Frequently Asked Questions

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We are open Monday to Friday From 7:30AM to 5:30PM.

Martin Luther King Day

Lincoln Day

Washington Day

Good Friday

Memorial Day

4th of July

Labor Day

Veteran's Day

Halloween (closed at 4:30pm)

Thanksgiving Day

Day after Thanksgiving

Note: If the holiday falls on a Saturday daycare will be closed the Friday before. If the holiday falls on a Sunday daycare will be closed the Monday after.

Yes, we allot ourselves 7 sick/personal days per year. We also use these days for our continuing education classes (CPR, Pediatric First Aid, etc) in order to keep our childcare license in good standing. Of course we will give you as much of an advance notice as possible.

Yes, regular payment rates apply for our vacations, your vacations, weeks with holidays, and provider's sick/personal days.

This is generally our policy for the common cold. For the health and safety of your child and all of the children in our daycare, please do not bring your child to daycare sick. In which case we in turn may become sick making it difficult to care for the children at the high standards that we have set for ourselves. We can only care for children with mild cold like symptoms that are otherwise feeling and acting well. Mild cold like symptoms are clear runny nose, slight cough, and a slight or no fever. If you are not sure if your child should be brought to daycare, then please call and check with us. If a child becomes ill during daycare hours the parents will be contacted to pick up their child. Parents need to pick up their children within one hour of being notified. If parents are not available, the emergency contact person will be notified.  

Note: Once the child is removed from daycare due to illness, they may not return to daycare until symptoms requiring removal are no longer present. The child must also be void of any contagious disease, unless accompanied by a doctor's note stating the illness in question is not contagious, and the child is other wise feeling well enough to participate in our daily schedule. 

 A child with any of the following illnesses must be completely free of any symptoms before returning to daycare. If the child is taking antibiotics for an illness, the child may return to daycare after the initial 24 hours of beginning antibiotics as long as he or she has a slight to no fever (under 100F under the arm), no longer contagious, and is otherwise feeling well enough to participate in our daily schedule. Signs of illness include the following; unusual lethargy, irritability, persistent crying for no reason, runny nose (more than clear), cough (more than slight), difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, mouth sores, rashes (note from doctor stating non-contagious is ok), pink eye, chicken pox, mumps, measles, roseola, hepatitis A, impetigo, lice, ringworm, scabies, strep throat, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, shingles, and any other contagious disease or rash. Any child with a fever of 100 degrees or above, orally (in the mouth), or axillary (under the arm), may not attend daycare. State law requires that we notify parents of children who have been exposed to certain contagious diseases. Please notify us if your child becomes infected, so a note can be posted. 

 Note: A fever in and of itself is not all bad (given that it is not too high). A fever is your body's natural way of trying to protect it self against what ever virus or bacteria is attacking it. Illnesses that cause fevers cannot live in our body's abnormally hot environment. However, a fever is an obvious indicator that the child is sick and possibly contagious, therefore requiring exclusion from daycare.

Parents supply; Parents are responsible for supplying the following items: formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper creams, weather appropriate clothes and multiple change of clothes, jacket, shoes that lace-up or Velcro and/or stay on feet (no flip-flops please), pacifier (if needed), a swimsuit (for water table), a blanket or sleep-sack and/or a comfort item for nap times, and any thing else your child may need. We supply and apply sunscreen every day to any child playing outside.

Yes, we offer an infant/young toddler curriculum provided to us by Mother Goose Time (a professionally planned curriculum designed to be used in childcare homes and centers.) This on-going program is offered Monday through Friday and is both entertaining and educational. Your child will enjoy activities ranging from art and craft projects to games, songs, finger plays, storytelling, creative dramatics, exercises, science, shapes, numbers, colors, alphabet, and much more through various monthly themes. Some of these projects will be taken home to share with you, and others will be group activities that you can ask about. We know that children learn best by “doing”. Therefore, the activities the children participate in are developmentally appropriate, concrete, hands-on, and most of all fun, because we believe that learning is an exciting experience. Mother Goose Time fulfills the Head Start Domain Elements, Standards, and Indicator Guidelines and is consistent with the National Association for the Education of Young Children Guidelines for curriculum content. We also work on and with the following: throughout each day we practice on large and small motor skills by reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, climbing, throwing, catching, kicking, cooing and talking; which ever developmental stage your child happens to be in at the time. Infants and toddlers learn through play by utilizing flash cards, books, numbers, shapes, colors, the alphabet, stacking blocks, puppets, age-appropriate toys, and much more. We encourage participation, but the child will not be forced to participate. Most importantly, our goal is to make learning for all ages fun, and non-intimidating. It is our hope that both you and your child will be as enthusiastic as we are about our program.

Each day we provide three nutritious and well balanced meals. We provide morning breakfast at 8:30am, lunch at 12:00pm and afternoon snack at 3:30pm. Milk or juice is served with all the meals and snacks, and water is offered throughout the day. We also provide baby food for infants. Here is a menu, showing an example of the different types of food we typically serve throughout any given week. The meals and snacks for each week constantly vary in order to ensure the children receive a well-balanced diet. The children are offered the food, but they will not be forced to eat. It is our goal to offer nutritious meals and snacks to the children in our care, as nutrition is a vital part of a child's health. Children need to eat well-balanced meals in order to meet his or her daily energy needs and to help them build a strong body and mind. We know that the good food habits a child develops will help them prevent cavities, iron deficiency anemia, and obesity, etc - all common nutritional problems in young children.

Yes, that is not a problem.

Open communication is one of our top priorities. Therefore, of course, any pertinent information regarding your child is expressed regularly. Additionally, we utilize an extremely informative mobile app called Brightwheel to keep parents up to date with their child's day. As soon as an event is saved, it is immediately synchronized on each parent's account. Everybody has access to the information in real time. Additionally, at the end of each day parents receive a detailed email listing the events of the day, such as, when your child was given a bottle (if applicable), what they ate and drank, when diapers were changed and what it was, their nap schedule, and any other pertinent information.

Enrolling and/or reserving a future space for your child at Kathys Nest Daycare is simple. (1) Contact us to schedule a time for you and your child to visit us in our home. We will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to meet us, learn more about what we have to offer, and meet some of the other children that we provide care for. This time spent gives all involved an opportunity to get to know one another and to make sure that all personalities mix well. This is important and helps to ensure that both parties are comfortable with their surroundings and expectations. (2) After which time the registration process may begin; consisting of a parent handbook, parent/provider contract, and various enrollment forms. Once they are read, completed, signed, returned, and the deposit has been paid, your child's space has been reserved. The deposit is equal to two weeks of childcare costs and is credited towards the last two weeks of your child's enrollment. (3) And the final step is to simply decide on a start date. Interview hours are from 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday.

Yes, we can provide a sibling discount.

Yes, a non refundable deposit equal to two weeks of childcare costs is due at time of enrollment. However, do not give us the deposit until you have signed the Parent-Provider Contract/Enrollment application and thoroughly read the Parent Handbook. We recommend this particular order of doing things because we want to ensure that you feel comfortable with our policies and procedures before there are any money transactions. Alternatively, if you have any questions or concerns regarding our views on caring for children it is also best if they are addressed beforehand. Please keep in mind that your child’s spot is not fully secured until we have received both the deposit and the signed Parent-Provider Contract/Enrollment application. The deposit will be credited towards the last two weeks of your child’s enrollment.

Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit equal to two weeks of childcare costs is due at time of enrollment. The deposit is solely for the peace of mind of both parent and provider. You, the parent, can sleep well at night knowing that your child’s childcare spot is fully secured and that your affairs are in order. Equally, we the provider’s can also sleep well at night knowing that we can comfortably continue to turn prospective clients away because we are holding the spot for your child (sometimes in excess of six months or more). This is also why the deposit is nonrefundable. Parents must understand that we will be turning many other parents away because we trust that the spot has already been taken. Therefore, as a courtesy to us, it is of the utmost importance that if at anytime your future need for childcare changes that you let us know as soon as possible.

Start Date: Based on points already stated above, your child’s start date is agreed upon between parent and provider at the time of enrollment. In other words, in order for us to continue to hold your child’s spot, childcare fees need to start being paid beginning on the date that is originally agreed upon and input on the Parent-Provider Contract/Enrollment application. It is up to you if your child begins to attend our daycare on or after that date. As long as your child’s childcare fees are continued to be paid in full we will endlessly hold vacant his or her spot. We understand that sometimes things change, and therefore possibly altering your desired start date (due dates, events out of your control, etc). However, please keep in mind and be sensitive to our position regarding this matter as well. We feel that the above mentioned practices are in the best interest of everyone involved.

Yes, but appropriately. We believe that the guidance of a child is achieved through patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. We also try and teach the children in our care manners, kindness and to be respectful to others. One of the ways in which we do this is by the example we as providers set. We understand that our actions and reactions speak much louder than our words. The children are explained and shown the rules of the daycare frequently, so they know what’s expected of them. Once a child is old enough to understand the rules and disobeys them, by exhibiting inappropriate behavior (hitting, aggression, etc), hurts others, or property, the following developmentally appropriate guidance techniques will be used. These techniques are as follows:

Positive Reinforcement: The child will be encouraged when he or she is demonstrating acceptable behavior.

Redirection: The child is redirected to another activity and given an opportunity to try again at another time.

Time-Out: When a child is old enough to understand the concept of time-out (usually around 18 months), the child is separated from the group for an age appropriate amount of time (one minute per one year of age). This technique is only used as a last resort, when a child repeatedly will not follow our directions or listen to our words, is exhibiting temper tantrum type behavior, or hurting ones self, others or property. When the child shows that he or she is ready to demonstrate acceptable behavior, they are encouraged to join the rest of the group.

Last Resort: When a child’s behavior is continually upsetting or dangerous to others, a conference will be called with the parents. If the problems cannot be resolved, arrangements will have to be made for the child to go elsewhere for care.

Television viewing is only done occasionally, no more than a half an hour at a time, and is limited to shows such as Songs for littles and other like minded educational programs geared towards 2 years old. Children are never required to sit and watch TV, and TV is not offered in place of free play or learning activities.

Yes, we LOVE birthdays, the kids like to celebrate together. Most of the time parents will bring in cake, cookies, or cupcakes for afternoon snack (at 4:00pm). You can bring them in the morning when you drop him/her off, or bring them later, which ever you prefer:) We will make him/her a birthday hat, shower them with praise, and we will all sing happy birthday.

We are generally accessible at all times of the day and night (with in reason). We are always caring for children so it's not always possible to get to the phone. However, unanswered phone calls go to our answering machine, and emails and texts forward straight to our phones. We check both frequently. So important questions about your child's day are responded to quickly. And general, non time sensitive questions, are responded to within 24 hours.

Over the years we've had lots of parents worry about this. And it's all for not, because their child almost always has no problems sleeping, and will sleep like a baby. The reasons being are, the children play so hard they are usually completely tuckered out by nap time. Additionally, the newer children learn by example from their peers. So fear not, this is usually a non issue. Nap times are typically around 9:00am and 12:30pm. Younger infants can be given a third nap in the later afternoon if needed, and older infants no longer requiring two naps a day will just take a single nap at 12:30pm. The State of New York requires that all children under the age of five have at least a two hour rest period every day. No child will ever be forced to sleep, however good and regular sleep schedules are encouraged.

We would prefer them to not, that is unless they can freely share them with the group without having sharing issues. If so, by all means. But usually is the case, the children don't want to share their personal toys with the group and it only proves to cause issues. Some children can be very persuasive in this regards. If the child simply must bring the toy, they can bring it and put it in their locker on arrival, where it can stay until pickup time.

Yes, of course:) We suggest just that.

We completely understand having to leave your child with someone else can be very difficult. And we will help you in any way that we can. However, as much as we would like to afford you this luxury, we would prefer that you did not. You must remember we are watching multiple kids all day. The only reason we can do this without pulling our hair out is because we can maintain control over the room. Children act up when their or other parents are present. This makes it more difficult for us to do our job effectively, and at the high standards we have set for ourselves. It is perfectly fine to stay for a little while to help your child on those sometimes difficult first few days. However, your child needs to get used to us and our environment. This is nearly impossible to do with the security of mom/dad in the room. We are very good at what we do. You can trust whole heartedly he/she will be perfectly fine once you leave. We will often follow up with a phone call or text to let you know that they have calmed down and are now doing fine and having fun.

I'm glad you asked. On the way to daycare talk it up - tell them how much fun they will have! Let your child know that you support this new activity and are excited for them. If your nervous they can sense it, and will wonder why, and it will feed into their already fearful feelings of a new environment and new people. Come in » get your child situated with an activity that the group is doing » hug and kiss them and reassure them that you love them and will be back later to pick them up » and walk out. Just like that - very simple!

If you hang around for a long time they will wonder "why is mommy/daddy afraid to leave me?". They will learn to depend on you being there to feel comfortable. They need to feel comfortable with us. Additionally, DO NOT sneak out. Many a parent has done this, and all it does to your child is feed into their fears of abandonment. Your there one second, and poof, gone the next. This will make them very literally afraid to have fun, let their guard down, and immerse themselves into an activity, only to get preoccupied, and forget to watch for your disappearing act.

Of course! They're your child, drop-off/pick-up when ever works for you. But if you have choice, before or after nap-time (12:30pm - 2:30pm) is better, just so you don't wake up the other kids. But if it can't be avoided, during that time is perfectly fine.

Yes, but be forewarned, we do not have a separate quiet room for you. That said you are free to do so.

The first 30 Days will be regarded as a trial period, in which case either party may terminate the contract without notice. After the first 30 Days of enrollment, a 60 Day written notice from parent or provider is required to terminate the contract, with the exception of gross misconduct on part of the provider, parent, or child. This is grounds for immediate discontinuation of service. In cases of non-payment, legal action may be taken, and the parents will pay all legal fees incurred.

Yes, Sign/ in or out is necessary we will be using Brightwheel and if ever that system is down we will be using a document.  We do however, take the release of the children very seriously. No one other than the parent or person designated by you will be allowed to pick up your child without advanced written permission indicating the person's name and relationship to your child. If there is a court order keeping one parent away from the child, we must have a written note from the custodial parent in our file to that effect. Otherwise, we cannot prevent the non-custodial parent from picking up the child.

At Kathys Nest Daycare we do not give medications to the children. If your child needs to be medicated in order to get through the day, and be able to comfortably participate in our classroom activities, then it is quite possible he or she may be too sick to attend daycare. We will however give certain doctor prescribed medications to the children, of course given that they are no longer contagious, and only if the medication consent form has been signed. Examples of these would be; antibiotics for ear infections etc and Tylenol for teething or pain associated with bumps or bruises (not to bring down a fever). If you're not sure if we will administer a certain medication or not, please feel free to ask.