Play and Learning Station - Health & Safety
HEALTH
Children need to be in good health in order to get the most out of their school
day. Please do not bring your child if the child cannot participate fully
in the indoor and outdoor program. In order to reduce the spread of many
illnesses, please keep your child home with the following:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea: Children may return to the school 24 hours after
symptoms are gone.
- Runny nose with green or yellow discharge associated with fever or
cough with mucous secretion: Children may return to school after
all symptoms are gone.
- Fever of 100°F (axillary) or above: Children may
return to the school after being free of fever for 24 hours without Tylenol
or other similar
product.
- Conjunctivitis or pink eye: Children with red, itchy,
draining, or crusty eyes may have conjunctivitis. Children may return to
the school
after
24 hours of
successful antibiotic therapy.
- Rashes or skin conditions such as impetigo
or contagious cold sores: Any unusual rashes should be examined by a doctor.
Children may return
to the
school after
all symptoms are gone or child’s doctor has provided written
clearance.
- Chicken pox: children with chicken pox may exhibit the symptoms
of low fever, rash, blisters, scabs, and malaise. Children may
return to school
after all
sores are crusted over and dried.
- Lice/Hair Infestation: Children may return to the school
24 hours after receiving a specified shampoo treatment and all signs of
eggs are gone.
- Other Symptoms: Children will be excluded if the director or
Health Department determines it is inappropriate for the child
to be at
the school.
You will be notified immediately if your child becomes ill or injured while
at the school. If you cannot be reached, we will call an emergency contact
listed on your enrollment form. For the health and safety of all the children,
it is important that you pick up your child at the time you are notified. Please
inform the school if there is any change in address, phone numbers (work and
home), emergency contacts or medical information. We request notification as
soon as possible if your child has a contagious disease (e.g. conjunctivitis,
chicken pox) so we can alert other families in your child’s class.
Please note that many children have frequent illnesses when they first enter
a child care or school environment. Once the child’s immune system becomes
more resistant, those illnesses often decrease in frequency.
MEDICATIONS
Medication will be administered in accordance with state regulations and individual
school policy. If administration is permitted, it will only be administered
with written permission from a parent or legal guardian. This includes all
over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol and Benadryl. Note that Tylenol or
similar drugs should not be sent with a child to school to treat a fever.
All prescription drugs must be in the original container showing a label
with: child’s name, name of medication, expiration date, dosage, and frequency
per day. Siblings may not share medication. All medication brought to school
must be checking in and stored in an area not accessible to children. Medication
will not be stored at the school overnight. NEVER send your child to school
with medicine packed in his or her belongings. Always hand any medication directly
to your child’s teacher immediately upon arrival. Children will not be
permitted to take any medication that is not administered by staff, including
cough drops and throat lozenges. The school will not be responsible for and
will not administer any medication that has not been labeled, delivered, or
authorized as described above. REST TIME
Adequate rest or quiet time is a very important part of a young, growing child’s
day. The children rest in the afternoon for one to two hours or longer depending
on the individual child. Children who do not nap are allowed to quietly read
a book, play with puzzles or participate in other quiet activities.
Mats or cots are provided by the school. Please bring a blanket for your child.
Be sure you put your child’s name on the blanket with indelible ink.
Infants sleep according to their needs and the individual plan prepared by
the parents and staff. Unless otherwise indicated in your written enrollment
materials, parents are expected to provide all bedding for their child’s
crib and to wash and return the bedding on a regular basis.
NUTRITION
Children’s nutritional needs must be met for them to maintain a high
level of interest and energy throughout the day. Any meals or snacks provided
by the school will be of the quality and in the quantity necessary to meet
the needs of the children. Menus are prepared and displayed each week so parents
know what their child is being served. We encourage the selection of foods
that reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the children in our schools.
Please indicate any allergies or special dietary restrictions your child may
have on the appropriate registration form. Our staff is available as a resource
to you in relation to your child’s nutrition and eating patterns.
Except for special occasions, cupcakes, cake, cookies, candy, etc. should
not be sent to school with your child for nutritional reasons and to prevent
other children from asking for or expecting have such foods at school.
OUCH REPORTS AND CHILD ACCIDENT REPORTS
Although many precautions are taken to ensure a safe environment, occasional
incidents do occur. If an incident or injury occurs, first aid is administered
and an Ouch Report or Child Accident Report is filled out and given to you.
This report will describe the nature of the incident and the follow-up that
was provided.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Because we strive to maintain a safe environment for your child, we make every
attempt to be prepared to handle emergency situations. An emergency plan is
posted in each school with emergency numbers and procedures.
Parents may be asked to purchase or provide individual disaster kits with
necessary supplies for their child in certain locations.
The local fire department makes annual checks with recommendations for improved
safety devices. Fire drills are conducted in each classroom once every month.
Children are instructed on the proper procedure during the drills.
BITING
Although common in young children, biting can be a frustrating problem. The
following is an outline of our preventative strategies:
- For infants and toddlers,
positive teething activities will be provided to comfort and soothe
their gums.
- When children bite out of frustration or during confrontation,
behavior
will be redirected to some other activity or they will be shown an
alternate way
to get what they want. We will encourage the use of language in expressing
wants and needs.
- If a child bites frequently, staff will utilize a
more intensive approach which involves carefully observing the child to
determine precipitating
events, and maintaining a log to help track the behavior. Conferences
with parents
may also be utilized to discuss the child’s actions at home,
search for outside resources, etc.
- Parents will be notified if their
child is bitten at school. However, in order to protect the privacy
of all of our families, parents will
not be
informed of the identity of the biter.
Biting incidents will also be communicated to the parent of the biter to ensure
that staff and parents work together to understand and prevent this behavior.
In order to ensure the safety of all the children, if all attempts to stop
the biting fail, we reserve the right to remove the biting child from our program.
TOILET TRAINING
Toilet training is most easily accomplished when teachers, parents, and children
work together. Children learn toileting skills through consistent, positive
encouragement from adults at home and school.
Toilet training usually begins around two years of age. When a child shows
interest in toilet training, the parents and teachers should complete a Potty
Training Contract that describes how they will work together to encourage toilet
training. This form is available from the director. This plan is a commitment
to work with the child in a consistent manner; it is not a timeline for completing
toilet training. The contract will be kept in your child’s file.
Each child will begin and progress at a different rate. The staff will provide
you with documentation of your child’s progress each day. The director
and staff are available as a resource to answer any questions about your child’s
toilet training progress at the school. Several complete changes of clothes
should be kept at the school during this process.
SECURITY
The primary mechanism for ensuring the security of the school is strict adherence
to established procedures for your child’s arrival and departure, including
clocking in and out on the school computer. All of our schools either meet
or exceed state licensing regulations for building safety.
MANDATED REPORTING INFORMATION
Teachers and child care administrators are required by law to report evidence
of child neglect or abuse. Those who fail to report according to state regulation
can be held accountable under the law. No one, including school management
and/or a child’s parents, can interfere with this reporting requirement.
The name and phone number of the area regional director is posted at the
school if you have any questions regarding this policy.
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