Diaper Policy

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We have a wide selection of well organized, age appropriate toys for infants. Infants will not be allowed to be around or play with small objects and toys. During the initial adjusting period we encourage your child to bring a piece of home with them; a special blanket, toy, or teddy can be very comforting. Photos of family members, neighbors, and pets can be left with us to help remind your child of familiar people if he or she feels lonely during the day. However, please do not bring your child’s toys to daycare except on designated sharing/show and tell days. As much as we try to encourage sharing, this seldom works when it is the child’s own personal toy. It only causes problems between them and the other children.

Here at Kathys Nest Daycare we do not transport any child by car or any moving vehicle, unless a medical emergency requires us to do so. Understand that your child may be included in pictures connected with our daycare program, unless otherwise specified by you the parent. Open Door Policy Please feel free to come and go at anytime throughout the day to visit your child. However, please keep in mind that in doing so it can prove to be disruptive to the other children in our care. During times like these the other children have a hard time listening and following our directions. Furthermore, if you or any other part of your family i.e. (grandparents, etc) would like to come and visit or play with the child for an extended period of time, please take the child in question out of the daycare, to places such as your home, a park, or on a walk, etc, after which, feel free to bring the child back to daycare.

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.

Note: Sometimes if both a parent and a provider are both in the same area (examples would be during drop-off and pick-up times) a child may forget the rules or test the boundaries. Please help show your child that you respect us, the rules of our house, and our property by reminding them that the rules still apply when you are around. We will also remind them of the rules and correct them if needed.

We take the well-being of your child very seriously and work hard to provide an environment that is as healthy as possible. We are committed to keeping our home and the children in it as clean as possible, in order to help minimize and/or prevent the spread of germs. Our home is kept clean and disinfected at all times. We thoroughly clean surfaces that children come in close contact with using soap and water, or Lysol, Clorox Sanitizing gun etc. The high chairs are cleaned between each use, and the diaper changing tables are cleaned and disinfected between each diaper change. Toys are cleaned and disinfected often, and water-play tables are cleaned and disinfected before being filled with water and carefully supervised when in use. Hand washing is the single most effective practice in preventing the spread of germs. We wash our hands many times throughout the day, as well as the children's hands before and/or after engaging in a thorough list of activities

Our staff wash their hands: Before beginning work Immediately before handling food or feeding children After using the toilet, after changing soiled clothing, and after changing diapers After coming into contact with any bodily fluid, such as a wet or soiled diaper, runny nose, spit or vomit After handling a pet or pet equipment Whenever hands are visibly dirty After cleaning a child, the room, toys, or bathroom Before giving medication or applying ointment After work Children wash their hands: Immediately before and after eating After changing soiled clothing, and after diaper changes Before and after using water tables After using play-dough or other substances After playing on the playground Whenever hands are visibly dirty Before going home.

Please send your child clean, dressed (no pajamas, unless you don’t mind your child wearing their pajamas all day), fed and ready for the day, as well as all of your child’s necessary supplies needed for that day’s care. Please do not send food i.e. (half eaten breakfasts, breakfast bars, candy, etc) or gum with the children. Please make your goodbye brief (no more than a couple minutes): the longer you prolong departure the harder it gets for both parent and especially for your child. Never leave without telling your child goodbye. Please be in control of your child during drop-off and pick-up times. 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.

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. 

 There is a possibility your child will get dirty throughout the day because of food, paint, markers, dirt, bubbles, etc. So please dress your child accordingly for play. Wet, dirty, and soiled clothes will be put in a plastic bag in your child’s locker to be taken home and cleaned. We are not responsible for replacing stained or soiled clothing. 

Note: Please periodically check your child’s locker to make sure they still have all of their necessary items needed at daycare. Further more, as the weather changes throughout the year, so do your child’s items needed at daycare. We greatly appreciate your adherence to this subject, as it helps ours and the children’s day run more smoothly to have all of his or her necessary belongings with them at daycare. This way we can care for your child in the best possible way.

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 a wide variety of baby food for younger infants. Below you will find a menu, showing an example of the different types of food we 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. 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. 

Special Diets If your child has any particular dietary needs resulting from being a vegetarian, or having allergies, religious beliefs, or non religious beliefs, etc, then just let us know. If the typical type of meals we serve do not meet your criteria for whatever reason, that's perfectly fine, however, in which case, all of the child's meals and snacks will have to be provided by the parent.

We offer an infant/toddler/preschool 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 etc; 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.

Note: For more information about Mother Goose Time visit their website at www.mothergoosetime.com or by calling (800)523-6933

We know that children also learn through play; because of this, we do not under estimate its importance on a growing child’s mind, body and spirit. Therefore, the children under our care receive lots of both free-play and structured-play throughout each day. During structured-play we primarily have only one group of toys or activity out at a time in order to allow the children to concentrate fully on each thing they do. Age appropriate activities will be scheduled with the flexibility allowed to respond to the needs of each individual child and their various ages. Activities that we and the children participate in, include, but are not limited to the following. Indoor activities include: books and story-time, Legos, circle-time, tumbling exercises, music and dancing and singing, dress up, play food, interactive stuffed animals, cars/trucks/planes, arts and crafts, puzzles, flash cards, animals/dinosaurs, trains, musical instruments, balls, dolls, various learning toys, various games, bean bag toss, blocks, large beads and string, song games, coloring, sing along story books, painting, science, puppets. Outdoor activities include: climbing, sliding, jumping, running, balls, racing, parachute, catch, bubbles, follow the leader, squirt bottles, ride-on toys, wagons, tunnels, safe water toys, various games, water table, painting, neighborhood walks, exploring nature/weather, soccer, and yes falling. As you know, children play hard and will get some bumps and bruises from time to time. We do our best to limit the amount of times this occurs, with constant supervision and watchful eyes. Due to the safe environment/toys we have surrounded ourselves with, we hope to prevent any injuries before they can happen. During the summer months (June, July and August) we allow for more outdoor activities and creative art projects. Weather permitting, we play outdoors every day.

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.

This schedule is meant to give you an idea of your child’s day. Actual times and activities may vary depending on time of the year, weather, age and temperament of the children. Age appropriate activities are scheduled with the flexibility allowed to respond to the needs of each individual child and their various ages. Throughout each day we practice on 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.

7:30am - 5:30pm cuddles, love, and affection 

7:30 - 8:30 drop-offs, welcome children, free play and/or structured-play, story-time, toys, etc

 8:30 - 9:00 breakfast, clean-up/wash-up, change diapers, feed bottles 

9:00 - 10:00 naptime (depending on age), flash cards, arts and crafts, story-time, stacking blocks 

10:00 - 10:30 music, song and dance, games 

10:30 - 11:30 outside play-time

11:30 - 12:00 change diapers, clean-up/wash-up, free-play and/or structured-play

 12:00 - 12:30 lunch time, clean-up/wash-up, feed bottles, nestle into cribs

 12:30 - 2:30 naptime and/or quiet time

 2:30 - 3:30 change diapers, free-play and/or structured-play, books, flash cards, learning toys, etc

 3:30 - 4:00 afternoon snack, clean-up/wash-up 

4:00 - 5:30 pickups, outside play (depending on season), puzzles, musical instruments, story-time

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 parents 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.

What Is Asked Of Children: No playing in the bathroom. No coloring on anything but paper. Name calling and foul language or yelling is not allowed. No hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching, biting, spitting or pulling hair. No pulling or picking of plants, grass, trees, or flowers. No picking-up, pulling, poking or squeezing of younger infants. All kitchen and bathroom cupboards are off limits to daycare children. Take turns and share. Help clean up. Good manners, politeness, and kindness (via daily encouragement/teaching). Laugh, smile, play, and be happy. Communication So we can provide the best possible care, please feel free to communicate any needs, wants and/or concerns regarding your child. It is only through good parent/provider interaction that good quality nurturing care can be achieved.

This is our home as well as our business, so please be respectful of our family and home by adhering to the policies and procedures outlined in the parent handbook. We realize this is a lot of information to absorb. Because of this, please keep your parent handbook accessible so you can periodically review our policies and procedures as necessary. We reserve the right to amend any portion of the Parent-Provider Contract/Enrollment Application, and Parent Handbook at any time. If and when we do make a change to the contract you will be given a copy.

It is important that you feel comfortable with our policies and procedures. If you do not understand something, have a concern, or you feel uncomfortable with one or more of our policies and/or procedures it is important that you express that to us before enrolling your child in our daycare. We are always open to suggestions and feel communication is a very important part of a quality daycare. If there are any problems or concerns in the future, we encourage you to talk to us about them. If a lengthy discussion is needed, a time that is convenient for both of us will be scheduled, as the other children still need our attention during business hours. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you and care for your little one. We look forward to a future of keeping your child smiling and safe.

 Note: By signing the Parent-Provider Contract/Enrollment Application, it is understood that all of the policies and procedures of Kathys nest Daycare handbook are understood and agreed upon.