A note from our director

Welcome to K&E Child Care! We are delighted to welcome you into our community.

Help develop skills in each individual child in order for them to prepare for a brighter, more colorful future!

The information below has been developed to provide parents with information on policies and procedures of K&E Child Care. Please read carefully and contact us to discuss any new ideas, concerns, or questions you may have.

Warmly, Karine Alebyan

Program Rules & Policies

Enrollment Confirmation

Please note that our program is a Year-round program, but we do have an official start of a new program year each fall. Our program enrolls on a monthly basis as space allows. Regardless of when a child enrolls, they are subject to any updates to policies as they occur.

Enrollment contracts will auto-renew each month unless parents give sufficient notice to terminate or there have been any changes to policies or pricing (at the discretion of the Director), in which case parents will sign a new contract. If there are any changes to pricing, the K&E Child Care team will provide new rates with at least three months' notice.

Enrollment Fee

If the director has chosen to charge an enrollment fee, I/We agree to pay this non-refundable fee. I/We understand that this will be collected upon enrollment to ensure our child’s placement in the program.

Please note that you must provide at least 30 days notice before end of participation in the program. If you cancel your child’s participation in the program at any time without the required 30 days notice, you will be required to pay tuition for the remaining 30 days after you give notice of end of participation, regardless of whether the child is receiving care.

Tuition

Private Payment

I/We understand that monthly tuition (any non-subsidy payment) will be withdrawn in the middle of the month for tuition for the subsequent calendar month, unless I have agreed upon a different payment date in writing with the program director. Tuition is due each month with no deductions for any absences, holidays, vacations (provider or family), illness, or closures due to inclement weather, power outages, or other situations beyond our control. Tuition is due regardless of a child’s absence from the program for any reason, and is required to hold a child’s space.

If tuition is not paid by the 5th day that it is the due, a late fee of $25.00 per day per child will be added for each additional day that it is late, until it is paid in full. When a payment is delinquent for one week or more, care may be suspended until the balance is current and your child’s space will not be reserved.

Tuition payment will take place electronically by Wonderschool, our administrative services provider, and cannot be collected via check or cash.

Payments can be made with a credit card or via ACH (directly from a bank account).

If your child's start date does not occur on the first of the month, your first month's tuition will be prorated accordingly. If your child's last day does not occur on the last day of the month, your last month's tuition will be prorated accordingly.

Subsidy Payments

If enrolling your child is under subsidy payments from the local resource and referral agency then tuition will be paid in accordance with the local resource and referral agency and we require you fill out required paperwork in a timely manner. If you agree to a private payment amount on top of the subsidy payment by the local resource and referral agency then all private payments will be applied using the “Private Payments” section.

Withdrawal

If you withdraw your child from the program, you must give at least 30 days prior to withdrawal in writing via email to kechildcare@wonderschool.com and karine1327@yahoo.com.

Your official last day will be calculated using the withdrawal policy as described above, and tuition will be due for the duration of that time period. Tuition will be prorated to reflect your child’s official last day.

If you paid a deposit at the time of enrollment (typically one month of tuition, and different from an enrollment fee), your deposit will be applied to your last month of tuition providing you gave notice prior to being charged for your last month. Any remaining portion of your deposit not applied to tuition will be refunded back to your card on file.

If K&E Child Care needs to unenroll a child in their care, they will follow the 30-day withdrawal policy as described above. In the rare event that a child is unenrolled from the program effectively immediately (typically only seen in high-impact health/safety issues), any tuition you have already paid for that month will be refunded to you as well as any deposit you have on file.

Schedule Changes

When decreasing your schedule, 30 days of written notice is required. This is because it takes us time to find a replacement for the days you are dropping. When increasing your schedule, written notice is required and will be approved on a space-available basis.

Meals and Snacks

Please note that monthly tuition includes 2 snacks per day and Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Program Schedule

K&E Child Care hours are from 7:00am - 6:30pm.
Drop off occurs in the first 30 minutes of your child's scheduled start time for the day.
Pickup occurs in the last 20 minutes of your child's scheduled end time for the day.

We require that a parent, guardian, or approved caregiver must sign in and sign out for their child at drop off and pickup. Children will be released only to authorized persons whose names are on the emergency sheet. These names may be revised at anytime by the parent in writing. If the authorized person picking up the child is unknown by staff, s/he will be asked to show identification.

Arrival Time

Please do your best to arrive at the correct drop off time each day. If you will arrive later than the drop off window described above, please notify staff.

Late Pickup Fee

I/We understand that the there is a 5 minute grace period for pickup after your child's daily scheduled pickup time. Each minute after that 5 minute grace period will be charged $1.00/minute.

Regularity in Schedule

It is important for children to arrive and leave the program at the regularly scheduled time. Young children need the security of knowing that they will be picked up at the usual time. If you will be changing your hours (i.e. picking your child up earlier than usual), then please notify one of the Teaching Staff.

Parking

We ask that you do not park in front of the building as this blocks other cars from exiting. Please make sure to not block any driveways. Blocking neighbors’ driveways may result in a fine or towing. In addition, please be respectful of our neighbors when parking so we can maintain our good-standing relationships with them.

Signing In and Signing Out

A signature is required at the beginning and the end of each day with the time of arrival and departure. This may be done through an electronic application or on paper.

In case of emergency, staff will use sign in sheets to take attendance. Children will be released only to authorized persons whose names are on the emergency sheet. These names may be revised at anytime by the parent in writing. If the authorized person picking up the child is unknown by staff, s/he will be asked to show identification.

Absence

Please let your teacher know if your child is going to be absent or arrive 30 minutes or more after their normal arrival time. If your child will be absent because they are sick with a contagious illness, please let the our staff know so that other families can be alerted to look for symptoms in their children. Please note that in light of our policies and State regulations, we maintain full confidentiality of the identity of child who has illness.

Program Year

Acknowledgement of Placement in the K&E Child Care Program

K&E Child Care reserves the right to assess the appropriateness of the placement of your child in our program in relation to meeting the needs of your child and the other children in the program. If the Director feels that the program cannot meet the needs of a child or a child’s family, the child’s enrollment will be ended. Any deposit or fees paid are non-refundable.

Additionally, K&E Child Care retains the right to terminate enrollment of your children in the program in the event of non-compliance with program policies, rules, and regulations. Any repeated infractions of program policies and rules will result in your child being removed from the program.

K&E Child Care reserves the right to modify any of the conditions of this agreement upon 60 days written notice to the parent(s) or guardians.

Health & Safety

Allergy Prevention

Families are expected to notify the program regarding children’s food or environmental allergies. Parents/guardians of children with diagnosed allergies or asthma are required to provide the program with an individualized health care plan, signed by the child’s physician, detailing the child’s symptoms, reactions, treatments, care, and all necessary medication.

If your child uses a neutralizer, please let us know so we can have you fill out an additional form.

Despite our diligent efforts, it is impossible to eliminate all risk for children with food allergies. Some allergies are so severe that the presence of the allergen in proximity of the child causes a reaction. Similarly, it is impossible to prevent children from sharing food or for an allergen to be brought into the program by a family member or child, despite our best efforts to educate families and raise awareness. Ultimately, parents/guardians will need to decide whether group care is appropriate for their child with allergies in light of the risks that cannot be eliminated.

Illness

Children need to be kept home when they have any of the following symptoms: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, conjunctivitis (pink eye) or discharge from eyes, severe coughing, skin rash of unknown diagnosis, difficult or rapid breathing, or nits on hair from head lice. If a symptom of an illness manifests while a child is at the program, the parent or guardian will be contacted immediately and the child will be cared for away from other children while waiting to be picked up by parent/guardian.
Diarrhea: A first excessively loose stool will constitute a call to the parent. New diet may be the cause. After the 2nd loose stool, the child will be sent home until diarrhea subsides and normal stools are produced at home. When a child returns after a bout of diarrhea, it is a provisional return; if the child experiences another bout of diarrhea, he or she must be picked up immediately.
Fever: If a child has an ear temperature of 100.6 degrees or greater, parent will be asked to pick up the child. The child may return when he/she is fever free and after being kept home for at least 24 hours. This means that your child will be out of the program for one full day after being sent home.

Vomiting

Exclusion for vomiting is decided by incident. Two or more episodes will be cause for exclusion. A first vomiting episode may cause exclusion if the teacher determines that the situation for the child is extreme or debilitating.

Eye Discharge

Eyes must be free of mucus or running substance. Children are asked to be kept home for 24 hours after beginning medication. Clogged tear gland conditions must have a written physician’s note.

Skin Rash

If a child has a rash of any kind, the child will be sent home until the rash is gone or until a physician’s note has been received stating that the rash is not contagious. A physician’s certificate of good health is required to return.

Medications

Upon enrolling your child in this program, you will choose to either permit or deny application of topical ointments such as sunscreen. Please note that we will only use topical ointments for preventative purposes; if they are used as treatment for a medical issue, you must follow the instructions for over-the-counter and prescriptions medications below.

If your would like to allow this program to administer over-the-counter or prescription medications, please fill out a LIC 9221 (http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/forms/English/LIC9221.pdf) form. Please read all instructions carefully. You can also request a copy of our Incidental Medical Services Plan (IMSP) if your child may require life-saving medications such as epinephrine, inhalers, glucagon, etc.

We freely use bandages (i.e. Band aids) and may use antibacterial soap.

Chronic Medical Conditions

If your child has a chronic medical condition, which needs “as needed” treatment (e.g. asthma, eczema, seizures due to high fever), we need physician instructions on file at the program.

Children’s Injuries

If your child sustains a minor injury while at the program (e.g., scraped knee), you will receive an Accident/Incident Report outlining the incident and course of action taken by the staff member. Minor wounds, such as cuts, scrapes, or bites, will be washed with liquid soap and cool, running water followed by rinsing. A dry bandage or dressing may be applied as appropriate. You will be contacted immediately if the injury produces any type of swelling, is on the face or head, or needs medical attention.

If a serious medical emergency occurs, the child will be taken to the hospital immediately by ambulance, and a staff member will contact you (or a designated emergency contact if you cannot be reached).

Emergency Routine

Emergency disaster plans are located in the entry area of K&E Child Care. Our policy is to dial 911 in the event of an extreme emergency.

Philosophy & Curriculum

At K&E Child Care, our mission is to help our students build their best selves. We believe that by providing a safe and engaging space for young people to explore their strengths and curiosities and learn from each other, they can develop the character skills and love for learning they need to thrive in school and in life.

We are a trilingual program. This means we use English, Armenian, and Russian throughout the school day. Young children are at a “critical period” when it comes to language learning; they are uniquely primed to learn language. Learning a second and even third language strengthens children’s cognitive skills in addition to preparing them for a future in an increasingly globalized world.

Our educational philosophy is inspired by The Creative Curriculum, a comprehensive research-based curriculum designed specifically for family child care settings. Our approach uses child-led exploration and discovery to instill confidence in our students, encourage them to be creative, and help them think critically about the world around them. We focus on providing nurturing, intentional, and responsive experiences that are individualized for each child in our program.

Our goal is for children to feel loved, safe, and at home in our home. We are passionate about what we do, and we can’t wait to welcome your family to our school community.

Conflict Resolution

Our emphasis on problem solving and conflict resolution supports our anti-bias goal, where children listen to and respect each other’s hopes, needs, and ideas. Children are gently guided to realize the effects of their actions upon one another. They are taught to be respectful of one another and are encouraged to seek out solutions to problems with each other.

We do not use corporal punishment of any kind nor do we use time-out procedures. Teachers use redirectional approaches, role-modeling, and problem-solving discussions. Children will be gently removed from an area if they are being dangerous with their bodies and cannot stop themselves. The immediate goal and objective of the teacher is to help the child self-regulate and regain control, moving towards conflict-resolution.

Child Abuse Report

It is mandatory for all the staff to report of any suspected child abuse If the staff person suspects that a child has been abused in or out of the in-home facility, they are required by law to report this to Child Protective Services and Community Care Licensing. The person suspecting the abuse is responsible for making that call and should report it to the Director immediately.

Parent Involvement

We ask that parents maintain and uphold the core values of our program. Generally, parents are not expected to stay beyond drop off or pick up unless previously arranged.

Forms

Our in-home facility is licensed by the state of California. As required by the California State Law and regulated by Community Care Licensing, a file on each child child is kept on the premises of the facility. Parents have access to their child’s file upon request.

Parent-Teacher Communication

We strive to keep you up to date about your child’s activities during the day. These reports include:

Sign In/Sign Out
Snack and Meal Menu
Bathroom use, specifying any urinations or BM your child had throughout the day

Acknowledgement of Receipt

I/We hereby acknowledge that I/We have received and read K&E Child Care’s Parent Handbook in its entirety. I/We hereby agree to follow the program policies and procedures. I/We understand that K&E Child Care reserves the right to modify the Program Rules & Policies and any other information contained in the above documents at the program’s discretion, with 60 days of prior written notice.

This invitation for admission to K&E Child Care expires if this contract is not signed, dated, and received with the appropriate deposit fee (indicated above), no later than three days after invitation of admission to the program.

Your Child’s First Day

The Beginning of the Year/Helping Your Child with Transition

During your child’s first days in our program, we take special time to help your child acclimate and transition into new rhythms and schedules. Parents are encouraged to stay for 10 minutes after drop off. In addition to morning drop-offs, we support families who feel their child may need additional transitional support.

These first days may be sensitive for children. We recognize that every child is different with different needs.

Clothing and Spare Clothing

Please do not send your children to the program in their “good” clothes. Clothes should be free to be stained, dirty or in rare instances even ripped.Clothing should be wholesome. We do not support violent or inappropriate imagery. Please send your child in safe, comfortable footwear. Flip-flops are not permitted.