INTRODUCTION:
I have 2 grown children of my own, Kurt (32) and Julie (30). I also have 2 grandsons Leif who is 11years old and Aidan 6 years old. My husband and I know first hand about wanting the best care possible for our children while we were at work. Therefore, I will treat your child with the love and respect as if they were my own. I believe I can offer a stimulating and secure environment for all children in my care. I have been doing day care for over 12 years now and it is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. I am certified in infant and child CPR as well as adult CPR. I am also certified in first aid. As an Early Education & Care (E.E.C.) licensed day care provider, my training is on going and updated on schedule. I am an active member of Merrimack Family Childcare Association. The FCCA is a not for profit educational and support group association serving licensed family childcare providers and families in the area.
I also have 3 EEC Approved Assistant , Michelle DeAngelis,Ellen Hughes and Laura Horgan. Michelle is a mother of a 10 year old son. She had her own daycare for 6 years and now is working 5 p/t days a week here at Small Wonders.
Ellen is a mother of 9 grown children and a grandma too. She also had her own daycare for many years in Billerica.
Her love for children has bought her here to work at Small Wonders in the afternoons.
Laura Horgan had her daughter Lexis enrolled at Small Wonders for 4 years and got approved as a regular assistant to help out and spend time with daughter. Now that Lexis is in school Laura stills enjoys working here as needed.
PROGRAM:
My childcare program is open Monday through Friday from 7:15 AM to 5:00 PM. A typical day at Small Wonders is as follows: During arrival time the children may a have free play . Breakfast, playtime with guidance, (lego's,blocks,puzzles,play-doh, Drama )story time, crafts and coloring are done from a pre-school learning curriculum program. Please take a look at our September through May program at www.ailcurriculum.com All new for 2009 & 2010. Our day continues with snack, outdoor play, lunch, nap time, indoor or outdoor play and a lot of hugs and kisses! The summer months are all about exploring the outdoors,with water play,sand play,walks,riding bike etc. We do not follow a strict schedule; I just go by the needs and feelings of the children on each given day.
Tuition & Enrollment:
When interested in Small Wonders, I encourage you to schedule a visit with your child after 5:00 to see the facilities and meet with me. If you are still interested you may schedule a morning visit and meet the children and my assistant.
Tuition is collected on a weekly basis. It is due on the morning of the first day your child attends the program for that week. At the time of enrollment a non-refundable fee of $100.00 is required to secure a space for your child's starting date. It will be subtracted from your last week's tuition that the child is in my care,if a 4 week notice is given.Also, you will be required at this time to sign a parent-provider contract. There is no exception to this policy.Tuition for Aug, 2009 to Sept 2010 is $265.00 a week full time. At this time I have 1 F/T infant/toddler opening for Jan 2009. I do not have a P/t opening but will update when I do have one.
Paid Holidays:
*New Year's Day *Labor Day
*Martin Luther Kings Day *Columbus Day
*President's Day
*Patriot Day *Thanksgiving Day & the Day After
*Memorial Day * Christmas Holiday Thursday Dec. 24th & Dec 25th
*July 2nd & 5th for the 4th of July
Personal Day/Sick Days
I will be taking a total of 5 paid sick/ personal days off.For a personal day I will try to give you at least a four- day notice.
VACATION:
I am planning on taking the week of December 7th 2009 and July 12th 2009 as my vacation weeks. During these weeks, full tuition will be charged. If the parents take different vacation weeks, full weekly tuition will be charged during that time. A two-week notice of your vacation would be appreciated
ARRIVAL/ DEPARTING TIME:
Children may not be dropped off before 7:15 . I ask parents to quickly say good bye to their child. This will make it easier for us all to get on with our day. Also, when you pick up your child, please be as quick as possible for it has been a long day for everyone. Children must be picked up at the time agreed by the provider and the parent. I will be strictly enforcing a late fee of $15.00 per 15 minutes. If you are going to be late, please make arrangement for some one to pick up your child.
COMMUNICATION:
In order to keep lines of communication open between each family, I will keep personal daily notes for children under 12 months of age. Parents are welcome to write notes to me regarding any questions or concerns they may have about their child or e-mail me at S.Rhynd@comcast.net . You may also ask for a meeting to discuss concerns you may have about your child. Phone calls during the day are discouraged, as I am very busy caring for the children. Once a month I will try to capture some candid photographs of the children to share with family and friends.
DISCIPLINE POLICES:
Here at Small Wonders we will use age appropriate discipline. We accomplish this by using several methods. We never spank or degrade a child as a form of discipline. We will try to redirect or distract child's unwanted behavior. We will use positive reinforcement and reward good behavior by giving sticker, hugs or a fun activity. If a child behavior is disturbing to other he will have a time out for a period of 1 minute per year of child age. Biting and hitting has a zero tolerance and will result in a timeout. When the time out is over a provider will talk to the child about his hitting or biting, if child is old enough to communicate about it. There will be times when just a firm NO is all that is needed? If I feel the behavior of a child is getting out of hand I will call a meeting with the parent to see how we can work together to stop the unwanted behavior of their child.
SICK POLICIES:
Parents will need to make other arrangements for care when your child exhibits any of the following symptoms, fever of 100 degrees or more, unusual rash, vomiting, flu, constant diarrhea, severe cough/cold, green runny nose,head lice, conjunctivitis and contagious disease. Symptoms must have ceased for a full 24-hour period before a child can return for care.In the case of a fever the child must be fever free without the aid of Tylenol etc,for 24 hours .Child must be on antibiotics for 24 hours to be accepted back for care. This will give your child time to rest and recuperate after an illness. Strict adherence to these rules will help minimize illness for all the children in my care.
CLOTHING:
Please dress your child in comfortable play clothes; we will be going outside on a daily basis. There will be plenty of opportunity for your child to be involved in messy projects both indoors and outdoors. Please have at least one spare outfit for your child should they need one. I will send home any soiled clothing your child may have. So please bring another spare outfit the next day. All child's belonging needs to be label with child's name.
FOOD:
All snacks and meals will be provided, breakfast will be provided around 9:00 am. I do ask that your child has a little something to eat before leaving the house in the morning. I am enrolled in an USDA food program that sets nutritious guidelines for snacks and meals. There is no need to bring food from home. I discourage bringing food in with your child but if food is sent in morning it will be put away in kitchen until it is our schedule time to eat. Also please bring in enough for all children in my care. Candy and gum are not allowed to be sent with your child.
SLEEP AND REST:
Infants will dictate their particular needs for rest.If a parent wants their infant on a sleep scheduled I will be happy to discuss it with you. For older children, a regular rest period after lunch will be required while enrolled at Small Wonders. There will also be several opportunities throughout the day when children can enjoy peaceful quiet time in order to recharge as needed.
OUTINGS:
We will be venturing out from time to time into the local community. The following is a list of places we may visit:
* Billerica Library
* Kid Connection Playground
* Billerica Fire Station
* Warren Manning State Forest
* Great Brooks Farm (Carlisle).
I will notify parents before we go on any of these trips. I will also have sign necessary permission slip.
