Please review the information below for everything you need to know about Little Acorn Daycare:
Admission:
I accept children who are 1 year old and walking through 5 years old.
No child/family will be denied admission on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, political preference, or national origin. I do, however, realize that not every child/family will be a good fit. For this reason, every child will have a two week trial basis. During this time period, the parents or I am allowed to give a one day notice of termination of care based on not being a “good match.” After the two week trial period, a two week notice of termination by either party is required.
Tuition Rate and Fees:
I offer only full time child care, no part time. Monthly tuition is $965 for a 5 day (Monday - Friday) week. Payment is due on the 1st of the month. If the 1st of the month falls on a weekend, please pay tuition the previous Friday. There is a $10 fee per day for each day payment is late. I accept checks or cash, no Venmo or Paypal. Please make out checks to Shannon Geddes-Keene or Little Acorn Daycare. There is a $45 fee for a bounced check. Monthly receipts are available by request. I will also send out a yearly receipt for tax purposes.
I do not reimburse families for sick days or days taken off for vacation. I reserve the right to increase my rates every January. You will be given advanced notice of an increase in cost.
Please do not place me in a position to have to ask for payment of tuition or fees. If you are late with a payment or pick-up, please include the amount due in your next payment.
Health Policy:
Little Acorn Daycare shall not admit a child with the following symptoms:
A child who is diagnosed as having or being a carrier of a child care restrictable disease, as defined in Oregon Health Authority administrative rules (Measles, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A, etc.)
Symptoms of COVID-19 or positive COVID-19 test result
Fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, taken under the arm
Diarrhea (more than one abnormally loose, runny, watery or bloody stool)
Vomiting or has vomited in the last 24 hours
Nausea
Severe cough
Unusual yellow color to skin or eyes
Skin or eye lesions or rashes that are severe, weeping or pus-filled
Stiff neck and headache with one or more of the symptoms listed above
Difficulty breathing or abnormal wheezing
Complaints of severe pain
Your child will only be admitted back into my care if they have not had any of the above symptoms for a full 24 hours. If a child is recovering from COVID-19, children will be allowed back to daycare after an isolation period of 5 days as long as their symptoms are improving and they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
If a child, who after coming to daycare, shows signs of an illness, they will be separated from the other children and parents will be notified and asked to pick the child up as soon as possible. If a child has mild cold symptoms that do not impair their normal functioning, the child may remain at daycare and parents will be informed at pick up. Parents will be notified if their child is exposed to an outbreak of a communicable disease. If your child will not be attending daycare due to an illness, please text or call to alert me of what illness your child has.
Vacations and Paid Holidays:
I take three weeks of paid vacation every year. I am closed for a week in March that lines up with my daughters’ spring break from school, a week in the summer (typically July or August), and from December 23rd through January 1st each year. I am closed on the following holidays:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
4th of July
Labor Day
Veteran’s Day
Closed for Thanksgiving Wednesday through Friday
If a holiday falls on a weekend, Daycare will be closed the following Monday. You will be notified in my monthly newsletter if there will be closure dates in the following month. I also try to hang a sign as a reminder to parents of the closure dates.
Sick Days and Unscheduled Time Off:
If I am sick and can not give your child quality care or I have an appointment, I will try my best to have a substitute provider. The substitute will be certified in CPR and first aid and will comply with all family child care rules and regulations. If a substitute is unable to cover for me when I am sick, then daycare will be closed for the day. In the case of an emergency, I reserve the right to close the daycare and I will try to give as much advanced notice as possible in that situation.
Guidance and Discipline:
Your child will receive love and respect in my care. This policy is designed to help your child develop self control, self-esteem, and respect for others. Your child will not experience any form of physical, emotional, or mental harm while in my care. I make a point of praising children often for good behaviors (playing nicely with others, sharing, taking turns, using good manners, being a good helper, etc.) It is my responsibility to ensure that the emotional and physical safety of all of the children in my care is protected. In the rare instance that I feel any child in my care has a serious discipline problem, I will request a conference with the parent(s). If an understanding cannot be reached, I reserve the right to terminate our contract with as much notice as possible in order to guarantee the comfort and safety of the other children in my care.
Inappropriate behavior includes hitting, biting, kicking, pushing, hair pulling, throwing objects, unwanted and inappropriate touching of another child, climbing on inappropriate things, standing on chairs, willful destruction of the daycare’s property, etc.
Children will be allowed to make acceptable choices and experience the natural consequences (not dangerous) of those choices. Toddlers will be disciplined by distracting or redirecting away from an activity or inappropriate behavior that is not desired. Toys may be placed in “time-out” if children are fighting over a toy and an agreement can not be made to share. Preschool age children will be disciplined in the following manner:
Inappropriate behavior will be identified and explained to the child.
I will make suggestions and allow the child to decide their course of action in order to learn problem solving.
Children will be allowed to solve their own disagreements if no one is in danger.
Time-out will be utilized if the child will not stop the inappropriate behavior, usually after three opportunities to correct their behavior, unless the offense was harmful to another child, which is an instant time-out. The reason for time-out will be explained. The child will be removed from the rest of the children, but still within my eyesight for a period not to exceed 1 minute per year of age. At the end of time-out, the child will be asked if they understand why they shouldn’t do that behavior, then asked if they are ready to play nicely again. Time-out is often for only a few seconds, simply to remove the child from the situation and establish the knowledge that the behavior is inappropriate and will result in a consequence if the child continues to pursue that course of action.
I will encourage children to apologize to the other child(ren) involved, when developmentally appropriate, in order to stop offending behavior and teach consequences, responsibility, and empathy in a positive manner.
These are the rules that children in my care must strive to follow:
Nice touch [no hitting, kicking, biting, pushing]
Hands to ourselves [respecting another’s personal space]
Walk inside [no running inside the house unless part of a game]
Down [no climbing on furniture, tables or counters, no standing on chairs]
Only food goes in mouth [no toys, bugs, dirt, etc.]
No throwing inside the house, roll only [Children are not allowed to throw toys or balls while inside the house. Outside balls can be thrown to other children while playing a game, but not allowed to be thrown at another]