9.2.1.3: Enrollment Information to Parents/Guardians and Caregivers/Teachers

At enrollment, and before assumption of supervision of children by caregivers/teachers at the facility, the facility should provide parents/guardians and caregivers/teachers with a statement of services, policies, and procedures, including, but not limited, to the following:

1. The licensed capacity, child:staff ratios, ages and number of children in care. If names of children and parents/guardians are made available, parental/guardian permission for any release to others should be obtained;
2. Services offered to children including a written daily activity plan, sleep positioning policies and arrangements, napping routines, guidance and discipline policies, diaper changing and toilet learning/training methods, child handwashing, medication administration policies, oral health, physical activity, health education, and willingness for special health or therapy services delivered at the program (special requirements for a child should be clearly defined in writing before enrollment);
3. Hours and days of operation;
4. Admissions criteria, enrollment procedures, and daily sign-in/sign-out policies, including authorized individuals for pick-up and allowing parent/guardian access whenever their child is in care;
5. Payment of fees, deposits, and refunds;
6. Methods and schedules for conferences or other methods of communication between parents/guardians and staff.

Policies on:

1. Staffing, including caregivers/teachers, the use of volunteers, helpers, or substitute caregivers/teachers, and deployment of staff for different activities;
2. Inclusion of children with special health care needs;
3. Nondiscrimination;
4. Termination and parent/guardian notification of termination;
5. Supervision;
6. Discipline;
7. Care of children and caregivers/teachers who are ill;
8. Temporary exclusion and alternative care for children who are ill;
9. Health assessments and immunizations;
10. Handling urgent medical care or threatening incidents;
11. Medication administration;
12. Use of child care health consultants, education and mental health consultants;
13. Plan for health promotion and prevention (tracking routine child health care, health consultation, health education for children/staff/families, oral health, sun safety, safety surveillance, etc.);
14. Disasters, emergency plan and drills, evacuation plan, and alternative shelter arrangements;
15. Security;
16. Confidentiality of records;
17. Transportation and field trips;
18. Physical activity (both outdoors and when children are kept indoors), play areas, screen time, and outdoor play policy;
19. Sleeping, safe sleep policy, areas used for sleeping/napping, sleep equipment, and bed linen;
20. Sanitation and hygiene;
21. Presence and care of any animals on the premises;
22. Food and nutrition including food handling, human milk, feeding and food brought from home, as well as a daily schedule of meals and snacks;
23. Evening and night care plan;
24. Smoking, tobacco use, alcohol, prohibited substances, and firearms;
25. Preventing and reporting child abuse and neglect;
26. Use of pesticides and other potentially toxic substances in or around the facility.

Parents/guardians and caregivers/teachers should sign that they have reviewed and accepted this statement of services, policies, and procedures. Policies, plans and procedures should generally be reviewed annually or when any changes are made.

RATIONALE

Model Child Care Health Policies, available at http://www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org/content/MHP4thEd Total.pdf, has text to comply with many of the topics covered in this standard. Each policy has a place for the facility to fill in blanks to customize the policies for a specific site. The text of the policies can be edited to match individual program operations. Starting with a template such as the one in Model Child Care Health Policies can be helpful.

COMMENTS

For large and small family child care homes, a written statement of services, policies, and procedures is strongly recommended and should be added to the “Parent Handbook.” Conflict over policies can lead to termination of services and inconsistency in the child’s care arrangements. If the statement is provided orally, parents/guardians should sign a statement attesting to their acceptance of the statement of services, policies and procedures presented to them. Model Child Care Health Policies can be adapted to these smaller settings.

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

RELATED STANDARDS

1.1.1.1 Ratios for Small Family Child Care Homes
1.1.1.2 Ratios for Large Family Child Care Homes and Centers
1.1.1.3 Ratios for Facilities Serving Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities
1.1.1.4 Ratios and Supervision During Transportation
1.1.1.5 Ratios and Supervision for Swimming, Wading, and Water Play
1.6.0.1 Child Care Health Consultants
2.1.1.1 Written Daily Activity Program and Statement of Principles
2.1.1.2 Health, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Safety Awareness
2.1.1.3 Coordinated Child Care Health Program Model
2.1.1.4 Monitoring Children’s Development/Obtaining Consent for Screening
2.1.1.5 Helping Families Cope with Separation
2.1.1.6 Transitioning within Programs and Indoor and Outdoor Learning/Play Environments
2.1.1.7 Communication in Native Language Other Than English
2.1.1.8 Diversity in Enrollment and Curriculum
2.1.1.9 Verbal Interaction
2.1.2.1 Personal Caregiver/Teacher Relationships for Infants and Toddlers
2.1.2.2 Interactions with Infants and Toddlers
2.1.2.3 Space and Activity to Support Learning of Infants and Toddlers
2.1.2.4 Separation of Infants and Toddlers from Older Children
2.1.2.5 Toilet Learning/Training
2.1.3.1 Personal Caregiver/Teacher Relationships for Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.2 Opportunities for Learning for Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.3 Selection of Equipment for Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.4 Expressive Activities for Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.5 Fostering Cooperation of Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.6 Fostering Language Development of Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.3.7 Body Mastery for Three- to Five-Year-Olds
2.1.4.1 Supervised School-Age Activities
2.1.4.2 Space for School-Age Activity
2.1.4.3 Developing Relationships for School-Age Children
2.1.4.4 Planning Activities for School-Age Children
2.1.4.5 Community Outreach for School-Age Children
2.1.4.6 Communication Between Child Care and School
2.2.0.1 Methods of Supervision of Children
2.2.0.2 Limiting Infant/Toddler Time in Crib, High Chair, Car Seat, Etc.
2.2.0.3 Screen Time/Digital Media Use
2.2.0.4 Supervision Near Bodies of Water
2.2.0.5 Behavior Around a Pool
2.2.0.6 Discipline Measures
2.2.0.7 Handling Physical Aggression, Biting, and Hitting
2.2.0.8 Preventing Expulsions, Suspensions, and Other Limitations in Services
2.2.0.9 Prohibited Caregiver/Teacher Behaviors
2.2.0.10 Using Physical Restraint
2.4.1.2 Staff Modeling of Healthy and Safe Behavior and Health and Safety Education Activities
2.4.1.3 Gender and Body Awareness
2.4.2.1 Health and Safety Education Topics for Staff
2.4.3.1 Opportunities for Communication and Modeling of Health and Safety Education for Parents/Guardians
2.4.3.2 Parent/Guardian Education Plan
3.1.1.1 Conduct of Daily Health Check
3.1.1.2 Documentation of the Daily Health Check
3.1.2.1 Routine Health Supervision and Growth Monitoring
3.1.3.1 Active Opportunities for Physical Activity
3.1.3.2 Playing Outdoors
3.1.4.1 Safe Sleep Practices and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/SIDS Risk Reduction
3.1.5.1 Routine Oral Hygiene Activities
3.1.5.2 Toothbrushes and Toothpaste
3.1.5.3 Oral Health Education
3.2.1.1 Type of Diapers Worn
3.2.1.2 Handling Cloth Diapers
3.2.1.3 Checking For the Need to Change Diapers
3.2.1.4 Diaper Changing Procedure
3.2.1.5 Procedure for Changing Children’s Soiled Underwear, Disposable Training Pants and Clothing
3.2.2.1 Situations that Require Hand Hygiene
3.2.2.2 Handwashing Procedure
3.2.2.3 Assisting Children with Hand Hygiene
3.2.2.4 Training and Monitoring for Hand Hygiene
3.2.2.5 Hand Sanitizers
3.3.0.1 Routine Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting
3.3.0.2 Cleaning and Sanitizing Toys
3.3.0.3 Cleaning and Sanitizing Objects Intended for the Mouth
3.3.0.4 Cleaning Individual Bedding
3.3.0.5 Cleaning Crib and Other Sleep Surfaces
3.4.1.1 Use of Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Drugs
3.4.2.1 Animals that Might Have Contact with Children and Adults
3.4.2.2 Prohibited Animals
3.4.2.3 Care for Animals
3.4.3.1 Medical Emergency Procedures
3.4.3.2 Use of Fire Extinguishers
3.4.3.3 Response to Fire and Burns
3.6.1.1 Inclusion/Exclusion/Dismissal of Ill Children
3.6.2.1 Exclusion and Alternative Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.2 Space Requirements for Care of Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.3 Qualifications of Directors of Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.4 Program Requirements for Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.5 Caregiver/Teacher Qualifications for Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.6 Child-Staff Ratios for Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.7 Child Care Health Consultants for Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.8 Licensing of Facilities That Care for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.9 Information Required for Children Who Are Ill
3.6.2.10 Inclusion and Exclusion of Children from Facilities That Serve Children Who Are Ill
3.6.3.1 Medication Administration
3.6.3.2 Labeling, Storage, and Disposal of Medications
3.6.3.3 Training of Caregivers/Teachers to Administer Medication
4.2.0.1 Written Nutrition Plan
4.2.0.2 Assessment and Planning of Nutrition for Individual Children
4.2.0.3 Use of US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines
4.2.0.4 Categories of Foods
4.2.0.5 Meal and Snack Patterns
4.2.0.6 Availability of Drinking Water
4.2.0.7 100% Fruit Juice
4.2.0.8 Feeding Plans and Dietary Modifications
4.2.0.9 Written Menus and Introduction of New Foods
4.2.0.10 Care for Children with Food Allergies
4.2.0.11 Ingestion of Substances that Do Not Provide Nutrition
4.2.0.12 Vegetarian/Vegan Diets
4.3.1.1 General Plan for Feeding Infants
4.3.1.2 Responsive Feeding of Infants by a Consistent Caregiver/Teacher
4.3.1.3 Preparing, Feeding, and Storing Human Milk
4.3.1.4 Feeding Human Milk to Another Mother’s Child
4.3.1.5 Preparing, Feeding, and Storing Infant Formula
4.3.1.6 Use of Soy-Based Formula and Soy Milk
4.3.1.7 Feeding Cow’s Milk
4.3.1.8 Techniques for Bottle Feeding
4.3.1.9 Warming Bottles and Infant Foods
4.3.1.10 Cleaning and Sanitizing Equipment Used for Bottle Feeding
4.3.1.11 Introduction of Age-Appropriate Solid Foods to Infants
4.3.1.12 Feeding Age-Appropriate Solid Foods to Infants
4.3.2.1 Meal and Snack Patterns for Toddlers and Preschoolers
4.3.2.2 Serving Size for Toddlers and Preschoolers
4.3.2.3 Encouraging Self-Feeding by Older Infants and Toddlers
4.3.3.1 Meal and Snack Patterns for School-Age Children
4.6.0.1 Selection and Preparation of Food Brought From Home
4.6.0.2 Nutritional Quality of Food Brought From Home
6.4.2.2 Helmets
6.4.2.3 Bike Routes
6.5.1.1 Competence and Training of Transportation Staff
7.2.0.1 Immunization Documentation
7.2.0.2 Unimmunized/Underimmunized Children
7.2.0.3 Immunization of Staff
9.2.1.1 Content of Policies
9.2.3.2 Policy Development for Care of Children and Staff Who Are Ill
9.2.3.9 Written Policy on Use of Medications
9.2.3.11 Food and Nutrition Service Policies and Plans
9.2.3.12 Infant Feeding Policy
9.2.3.13 Plans for Evening and Nighttime Child Care
9.2.3.15 Policies Prohibiting Smoking, Tobacco, Alcohol, Illegal Drugs, and Toxic Substances
9.2.3.16 Policy Prohibiting Firearms
9.2.4.1 Written Plan and Training for Handling Urgent Medical or Threatening Incidents
9.2.4.2 Review of Written Plan for Urgent Care and Threatening Incidents
9.2.4.3 Disaster Planning, Training, and Communication
9.2.4.4 Written Plan for Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza
9.2.4.5 Emergency and Evacuation Drills Policy
9.2.4.6 Use of Daily Roster During Evacuation Drills
9.2.4.7 Sign-In/Sign-Out System
9.2.4.8 Authorized Persons to Pick Up Child
9.2.4.9 Policy on Actions to Be Followed When No Authorized Person Arrives to Pick Up a Child
9.2.4.10 Documentation of Drop-Off, Pick-Up, Daily Attendance of Child, and Parent/Provider Communication
9.4.1.3 Written Policy on Confidentiality of Records
9.4.2.3 Contents of Admission Agreement Between Child Care Program and Parent/Guardian