It is the philosophy of Little Pearl’s Daycare Program, that children are unique in their abilities, developmental milestones, and in their interests. We believe that it is essential to provide children with opportunities to progress and learn at their own rate, as well as develop and explore interests in areas of their own choosing. We feel that a “learn through play”  environment, utilizing an emergent, the developmentally appropriate curriculum will enhance a child’s imagination, creativity,  provide countless possibilities and allow them to develop to their fullest potential. 

Our program aims to foster; 

1. Respect for ourselves and others 

2. Acceptance of all, regardless of age, religion, abilities, gender, race/ethnicity 

3. Co-operation, sharing, and working with others 

4. Dealing with adversity 

5. Self-regulation and coping skills 

6. Conflict resolution 

7. Our Team of Early Childhood Educators are highly qualified and have years of experience.

8. Our programming focus on building a sense of community within the environment, as well as in the broader community.

9. Children are encouraged to express their creativity in many ways.

10. We provide lots of open materials for exploration, creative expression, discovery, and play.

11. Daily outdoor play in all seasons.

12. Healthy and nutritious lunch and snacks are served that are based on the Canada Food Guide.

13. Family Fun Night with Yoga or Zumba Sessions.

14. Parents Night Out on the last Friday of the month.

15. Alberta Health Services Guidelines are followed and implemented.

Furthermore, we aim to provide high-quality childcare for children and families, in an inclusive and supportive environment. To do this we employ highly trained staff, who are dedicated, diverse, and constantly striving to provide the best care possible. We will provide continuous supervision, that ensures the safety of all children, in an environment that is stimulating, contains learning-rich materials, and provides the children with the opportunity to explore and develop. 

 Our values to get parental involvement in the child care program

Parents are the most significant in a child’s life. We strive to create mutual respect between parents and the center staff, a partnership for the benefit of the child and family, as such we have an open-door policy for all parents/guardians. Parents are encouraged/invited to attend center activities and events. To further strengthen the relationships between the center,  educators, and families, our program will: 

– Provide new families with a tour of the center, registration package, and parent handbook  – Provide a monthly newsletter for all parents, notifying them of the center’s upcoming program plans  – Encourage input of any suggestions or concerns parents may have, this can be done through email, a suggestion box, conversations with staff, etc. 

 

Accident or Illness

Regular procedures within the center pertaining to incident/ accident occurrences are handled in the following manner: 

1. All reports of accident and illness are kept on file and reviewed every month to identify trends and look for improvements/changes to prevent future incidents.
2. Serious injuries/medical emergencies are serious illness or injury that is beyond the ability and skill set of Educators in the center. When this occurs, the result is to contact emergency medical practitioners in the form of an ambulance and paramedics. 
3. Educators will be informed of the cost associated with using an ambulance, which will be charged to parents in the event we contact an ambulance. Although we do not want to deter staff from calling an ambulance when needed, we want them to use good judgment before making the decision to seek an ambulance. When in doubt, educators should contact the Director, senior staff, or the Owner. 
4. Parents are informed of minor incidents/accidents on the day they occur, by verbal disclosure and accompanying injury report for the parents to review and sign. However, should an accident result in a medical emergency, parents will be contacted immediately. 
5. If staff (the director or primary caregiver) is unable to reach parents, an emergency contact person, documented on portable information records will then be informed by phone. Educators will leave messages with parents and continue to attempt to contact them if possible, as well. 
6. If establishing contact with parents or emergency persons is unattainable, children will be transported by ambulance to the nearest medical facility. 
7. In case of an accident or serious illness involving a child, the license holder ensures that a child receives all medical attention as necessary. 
8. Transportation of a child depends on the extent of a child’s injuries sustained by the accident. If the injury is not deemed severe or critical and the parents are able to make it to the center in a timely manner, parents can then seek out the medical attention themselves. 
9. All serious accidents or illnesses will be reported to the respective Licensing officer, by phone within 24 hours and the submission of a Critical Incident form within 48 hours following the incident/injury. 

In conclusion, minor incidents and accident occurrences will be documented (as they occur) and parents will be met with at the end of the day. During this point and time issues pertaining to incidents or accidents will be addressed. Please note all  daycare staff meets First Aid requirements and those  

 Supervised Care for Sick Child  

A sick child will be kept as far away as is practicable from the other children. The sick child will be kept in the quiet corner where he or she can be directly supervised by the primary staff yet kept as far as possible from regular kids attending the program. There is also an area designated in the office, where the children will be kept when possible. The room and/or area where the child was kept will be cleaned immediately following the removal of the child from the center.   

Administration Of Medication 

Medication Record

The primary staff member who administers medications shall complete and initial the medication record each time  the medication is administered,

The medication record shall be signed by the parent and include:

• Date
• Full name of the child
• Name of medication 
• Date and time is to be administered
• Amount of medication to be administered 
• Initial of the person who administered the medication 

The medication record shall be easily accessible. In daycare facilities, the administration of any medication not authorized in writing by the parent is prohibited. This includes patent drugs, e.g. Tylenol, cough syrup.

Storage of the medication

• Locked containers that are inaccessible to children
• In cases where the medication is used for emergency purposes (Epipen, allergy meds, etc.) medication will not be stored in a lockbox, but it will be inaccessible to children.
• All medication is to be stored in a locked box that is not accessible to children. There will be a locked box in the fridge(s) for medication requiring refrigeration. There will also be a lockbox in the center/ each area for those that cannot be refrigerated. 

Consultation With Parents

Close liaison and consultation with the parent shall be maintained on an ongoing basis in order to ensure that staff and parents are fully aware of when medications have been administered to the child. The parent must provide information to staff about when meds were given prior to arriving at the center. Information regarding any potential side effects of medication shall be given to the designated person administering the medication.

The administering should be cautioned on the administration of any medication due to possible allergic reactions. When medications are being given for the first time, or at any time, children must be monitored very closely. 

Health Care  

Health care to a child must be a written consent obtained from the parent. Health care in the nature of First Aid does not require parental consent. 

Smoking and other drugs (illegal and legal)  

No person including parents or staff is allowed to smoke on the childcare program premises and or where child care is being provided, or be under the influence of any legal (alcohol or marijuana) or illegal drugs/substances. 

Nutrition

Little Pearls Daycare follows a weekly menu plan. Two snacks, along with lunch (that is one morning and one in the afternoon) are provided. For snacks at least two of the four food groups are represented. Snacks will be served at approximately 8:00 am to 8:30 am for Morning breakfast and afternoon snacks will be served from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm lunches will be served at 11:30 to 12:00 every day. 

Hot lunches and snacks

Posted in the daycare kitchen and in the service area is a list of food allergies or special diets that individual children may have to follow. A child will have a food supplement if they are allergic to or unable to eat an item (due to cultural or religious beliefs) as listed on the menu. little Pearls Daycare ensures that snacks and lunches are served at appropriate times and in sufficient quantities according to the child’s needs. The snacks and Lunch are in accordance with a food guide that is recognized by Health Canada. 

Children have their meals in a group setting; they are served by staff or children serve themselves. Children must be seated while eating or drinking.

 We are also a nut-free facility and will also monitor other allergies in the center, which will be communicated to parents when they are sending meals for their children on special occasions, to avoid potential exposure to the children with the allergies.

 Supervision Policy and Practices

Children will be supervised at all times, both indoors and outdoors. Our supervision policy will be reviewed with staff and  available for parents to review as well.

• Do regular headcounts of children in their care, especially during transition periods.
• Make sure all children are signed in and out. Children wear proper clothes depending on the weather.
• Headcounts and/or role calls must be completed before, during, and after all transitions, including entering and exiting vehicles. 
• When using vehicles (bus, city bus, van, etc.) to transport children, an educator will do a walk-through after the children leave the vehicle to ensure the vehicle is empty and no belongings are left behind. 
• When we go on community outings or walks, educators will position themselves to provide appropriate supervision at all times. 
• If there are two educators, one will be at the front of the group, while the other educator will be at the back of  the group;
• If there are three educators, the third educator will be in the middle of the group of children.

How parents are informed of the programs supervision policies

Little Pearl’s Daycare has an open-door policy that extends to 24hour service i.e. the daycare phone is forwarded to my cell phone and therefore parents have complete access all the times including weekends.

All new policies and procedures are posted at the front of the daycare on the parent notice board. A copy of the Little Pearls Daycare Service Plan is available at the main entrance. Upon request, a parent is allowed to take it home

Additional Covid-19 Pandemic Guidelines

Little Pearls Daycare will be following the additional guideline set out by Alberta Health due to the pandemic, the facility will be posting signage to remind parents and teachers to socially distance themselves two meters away from each other. Additional regulations that will be followed are: 

Little Pearls Daycare will be following the additional guideline set out by Alberta Health due to the pandemic, the facility will be posting signage to remind parents and teachers to socially distance themselves two meters away from each other. Additional regulations that will be followed are: 

• Staff will be receiving and reviewing AHS guidelines upon orientation. The program will be providing updates to COVID -19 related guidelines via newsletter every month and or whenever news needs to be shared.  
• All the washrooms and sinks will be designated to each room to maintain the cohort.
• Staff will be responsible to do a sanitary wipe down of the sink after each use to limit the spread of the virus.  To see all regulations enforced by Alberta Health please visit the link below: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/54c64016-fd3f-40f5-a259-f5e08483bb29/resource/02535058-4d86-4478-9f19- a4db321ae9ba/download/covid-19-relaunch-guidance-daycare-out-of-school-care-2020-0831.pdf