YMCA Child Care Policies

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Hours of Operation
YMCA Preschool Child Care Centres are open Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 6:00pm except statutory holidays. YMCA School Age Centres operate every school day 7:00am until school begins and after school until 6:00pm. Centres do not operate on statutory holidays or on school holidays, where access to school facilities is not permitted. Designated centres will offer full day care on Professional Activity days.

Centre Closures
Centres located in schools will not operate if schools are closed. Parents in both Preschool and School Age Centres are responsible for determining if the school/child care centre is closed because of inclement weather or unusual circumstances. For information on all centre closures please tune in to your local radio station. Regular fees apply.

Arrivals and Departures
To ensure the safety and security of your child, while attending YMCA Child Care we require that:

• Parents escort their child to a staff member on duty and sign him/her in and out. Our responsibility begins when you inform us that your child has arrived. Parents are responsible to dress and undress their child upon arrival and departure.
• Parents must notify the Child Care Centre if someone other than themselves will be picking up the child. That person will be asked for picture identification and must be 18 years of age or older.
• Parents must make alternative arrangements if they can not pick their child up by 6p.m. Please note late fee charges under "Late Fees".

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Clothing and Possessions
Children should be dressed in casual, comfortable clothing that allows them to explore and play without fear of getting dirty. Clothing that is appropriate for the weather should be kept at the centre. We recommend snow pants, mitts and boots in winter, sun hat in summer, an extra sweater or jacket for spring and fall. When boots are worn, please make sure that your child has shoes or slippers at the centre. Accidents can happen, so we like to keep an extra set of clothing at the child care centre. To help keep everything organized and to minimize losses, please label bags containing your child's possessions.

Nutrition
Preschool Child Care Centres provide morning and afternoon snack and a hot, nutritious lunch. All meals follow Canada's Food Guide and are monitored by government standards. We encourage each child to try each type of food. Our goal is to help children develop a taste for a variety of foods. We provide a morning and afternoon snack for school age children.

Please do not send candy, snacks, gum, etc., to the centre. In the event that there are allergies in your child's centre, restrictions in food will apply.

Rest Period
It is a requirement that all children attending a licensed preschool centre have a rest period each day. It is not necessary for your child to sleep, but he will be encouraged to rest quietly on his/her bed during this time. A child-sized blanket, labeled with your child's name is required from home.

Arts and Crafts
Make your little artist happy and please take your child's artwork home daily.

Birthdays
Your child's birthday is a special event. You are welcome to bring in a store-bought treat (cupcakes, cookies, cake, etc.) for your child to share with his/her friends. Health Department regulations do not allow home baking. Other party favours are not necessary.

Field Trips
Throughout the year, we may take trips to special places of interest. We will send a notice home in advance of the excursion informing you of the destination, time and date. A minimal charge may be required to partially cover transportation and entrance fees. You are always welcome to join us at these times. Children should be dressed appropriately for these occasions.

Health and Illness
To maintain a good standard of health, we make a daily health check. If a child's illness prevents him/her from participating or being comfortable in normal program activities, or if staff cannot provide the care required, the child will be considered too ill to attend child care. Should your child become ill during the day you will be contacted immediately to pick up your child.

The Day Nurseries Act stipulates that prior to admission, each child must be immunized according to the local medical officer of health. Therefore, we require that a copy of the child's immunization record and a completed medical information sheet be completed and signed by the parent. These should be submitted at the time of admission and must be updated annually.

All children play outside each day. If your child is not well enough to go out, please keep him/her at home.

Medication
Our Child Care staff will administer only prescription medication. Parents are required to sign a medication authorization form outlining dosages and times to be given. For safety reasons, medication must be in the original container, must be clearly labelled with the child's name, date, and name of drug, instructions for storage and administration of the drug. The same applies to natural remedies, as prescribed by a Registered Naturopath.

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