Teddy Bear Daycare's Policies

HOURS AND DAYS OF OPERATION My hours of operation are from 5:30am-5:00pm Monday-Friday.  Your hours are indicated in your contract. Please remember that your fees are based on your contracted hours, NOT the hours I am open. If you require earlier drop-off, you must call in advance to authorize this. OVERTIME FEES will also be charged for early drop offs and late pick-ups past your agreed upon time. (See contract) I do ask, that on the holidays not listed that if one of the parents does have off, Keep your children home with you. I am open for the hours that you MUST work your jobs. I look at it like this, if I can shop with my children, go to Dr. Appointment’s with my child and yours, as well as clean my home with children around than so can you the parent. I am only open to provide care while you WORK.

PAID HOLIDAYS:                                                 1.      New Years Eve and Day   2.      Memorial Day 3.      Independence Day 4.      Labor Day 5.      St. Mary’s County Fair Day(The Friday that schools are closed) 6.      Thanksgiving day and day after 7.      Christmas eve 8.      Christmas day and day after   I run the Daycare holidays according to the Governments, if the holiday falls on a Sunday I’m closed that Monday and if it falls on a Saturday I have that Friday off unless otherwise stated. I also take 12 paid personal days to be used for sick days, personal days, conferences, and vacations.  I also ask for 1 funeral day Paid (per incident).  I will always give plenty of notice of any personal and vacations days to be used!!  I will also be taking the entire time between Christmas Eve and New Years Day off. IF I still have paid personal days left they will be used at that time, If not this is unpaid time off for me to spend with my family. The Daycare will be closed on all weekends as well as all holidays mentioned above. If your child is picked up late, an overtime fee of $10 for every 15 minutes will be charged unless prior arrangements have been made and accepted by me. Late is anything beyond the scheduled pick up time that is determined at enrollment.

HEALTH I ask that you have a back up (someone you can call if I am sick, or if your child is sick). If I get sick I will let you know as quickly as possible, so that you can make other arrangements for your child. In the case of my illness, I would give you as much notice as possible. I will not accept children for care if any of the following symptoms are present: Fever above 100 Conjunctivitis (pink eye) Rapid or labored breathing Vomiting Diarrhea Head Lice Contagious illness   (Viral, etc.) Nasal discharge (only clear is permitted) Just not well enough to be around others If your child shows any signs of the above symptoms while in my care, I will remove him/her from the group and notify you the parent or authorized adult to pick him/her up. Your child will not be permitted back into care until that child has been WELL AND FEVER FREE for 24 hours. IF your child has had diarrhea your child MAY NOT RETURN TO DAYCARE UNTIL THEY HAVE A FORMED STOOL. If your child needs Motrin, than they don’t need to be in Daycare. Motrin is needed for pain and or fevers. I am looking out for your child as well as my own.   Children are welcome when they have only a mild cold (with clear discharge), but are to participate in the day’s activities. Please use your judgment, if a child is ill and would feel better at home and with mommy or daddy, then that is where they probably should be. Also, if you have siblings enrolled with me, and one gets sick, they both need to stay home since the (Well) child may also be carrying the germs and why bring the sick one out if you don’t have to! Any one caught hiding symptoms with Motrin or any other pain or fever reducer will be automatically terminated from Daycare without notice! I am very serious about this part of my policy!

RATES All rates are based on a Daycare slot! If you are late with your weekly fee, you will be charged $25.00 per day that your fee is late You will also be charged a late fee of $10.00 for every 15 minutes you are late picking up your child. You will be charged $5.00 per 15 minutes earlier for drop off. This will also be enforced when you have cleared it with me ahead of time. The childcare fee will be paid regardless of absences, including illness, holidays, or family vacation. Your Daycare fees pay for quality childcare with a learning,  as well as a nurturing environment for your child. Your fees provide my income including taxes and social security. Beyond that your fees pay for childcare Liability insurance, training, food, toys, equipment, art supplies, a preschool curriculum and all other things your child will use as well as replacement of used and broken items. Like other self-employed workers, Family Childcare Providers do not receive benefits that many other employees take for granted. These include health/dental insurance, life insurance, retirement /pension, paid personal days, workman’s comp, paid vacations, flexible time off and unemployment insurance. These benefits usually amount to as much as 35% of an employee's wages. Unlike other forms of self-employment, family childcare is very restrictive; there is no room for growth. The STATE dictates the size of my business. I cannot take off for appointments or obligations without careful planning and covering my responsibilities.     To protect my rights and income; you will find that a guaranteed wage is part of my contract. Most people work a 40-hour week. Mine are 60 hours and more. That does not include my training and class time, preparation, bookkeeping, and paperwork, shopping or cleaning time. I REALLY DO NOT want the late fees, but it is unfair to have anyone cutting into my already limited family time. I hope this gives you a better picture of the cost of childcare.

OPEN DOOR POLICY At Teddy Bear Daycare you can always be assured that the door is open to you. Please feel free to drop in and check on your child, however keep in mind a child just adjusting to a new surrounding will want to leave with you when you pop in for a visit. These early drop-ins should be made when it is appropriate for you to take the child with you or made when you can visit unnoticed as to not interrupt your child’s day. A child going through separation anxiety will most definitely react by a parent coming into the day care and not taking them with you when you depart. Morning drop-off’s and afternoon pick-ups are made easy by my allowing you self-entrance into my home. Please give the children and myself the courtesy of a short knock and then enter on your own. This prevents any shocked or potentially scared children by the sudden appearance of an adult in the home. There may be times that the door is locked to keep small children from wondering outside and for safety reasons! Please don’t take offense to finding the door locked just knock and I will get there to open it as quickly as I can.  On the same note, if you arrive before 5:30 am or after 5 pm for any reason, please knock, as a guest would come to my home.   Do not enter freely unless it is during Child Care Hours, as a courtesy to my family and I.   You are also invited to call and check on your child during the day. Please keep in mind there may be times when it is not convenient for me to run to the phone (diaper changing, bottle feeding, preschool program, etc.) If the phone goes unanswered, please do not become alarmed, simply leave me a voice mail message and I do have a visual caller ID monitor on the phone which allows me quick notification of a message waiting.  I will then return your call as quickly as possible. You may also communicate any information to me via email (Mommabear@chesapeake.net). There may be those times when something comes to you at work that you don’t want to forget to relay to me. If you have email, please feel free to drop me a line and I will generally reply during rest time. Please do not send me adult material that is not child appropriate. For my oldest son also checks the email from time to time. Also I do not open forwarded material. I have found that some contain viruses!

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