Parent Handbook

We are open from 6:00am until 6:00pm Monday through Friday for childcare. Preschool hours are 9am to 12pm for all classes except the PreKinder class, which is 9:30am to 12:30pm. If you are unable to pick up your child on time, please let us know in advance. Additional late fees will apply. All children must be picked up by 6:00pm.

Parents are welcome to spend time with their children in the classroom prior to their first day to alleviate separation anxiety. Please speak with the Director to discuss the best time to do this. We want your little wonder to be as comfortable and happy as possible!
It is natural for young children to feel anxious when you say goodbye. Although it can be difficult, separation anxiety is a normal stage of development. Here are some other ideas to help your child adjust:

• Practice separation beforehand by leaving your child with someone for a short time.
• When dropping off your child, say a quick good-bye. Children usually become calm and happy quickly after the parent leaves, and long good-byes only prolong the upset feeling in the child. It is generally harder on the parent than the child to say good-bye when the child is upset, as the image of the upset child tends to stay in the parent's mind while the child has actually moved on. Parents are welcome to call the office at any time to find out how their children are doing.
• Let your child know you are leaving, as sneaking out generally instills a sense of distrust and disappointment in the child.
• Bring in a photo of your family to put on the wall in the classroom. This may help your child feel more secure and connected to you.
• Stay patient and consistent, and gently but firmly set limits. Try not to give in.
• Give it time. Resist the temptation to pull your child from the program if the adjustment doesn't happen quickly.
• Remember, separation anxiety is normal and can last for several days. Separation is inevitable at some point, and Little Wonders offers loving caregivers who will make the adjustment as easy as possible.

Only parents or others with written authorization from parents will be allowed to take any child from the facility. We require photo ID for anyone picking up a child.

If your family is dealing with custodial issues, Little Wonders cannot legally deny a custodial parent from seeing/ picking up their child without court documentation.

For safety reasons, please keep your child with you at all times when dropping off and picking up. Please make sure you check in at the time clock first, as a ticket is required for all drop-offs and pick-ups. Little Wonders cannot be responsible for any child who is not clocked in or given directly to a caregiver. Please make contact with a caregiver before dropping off and picking up your child to ensure accountability for your child.

Please see the Curriculum page on our website for detailed information about our curriculum. You may also find a detailed weekly curriculum posted outside of each classroom. If you would like a schedule of your child's day, please see the office and we will provide you with a copy.

Children under age 2 are not allowed any screen time. Children age 3 and above are only allowed 20 minutes of educational viewing in a classroom setting per week. Exceptions are made for one or two monthly children's movies. Play centers will be made available for children who do not want to participate in watching a movie. Limited iPad use is allowed in the classroom for educational purposes in 15 minute increments. Devices used for adaptive functioning for any child are always allowed.

Our menu is posted on the bulletin board and on our website. Our meals and snacks are included and follow the guidelines given by the Utah Department of Education. If your child has a food allergy, we will accommodate it if possible. Please speak with the Director to set up a plan. If you have a food preference for your child that is not health related, please speak with the Director. For allergies to or preference against cow's milk, we will provide soy milk. We are unable to provide any other type of milk due to the lack of required nutrients.

We are unable to make accommodations for picky eaters. If you prefer to bring food from home for your child, please bring food that meets food program requirements (speak with the Director for more information) and be sure to label the food with child's name and the date brought. Please do not send your child with junk food or soda. It will be kept in the refrigerator and sent home with your child. We reserve the right to serve children our food in place of food brought from home if it does not meet food program requirements.

We serve all of our meals family style. Teachers sit at the tables with the children to model positive behaviors, and children serve themselves from family sized bowls shared on the table with support from their teachers.

You are welcome to bring a treat for your child to share on birthdays. State law requires that the treat be store-bought and pre-packaged.

Breakfast is served from 8am-9am. Please feed your child beforehand if you cannot arrive by 9am.

We support breastfeeding mothers by offering a quiet and private area to feed and a safe place to store breast milk. Please see the office for more information.

For children age 2 and under, behavioral issues will be discussed with parents and teachers. Suspensions will be on a case by case basis. We do not suspend young children who exhibit normal developmental behaviors within normal time frames.

For children age 3 and older, if a child causes any type of injury or endangerment to anyone including him/herself, he/she will first be given a warning, and parents will be contacted. The second occurrence will result in a three-to-five day suspension, during which time the parents are expected to correct the behavior. If the behavior continues, the child will be expelled from Little Wonders. A child who causes serious and intentional harm, may be expelled immediately at the Director's discretion.

If a child continuously disrupts the classroom in any way, we will do everything we can to correct the behavior with the parents' help. If the behavior does not improve, the child will be removed from Little Wonders. The time frame will depend on the severity of the behavior and will be discussed with the parents. Any time a child's behavior is disrupting a class beyond the teacher's control we may call the parents and have the child picked up.

We reserve the right to make accommodations in special cases and also to refuse care for a child for any reason and without warning. We are not trained to care for children with severe behavioral problems. It may be in the best interest of the child to have specialized and/or more one-on-one attention. We reserve the right to exclude children who pose a direct threat of substantial risk or serious harm to the health and safety of others.

Little Wonders strives to maintain a clean and healthy environment. We are not licensed to care for sick children. Please do not bring children who are vomiting, have diarrhea, fever, excessive runny nose, cough, or any contagious illness. If a child becomes ill in our care, we will contact a parent to have the child picked up immediately. If we cannot contact a parent, we will call other authorized contacts to pick up the child. Please keep children home for 24 hours if they are exhibiting any of the symptoms listed above.

For information about specific illnesses, please refer to nlm.nih.gov or kidshealth.org and type the name (common or technical) of the illness into the search box. Here are some direct links to find out symptoms, treatments, and when your child can return to school or daycare.

• Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
• Pink Eye
• Strep Throat
• Influenza

For any contagious illness such as those listed above, children must be on prescribed medication for 24 hours, or have a physician's note clearing them for return.

*Please wash your child's hands upon arrival at our center! This helps to prevent the spread of illness.

Parents must make every effort to give a child any necessary medication at home. If medication must be administered at the center, please speak with the Director about your options. Medication may not be given to children prior to arrival at our center to mask fever or other contagious illnesses. Please bring any medication directly to the office, and fill out a medication release form. Do not leave it in the child's backpack or take it to a caregiver. Medication will be administered only by the Director or person specifically assigned and trained by the Director to do so.

Please do the following when visiting with your child's doctor:

• Ask if there is a medication that can be given on a schedule where parents can administer it at home.
• If medication must be given at the center, ask for the prescription to be split into two labeled containers.
• We cannot give prescription medication to any child before a release form is signed. Over-the-counter medication can be given after verbal permission is given, but a release form must be signed the same day.

We cannot administer any medication that does not meet the following requirements:

• Medication must be in its original package
• Prescription medication must be prescribed to the child we are administering it to
• Medication cannot be expired
• Medication must be labeled with the child's first and last name

Parents are responsible to inform the Director of the following:

• Special instructions in administering the medication
• Signs and symptoms to look for before administering as-needed medication
• Any known risks or observed side effects of the medication
• When the medication was last given
• Any tips on how to approach the child with the medication

We require regular attendance for each child. If your child does not come consistently and no contact has been made with teachers or the office to explain your child's absence for two weeks, we will assume your child is no longer attending, and we will fill his or her spot for enrollment.

Vacation time is given to parents who have full time children enrolled. Each full time child who has been attending continuously for 12 months will be given 5 days of vacation time that we will credit to your account. Vacation time will renew each year on September 1st. A vacation form must be filled out to use vacation days. Please see the office to obtain one.

Due to billing constraints and high enrollment, we cannot provide "make up days" for days missed for sickness or otherwise.

No reimbursement will be provided for scheduled facility closure days. For a list of these, please see the office.

Our first priority here at Little Wonders has always been, and will always be the children. If there is the slightest suspicion of abuse or neglect to your child we will not hesitate to contact Child Protective Services.

The following fees are subject to change at any time.

• If your child is picked up after 6pm, a late pickup charge will be applied. This fee is $5 for every 5 minutes.
• If your child is picked up past his or her scheduled time, or attends additional unscheduled days, an hourly fee will be charged:
Wee Wonders- $10 an hour.
Little Learners- $9 an hour.
Pre -Kinder - $8 an hour.
Kinder & Elementary- $6 an hour.
• Payments are due on the 1st of each month. If payments are not paid by the 5th, a $25 late fee will be charged and will result in possible disenrollment.
• The Return check fee is $25
• Payment plans may be set up if needed. If the tuition is set up to be paid after the 15th, an additional $30 fee will be added.

If you choose to withdraw your child from Little Wonders, we require a two week notice. Withdrawal forms can be found in the office. If no prior notice is given, we reserve the right to charge the rate of two-week's care.