needs are met therefore are not permitted to keep a child from falling asleep.
5 - Daily Operations
Safe Arrival and Safe Pick-up
Young children are dependent on regular routines for their own sense of security. Footsteps Family Centre recommends that established hours of pick-up and drop-off be adopted. When a child (ren) arrives, the parent(s)/guardian(s) must notify a staff member of the child’s presence. When picking up your child, the parent(s)/guardian(s) must inform the staff that the child is leaving. The above procedure is essential for the safety of all children. Unless otherwise arranged, children will not be released to any person other than those specified on the admission forms. If a child will be absent from a program, parents must communicate the child’s absence before 10:00 AM. Should a child not arrive on a scheduled day before 10:00 AM, educators will call and send email messages to parents and emergency contacts for information. If unable to determine the whereabouts of the child within a reasonable amount of time, the Centre’s Director will be notified and resume contact attempts. Next steps will be to notify the local police to report. Any person delegated by the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be required to show identification when picking up the child to indicate that such a person is indeed the delegate. Children will not be permitted to leave the Centre to walk home alone.
Footsteps Family Centre is open from 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM. Any children picked up after closing times will receive a late fee charge. Hours determined by the executive director, TBDSSAB, to subsidy clients will be enforced.
If in the staff’s opinion, the pick-up person (parent/guardian or delegate) is not capable of caring for the child (ren) (e.g., intoxicated, incoherent), the staff will offer to call a taxi and contact the designated person(s) listed in the child’s file. If the pick-up person still insists on taking the child(ren) with them, then the staff person will notify the proper authorities (i.e., Director, Designate, Police and Children’s Aid).
The staff who makes that decision will write up an incident report to be included in the child’s file, make a note of the incident in the daily journal, and call the Director and advise her/him of the situation.
Field Trips
Children learn from actual experiences. Therefore, we place a high priority on outings. On the enrollment form, you were asked to sign an area for spontaneous walks close to the centre. This would include walks around the neighbourhood as well as nature walks. When trips are planned to special places of interest, parents will be asked to sign a consent form, giving information about the destination, date, and times of departure and arrival.
If you are interested in attending our field trips, please provide the centre with a copy of a clear vulnerable sector criminal reference check (current within 6 months) approximately one week prior to the field trip.
Days and Hours of Operation
The centre will be open from Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM
The following statutory holidays will be observed:
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New Year’s Day
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Civic Holiday
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Good Friday
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Easter Monday
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Victoria Day
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Canada Day
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Family Day
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Labour Day
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Thanksgiving Day
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Christmas Day
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Boxing Day
6 - Personal Belongings
Clothing and Possessions
Children should wear washable play clothes to the centre. A second set of clothing for your child should be kept at the centre to be used when necessary. All clothing and shoes should be labelled to avoid losing articles. Clothing which your child can remove and replace easily is recommended as this encourages self-help skills and independence.
Appropriate outdoor clothing is required, as the children will be participating in outdoor play daily (i.e., splash pants and boots for rainy weather, snowsuits, mitts, neck tubes and hats for winter). Please note that for safety reasons, we request that no strings be attached to any article of clothing. We request that indoor shoes or slippers be left at the centre. This is especially important in case of a fire drill, as the children must exit the building.
We appreciate the fact that children like to bring familiar items from home to help them feel more comfortable in the program. Therefore, to help avoid the loss of personal items, please label them.
Items to Bring from Home
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Blanket/stuff toy
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Complete change of clothes (shirt, sweater, pants, underwear, and socks)
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Appropriate outdoor clothing
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Pull-ups/diapers/wipes
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Indoor shoes or slippers (footwear must have rubber soles)
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Sunscreen
