We welcome your child and you to Kids In Paradise, a premium day care service conveniently located at the entrance to Tsawwassen.
We are pleased to offer care for children from infants to age twelve. Our hours of operation are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Monday to Friday. We will do our best to accommodate families who require earlier or later care. (Please let us know.) To serve you better we drop off and pick up at all schools and preschools in the Tsawwassen and Ladner areas.
Our staff are certified Early Childhood, Infant / Toddler, and Special Needs Educators who are required to have a current First Aid certificate, a criminal record check, and a physician’s declaration of suitability. Staff members are required to participate in ongoing professional development by taking workshops and courses to upgrade and add new skills. Therefore, we can say with confidence that each child enrolled at Kids In Paradise experiences the highest quality of care.
This online Parent Handbook contains helpful and necessary information. Please take time to read it thoroughly. By doing so we hope that you will gain a better understanding of what we stand for and how Kids In Paradise will give your child and you the very best care available.
Our Philosophy
Children are our greatest asset. The program we offer is fun, exciting, stimulating and designed to challenge your child in all areas of development – physical, social, emotional and intellectual.
At Kids In Paradise we strongly believe in the importance and value of play, where children learn through a variety of concrete, hands-on, sensory experiences.
Research has shown that play is the best "exercise for the brain" because it provides the most appropriate stimulus for brain development. Therefore, an optimal learning environment for young children is one that is child-centered, child-initiated, and play-based in order to promote the development of the whole child. Our age-appropriate programming strives to develop imagination, encourage learning and promote positive life skills and values – essential building blocks in helping your children develop to their greatest potential.
Our Goals
The key goals of Kids In Paradise are to:
° Provide the highest-quality care in a nurturing, stimulating, caring and fun-filled environment;
° Help deepen each child’s sense of self-esteem and self-confidence through a positive learning environment;
° Encourage the development of positive social skills with an emphasis on independence and problem-solving;
° Expose each child to a wide range of stimulating materials and creatively enriching activities;
° Promote ongoing physical development;
° Recognize your children as individuals and allow them to develop to their greatest potential at their own pace;
° Respect the rights and differences of children, and be aware of the diversity of our society;
° Partner with you, our parents, in promoting the well-being of your child; and
° Foster the connection between home, school and community.
Registration
To register your child, we require:
° Your completed and signed Registration Application;
° A down payment towards the first month’s fees (payable at the time of registration); and
° Post-dated cheques payable in advance on the first of each month for September through June.
° Please also provide a schedule of your child’s attendance along with payments for July and August when you have your summer plans in place.
Our Fees
At Kids In Paradise we calculate monthly fees based on the number of days in each month that your child is scheduled to be in attendance (plus extra days that he or she attends in addition to the scheduled days). However, we also provide a unique option for planned absences (see Planned Absences and Missed Days in the next section below).
We are pleased to advise parents that Kids In Paradise has been accepted into the provincial child care fee reduction initiative program effective April 2018. As a result, the Province now pays a portion of your childcare fees directly to us. The program currently reduces fees for all children up to and including Kindergarten. Fees paid by parents are reduced accordingly. As a result, the fees you pay are:
Infant / Toddlers (up to 36 months):
° $49.50 per full day (including diapers, wipes, diaper creams, milk and juice), and
° $33.25 per half day morning only OR afternoon only (before OR after 12:00 noon).
Three to Kindergarten:
° $47.00 per full day,
° $33.50 per half day morning only OR afternoon only (before OR after 12:00 noon),
° $39.00 per day for before OR after Kindergarten AND a half day (before OR after 12:00 noon),
° $27.00 per day for before AND after Kindergarten, and
° $19.50 per day for before OR after Kindergarten.
School Age Care (Grades 1 to 7):
° $52.00 per full day,
° $36.00 per half day morning only OR afternoon only (before OR after 12:00 noon),
° $44.00 per day for before OR after school AND a half day (before OR after 12:00 noon),
° $32.00 per day for before AND after school care, and
° $22.00 per day for before OR after school.
We require that you pay any bank charges that occur as a result of a returned payment. For example, our bank service fee is currently $6.00 per returned cheque.
Planned Absences and Missed Days
Uniquely, we are able to adjust our fees accordingly if you give us a minimum of seven days' notice that your child or children will not be attending the daycare. This means that you won’t be required to pay for vacations, when grandparents are in town, or really for any reason whatsoever - provided that you let us know at least seven days in advance of the absence. Under these circumstances we may fill your vacated spot with a child who needs drop-in care. Your regular scheduled days will of course continue on your return.
Since centre operating expenses (rent, staff salaries, etc.) are continuous, we regret that daycare fees cannot be adjusted for illness and/or other missed days if you are unable to give us seven days notice.
Our Facilities
We seek to provide a wide range of top-quality, age-appropriate activities for each of the groups of children that we care for. These include Infant / Toddlers and Three to Fives on the lower level and two School Age groups (one upstairs and one downstairs at the south end of the lower level).
We ask that all children (Infant / Toddlers, Three to Fives, and those in School Age care) be dropped off and picked up via the north entrance. Kids In Paradise parking for drop off and pick up is available on the north and west sides of the centre.
Termination Policy
If you need to withdraw your child from our care, we require written notice one full week in advance. Fees up to and including the notice period remain payable in full.
If it becomes apparent that your child is unable to adapt or adjust to our program or that we are unable to meet your child's emotional or physical needs, we reserve the right to give you one month's written notice of termination of care. We also reserve the right to terminate care without notice in the case of a violation of the terms of our policies or procedures as outlined in this Parent Handbook. In the highly unlikely event that care is terminated in this way, all post-dated cheques not applied to fees will promptly be returned to you.
Parent Communication
At Kids In Paradise we see parents and caregivers as partners. We have an “open door” policy for parents and encourage you to visit our centre. Parents have an open invitation to visit, stay and be involved in their child's activities.
We strive to work to form effective partnerships with parents through:
° open and honest communication;
° genuine trust and understanding; and
° a commitment to work together towards shared goals in relation to your children.
Caregivers are available to talk informally with parents as they drop off or pick up their children each day; however, because these are busy times, appointments are advised so that our caregivers may give their undivided attention to you. You may request an appointment to talk with our Manager, Alanna Belding, or with the rest of our excellent care team at any time.
We also ask that you please let us know in advance if your child will be away from Kids In Paradise for any period of time due to illness or other extenuating circumstances. This helps us plan our activities throughout the day according to the numbers and needs of the children in care. Thank you.
Extracurricular Activities
Kids In Paradise will transport children to and from their local extracurricular activities (such as hockey, gymnastics, music lessons, dance, swimming, etc.) while you are at work. This will enable your child to participate in activities that normally are not available to children in care. We want your child’s day care experience to be as close as possible to that of an extended family.
A fee for this service may be charged, but, if we do, we will charge only enough to cover our out-of pocket expenses for this service. If this service is of interest to you, please ask us for more information.
Our Daily Schedule
Consistency and routine is important for children. Accordingly, we have scheduled times for teacher-lead activities such as circle time or art projects, snacks, meals and naps. However, it is our policy to be as flexible as possible within our program and to allow children to choose their own activities freely throughout the day. Regardless of what activities they choose, our staff will be there to supervise, encourage and provide assistance as needed.
Lunches and Snacks
Eating nutritious food is an important part of your child’s day. Food provided to your child by Kids In Paradise will be selected in accordance with Canada Food Guide requirements. We take seriously our responsibility to promote healthy eating and good nutritional habits for your child.
Our staff will:
° Encourage your child to eat a variety of foods;
° Be sensitive to individual food preferences, cultural preferences and any restrictions or allergies;
° Provide sufficient time to eat;
° Never force your child to eat; and
° Heat prepared lunches in a glass microwave safe dish supplied by the centre.
The centre will:
° Provide beverages at snack time and lunch time including milk, juice and water;
° Ensure that your child has access to beverages during their time at the centre; and
° Ensure that additional nutritious snacks are available on site at all times for children who require additional food.
Children look forward each day to what their parents have packed them for lunches and snacks. We request that you:
° Provide a nutritious lunch and snack each day for your child;
° Provide infant formula if your child requires it;
° Provide any special food your child may require in his or her diet such as Pablum, infant cereals and prepared foods; and
° Inform us if your child has any diet restrictions or food allergies, or if we should expect changes in your child’s food intake.
As a licensed daycare centre, we are required by the Child Care Licensing Regulations to follow Canada’s Food Guide. The following food items are being discouraged as part of your child’s lunch: pop, chips, candy, chocolate, fruit roll-ups or other gummy-type treats.
Program Activities and Field Trips
Kids In Paradise has designed a number of programs specifically tailored for the children in our care including swimming and gymnastics. We experience high participation rates in these programs and both parents and children are thrilled with them. If you are interested, please ask our Manager, Alanna Belding, or one of our staff.
Because children learn so much from what they see and do, we regularly take the opportunity to explore our community through field trips. We have Kids In Paradise vehicles to transport the children and their caregivers to the location of the field trip. We welcome parents who would like to attend with their children, but ask that parents let us know if they intend to drive their own child.
Details regarding field trips and permission slips for parents to sign will be handed out in advance of each outing.
Drop Off
Children must be accompanied by an adult when they are dropped off at the beginning of the day. We ask that parents remain with their children until they are handed over to their caregiver. Parents are, of course, welcome to stay as long as they choose to. Please remember to sign you children in on our daily attendance sheet (near the entrance to each care area).
Illness
Kids in Paradise will implement various measures to ensure regular cleaning and disinfecting of toys, equipment, linens and clothing that are kept at the facility. Children will also practice regular washing of their hands to minimize the spread of harmful germs and/or bacteria.
Parents are encouraged to consider a plan for alternative child care in the event that their child becomes ill and is not able to attend day care.
Many childhood illnesses are very contagious at the onset of symptoms. Parents are requested not to send their child to the day care facility if they suspect he or she is becoming ill. During the course of a day, a child may develop the beginning signs of an illness, symptoms such as fever, nausea, aches, or a bad cough. If this occurs, parents will be called immediately and asked to make arrangements to have their child picked up from the day care as soon as possible. We will make every effort to keep the child resting quietly while he or she awaits pickup.
If a child has been seen by a doctor for an illness, the child should not return to the day care facility until the doctor has deemed the child no longer contagious and he or she is able to be at the day care without putting the other children at risk. Parents are requested to provide instructions to us in writing regarding any special care for a recuperating child.
To protect the health of other children and the caregivers, we will refuse entry to any child we suspect of having a communicable disease such as lice, impetigo, pink eye, chicken pox, measles, etc. Parents are requested to inform the day care facility within 24 hours of their child being diagnosed with or exposed to a serious illness or a communicable disease.
Children with head lice must have the nits combed out of their hair and the appropriate shampoo treatment before they will be allowed to return to the day care.
Children are not permitted to remain inside for the duration of the care day. Our program consists of daily outings, rain or shine. If a child is not well enough to participate in outdoor activities, the parent will be requested to keep the child at home for the day. Parents are requested to ensure that their children have appropriate outerwear at the day care, so the children may always remain warm and dry on our outings.
Medication
Our staff will not administer any medication (prescription or otherwise) to your child without appropriate written consent via the Permission to Administer Medication form (available at the day care centre). This form will be used by the caregiver to record the details of the administering of the medication, and this will in turn become a part of the child’s record.
In the event that medication is to be administered while the child is at Kids In Paradise, the medication must be in the original container. Prescription medications will only be administered as per the prescribed directions.
Medications must be given directly to the caregiver who will ensure the medication is stored in a safe and secure manner.
Birthdays
Birthdays are an exciting time for children and we treat them as special days at Kids In Paradise. If you would like to send cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc. for the children in your child’s group, please advise one of our caregivers in advance.
Centre Closings
Kids In Paradise will be closed on all Statutory Holidays and during the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. As Easter Monday is not an official Statutory Holiday, we will be open if you require care for your child or children.
No Smoking Policy
At no time will smoking be permitted anywhere on the Kids in Paradise premises. Parents who smoke are asked to put out cigarettes before arriving at the daycare, as the smoke often has a way of wafting its way inside.
No Perfume Policy
As some people are very sensitive to strong scents, we request that the children do not wear perfumes or other heavily scented products to daycare.
Staff members are not permitted to wear perfume while at work.
Your Questions Are Important To Us
If we have missed answering any of your questions or concerns, please let us know. Your questions and comments are important to us.
You are welcome to come to the centre to speak with our Manager, Alanna Belding, and/or with your child’s caregiver or we can be reached at:
