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HKLC Parent Handbook We understand that children occasionally get sick and that your child's illness is understandably a matter of great concern. However, if your child exhibits symptoms of short-term, contagious diseases which can be transmitted through casual contact (fever, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, frequent cough, heavy running nose, frequent sneezing, etc.) during a 24-hour period prior to scheduled attendance at the Center, your child should be kept at home until the symptoms of illness have been absent for 24 hours or a note from the physician accompanies the child stating that your child does not have a contagious condition and is able to participate fully in all activities at the Center. Children with vomiting, diarrhea, or a temperature of 101ºF oral or above are considered too ill to attend. If you have been contacted to pick up your child due to one or more symptoms of illness, your child may not return before 24 hours without written notification from the child's licensed health practitioner. Additionally, your child should exhibit a fever of less than 101ºF oral for at least 24 hours, without medication taken to reduce fever, before returning to Hoya Kids. When taking an axillary temperature (under the arm), as we do at the Center, an additional degree must be added to equal an oral temperature. Parents or guardians of a child who has a medical diagnosis by a physician as having a life-threatening disease are expected to notify the Director that such a condition exists. The Director or designee will consult with the individual's family primary care physician, and the DC Public Health Department to determine whether this child is well enough to be in child care, poses no significant risk to others and that Hoya Kids Learning Center can meet the needs of the child. A child's right to privacy will be respected and personnel will be advised of the child's condition on a need-to-know basis. Should your child develop or display obvious symptoms of illness or display what would be considered abnormal behavior (such as refusal to eat, unusual fatigue, excessive irritability) while at the Center, a decision will be made by the Director or designee, that he or she may not be permitted to remain at the Center for the duration of the day. In such an instance, "early pick-up" is required to take place as soon as possible, and no later than one hour from the time that the staff person calls you to advise you of the need for early pick-up. Failure to pick up your child within one hour of notification will result in a doubled late fee. Staff will make repeated efforts to contact you, or your child's designated alternative emergency contact, in order to assure that notice of the need for pick-up is received. You can facilitate this effort by taking steps to assure that you can be reached in the event of an emergency. Please be prepared to follow the Director's decision regarding early pick-up. The Director and staff realize that keeping your child at home may be inconvenient; however, when every parent cooperates, the spread of illness is kept to a minimum. It should be noted that any child with an undiagnosed or contagious skin or eye condition cannot attend the Center. You must notify the Center in the event that your child is diagnosed as having any communicable disease/infection (e.g. strep throat, scarlet fever, head lice, chicken pox, measles). A notice will be posted informing parents of any communicable disease to which their children may have been exposed which will describe the disease, infection period, and when an infected child will be allowed to return to the Center. In order to return to the Center after an illness, your child must be well enough to eat meals and snacks, go outdoors, and be fully able to participate in all activities in the Center. Our staff will call you when it seems that your child is developing a health problem. We hope that such early communication can facilitate the resolution of health problems as they occur and thereby prevent the spread of illness. THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED ILLNESS POLICIES WILL BE FIRMLY ENFORCED. If in the opinion of the staff on site at the time, your child's injury/serious illness may warrant emergency treatment, Georgetown's Department of Public Safety (7-HELP) will be called and they will dispatch G.E.R.M.S., or a D.C. ambulance. Your child will be taken to Georgetown Hospital. You will be notified after the rescue squad has been called. The Emergency Medical Treatment Form allows the Center to have your child transported to the hospital emergency room and treated there. If an ambulance is called, you will be responsible for the cost of the ambulance. For less serious injuries, at the discretion of the staff, you will be notified by phone or by note at the end of the day, depending upon the degree of injury. The D.C. Health Certificate and Emergency Medical Treatment Form must be filled out and kept up to date. Although we make every effort to keep your child safe, children are most likely to accumulate some bumps, bruises, and scratches during the early years. No medication will be given without a doctor's prescription or written authorization from the doctor for non-prescription medication. For any medication to be given, the Center must have a Medication Authorization Form signed by the parent. All medications must be brought to the Center by the parents and given directly to the Director or Assistant Director. After checking for proper authorizations and clear instructions on the Medication Authorization form, medication is then to be immediately placed in the proper safe medicine box. Medications will be kept at the temperature recommended for that type of medication. Refrigerated medication is placed in a sturdy, locked child-resistant, closed container in the refrigerator. Medications not requiring refrigeration will be placed in a locked medicine box where it is inaccessible to children.
Prescription Medication:
Non-Prescription Medication:
Your child must have a physical examination by a licensed physician prior to enrollment. The completed health report is part of the pre-enrollment package and must be submitted to the Center at least one week prior to your child's first day of attendance. You will need to submit updated physical inoculation and examination forms signed by a licensed physician on an annual basis, or every six months for children under three years of age. Prior to enrollment, your child must obtain all age-appropriate immunizations and tests as required by the District of Columbia. Please see the attached "D.C. Health Certificate for Children" for the schedule of required immunizations. After admission to the Center, you are responsible for regularly updating your child's health files to reflect new immunizations and to keep the records current. In the event your child is under-immunized because of a medical condition (documented by the child's physician), Hoya Kids staff will exclude him or her promptly if a vaccine-preventable disease to which your child is succeptible occurs in the program. Access to Child Files and Confidentiality A limited number of individuals have immediate access to children's files. These individuals include the child's parents or legal guardian, Center administrators, teaching staff who are directly responsible for the care of that child (unless otherwise indicated in the file), and regulatory authorities, on request. The Department of Health assigns a licensing specialist to the center who will annually verify compliance in regards to child files, and therefore will have access to child files. Otherwise, child files, and the information therein, are strictly confidential, and are stored in a secure location. Staff are trained in confidentiality of child and family information and as members of the Department of Human Resources sign a confidentiality agreement. In addition, all staff receive training in NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct which, among other issues, addresses confidentiality. Toilet Learning Learning to go to the toilet is one of the most complex developmental tasks of early childhood. Toilet learning requires specific neurological and physical maturations in the child. When the child is ready, parents and staff discuss the child's individual toilet learning program and work through the process together. Employees of our Center are mandated by law to report evidence or suspicion of child abuse or neglect. (D.C. Code Ann. 2-1352 (a), (b), (d)) Persons found guilty of failure to report abuse may be subject to fine or prosecution by the authorities. Should your child sustain an injury while at Hoya Kids Learning Center, an accident report will be filled out and signed by the staff person and Director. Parents are asked to read and sign the report. Three copies of the report are provided; one for the parents, one for the child's file, and one for the accident log book. |
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