ENROLLMENT POLICY

Upon enrollment you will be required to submit an Enrollment Form, immunization records and a Child’s General Health Appraisal for each child. If your child has a medical or personal exemption for immunizations, you will be required to provide the State of Colorado Immunization Waiver. Children will not be able to utilize our services until we receive all needed forms required by the Colorado Department of Human Services. 

A child who is not appropriately vaccinated for his/her age and not in-process, or not exempt, shall be denied attendance in accordance with 6 CCR 1009-2.

CHECKING IN

Upon drop off you will be asked to sign your child in on our Sign In and Out Tablet.  You must know your PIN! You will provide us with diapers, wipes and any food or drinks that you would like your child to have during their day. 

At pick up you will be required to show identification and sign your child out on the Sign In and Out Tablet.  You must know your PIN!  Once you are signed out, our staff members will bring your child to you and let you know all about their fun day.

If someone other than a parent or guardian is picking up, you will need to notify the staff and they will also be required to show identification and say your password. Others allowed to pick up must be at least 18 years or older.

CHECKING OUT

We ask that you pick up your child on time. If your child is not picked up by closing there will be an additional charge of $1 per minute for each child in our care after hours.   If you have not been in contact with us by closing time and we are unable to contact you, the local police department will be called. 

VISITOR POLICY

All visitors that enter the center must sign in on our visitor log and provide identification. Tours may be scheduled in advance through the center Director.

ILLNESS, ACCIDENT & INJURY POLICY

Noco Kids Nest has a strict sick policy and we strive to keep the center clean and germ free. In order to keep our staff and your child healthy, we ask that parents do not bring your child in for care if they have had a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting in the last 24 hours. Also, if a child is sick with a cold, flu, chicken pox, pink eye, or other contagious illnesses they will not be allowed in the center. If you suspect your child may be contagious, please keep them home. If staff are concerned, they may require a doctor’s note that states that your child is okay to be in our care. If your child gets sick while in our care, we will call you immediately and you will need to pick your child up within thirty minutes. During those thirty minutes we will provide a quiet area away from other children for your child to rest and they will be provided a mat, blanket, and reading material. We follow this procedure in order to keep your child healthy and to adhere to the Colorado Health Department regulations for the safety of all children in our care. In the case of a minor accident or injury in our center, staff will administer basic First Aid. We clean minor injuries with soap and water, apply bandages when needed and give lots of hugs. We will notify parents by letter, phone or at pick up. In the case of a major injury, allergic reaction or life-threatening situation emergency services will be called immediately and parents/guardians will be notified. All serious injuries and incidents will be reported to the State Licensing Department. All illnesses, accidents and injuries are documented and kept in the child’s file.

MEDICATION POLICY

 Any routine medication, prescription or non-prescription (over-the-counter), must be administered only with a current written order of a health care provider with prescriptive authority and with written parental consent. Home remedies, including homeopathic medications cannot be administered in our childcare center. 

The written order by the person with prescriptive authority shall include:

a. Child’s name

b. Licensed prescribing practitioner name, telephone number, and signature

c. Date authorized

d. Name of medication and dosage

e. Time of day medication is to be given

f. Route of medication

g. Length of time the medication is to be given

h. Reason for medication (unless this information needs to remain confidential)

i. Side effects or reactions to watch for; and

j. Special instruction

Medications:

*Must be kept in the original labeled bottle or container. Prescription medications must contain the original pharmacy label.

*Over-the-counter medication must be kept in the originally labeled container and be labeled with the child’s first and last name.

*In case medication needs to be given on an ongoing, long-term basis, the authorization and consent forms must be reauthorized on an at least annual basis. Any changes in the original medication authorization requires a new written order by the prescribing practitioner and a change in the prescription label. 

*Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used multiple times with one (1) current, signed multi-use medication order for up to three (3) consecutive calendar days if the order is specific about when the medication is to be given. The child specific multi-use medication order must be renewed with the child’s updated health statement. 

* If a medication is out of date or left over, parents are responsible for picking up the medication. If parents do not respond within 2 business days, the center will properly dispose of the medication.

* A written medication log will be kept for all children that require medication.

Emergency medications are stored in a room temperature box in the front office. Staff will have easy access to all medication in case of an emergency.  If medication requires refrigeration, we will have a separate area in the refrigerator to keep the medication in a leak proof container. As provided by law, emergency medications are not to be locked (for example inhalers or epi pens) so staff has quick access. 

Upon enrollment you will be provided a Medical Permission Sheet that you will need to have signed from your child’s physician. This form is required to be filled out annually to ensure that we are up to date on your child’s medication needs. We do not accept EpiPens and inhalers that are expired or if they are not in their original packaging.

All our staff have First Aid and CPR training, Standard Precautions training and are trained to use an EpiPen and inhaler if needed. Only staff members who have medical administration training will administer medication. We always have at least one staff member onsite who has medical administration training. If an EpiPen is used on a child suffering from an allergic reaction, we will first contact emergency services and then call the child’s parents/guardians immediately after. 

EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION/MEDICAL ATTENTION POLICY

In the event of an emergency, we require that you sign the area on the Enrollment form that gives authorization for emergency medical care and transportation: In the event of an emergency, permission is needed for child care staff to access emergency medical services for your child, including transport. Updated contact information will need to be on file so that we are able to contact you or others you may designate.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN

Noco Kids Nest staff want to make sure that your children are always safe, so we preprare for and practice all emergency procedures. We want you to know what to expect and what will be happening if a crisis or emergency happens at our center. Please view the following:

Inclement and excessively hot weather: We will be indoors and provide extra water.
Winter weather: We live in a snowy state, so it is important for you to keep up with the weather during the winter months. For the safety of the staff or children we may decide to close our facility early or close for the day. If we close early, we will be sure to notify parents/guardians as soon as we can so that you can pick up your children. 
Fire: Staff members will gather all children and everyone to a safe designated area outside of the building. Parents/guardians will be notified immediately and will be instructed on a designated area to pick up their child(ren).
Tornado: In case of a tornado watch, staff will monitor the weather and be on standby. If we are under a tornado warning staff members will gather all children and provide shelter in the building, clear from windows or hazardous structures.
Abandoned Child: In the case that a child is left at our school past closing and we are unable to contact parents/guardians or emergency contacts listed in your child’s file then the local police department will be notified.
Intoxicated parent/guardian: If a parent/guardian arrives intoxicated to pick up their child we will advise that you do not drive. We will ask that you find a different way of transportation, but if the parent/guardian chooses to drive intoxicated with their child(ren) our staff members will contact the local police department and social services.
Lost Child: In the extremely unlikely event that a child should become lost, staff will conduct a sweep of the area. If the child is not located within five minutes, the police will be notified. Parents/guardian’s will be notified immediately.

In the event of an evacuation, children will be led to a designated safe area near the building. We are equipped with emergency wagons to safely assist with toddlers and/or disabled children.

For reunification we will meet at a location to be determined based on the requirements of the specific emergency.  We have arranged with nearby business owners to be allowed to shelter with them.  Staff will be available to keep each parent notified.

In case of evacutation, children with disabilities will have an individual action plan that we will follow.

CHILD ABUSE

As required by law, all childcare workers are mandated reporters. If any of our staff have suspicion that a child is being abused, they will report it. “How to Report” forms are available for all parents, as required by Colorado Law. If at any time you or someone you know suspects child abuse, please call your local police department or you can call 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437).

QUIET TIME POLICY

Our quiet time is from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. During quiet time we allow the children to rest their bodies on provided mats, read a book or do a quiet activity. Parent’s/Guardian’s will be required to provide 1 blanket, 1 pillow, and 1 sheet that will be taken home on Friday’s to wash and return the following Monday. 1 cuddle toy is welcome as well. 

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY

While in our care we believe that children should be learning, interacting, and engaging in play. Therefore, technology and media are limited. This includes television, movies, computers, phones, and other similar devices. We will allow up to two 15-minute increments a day for your child to play on their device if you allow it, but we do have a few restrictions. Children are not to be on social media or take pictures, and we ask that all games be age appropriate.

DIAPERING AND TOILETING POLICY FOR TODDLERS

Please notify staff members if your child is in diapers, pull ups, or potty training.  While children are in diapers or pull ups, we ask that you bring them in dry and with a clean, disposable diaper. We ask that you do not bring children in cloth diapers. While in our care we require our Toddler teacher to check every child’s diaper every thirty minutes to an hour and change them at a minimum of every two hours. You must provide your own diapers, pull ups and wipes. 

Prior written authorization must be provided before diaper rash ointment will be applied. We cannot apply ointments to an open wound. 

Potty training is a huge undertaking and we will help with the process by creating an effective schedule, giving gentle reminders, and adding incentives.  We require that you bring your children in diapers or pull-ups until they are fully potty trained for sanitation purposes.