FOREST HILLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CHILD CARE HANDBOOK
A very cordial welcome is extended to each of our families. We are happy to have your child participate in our child care program and look forward to a successful year together. Working with you and your child(ren) to provide the best possible experience is our goal and our responsibility. In keeping with this charge, we are providing this handbook to acquaint you with our program.
The rules and guidelines included are necessary to make the program an effective place for children to grow socially and emotionally.
Child Care Sites
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Ada Elementary
731 Ada Drive, SE Ada, MI 49301
616-493-8945
Ada Vista Elementary
7192 Bradfield, SE Ada, MI 49301
616-493-8975
Central Woodlands 5/6 (Inclement Weather/Full Day care)
400 Alta Dale, SE Ada, MI 49301
616-493-8796
Collins Elementary
4368 Heather Lane, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-493-8905
Knapp Forest Elementary
4243 Knapp Valley, NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
616-493-8985
Meadow Brook Elementary
1450 Forest Hill, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-493-8746
Northern Trails 5/6
3777 Leonard, NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
616-493-8996
Orchard View Elementary
2770 Leffingwell, NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
616-493-8935
Pine Ridge Elementary
3250 Redford, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-493-8915
Thornapple Elementary
6932 Bridgewater, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
616-493-8925
Admission Policy
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Students entering junior kindergarten through the sixth grade are age eligible to receive care at the elementary and Northern Trails 5/6 building only. Admission is open to all Forest Hills students. Registrations will be approved until the site reaches the capacity designated by the state of Michigan. There is an annual $40.00 registration fee. *Orchard View and Knapp Forest are K-5th only.
Enrollment Procedure
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Online registration is available through our Child Care page. Before and After School Child Care registration is available in June and Summer Day Care registration is available in April. Check our website for specific dates.
Schedules
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At the time of registration, parents/guardians will commit their child to a regular schedule and be required to sign up for 5 days per week/per program, adjustments will be made for district observed holidays. Non-Scheduled school days or Half days will require a separate registration.
Tuition is charged on the basis of enrollment, not attendance.
Any change in your child’s original schedule must be in writing and submitted no less than 5 business days prior to the change. Please email the child care office and/or the site director with any changes in your child’s schedule.
Days Of Operation
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The Forest Hills Child Care program offers care year round with the exception of district holidays and staff training days.
Before and after school care: Monday through Friday at all of the child care sites from 7:00 am until the start of the school day and from the end of the school day until 6:00pm, when school is in session.
Child Care Drop Off / Pick Up Procedures
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Before and After School Child Care
- Parents must walk their Child(ren) in the building and sign Child(ren) in/out on the Chrome book.
- Child Care directors will share drop off and pick up procedures with parents before school begins.
Non-School Day and Summer Child Care
- Parents must walk their Child(ren) in the building and sign Child(ren) in/out on the Chrome book. Follow the directions posted on the door.
Late Pick Up Fee
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Parents who arrive after our scheduled end time to pick up their child from care will be charged a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute per child. After 3 late arrivals the fee is $5 per minute. Continued late arrivals could result in dismissal from the program, please make every effort to be punctual.
Program Content
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Activities in our Before and After school programs are designed to be flexible enough to meet each child’s individual developmental needs. The environment is child-centered with one-to-one, and small and large group activities. These may include arts and crafts, games, sports, and time for homework. The importance of peer interaction is considered when planning activities. Children will be supervised at all times by professionally trained, licensed and experienced staff.
Daily Schedule*
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*Subject to change at each individual site
AM Care
7:00am Child Care begins
Wash Hands/Breakfast
Inside playtime/Arts and crafts
Outside playtime or Gym time
8:30am dismissal time (Ada Vista 8:00am dismissal time)
PM Care
3:30pm arrival time (Ada Vista 3:05 pm arrival time)
Check in
Wash hands/Snack
Inside Playtime/Arts and crafts
Outside playtime or Gym time
6:00 pm Child Care ends
Meals And Snacks
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A prepackaged breakfast and afternoon snack will be provided for children enrolled in the before and after care program. A monthly menu is posted at all sites.
While attending full day care, children are offered breakfast and a morning and afternoon snack. Families need to provide lunch with a drink. All food served meets or exceeds the guidelines set by the USDA.
Dress And Personal Belongings
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Children are expected to go outside daily, weather permitting. Please send clearly labeled outerwear for your child. Children also will use the gymnasium. Hard soled shoes and boots are not permitted in the gym. Children are required to wear shoes while in our care. All personal property should be labeled with a permanent marker. Forest Hills Child Care is not responsible for lost items.
FOREST HILLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHILD CARE PROGRAM IS AN ELECTRONICS FREE PROGRAM
(NO PHONE, TABLETS, OR SMART WATCHES)
District Observed Holidays
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Child care is not available on district observed holidays: First Friday of the first week of school, Friday before the holiday and Labor Day;Thanksgiving holiday and the Friday following the holiday; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day; Memorial Day; July 4 (day before or after depending on when the holiday falls). Child care is not available the last 2 weeks of summer vacation before school starts due to staff training and resetting sites.
SCHEDULED NON-SCHOOL DAYS – Must Register in Advance.
Staffing and planning for scheduled non-school days is done well in advance to assure the safety of the children. Registration on the child care website is required for scheduled non-school days. Families will receive a confirmation email when registration has been processed. Full day registration is required. Children receive breakfast, a morning and an afternoon snack. Parents need to provide a bagged lunch with a drink. Cost is $45 per day Families are not charged for non-school days unless they registered for care in advance.
Child care will be held at Central Woodlands ONLY from 7:30AM-5:00PM on all non-scheduled school days.
*No registrations will be processed after the registration deadline.
*Your account must be current to register for non-scheduled school days.
Inclement Weather Days
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Full day care is available at Central Woodlands* from 7:30am-5:00pm
Children must be currently enrolled in our before and after school program to use Inclement Weather Days.
Full day care is $45.00. If you choose to use care on an inclement weather day, your account will be credited for the regular before and/or after care charge. If you choose not to use care, your account will not be credited for regularly scheduled sessions.
*Please note availability of care is on a first come basis and families may be turned away if we are at capacity.
Summer Day Care
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Summer Child Care is available. Please check our website for more information about FHPS Summer Day Camp.
Tuition / Cost
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$55 Per Week for Before School Care
$55 Per Week for After School care
10% sibling discount
Adjustments will be made to your monthly invoice for District Observed Holidays.
Billing Statements / Payments
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Forest Hills Child Care is a prepaid program. Tuition is due the 5th of each month. Families will be responsible for securing their own statements from the EZChildTrack Portal EZChildTrack Parent Portal (no monthly statements will be mailed). We accept MC ,Visa, E-check or Money order. Online bill pay is available through the EZChildTrack account and can be set up at the time of registration. A late fee of $25 will be applied to any unpaid balance by the 20th of each month. Payments not made by the 20th of each month (if a payment plan has not been communicated with the office) will be suspended.
Families receiving state assistance must file a certificate of authorization before care begins.
*Yearly tax statements are available mid-January on the child care website. The Federal ID number is located in the heading of the statement.
Absences / Extended Illness / Family Vacation
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For the safety of your child, please call or email the site director if your child will be absent from the program for any reason. If your child is registered to be in attendance, the director must be able to determine the whereabouts of your child. If your child(ren) experiences an extended illness or is hospitalized and will not be attending care, please contact the child care office and your site director. No credit is given for absences taken during regularly scheduled sessions.
Withdrawal Policy
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We require a five (5) business day written notification for withdrawal from the program. Please contact the child care office and your site director by email or phone with the date of the last day of care.
Medication Policy
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Per licensing regulations and Forest Hills Public Schools policy, any medication your child may require while in our care needs to be in a labeled Ziploc bag in its original container with the physician’s instructions for dispensing. A Medication form MEDICATION PERMISSION AND INSTRUCTIONS CHILD CARE HOMES AND CENTERS will need to be completed by a parent/or guardian to keep on file. Please remember to bring your child’s medication to any non-school day and inclement weather day sites. All medication will be administered and recorded by child care personnel.
Allergies
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Allergy information is a required field when registering. We generate a list of the children who have food allergies and provide the information to the site directors. Please note we serve nut free snacks whenever possible. If there are any other dietary needs please feel free to send a snack with your child.
Emergency Procedures
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In the event of an accident or emergency, parents/guardians will be contacted immediately. If we are unable to reach a parent/guardian, we will contact the designated contacts provided by the parent/guardian during the registration process.
Injuries
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If your child sustains a minor injury while in our care, an “Ouch” report will be completed and sent home with the child. Injuries requiring a visit to the child’s physician or the emergency room will be reported to the state of Michigan and Forest Hills Public School health coordinator within 24 hours. A staff member will contact parents/guardians within 24 hours as procedure dictates.
Severe Weather Policy
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Children will be moved to a protective area in school under the supervision of the child care staff until the parent arrives. See site director for location of protective area designated for childcare.
Health Policy
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We cannot provide care when your child(ren) is ill. If your child(ren) becomes ill while in our care, we will notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) to come to school and take your child home. The child(ren) will be separated from the group and supervised until parent(s) pick up.
In consideration for our child care providers and children in our care, please keep your child home if they exhibit any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Children must be symptom free for at least 24 hours before returning to care.
- Children must be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to the child care program.
- Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
- Rash
- Persistent cough
- Diarrhea
- Communicable disease
- For the health and safety of your child(ren) and others, communicable diseases must be reported to the staff so families can be informed and be aware of symptoms.
Handwashing Policy
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The staff will clean their hands with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds.
- Before, during and after preparing food.
- Before eating food.
- Before and after handling medications.
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- After playing outside.
- After touching pets or other animals.
- After cleaning up potentially hazardous materials, including bodily fluids.
- After taking out or touching garbage.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
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Tables will be cleaned after each use using the 3 step method per state license regulations posted at the site. All toys and washables will be sanitized on a daily basis.
Behavior Policy
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The Forest Hills Child Care Program has been developed to provide a warm, positive environment that meets children’s daily needs. There are times when behavior problems may occur and need to be managed. The following guidelines have been developed to support this environment.
- We have the right to be safe in Child Care: This means do not hit; do not push; do not hurt anyone.
- We have the right to be treated with kindness and respect in Child Care: This means to be kind to all; be fair to all; do not hurt others’ feelings.
- We have the right to hear and be heard in Child Care: This means be a good listener; do not interrupt; do not disturb others.
- We have the right to have personal property respected in Child Care: This means be careful with all things; do not take or mistreat anything that belongs to others.
- We have the right to attend a clean and orderly Child Care site: This means to show respect for school property; do not litter and help put away toys and supplies that have been used.
- We have the right to know that everyone is respected in Child Care: This means to be considerate and cooperate with adults and children.
Our staff will use positive methods of discipline, which will encourage self-control, self-direction, increased self-esteem and cooperation. The staff will explain to the child why certain behaviors may be inappropriate and focus on what the child should be saying or doing rather than focus on the negative behavior. Rules will be explained to the children.
Progressive Discipline Plan
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Children are entitled to a pleasant and harmonious environment while participating in the Child Care program. The program cannot serve a child who displays chronically disruptive behavior. Chronically disruptive behavior is defined as verbal or physical activity that may include, but is not limited to, behavior that requires constant attention from the staff and ignores or disobeys the rules that guide appropriate behavior. If a child cannot adjust to the program setting and behave appropriately, he or she may be dismissed.
Step 1 – 1st Warning – Child is given a verbal warning specifically stating the inappropriate behavior. Depending on the age of the child, the child will either be told or will be asked to display more appropriate behavior.
Step 2 – 2nd Warning – Child will be reminded of inappropriate/appropriate behavior and a logical consequence to take place if misbehavior occurs again.
Step 3 – Child receives the logical consequence as described to him/her in Step 2. Parent communication takes place in person, by telephone, and/or in written form. The Child Care office will contact the parent/guardian that the next step will be probation.
Step 4 – Child is placed on probation by the child care director. A letter is sent home to parents from the Child Care Services, a copy will be given to the school’s principal, and the on site Child Care Director.
Step 5 – Suspension of program privileges. Permanent dismissal shall take place if the behavior continues upon reinstatement from suspension.
Pesticide Notification
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The individual elementary school and 5/6 grade buildings will notify the families when pesticide applications occur on the premises. The advance notice will contain the information about the pesticide, including the target pest or purpose, approximate location, date of the application, having knowledge of such circumstances, contact information at the center, and a toll-free number for a national pesticide information center recognized by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Parent Notification Of The Licensing Notebook
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Child Care Organizations Act, 1973 Public Act 116
Michigan Department of Human Services
All child care centers must maintain a licensing notebook either a hard copy or an online copy which includes all licensing inspection reports, special investigation reports and all related corrective action plans (CAP). The notebook must include all reports issued and CAPs developed on and after May 27, 2010 until the license is closed.
- This center maintains a licensing notebook of all licensing inspection reports, special investigation reports and all related corrective action plans for the last 5 years.
- The notebook is available online and can be accessed at any time.
- Licensing inspection and special investigation reports from at least the past 3 years are available on the Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing website at