We offer a play-based program with a child-led emergent curriculum combining aspects of several early childhood philosophies. We enjoy spending our time outdoors exploring nature, engaging in a variety of sensory play experiences, and enjoying unlimited opportunities for open-ended play and independent process art. Our schedule offers a consistent routine with large blocks of time available for free play, which numerous studies show is an optimal learning environment for young children. Our program focuses on nurturing independence while ensuring children receive the guidance and structure they need. We strive to provide a place where children know they are loved and accepted so they are free to explore their ideas and imagination in a validating setting. We seek to continually grow and develop our skills and abilities to best serve the families in our care. Parent partnerships are a crucial part of our program as we work together for the happy and healthy development of your child.
Days/Hours of Operation & Scheduling
Child care is available 5:30 am – 5:30 pm Monday through Friday except for closings as referred to in this handbook. In the provider-parent/guardian contract each family will fill out a schedule for their child’s attendance needs. For families needing hours that vary each week, the enrollment schedule shall encompass all needed hours. Requested changes to the contracted schedule will need to be made in writing with minimum two weeks’ notice. For scheduling changes that will permanently change the contracted hours needed, a new contract will be required. Other changes, including temporary schedule adjustments (such as differing needs for the school year and summer break) and minor schedule adjustments will be honored subject to availability.
Special event care will be offered periodically, and details will be provided to families when they are planned. These events will have limited spots that are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.
Child Records
Your child’s records will be kept on file in our home. All enrollment forms are required to be turned in prior to starting care. DHS requires us to have the following information on file: child’s name and birthdate; parent’s name, address, and phone number; parent’s work address and phone number; a list of persons authorized to pick up the child along with their phone number and relationship to the child; emergency contact person(s) including their name, phone number, and relationship to the child; a signed medical consent authorizing emergency treatment; the child’s primary doctor and contact information; the child’s primary dentist and contact information; annual physical and up to date immunization record. In addition to these are our facility requirements, including our authorization forms, handbook agreement, and child questionnaire. Please take the time to complete the child questionnaire to help us get to know your child and family and provide the best possible care. Records must be updated annually and when changes occur.
Enrollment Agreement- Financial Terms & Condition
The rate for full time care is $145/week. The discounted rate for additional full-time children is $135/week.
The rate for part time care is $90/week for up to 24 hours of scheduled care per week. In addition, the overage rate of $5/hr will be charged for any hours used over the 24 hr per week limit. No discounted rate will be offered for additional part time children.
The rate for before/after school care is $60/week for up to 2 hours before school and up to 2 hours after school. Attendance of more than 2 hours at a time due to late start, early dismissal, or school closure will result in an additional fee of $15/day.
Fee Payment Guidelines
Childcare tuition is paid in advance on a weekly basis with payment due the Friday before the week begins. Payment obligation is based on the hours contracted to use childcare, not on actual attendance. There is no change in tuition due to your child’s absences. The only exception to this is when child holiday leave has been earned and requested according to our leave policy. In the rare event that the provider is absent, and a substitute is not available, tuition will be credited to the account for the date of the provider’s absence if your child was scheduled to be in attendance (see contract for details).
Enrollment fee – A fee of $50 will be charged per family upon enrollment.
Late payments – A $20 per child late payment fee applies for any payment not received by 5:30pm on Friday for the following week. This fee will be incurred weekly until payment is received. If payment has not been made and alternate arrangements have not been discussed with the provider your child may not be accepted into care.
Late pick up fee – A $10 fee will be charged per child per occurrence of late pick up. Any pickup after 5:35pm is considered late. For pick up later than 5:45pm, an additional fee of $5 per child per minute will be charged.
Non-sufficient funds – a fee of $20.00 will be charged for any check returned due to non-sufficient funds (NSF). If this occurs more than once any further payments must be made by cash or money order.
Electronic payment via Brightwheel and personal checks are the preferred methods of payment. Cash payments are discouraged but will be accepted.
Late Drop Off and Pick Up
Please message us if you will be dropping your child off late. It is very important to the provider and children in care to follow our schedule and know when we can move along from one activity to another. Consistent tardiness may be subject to termination of care.
I understand that circumstances may arise that necessitate late pick up of your child. Please provide us with as much notice as you can. Late pick-ups may be subject to additional fees (see above). Consistently late pick-ups may be subject to termination of care.
Child Holiday Leave
After one year of enrollment, each child enrolled will be eligible to take scheduled unpaid leave from childcare for a total of 5 days in the calendar year. These days may be used consecutively or spaced throughout the year. To be credited for the absence, written notice must be given to the provider at least two weeks in advance of the planned absence.
Referral Bonus
If you have referred a family to our program and your referral results in that family’s enrollment, we will credit you for one week’s paid tuition once the referred family has been in attendance for 30 days. We will notify all our enrolled families when we have upcoming openings and we also maintain a waiting list, so if you recommend our program to someone make sure they let us know who referred them.
Facility Closings
If illness or other emergencies should arise during child care hours every attempt will be made to have a substitute provider care for your child so that we can remain open for child care. If substitute care is not available, you will receive a phone call to pick up your child. Whenever possible medical and personal appointments will be made after child care hours. However, if we must use child care hours to secure appointments every attempt will be made to have a substitute care provider. If a substitute is not available and the appointment cannot be rescheduled, we will have to close.
For your convenience, we will distribute our scheduled closings for vacations and holidays within the first quarter of each year and every attempt will be made to minimize any changes in this schedule.
Paid holiday closings: New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. For holidays that fall on a Saturday, we will be closed on Friday. For holidays that fall on a Sunday, we will be closed on Monday. Tuition will not be discounted for weeks that include holiday closings.
Vacation (unpaid) closings:We will close for up to 10 days per year for vacation/personal leave. A minimum of 2 weeks’ notice will be given prior to vacation closings. A prorated credit will be applied to accounts for any unpaid closings that occur throughout the year (see contract).
We reserve the right to close for any reason in which we cannot operate in a safe manner such as the loss of necessary utilities (water, electricity, etc) or structural damage to our home. Every attempt will be made to minimize the impact to our families in care such as finding a substitute provider or alternate location to provide care.
Transportation
We do not provide motor transportation to children in our care. Families can set up arrangements with SWITA for transportation to/from school if needed. Contact provider for further information.
Field Trips
Since we do not offer motor transportation, our opportunities for field trips away from our home are limited. If we plan to take your child from the home for a walking field trip, we will gain your written consent via permission slip beforehand and provide information on where we are going, when the outing will take place, and who will be in charge of your child (for outings out of the home with a large group we will have assistants join us). Children that are unable to walk long distances will be appropriately secured in a stroller.
Release of Children
It is important that we protect your child by ensuring that your child does not leave our home with a person you have not authorized to pick up your child as indicated on your intake paperwork. Even if it is an emergency, we must have your permission to release your child to someone other than a parent/guardian. The person picking up your child will have to show us a picture ID before we will release your child from our care. We cannot restrict access from your child’s other parent unless we have court orders in our possession that authorize us to do so.
It is very important to us that your child arrives home safely. Therefore, if the person who arrives to pick up your child appears intoxicated or otherwise incapable of bringing your child home safely, we will call the parent or emergency contact person to request their assistance. We cannot legally keep a child from leaving with their parent even if there is a clearly identified risk, but in such situations the proper authorities will be contacted immediately.
Mandatory Reporting
Under Iowa Code Section 232.69, it is mandatory for us to report any suspected child abuse or neglect. To report suspected child abuse or neglect, call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-362-2178.
Confidentiality
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of children in our care and their families. Confidential and sensitive information will only be shared with employees of Butterfly Dreams Childcare on a need to know basis in order to safely care for your child. Confidential and sensitive information about providers, assistants, other parents and/or children will not be shared with parents, as we strive to protect everyone’s right to privacy. Photos of children, names, and birthdates will only be shared or displayed with written consent from parents.
Supplies & Personal Belongings
Parents of infants will need to provide diapers, wipes (if a specific brand is preferred), formula (if provider’s offered brand is declined) or breast milk, a bottle, and at least one change of weather appropriate clothing. Space will be available to store an extra package of diapers/wipes at childcare if you prefer. All items will be marked with the child’s name and we will notify you if items are running low. A cubby will be provided to each child (or each family in the event of limited space).
Parents of toddlers/preschoolers will need to provide diapers/pull ups (if needed), wipes (if a specific brand is preferred) and a change of weather appropriate clothing. If your child has a favorite sleeping blanket or stuffed toy, he/she may bring them to sleep with.
We will supply wipes, sleeping mats, portable cribs/playpens, pillows (if age appropriate), blankets, sheets, a toothbrush, fluoride-free toothpaste, and sunscreen for your child.
We do not permit children to bring toys or personal belongings from home, except for a soft toy or blanket that they may have at nap time. This is to ensure that all the toys in our environment are safe for all the children in our care. In addition, please ensure that your children do not arrive to daycare with small items in their pockets or on their person that could create a choking/safety hazard for a younger child. Remember that we provide care to a mixed age group and need to maintain a safe environment for our littlest ones.
Play Clothes
Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for active play. They will have unlimited (monitored) access to a wide variety of art materials as well as spending lots of time outdoors in many types of weather, so be aware that they will likely get messy. Don’t send them in nice clothes/shoes that you don’t want soiled because we will not be responsible for damaged clothing. If they need to be dressed nicely for pickup you can send separate clothes and we will help them change before you arrive. Please understand, however, that this is not a full-service salon- our ability to style hair is limited to ensuring that it is combed and reasonably clean.
Appropriate shoes are also very important for your child to get the most out of their play experience. Though flip flops and fashion sandals are quick to put on and comfortable, they make it very hard for a child to be able to run and play. We strongly recommend sending them in tennis shoes during summer months (or sending a pair of play shoes to store in their cubby). In snowy winter weather, please avoid sending them in fashion boots. They rarely hold up well to outdoor play, nor do they keep children’s feet warm and dry. Please select durable insulated waterproof boots for the best play experience.
Understand that we will play outdoors in all types of weather regardless of how your child is dressed, as long as it doesn’t risk their health. If providing appropriate play clothes creates a hardship for your family, please speak with the provider. We will be happy to figure out an arrangement that will support your child’s play experience.
Nutrition
Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack will be offered daily at scheduled times. We participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and often exceed their requirements. Our meals are almost always made from scratch with unprocessed ingredients. The fruit we serve is always fresh or frozen (never canned) and most vegetables we serve are also fresh or frozen. We only serve whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, barley, farro, oats) or whole grain products. We do not serve juice or other sweetened beverages (except in the summer when we occasionally make homemade popsicles from 100% juice or pureed fruit). Of course, some things are fine in moderation and we celebrate birthdays and holidays with the addition of sweet treats.
Family Style Meals
Our meals are all served family style with food in serving bowls/platters and drinks in pitchers for the children to serve themselves. We use child-size serving spoons, tongs, and pitchers so children of all sizes can participate in the meal service. We store the children’s dishes, silverware, bibs, and cloth napkins on a low shelf, so they can set their place at meal time and help put clean dishes away. Also stored on the shelf are a dish tub, hand broom, and dust pan for them to help with clean up time. Additionally, we have our washcloths and towels stored in a low drawer and the children are taught from a young age how to clean up their spills and messes. We have small tabletop mirrors available to help them learn how to wash their face after meals. Our meal times are full of wonderful opportunities for learning, and the children genuinely love being so involved in the meal process.
Outside Food/Drink
We do not allow parents to bring outside food or drink for their children unless there is a documented medical need to do so. Arrangements must be made with the provider in advance, including the completion of necessary forms. In addition, please do not send your children to our home with chewing gum or candy in their mouth.
We understand that parents may wish to bring treats for their child’s birthday. However, we must be able to ensure the safety of all the children in our care. Therefore, it is our policy that all food served in our home has been prepared in our home or purchased from a reputable source and labeled with a complete list of ingredients. We are happy to make treats for special occasions and let the children choose what type of treats they would like for their birthday.
Eco-Friendly Efforts
We strive to minimize our impact on the environment and have implemented the following procedures to make our program more eco-friendly: · Recycling (paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastic) · Composting · Minimizing use of single-use plastics · Minimizing use of other plastics · Minimizing use of disposable paper products · Purchasing locally sourced foods when possible · Cleaning with safer products · Being selective of packaging when we shop · Shopping secondhand when possible/safe · Nontoxic pest control (no herbicides/pesticides used)
The following are changes we plan to implement in our program: · Gardening · Eliminating use of single-use plastics · Eliminating use of disposable paper products
Media/Screen Time
While we understand and appreciate the value of technology in our lives, it is our philosophy that children learn best through active exploration of the world around them. For this reason, we put a great deal of energy into constructing an optimal learning environment for your child with a large variety of carefully selected toys. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting children’s total screen time to no more than one to two hours per day. For children younger than two years, any screen time is discouraged. Screen time is not a regular part of our curriculum. We do watch short videos on special occasions such as holidays. We incorporate use of technology on occasion in our lessons, such as the use of a dice rolling app on our tablet while playing board games and interactive books on our tablet during quiet time for the older children that no longer nap.
Health Policies
Annual physicals are required for all children in care and documentation must be provided for the child’s file. In addition, immunization records must be kept up to date. Immunization records must be signed by medical staff and will also be kept in the child’s file.
For the health and safety of your child and all the children in our childcare, please do not bring your child to childcare sick. If a child becomes ill during childcare 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.
Once the child is removed from childcare due to illness, they may not return to childcare until they have been symptom free for 24 hours or accompanied by a doctor’s note stating they are well enough to attend childcare. Please keep your child home until he/she is feeling well enough to participate in our daily schedule.
Your child will be excluded from care until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours from the following conditions: · Vomiting · Diarrhea · Rash · A fever over 101 degrees F · Any contagious disease · In the event of head lice, children may return when lice/nits are no longer present
Medication Administration
If you need to send medication to childcare with your child, please hand it directly to the provider upon arrival at the program so that it can be properly stored in a lockbox. Do not leave medications of any kind in your child’s bag, as this violates a licensing standard for medication storage. Nonemergency medications will be stored in a lockbox out of reach. Emergency medications (such as an EpiPen) will be stored unlocked and out of reach.
You may ask your pharmacist to prepare two containers of prescription medication so one can be kept at home and one at childcare. This way you won’t have to transport medication back and forth each day. We must hand you medications directly at pick up time rather than putting them in your child’s bag. If the last dosage in a container is given at childcare, we will send the empty container home for you to properly dispose of.
Medications shall be given only with the parent’s or doctor’s written authorization. A medication consent form must be entirely completed prior to any medications being given by the provider. Each prescribed medication must be accompanied by a physician’s or pharmacist’s directions. Both nonprescription and prescription medications must be in the original container with directions intact and labeled with the child’s name.
If a child is on a new medication (prescription or nonprescription) they must be given their first dose at home and monitored for any adverse reactions before they come to childcare. Provider will only administer medication when it is necessary during childcare. It should be given at home unless it is required to be given at a specific time that is during childcare hours.
Provider will not administer OTC cough/cold medication unless authorized by a doctor. If your child needs OTC medication to get through their day at childcare, then they are likely too ill to be in care and should be kept home until they are feeling better.
We follow the six rights of medication administration by ensuring that we administer the 1right medication to the 2right child via the 3right route in the 4right dosage at the 5right time and completing the 6right documentation.
A medication administration record (MAR) will be maintained in each child’s file. A parent will need to initial the MAR each day that medication is administered at childcare.
In the unlikely event of a medication error, the provider will immediately contact poison control and follow their instructions. Parents will be notified by phone as soon as possible after the incident, and an incident report will be completed and kept on file.
Health Related Emergencies
If your child becomes ill during attendance the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be contacted to pick up the child as soon as possible. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached in a timely manner the emergency contact(s) will be contacted until someone is reached that can pick up the child.
If your child becomes injured while in care, an accident report will be completed with details of the incident and subsequent care provided. Parents/guardians will be notified at pick up time of any minor injuries, or immediately by phone for more significant injuries unless the parent indicates otherwise at the time of enrollment.
If a child experiences a medical emergency while in care, the following steps will be taken: 1.) The provider will call 911 then attend to the child’s medical needs to the extent possible within the scope of the provider’s emergency medical training. 2.) Once the child’s immediate medical needs are addressed the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be contacted. 3.) If a child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) cannot be immediately reached, the emergency contact(s) will be contacted. 4.) If the provider is unable to reach a parent/guardian or emergency contact, the child’s physician on file will be contacted. 5.) If the child is transported by EMS, the provider will make every attempt to send an authorized representative to accompany the child and remain with him/her until the parent/guardian arrives.
If the provider or provider’s child/spouse experiences a medical emergency during childcare hours, the following steps will be taken: 1.) The provider will make every attempt to find a substitute to provide care. If a substitute is located, parents will be notified immediately via phone of the change in care provider. 2.) If the provider is unable to secure a substitute, the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be contacted immediately to pick up their child. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, the emergency contact(s) will be called to pick up the child. 3.) In the unlikely event that the provider experiences a life-threatening medical emergency and must be transported from the home before an authorized substitute can arrive, the following measures have been put in place: · A clearly labeled emergency preparedness binder will be maintained with up-to-date information & photo of each child in care.
Personal Care Routines
All enrolled children will have individual storage space in the bathroom for their own toothbrush, fluoride-free toothpaste, comb/brush, and fingernail clippers (all supplied by the provider upon enrollment). As part of our daily routine, we brush teeth after lunch. Your child can also brush their teeth when they arrive in the morning if they have not yet done so at home. We will assist with hair combing as the need arises. We ask that you keep your child’s nails trimmed, but if a torn nail occurs while in care or nails are overgrown enough to cause a hazard, we will trim the nail(s). Personal care items are assigned to a child upon enrollment and replaced periodically. They are never shared between children.
Potty Training
We believe that the most important factor in successful potty training is consistency. We also understand that every family’s approach is different. Therefore, we are happy to follow a family’s lead when it comes to potty training. If we observe that a child is displaying signs of readiness, we will discuss our observations with the family and together formulate a plan for how to proceed.
Due to infection control measures, we are unable to use a potty chair in our home. We have a built-in child seat on the toilet as well as a step stool available for their use.
While we understand that parents may want to stop using pull ups as soon as possible to encourage the use of the potty, toileting accidents cause a significant infection control risk in our program. We often have several potty-training children in attendance at a time so we need to observe that a child has stayed dry for two weeks before they may attend childcare wearing underwear.
Incident Reporting
Documentation of any injuries, accidents, and emergency situations will be completed the day of the incident. Parents will be notified of the incident via Brightwheel and/or text message as soon as possible after it occurs. This will be followed up with a verbal report via phone for emergency situations or at pick up time for minor incidents. An incident report will be completed by the provider and must be signed by the provider and parent(s). A copy of the incident report will be provided to the parent(s) and the original report will be kept in the child’s file.
Behavior Support
Everyone in our home is held to the following expectations: · We are kind · We are safe · We are respectful · We are responsible
We have found that these expectations provide a clear guideline for what behaviors are acceptable in our home. Rather than making numerous rules to prevent/correct inappropriate behaviors, we continuously teach and refer to these four expectations. Asking a child “are you being (kind/safe/respectful/responsible)?” effectively promotes self-regulation since it automatically triggers them to assess the implications of their behavior. We can then have an age-appropriate discussion with the child and provide honest feedback about their behavior as well as brainstorm alternative ways they can respond appropriately the next time they experience the same situation. Through this process, children will learn empathy as well as other valuable social and emotional skills.
We believe that the guidance of a child is achieved through patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. 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. Our expectations are explained and modeled to the children frequently. Once a child is old enough to understand the expectations and disobeys them by exhibiting inappropriate behavior, the following developmentally appropriate guidance techniques will be used:
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.
Calm Down Break: The child is separated from the group for an age appropriate amount of time. This technique is only used when a child repeatedly will not follow our directions or listen to our words, is exhibiting temper tantrum type behavior, or causing harm to themselves, 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 to try again.
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.
Brightwheel
Our program uses a free parent-provider communication app called Brightwheel. Through this app we can share notes as well as daily reports about your child’s day including information about their meals, naps, toileting, activities, medications given, incident reports, and even pictures of them. Brightwheel also has simple and convenient billing features which allow parents to pay their bills electronically.
Lending Library & Scholastic Book Club
We have a selection of books available for parents to borrow that cover a wide variety of parenting and early childhood education topics. If there is a subject that you would like to read more about and we don’t have a book that covers it, please let us know. Also, if you’ve read a book about childhood or parenting that was valuable to you, please tell us about it. We’re always looking for materials to add to our library.
Our program also participates in Scholastic Book Club, which is a great way to purchase a wide variety books for your children at reasonable prices. Purchasing through our scholastic flyers will also help support our program’s library since we earn points that can be redeemed for books and learning materials. The flyers will be available every month during the school year and we typically have several extra if you would like to share with friends and family. We firmly believe that every child should have a great library of books at home and Scholastic is an industry leader in making that a reality for many families.
Open Door Policy
You are welcome to visit your child in care at any time. It would be appreciated if any visits or calls were avoided or kept to a minimum during scheduled nap times to minimize the disruption of children in care.
Infant Communication
Infants in the program will be introduced to sign language as early as possible. We begin with basic signs (milk, eat, more) and expand our vocabulary from there. Children are capable of receptive language far earlier than they can communicate with speech. Teaching sign language is a wonderful way of giving them tools to communicate at a much earlier age, minimizing frustrations for parents, children, and care providers.
Safe Sleep
We follow the safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) for infants to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Infants will always be put to sleep on their backs in a crib for all sleep time including naps. No toys, soft objects, stuffed animals, pillows, bumper pads, blankets, or sheets will be placed in the crib with an infant. We will use a sleep sack when needed for warmth.
Trial Period & Termination
The first 30 days (beginning on the enrollment date) will be regarded as a trial period, in which case the parent(s)/guardian(s) or provider may terminate the contract without notice. It is important for everyone involved to find the right fit for a child, and the goal is mutual satisfaction for both the parent and provider. We will make every attempt to maintain an open line of communication about any concerns we may have and hope that you feel comfortable to do the same.
After the first 30 days of enrollment, two weeks written notice is required to terminate the contract. The provider may terminate the contract at will. The provider will make every effort to resolve any issues that arise prior to termination and will provide notice of termination unless unforeseeable circumstances arise. In cases of non-payment, legal action will be taken and the parent(s)/guardian(s) will pay all legal fees incurred.
Any payment made prior to termination is nonrefundable.