Royal Valley USD 337

Royal Valley Community Learning Center Childcare
1st & Highland
Hoyt, KS 66440
(785) 986-6286
Fax (785) 986-6333

Director
Jessica Bryan

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Enrollment in the RVCLC Childcare program constitutes an understanding that you will abide by the policies listed as follows:

PARENTS' EXPECTATIONS OF RVCLC CHILDCARE

Parents may expect that:

1.    Their children are cared for in a safe, supportive environment.

2.    They may visit with the Director about concerns related to their child or the program.

3.    They will be told about any misbehavior on the part of their child, and to visit with the Director or Assistant Director in order to bring about improvement in the situation.

4.    They will be informed promptly if their child does not arrive at RVCLC Childcare according to his/her enrollment information.

5.    They will be regularly informed of RVCLC Childcare activities.

RVCLC CHILDCARE’S EXPECTATIONS OF PARENTS

RVCLC Childcare expects that the parents will:

1.    Keep the child's records up to date as explained in Enrollment Forms section.

2.    Pick up children on time as explained in After School Pick Up Time section.

3.    Follow health policy as explained in Health & Safety Policy section.

4.    Contact the school office if their child will not be attending on a scheduled day.

5.    Pay attention to any communications from RVCLC Childcare regarding their child's behavior and cooperate in effort to bring about improvement in the situation.

PARTICIPANT'S EXPECTATIONS OF RVCLC CHILDCARE

Participants may expect:

1.    To have a safe, supportive, and consistent environment.

2.    To use all program equipment, materials, and facilities on an equal basis.

3.    To receive respectful treatment.

4.    To have discipline that is fair and non-punitive.

5.    To receive nurturing care from staff members who are actively involved with them.

RVCLC CHILDCARE’S EXPECTATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS

RVCLC Childcare expects that participants will:

1.    Be responsible for their action.

2.    Respect and follow school rules that apply both during school and during RVCLC Childcare hours of operation.

3.    Take care of materials and equipment properly and return them to their place when done.

CONCERNS

Any situation that causes concern should be discussed. The procedure is as follows:

1.    Contact the Director by phone or email and/or schedule an appointment.

ENROLLMENT

The RVCLC Childcare does not discriminate and encourages all children to attend.

If parents/guardians wish to enroll their child(ren), the parents will be provided with a set(s) of enrollment forms. Prior to the child's first day of attendance, the parent/guardian will complete all forms and submit them to the RVCLC office. A completed set of forms is required for each child enrolled in a RVCLC Childcare program. It is the parent's/ guardian's responsibility to notify the RVCLC office if there are any changes in the parent contact and/or emergency information. No student will be permitted to remain in the program without all information on file.

ENROLLMENT FORMS

Parents will be asked to complete the following prior to the child’s first day of attendance:

1.    Enrollment Form

2.    Financial Agreement

3.    Authorization for Emergency Medical Care

4.    Health History Form

5.    Participation Agreement

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PROGRAM

Parents wishing to withdraw their child(ren) from RVCLC Childcare are responsible for notifying the RVCLC office of the date of their student's intended withdrawal, on and/or prior to that date.  A verbal one-week notice is requested.

DAYS OF OPERATION

RVCLC Childcare follows the school district calendar.  Therefore, when the schools are closed, RVCLC Childcare is closed. However, RVCLC Childcare will be open for full day care on various teacher in-service and parent/teacher conference days, as well as during the June & July summer months. If Royal Valley schools close due to inclement weather, RVCLC Childcare will not be open. In addition, if Royal Valley schools dismiss early, RVCLC Childcare will not be open, and parents will need to make alternate arrangements for their children after school on these days.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Before School: 7:00-7:45 am

After School: 3:30-5:30 pm
Summer: 7:00 am-5:30 pm
Day Out: 7:00 am-5:30 pm 

*Day Out – Various Teacher in-service and parent teacher conference days.

BEFORE SCHOOL DROP OFF TIME

The RVCLC Childcare staff is not scheduled to arrive at the site until 7:00 a.m. Therefore, students will not be allowed to arrive any earlier than 7:00 a.m. Weather conditions can make it difficult for staff to get to school on schedule. For your child's safety, please make sure that the school doors are unlocked and that the staff is on duty before leaving your child at school. In addition, you MUST sign your child in before leaving him/her at the school.

AFTER SCHOOL PICK UP TIME

Refer to the Hours of Operation section for closing time. If the parent or authorized person encounters an emergency situation and cannot pick the student up on time, he/she is expected to make arrangements for the student to be picked up by the designated closing time and notify the RVCLC office/Director. If a student is not picked up by the closing time, local authorities may be contacted, if necessary. The late pick up charge is $1 per minute after 5:30 pm. Repeated late pick-ups are reasons for dismissal from the RVCLC Childcare.

ABSENCES

If your child will not be attending RVCLC Childcare because of a scheduled appointment, vacation, or other planned absence, please notify the RVCLC office in advance. If your child is ill, when you call the school to report the illness or pick up your child from school, please request the school secretary put a notice of the child's absence in the RVCLC mailbox. Absentees without prior notification may be mistaken for a missing child and unnecessary concern and time spent in searching for the child may occur. If a child does not arrive at RVCLC Childcare as intended, staff will contact the parents/guardians. If the parents/guardians cannot be reached, the RVCLC staff will contact the child's emergency persons.

RELEASE OF CHILDREN

Students must be signed out by an authorized individual. Identification may be required upon pick up. Only those individuals listed on the student's enrollment form are considered authorized to pick up a student. Even family members, if not listed, are not considered authorized to pick up the student. Should an emergency arise, and a person not listed on the emergency form need to pick up the student, the parents must call the RVCLC office or RV Elementary School in advance. In cases of child custody, where the non-custodial parent or guardian may NOT pick up the child, we must have a copy of the court order in the child's file.

If your child attends extracurricular activities or has any other kind of arrival/departure time change within the period he/she is enrolled in RVCLC Childcare, you must provide the Director/RVCLC office with the time change in writing prior to the date that the change is effective.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

RVCLC will not be in session on days when school is canceled due to weather, etc. In addition, RVCLC will not be in session on days when school is dismissed early due to weather, etc. Parents are responsible for making alternate arrangements for their children after school on these days.

DISTRIBUTION OF MEDICATIONS

Should the student require medication, a Request for Medication form must be filled out and kept on file in the RVCLC office, with a copy kept at the site. The medication, in the prescription bottle, must be given to the Director. Any child needing an inhaler must supply one to be kept at the site along with the Request for Medication form. No medication (prescription or over-the-counter) may be taken without a Request for Medication form. Students may not carry medication of any type on his/her person while at RVCLC Childcare.

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

If your child has a known medical condition (asthma, allergies, diabetes, seizure disorder, etc.), please make sure that the RVCLC office is aware of the condition and that it is written on the enrollment forms. Please make sure that any medication is available and that the appropriate forms for its use have been completed. Forms can be obtained in the RVCLC Office.

RVCLC follows KDHE guidelines for exclusion of children who are ill.  If a child exhibits one or more of the following signs or symptoms parents should keep their child at home, if they occur during program hours the parent will be notified to pick up their child immediately: contagious disease/head lice, fever over 100 F, vomiting and/or diarrhea, uncontrolled coughing, abdominal pain, pink or red eyes, illness preventing the child from participating comfortably in activities, illness that results in a greater care need than the child care staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of other children, accident requiring medical attention.

In case of accident or illness, parents of the child will be called immediately. In serious cases, the child will be taken to the hospital by emergency vehicle for treatment, and the parents will be called as soon as possible.

INSURANCE

The school district has purchased an accident insurance policy, which covers all students. Benefits provided under this policy are coordinated with the student's family insurance.

The policy only covers treatment, which is provided by a licensed physician within thirty (30) days from the date of the accident. There are limits on the types of services and amounts of coverage provided. A copy of the complete policy is available at the district office.

If a student is injured during RVCLC Childcare hours, the student should notify the Director immediately. If a student receives medical treatment from a licensed physician, the parent must request from the RVCLC office a claim form. This claim form must be completed by the parent and submitted to the insurance company within thirty (30) days. The parent is responsible for filing the claim form by the due date. Please do not assume that the RVCLC office knows when each student receives medical treatment.

SNACKS

RVCLC Childcare will serve students a nutritious snack each afternoon after school. On days when RVCLC Childcare is open all day, a nutritious snack will be served in the morning and in the afternoon.

If for any reason your child is unable to eat the snacks provided due to medical reasons, please notify the Director and list the reason on the RVCLC Childcare enrollment form under Allergies/Other medical concerns or Special Needs. In such case, an alternative snack will be provided for the student.

STUDENT'S PERSONAL PROPERTY

Student's personal property, coats, clothing, school bags, etc. must be cleared from the site each day after the program. After three days, all abandoned articles are placed in the Lost and Found. The student's personal belongings are his/her responsibility.

Students should not bring money, toys, food, or other items not necessary for school activities without permission from the RVCLC staff.  RVCLC Childcare does not accept responsibility for items lost, stolen, or broken.

DISCIPLINE AND DISCHARGE

Participants are entitled to a pleasant and harmonious environment at RVCLC Childcare. The RVCLC Childcare cannot serve participants who display chronically disruptive behavior.

Chronically disruptive behavior is defined as verbal or physical activity which may include but is not limited to such behavior that: requires constant attention from the staff, inflicts physical or emotional harm on others, abuses staff, ignores or disobeys the rules which guide behavior during the school day and program time. If a participant cannot adjust to the program setting and behave appropriately, then the participant may be discharged. Reasonable efforts will be made to assist participants to adjust to the RVCLC Childcare setting. The rules and consequences for the RVCLC Childcare are as follows:

Rules

1.    All school rules are in effect throughout every after-school activity, including field trips.

2.    Participants will follow behaviors which maintain a safe environment for all.

3.    Participants will observe behavior which will promote a respectful and comfortable environment for all attending.

4.    Participants will follow rules and will comply with requests of staff.

Consequences

Disruptive behavior will be dealt with in the following manner

1.    Participant will be asked to change behavior. (Warning)

2.    Participant will receive a time out from the activity in which he or she is participating.

3.    If participant repeats behavior after being asked to change behavior and receiving a time out from the activity, he or she will meet with the Assistant Director to discuss ways of improving the behavior.

4.    If participant continues behavior after meeting with the Assistant Director, parents will be notified of the behavior.

5.    If participant continues behavior, parents will be asked to pick the student up. The student may then be asked not to attend the program for a period of time ranging from one day to several weeks, depending upon the severity of behavior. During the suspension, the Director and student's parent will meet in order to determine the conditions of reinstatement.

6.    If the participant is reinstated in RVCLC Childcare and the behavior is not improved, the Director may suspend the student immediately notifying the parent to come and get the child.

7.    If the severity of a problem is great enough that it could endanger the safety of the student, other participants, or staff in RVCLC Childcare, discharge will be effective immediately. The parent will be notified to pick up the student from the program immediately.

A child may be discharged if he/she is picked up late habitually. (See After School Pick up Time).

FIELD TRIPS/PHOTOGRAPHING

Parents give consent for students to attend all local field trips with the RVCLC Childcare. Parents will be given advanced notice of all field trips through newsletters, notes, or other correspondence. Correspondence will include date, time of departure, and return time at the program site. If a student arrives late for a field trip, and the group has already departed, parent/guardian assumes full responsibility for the student.

Parents give consent for students to be photographed or video taped for educational purposes and/or promotion of the RVCLC Childcare/USD #337. This may include photographs posted on the Royal Valley USD #337 website.

INTERNET USAGE

RVCLC Childcare and USD#337 provide access to computer technology and Internet usage for students. It is a privilege to have access to these resources, and therefore, all users must agree that they will comply with the Unified School District No. 337 Technology and Internet User agreement. Users will agree to use the Internet for only lawful purposes and contact host sites, which are considered to be appropriate at school. Participants must sign the Technology and User agreement in order to be allowed to use the Internet and technology. If a participant chooses not to follow the guidelines, he/she may lose Internet or computer privileges.

CHILD ABUSE REPORTING

Any employee who has reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect or who has observed the child being subjected to circumstances or conditions which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect will immediately report this calling 1-866-495-6980, or after business hours at 1-800-922-5330. In an emergency, the local law enforcement telephone number is 364-2251 or call 911.

If the student suspected of being abused is Native American, the employee should report this to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Social Services. PBPSS telephone number is 966-2932. If PBPSS cannot be reached, call the numbers listed above.

Employees will not contact the child's family or any other persons to determine the cause of the suspected abuse or neglect. It is not the responsibility of the employees to prove that the child has been abused or neglected.

After notifying DCF or law enforcement, the employee shall then notify the Director, who will then notify the Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent. The employee must then fill out a Child Abuse/Neglect Report form to be kept on file in the RVCLC office.