 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
childcare guide & faq's The National Association for Young Children (NAEYC) provides a checklist and guide for families seeking high quality programs. These can be found by clicking the links on the right side of this page. In addition, we have developed our own guide for comparing other centers to Educational Playcare. These can also be found by clicking below the links to the right frequently asked questions (a-z) Click a topic to see the answer below it. Do you accept Care-4-Kids?
Yes.
How many children in a class?
In our infant and toddler rooms, we generally have a teacher with an assistant teacher and between five and eight children. Our preschool classes will also generally have a lead and an assistant teacher (although frequently we have two teachers who co-lead) and between 10 and 20 children.
Can I visit my child during the day?
Absolutely yes. Anytime.
What is your policy regarding disciplining children? The goal of discipline is to help children to develop self-control; therefore, it is necessary for children to understand rules and the reasons for them, and to understand the consequences of their own actions. Preventing problems is essential to good discipline. The following techniques are used to establish discipline at Educational Playcare:
We may remove a child from a situation and redirect them to more appropriate behavior, however we do not practice "time out" as we believe isolation of a child is inappropriate and harsh at any time. Do you celebrate holidays?
Educational Playcare does not celebrate, discuss or otherwise acknowledge any holidays that are religious in nature. The following is a list of holidays that we generally do celebrate or acknowledge:
What days are the centers closed?
What is your policy regarding illness? Unfortunately we cannot provide services to children with any of the following symptoms: temperature of 101 or higher, conjunctivitis (pink-eye), strep throat, head lice, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes of unknown origin, or the presence of a contagious disease.
A child will be sent home if any of the above symptoms are seen during the day. It is expected that if a child leaves Educational Playcare after 12 noon, he/she will remain home the full next day to assure complete recovery. Our primary concern has to be the wellness of the other children in our care and our staff. Do you close for inclement weather?
In consideration of the needs of our working families, we take great efforts to remain open under almost all situations. In fact, over the past twenty years we've only had to close on two days.
Are you licensed?
Yes. We are licensed by the State of CT as well as local health and fire regulators.
Will you administer medication?
The staff and nurse at EPC are not authorized to administer medication to the children. By medication we mean both prescribed medication and over the counter drugs such as Tylenol, cough syrup, cough drops, antacids, etc. If a child requires medication such as antibiotics, the parent should inform the physician of the Center's policy. He or she may be able to prescribe a medication that can be given twice a day. If midday dosage is necessary, a parent may come to the Center to administer it.
At all times the Center is staffed with persons trained in the administration of EPI pens and will do so if one has been provided by the parents of the child in the event of an emergency. Likewise, we will administer benadryl as long as it is part of an emergency plan. Finally, we will administer inhalers and nebulizers with physician authorization. What is your policy with regards to naps?
Babies and young toddlers nap each day according to their own schedules. Older toddlers and preschoolers take naps during the early afternoon. Kindergartners are provided the opportunity to rest when they are at the center for the entire day.
Do you go outside everyday?
Yes, unless there is precipitation or it is bitter cold.
Is there a parent\teacher conference opportunity?
Formal conferences are held twice a year. A written notice indicating the exact dates and times will be sent home when the conferences are approaching. The conferences are a time when teachers can discuss your child's developmental progress with you at length. Parents are always welcome to request a conference at anytime during the year if they feel it is warranted.
Do you allow part time schedules?
Yes. We have half day schedules: 7am-12:15pm, 12:45-closing. A 9am-3pm schedule is available for preschoolers. We do require that at a minimum, children come at least two days a week.
What is the security procedure to prevent strangers from entering the center?
Entrance to our Avon and Farmington locations requires that a code be punched in. We change this code periodically. Key fobs are required for entrance in Windsor. The key fobs are individually coded for each family.
What kind of background checks do you do on your staff?
We perform background checks in three ways. All new staff are required to submit fingerprints to the State of CT for a criminal background check. In addition we perform our own check of criminal and motor vehicle records. Finally, we require and check references.
What are the staff qualifications? Almost all of our preschool and many of our toddler/infant teachers hold four-year degrees in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or a related field or are Head Teacher Certified by the State of CT. Of those that don't, many are actively engaged in ECE classes through our tuition reimbursement program. All of our staff participate in continuing education and are certified in First Aid & CPR.
How many years have the staff been in the centers? Do you have much turnover? In Avon, where we've been open for 20 years, over a third of our staff have been with us for more than five years (many have been with us for more than 10 years) and almost all of our lead teachers have been with us for more than three years.
In Farmington and Windsor the tenures are proportionately less as we have only been open in these locations for five years and four years respectively. However we believe that our turnover is significantly below the industry average. We attempt to provide our staff with the highest pay levels and benefits that can be found in the private sector. Will you toilet train children?
We generally begin toilet training children while they are in the Flamingo (older toddler) Group. The teacher and the child's parents will decide when the child is ready to be toilet trained. When the child shows an interest and is not afraid to sit on the toilet, we invite the child to use the toilet. When a child begins the process of toilet training we require that the child stays in his/her diaper and uses the bathroom during the scheduled diapering time. When the child starts to have success on the toilet, we will encourage parents to put their child in training pants at home. Once the child begins having success at home, we invite the child to wear training pants to school.
What is your vacation policy?
Unfortunately we do not credit time taken for vacations.
|
childcare guide
Educational Playcare checklists
|