LINDA AND MARK'S CHILD CARE AND PRESCHOOL HANDBOOK
Licensed Family Child Care and Four-Star Parent Aware Rated Preschool
Linda and Mark Poikonen 106 Angel Ave. NW Watertown, MN 55388
Linda 612-619-3732 [email protected]
Mark 612-240-8714 [email protected]
poikonenchildcare.weebly.com
Please read this handbook thoroughly.
If you need this document translated to another language, we’d be happy to translate it for you.
When you enroll your child at Linda and Mark's Child Care, you are accepting the following policies.
LICENSE
Linda and Mark’s Child Care is a family childcare, licensed by the Department of Human Services, regulated by Carver County, and renewed every two years.
Linda and Mark’s Child Care is licensed for a maximum of 14 children.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Children must be between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years.
Current Enrollment:
_____ Infants (6 weeks – 12 months)
_____Toddlers (12 months – 24 months)
_____Preschoolers (24 months up to school age)
_____School Age (5 years and younger than 11 years)
Before a child may begin, all enrollment forms must be completed and signed. These forms include:
1. Admission and Arrangements
2. Travel and Activity Authorization
3. Emergency Card
4. Prescription and Non-Prescription Medication Permission 5. Immunization Record
6. Allergy Information
7. Food Program Registration
8. Getting to Know You
9. Photo Permission
10. Statement of Agreement
An Immunization print out from a medical facility will meet the immunization documentation requirement. Linda and Mark’s Child Care only enrolls children who have, or are in the process of receiving, all immunizations required by the Minnesota Department of Health.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Linda and Mark’s Child Care will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30am – 4:30pm.
New rates will go into effect on September 9, 2024.
We prefer that drop off and pick up does not happen between 1:00-3:00 as to not disturb
nap time.
A late fee charge of $5.00 for the first minute and $5.00 every 5 minutes thereafter, per child, will be charged for arriving after 4:30pm. This fee will be automatically added to your billing invoice and will be due on the Friday of that week.
Please call/text by 7:45am if your child will not be here for breakfast or will be absent for any reason.
Parents/guardians must sign child in and out each day.
CAMERAS
There are video surveillance cameras used throughout the child care and in infant napping areas.
RATES
Pre-pay discount rate:
Infant – Toddler (0-24 months) ..........................................$234/week
Preschool – School Age (2 years and up) ..........................$223/week
Rates if payment is made after service:
Infant .......................................................................................$270/week Toddler.....................................................................................$258/week Preschool.................................................................................$240/week
School Age ..............................................................................$240/week
Additional charges: The first billing invoice in the month of June will include a sunscreen/bug repellent fee of $10.00 per child.
FINANCIAL POLICIES
Tuition is due by Friday at 4:30pm, for the following week. A late fee of $10.00 per day will be charged for payments not received on time.
There is no reduction of fees for missed days, holidays, and illness.
A two-week notice, or two weeks tuition is required of parents for termination, whether
the child attends during those two weeks or not.
Provider may terminate at will.
To hold a childcare spot for more than two weeks, a non-refundable deposit in the amount of $200.00 is required, along with a signed Statement of Agreement form.
To hold a spot for two weeks or less, the first week’s tuition is required, along with a signed Statement of Agreement form
.
There is a one-time $50.00 registration fee per family when enrolling in our childcare.
Fees incurred due to returned or nonpayment of checks will be the sole responsibility of the parents/guardians.
HOLIDAYS
Linda and Mark's Child Care will be closed on all the public holidays that are listed below. If any of the listed holidays fall on a weekend, the day care will be closed either Monday or Friday. There is no reduction in tuition for these days.
New Year’s Day
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Post Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve Day
Christmas Day
PERSONAL/SICK DAYS
We have ten paid sick/personal days that we will use annually. We will give as much advance notice to when we will be using these days as possible. Any additional time, beyond the paid holidays and sick/personal days, that the daycare is closed, will not be paid for us.
There is no reduction in tuition for any vacation or sick days taken by a child.
SLEEP AND REST ARRANGEMENTS
Infants
L.A. Baby Deluxe Holiday Crib 24” x 38” with 3” mattress
Parent/Guardian provides a sleep sack (non-swaddling)
No hoods are allowed on infant clothing for naps
Crib inspection checklists are available to view upon request
Toddlers/Preschoolers
Mats
Crib may be used for toddlers transitioning to mats
Clean, separate bedding will be provided for each child in care
MEALS
Linda and Mark's Child Care is a participant in the United States Department of Agriculture Child Care Food Program. Our program follows the USDA Guidelines to ensure that we are serving your children healthy meals and snacks while in childcare. Healthy eating can help prevent many chronic diseases. These include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Around half of all Americans have one or more of these illnesses. Healthy eating habits are more likely to stay with you if you learn them as a child.
Meals will be served at the following times:
BREAKFAST – 8:00AM - 8:30AM
LUNCH - 11:30AM - 12:30PM
SNACK - 3:00PM - 4:00PM
Please keep Linda and Mark informed of any changes in your child's diet.
Bottles brought from home must be labeled with the child’s name and refrigerated when
necessary. Bottles will be washed after use.
Food served during the day will include servings from each of the basic food groups as
defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Breast milk must be labeled with child’s name and date of the milk. It can be brought in a
bottle or frozen bags of individual servings.
No food other than breast milk is allowed to be brought from home, with the exception
of birthday and holiday treats.
ILLNESS
In order to make Linda and Mark’s Child Care as safe and healthy as possible, please follow the guidelines listed below.
Please call/text if your child will be absent because of illness.
Your child should remain at home if:
Child has a temperature or has had a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
during the previous 24-hour period
Child is taking an antibiotic, during the first 24-hour period
Child is vomiting or has excessive diarrhea, during the previous 24-hour period
Child has a sore throat
Child is noticeably acting like he/she does not feel well
Child has a rash, other than mild diaper or heat related rash
You will be notified if your child becomes ill during the day and needs to be picked up
Please notify Linda or Mark if any medication was given to your child before being dropped off at day care. (Fever reducing medicine should not be given to your child before being dropped off at day care, unless pre-approved by Linda or Mark.)
We must comply with the following health requirements:
Immunization records must be kept for each child in care. Children must be current with
their immunizations.
Obtain written permission from the child’s parents/guardians prior to administering
medicine, diapering products, sunscreen, and insect repellants.
Obtain and follow written instructions from a licensed physician or dentist prior to
administering each prescription medicine. Medicine with the child’s name and current
prescription information on the label constitutes instructions.
Special instructions from the parent shall be obtained in writing and followed about toilet
training, eating, sleeping or napping, allergies, and any health problems.
Notify Carver County Health & Human Services/Public Health Department or the
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health of any suspected case of
reportable disease as specified below. Diseases must be immediately reported.
Provider shall follow written instructions from an authorized agent or physician of an ill
child placed in the provider’s care if the child has any of the illnesses listed below.
Inform a parent/guardian of each exposed child the same day the provider is notified that
a positive diagnosis has been made for any of the illnesses or parasitic infestations listed
below.
Please notify us within 24 hours of the diagnosis of a serious contagious illness or parasitic infestation. Local and state health departments must be notified of these illnesses
Carver County Health & Human Services/Public Health 952-361-1600 Minnesota Department of Health 651-201-5000
NOTE: In the event of an emergency or accident, Linda or Mark will call 911 and then contact the parent
The Following Are Reportable Diseases in Minnesota
Acanthamoeba spp. (via free-living amebic infection)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (via HIV reporting)
Amebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica/dispar) Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum)
Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
Arboviral disease
Babesiosis (Babesia spp.)
Balamuthia spp. (via free-living amebic infection) Blastomycosis (Blastomyces dermatitidis) Botulism (Clostridium botulinum)
Brucellosis (Brucella spp.)
Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter spp.)
(Invasive) Candidiasis (Sentinel surveillance) Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (CRA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CR-PA) (Sentinel surveillance) Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)
Cat scratch disease (infection caused by Bartonella species) Chancroid (Haemophilus ducreyi)
Chickenpox (via Varicella disease)
Chikungunya virus disease
Chlamydia trachomatis infections
Cholera (Vibrio cholerae)
Clostridium difficile (Sentinel surveillance) Coccidioidomycosis
Congenital rubella syndrome (via Rubella)
COVID-19
Cronobacter (Enterobacter) sakazakii
Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium spp.)
Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora spp.)
Dengue virus infection
Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) Diphyllobothrium latum infection
Eastern equine encephalitis (via Arboviral disease)
Ebola virus disease (via viral hemorrhagic fever) Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia spp.)
Encephalitis (caused by viral agents)
Enteric Escherichia coli infection
Free-living amebic infection
Giardiasis (Giardia intestinalis)
Gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections) Haemophilus influenzae disease
Revised on 9/25/2024.
Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) Neonatal Sepsis Expanded Surveillance (HiNSES)
Hantavirus infection
Hemolytic uremic syndrome
Hepatitis (all primary viral types including A, B, C, D, and E) Histoplasmosis (Histoplasma capsulatum)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,
including Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Influenza
Jamestown Canyon virus disease (via Arboviral disease) Kawasaki disease
Kingella spp.
La Crosse encephalitis (via Arboviral disease)
Lassa fever (via viral hemorrhagic fever)
Legionellosis (Legionella spp.)
Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) (Mycobacterium leprae) Leptospirosis (Leptospira interrogans)
Listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes)
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, and other Borrelia spp.) Malaria (Plasmodium spp.)
Measles (rubeola)
Meningitis (caused by viral agents)
Meningococcal disease (Neisseria meningitidis)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
Mumps
Naegleria fowleri (via free-living amebic infection)
Neonatal sepsis
Orthopox virus
Pertussis (Bordetella pertussis)
Plague (Yersinia pestis)
Poliomyelitis
Powassan virus disease (via Arboviral disease)
Psittacosis (Chlamydophila psittaci)
Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
Rabies
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (Sentinel surveillance) Retrovirus infection
Rubella and congenital rubella syndrome
Salmonellosis, including typhoid (Salmonella spp.)
Sappinia spp. (via free-living amebic infection)
Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) (Sentinel surveillance) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Shigellosis (Shigella spp.)
Shingles (via zoster disease)
Revised on 9/25/2024.
Smallpox (variola)
Spotted fever rickettsiosis (Rickettsia spp. infections, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever)
St. Louis encephalitis (via Arboviral disease)
Staphylococcus aureus (only VISA/VRSA, and death or critical illness due to community- associated Staphylococcus aureus in a previously healthy individual)
(Invasive) Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance (Sentinel surveillance)
Streptococcal disease
Syphilis (Treponema pallidum)
Tetanus (Clostridium tetani)
Toxic shock syndrome
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii)
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
Trichinosis (Trichinella spiralis)
Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex)
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
Typhoid (via salmonellosis)
Typhus (Rickettsia spp.)
Unusual or increased case incidence of any suspect infectious illness
Unexplained deaths and unexplained critical illness (possibly due to infectious cause)
Vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) (via Staphylococcus aureus)
Vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) (via Staphylococcus aureus)
Varicella (chickenpox)
Vibrio spp.
Viral hemorrhagic fever (including but not limited to Ebola virus disease and Lassa fever)
West Nile virus (via Arboviral disease)
Western equine encephalitis (via Arboviral disease)
Yellow fever
Yersiniosis, enteric (Yersinia spp.)
Zika virus disease
Zoster (shingles)a virus disease Zoster (shingles)
BELONGINGS FROM HOME
Parents will provide the following items:
Infants:
Diapers
Wipes
Ointments
Sleep Sack (Non-swaddling)
2 Bottles
2 Cloth Bibs Pacifiers (if used)
Extra Sets of Clothes
Toddlers:
Extra Sets of Clothes
Diapers
Wipes
Ointments
Preschool & School Age:
Extra Sets of Clothes
Diapers
Wipes
Ointments
Please label all of your child's belongings.
HELPERS AND SUBSTITUTES
“Helper” means a person at least 13 years of age and less than 18 years of age who assists the provider with the care of children. An adult caregiver must always be present.
“Substitute” means an adult at least 18 years of age who assumes the responsibility of the provider. The use of substitute care must be limited to a cumulative total of not more than 30 days in a 12-month period. (A licensed provider must be the primary provider of care in this residence.)
Ellie Rashke is certified as an adult caregiver for our childcare. She can be used as a second caregiver when needed.
In an emergency, Mark, Linda, or Ellie will be used as a back-up for each other.
NON-DISCRIMINATION PRACTICES
We will not discriminate in relation to admissions on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability.
PETS
There will be dogs and cats in the house. (All pets have current rabies shots.)
There is a fish tank in the childcare for the kids to help take care of and enjoy.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
Our program has earned the highest rating of 4 stars in the State’s Parent Aware Quality Rating System for quality school readiness preschool programming. To learn more about Parent Aware and to find information on family support services, please visit www.parentaware.org.
A preschool program will be provided for all children with planned age-appropriate activities. We use Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum. Assessments are done twice a year using an assessment tool called Teaching Strategies GOLD. Conferences will be offered twice per year to share assessment results.
Weather permitting, we will make weekly visits to the Watertown Library and Westwood Assisted Living.
EMERGENCY PLAN
We have an emergency plan, a fire and storm plan, and keep a monthly fire drill /storm drill log, using a form provided by the county agency.
Our Child Care Emergency Preparedness Plan is available upon request.
TRANSPORTATION PLAN
Both Mark and Linda have satisfactorily completed training on the proper use and installation of child restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Written permission to transport children will be obtained from parents on the “Admissions and Arrangements” form.
If we were to transport children in a motor vehicle for an activity, a separate “Travel Authorization Form” will be required.
No child is permitted to remain unattended in any vehicle.
POTTY TRAINING
We believe that to be successful with potty training, there has to be consistency with what is being done at home and at childcare. It is our policy that once potty training has been started at home, we will work to do the same thing at childcare. This generally happens sometime between 1 1⁄2 -31⁄2 years old. We request that children not be sent to childcare in underwear until the child is consistently using the potty chair at childcare. We will let you know when your child is ready for this transition. We prefer to use diapers, not pull-ups, while the child is potty training. The only time that we would like to use pull-ups at childcare is for approximately a one-week period when the child is transitioning to underwear.
DISCIPLINE
Infants/Toddlers - Redirection and stating/demonstrating the behavior that we want to see. For example, “touch nice”, “walking feet, “inside voice”, etc.
Preschoolers – Redirection and reinforcement of good behavior with praise.
SMOKING
Smoking is not permitted in the residence during childcare hours.
GUNS
No concealable weapons are allowed on the premises.
INSURANCE
• Linda and Mark's Child Care carries family childcare liability insurance of $1,000,000 per person and $3,000,000 per occurrence.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
• We encourage open communication. If you ever have any concerns about your child, or
their care, please feel free to talk to either Linda or Mark.
*A complete copy of Family Child Care Rules is available upon request.
Linda and Mark's Child Care Statement of Agreement
I have received and reviewed a copy of the Handbook for Linda and Mark’s Child Care. I have a clear understanding of the policies and agree to the terms specified within them.
Child’s Name(s): _________________________________________________________________
Parent’s Name(s) Printed: __________________________________________________________
Parent’s Signature: _______________________________________Date: __________________
Parent’s Signature: _______________________________________Date: __________________
For New Families:
Please sign and return this form with your first week’s tuition if your child will be starting childcare within two weeks, or your $200.00 non-refundable deposit if we are holding a spot for more than two weeks.
Regular days of the week in childcare ______________________________________________
Regular drop off and pick up time _________________________________________________
Weekly Tuition ______________