McKee After School Program strives on initiating and developing strong working relationships with our families in addition to members of our community, agencies, and relevant professional groups. Open communication is essential in order for us to provide the best possible care for the children. The Centre maintains an open-door policy, in which staff should always behave in a warm, uplifting, and inviting manner. We wish that all feel welcome. At the time of registration, parents are given the parent handbook which outlines the policies and procedures that pertain to them. All changes to these policies will be emailed to parents so they have the most up-to-date information throughout the year.
During the Annual Review, parents are asked to provide feedback and suggestions for possible adjustments to the policies and procedures. McKee After School Program will ensure that all parents, children, staff members, and community members will receive all written and verbal information that is relevant to them. This will occur efficiently, and in a professional and respectful manner that maintains the confidentiality of all individuals. It is recognized that relevant information is defined differently depending on the receiver of the information. In deciding what information is relevant to be shared, the Program will ensure that there is a reasonable belief that the information will be of assistance.
The goal of the Centre is to create a safe environment where the children can learn how to effectively use self-control and problem-solving skills to develop dignity and self-esteem. Our staff members use the guidance policy on a daily basis with the children. Modeling the behaviors outlines below is essential to the children’s learning.
The child guidance/behavior policy will be communicated to parents, staff, and children, where developmentally appropriate. Staff will plan their programs to minimize behavior problems by:
Planning activities that are based on children’s interests and appropriate for the age and individual levels of the children.
Providing a balance between active/quiet and self-directed/teacher-directed activities.
Carefully planning transitions between activities.
Focusing attention on the children, guiding their behavior, facilitating their learning, interacting with and encouraging them as they strive to overcome new challenges
Reinforcing positive behaviors
Staff uses many techniques to assist children in developing positive social skills, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Although methods vary depending on children’s ages and the severity of the situation, all teach problem-solving skills and attempt to instill an intrinsically motivated sense of right and wrong. Staff uses the following techniques when dealing with conflict situations:
Consistency: So children know what to expect, limits and expectations are consistent, and all adults respond in a similar way to conflict situations.
Focus on the positive. Find the child’s strengths. Each child has unique abilities, ideas, and skills to contribute. They will build confidence and positive self-esteem.
Catch the child doing something good!
Setting Limits: Children are given basic, clear, and concise rules to guide their behavior. Boundaries and expectations expand as children develop. Rules & expectations are age appropriate.
Modeling: Adults clearly demonstrate compassionate, caring behaviors that set examples for children to follow.
Validating feelings: Acknowledging one’s own emotions and those of other children facilitates learning. Don’t judge or tell them how to feel.
Redirection: Staff tells children what they can do instead of what they cannot do.
Tone: A kind yet serious tone delivered by intervening adults reinforces children’s sense of security and lets them know the situation is under control.
Passive intervention: Staff gives children time to work through their own problems, but are there to help if things escalate to destructive or aggressive behavior.
Problem-solving: Children are given tools to settle conflicts (negotiate, make retribution, collaborate, etc.) Staff facilitates a problem-solving process. They help children identify problems and encourage them to generate solutions.
Natural and logical consequences: Staff point out and reinforce natural consequences as they occur. Children see the results of their own behavior and begin to modify it accordingly.
Junior Leader Program: Children are involved in leadership/teamwork opportunities.
Under no circumstance are the following permitted:
Inflict or cause to be inflicted any form of physical punishment, verbal or physical degradation or emotional deprivation.
Deny or threaten to deny any basic necessity, or use or permit the use of any form of physical constraint, confinement or isolation.
Any form of bullying (see anti-bullying policy in the parent handout.)
Staff receives a copy of the discipline policy upon hiring and it is introduced during their orientation. Staff are to ensure that the safety of each child is a priority. The action must be reasonable given the circumstances.
To ensure that we have a safe environment, we are advising you of some common expectations:
Showing respect to oneself, others, and property.
Each child has both indoor & outdoor shoes.
Behaving in an acceptable manner ((ex) using an acceptable indoor voice level.)
Leaving the potentially dangerous property, weapon toys, expensive toys, and games at home. If a child brings a toy or object from home they may be asked to leave it in their backpack while in the center. If the toy or object brought is dangerous or causes problems in the center, the object will be removed from the child's possession and returned to the guardian to pick up the child at the end of the day. When bringing objects from home the child remains responsible for those objects, not the staff.
The following inappropriate behaviors are considered major:
Physical abuse (not keeping hands, feet, bodies, and objects to yourself: doing anything that hurts others)
Willful disobedience and opposition to authority (not listening to adults)
Theft or vandalism
Disrespectful and abusive language (talking back or swearing)
Continuous minor offenses
Leaving the grounds or premises without permission, running away from staff
Continuous disruptive behavior
In ALL of the inappropriate behaviors mentioned previously, staff will try their utmost to first work with the child. If successful, the behavior may be documented or an incident report form will be filled out, which the staff involved, the child involved, and the guardian must sign before leaving the center that day. If not successful, parents will be called and asked to IMMEDIATELY come and pick up their child. The suspension will be for the remainder of the day. If the problem has been ongoing suspension may be longer. Actions will be left to the staff’s discretion. Staff will make responses to minor incidents on the spot. Parents will always be contacted for major behavior offenses.
If you are a guardian and would like to contact the center for any reason please call or email the Center.
Our main form of communication is through Class Dojo. Once your child is enrolled at our center you will be added to Class Dojo. Through Class Dojo, you will receive text messages with information about our Center and with links to our monthly newsletters.
Through Class Dojo you will receive a link to our monthly Newsletters which contain information about that month and any important upcoming events.
If your child is ill (vomiting, diarrhea, has a fever, or is unable to participate in the program) they MUST be kept home for at least 24 hours.
If your child becomes ill while at the center, guardians listed in emergency contacts will be called to take them home (vomiting, high fever, diarrhea, or any other contagious condition).
Any incidences of communicable diseases will be posted on the bulletin board and disclosed to you through the class dojo. All health regulations will be followed.
All toys are on a rotating cleaning schedule.
Tables, chairs, and couches are disinfected after every meal time and again once all the children have left for the day.
The center is swept and vacuumed on a daily basis and mopping occurs every Friday afternoon.
Deep cleaning of the center (lockers, walls, kitchen) occurs on a regular basis.
Personal hygiene is very important in stopping the spread of germs and viruses.
Children attending McKee After School Care must be potty trained and able to use the bathroom on their own.
All children wash their hands before and after meals, coming in from palying in the gym or outside, and washroom breaks. Staff also hand wash during these times.
We encourage you to wash your hands and your child’s hands when you arrive and leave the centre. We have sanatizer located at he front entrance for your convenience.
Please disclose any information regarding your child's allergies or medication they are taking so that we can always ensure the safety of your children in our center.
Prescribed medication can be administered but must:
have a Doctor’s prescription with it
be in the original container with the parent’s written permission
We love to celebrate your child's birthdays at our center! If you would like to bring special treats for our friends at the center, we ask that you let our staff know at least 24 hours in advance so we can prepare to serve the treats during our snack time the next day.
If you are bringing treats to celebrate a birthday, please ensure you ask our staff how many treats are needed for all of the friends at our center!
We are currently not serving any homemade foods or treats in the center. Birthday treats that we can give to the children include individual items that can be bought at a store. Some examples include:
Cupcakes
Cookies
Doughnuts (such as Timbits)
Individually wrapped candies or chocolate
We will no longer serve items that need to be cut or divided.
Outdoor play is an important part of our programming. We feel it is essential for the children to get outside. Two beautiful playgrounds are available to them as well as portable recreational and sports equipment. Staff must be sure to take emergency contact numbers as well as a first aid kit any time children leave the Centre and go outside.
Cold Weather Policy for Outdoor Play
Children should not be taken outside if the temperature is -20C or more (with the wind chill factored in). When going outside on cold days, staff shall ensure that children are dressed appropriately before going out. Children must come to the center with a jacket (coat), mittens, hat, snow pants, and appropriate outdoor footwear such as boots.
Hot Weather Policy for Outdoor Play
Children should not be taken outside if the temperature reaches 30C (with the heat index factored in). On these days staff should only take the children out earlier in the day before it heats up. When children are out on hot days, staff shall be mindful of the effect of the heat on children by providing opportunities for shade, making sure children have water bottles or allowing more trips to the water fountain, and limiting the amount of time the children are outdoors.
SUNSCREEN & HATS
Parents are required to send a hat and sunscreen in the summer months. Hats must be labeled with the child’s name. Sunscreen must be labeled with the child’s name. Children are encouraged to put sunscreen on themselves. Staff will supervise the children applying sunscreen and help if need be. Sunscreen must be applied for 30 minutes or more before going outside in the summer months. Sunscreen will be reapplied as required, for example during outdoor water play. The Center does not supply Sunscreen if the child does not have any – in that case, the child will be encouraged to sit in a shaded area.
INSECT REPELLENT
When applied correctly, DEET is appropriate for use on children. Always read product label instructions. Read labels to determine what is best for your child/children. Again staff will supervise the children applying insect repellent and help if need be. The Center does not supply Insect Repellent. Please label all products.
McKee After School Program endeavors to create a safe environment for our children. Our programming includes Enhanced Programming, which goes beyond our standard daily programming and includes lessons, guests and day field trips mainly for days such as Program Development Days, Spring Break, summer holidays, etc. It is important to make outings as safe as possible while allowing children to learn from their experiences in a variety of settings.
If you require someone other than yourself to pick-up your child then you must:
Provide daycare staff with written notice of who will pick up the child.
Individuals must present a photo ID when picking up their child.
The individual must be 16 years of age or older.
During your initial visits to the center, please make us aware of your expectations. We will ensure that you are aware of ours. If a problem or concern arises, please discuss them with your child’s primary caregiver. If their response is not satisfactory please discuss it with the team leader/program director. If necessary a meeting will be set up with Corinne the Executive Director to resolve the issue. We will all benefit if concerns are brought to our attention. When a problem with a child is ongoing, we may seek an outside referral. If a child continuously has difficulty or if the issue is not resolved to our satisfaction, the parents will be asked to remove their child from the center with or without notice.
Complaints can be logged, regarding non-compliance with the Child Care Licensing Act and Child Care Licensing Regulation, to the regional Licensing Office. The identity of the complainant is not divulged to the license holder. All complaints are investigated. Written complaints submitted by the parent of a child enrolled in the center will be responded to in writing by the Regional Licensing Office indicating whether the complaint was verified and that appropriate action has been taken. Complaints can be anonymous.
Photographs: The goals of photos and videos within the classroom setting are to enhance learning, and share experiences with families. Such images shall never be used for monetary gain by any party; nor will they be created without the signed permission of the parent(s) who is enrolling in the program. We ask that parents understand that photo and video images are a standard and routine occurrence within our program, especially in those that utilize photographs for display and learning purposes. Therefore, McKee will obtain parental permission at the time of enrollment. The child’s name and or identifying information will not be used in any publication or educational use of the image. The child’s name will only be used in the creation of the portfolio, newsletters, celebration cards, and goodbye cards for the child’s family.
Movies: There will be times (especially during the summer program, spring break, and PD days) when movies will be played for "movie day." Movies will not exceed the rating of G for the children unless otherwise specified to parents.
Technology day: There will be specified days (summer program, spring break and PD days) where the children will be allowed to bring their technological devices such as Chromebooks, ipads, tablets, phones, etc. to the center for game usage. On these days, children will be allotted a maximum of 1 hour (30 mins at a time) on their devices. Usually once before lunch and once after lunch. Games that involve violence, crude humor, swearing, or inappropriate material are prohibited. Please be aware that if your child is playing games with any of the prohibited topics above, their device will be taken away and given back to parent(s)/guardians upon pick up. Children will not be given the After School Care wifi, therefore please ensure games are already downloaded for the children's use.
Social media is strictly prohibited at McKee After School Care. Unless otherwise specified cell phones should not come to After School Care.
McKee After School Program supports the principles of equity through implementing inclusive and diversity practices. Our aim is to achieve equal relations between nationalities, races, religions, genders, and special needs; cultivate each child’s ability to stand up for themselves and for others, and act to promote equity and justice.
Currently, McKee After School Care does not provide lunches or snacks to the children. unless otherwise specified. Therefore, each child must bring his/her own lunch. Healthy and nutritious snacks are strongly encouraged in your child/children’s lunches.
We currently do not heat up lunches. Please do not send food that needs to be heated up with your child to After School Care. The Centre ensures that all children receive nutritious snacks that take into account health issues while respecting family requests and preferences. Canada Food Guide is used in the planning of our snacks (if served at After School Care.) Lunch is around 11:45 a.m. Morning snacks are from 8:10 to 8:25 a.m. and afternoons snacks are from 3:30 to 3:50 p.m. Morning snack is just that – snack. Please ensure that your child also has a nutritious breakfast.
McKee After School Program is a nut-free facility. We do not allow peanut butter, peanuts/nuts, peanuts/nuts in snacks, and/or products that have peanuts/nuts in them. Your attention in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Emergency Evacuation procedures are posted and made known to all staff, children and parents. In case of an emergency that necessitates the evacuation of the After School Program, the children would be evacuated to:
*Empire Park Community Hall at 4804 - 107 Street, Phone (780) 434 - 4226.
The alternate site is:
*Southgate Centre at 11100 - 51 Avenue, Phone 435 - 3721.
The children will be walked over and kept until the parents pick them up. Parents will be contacted by the staff of the After School Program. The program supervisor or designate is responsible to take the portable records with them when leaving the program premises.
Children are spoken to and drilled about evacuation procedures. Parents are aware of this emergency procedure as it is included in our parent handbook as well as in our administrative manual for staff. It is also posted at our entrance.