Sandbox

Sandbox is a multipurpose HTML5 template with various layouts which will be a great solution for your business.

Contact Info

Moonshine St. 14/05
Light City, London

info@email.com
00 (123) 456 78 90

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Welcome to Child Development Dayhomes Fort McMurray’s Educator Portal! 

FORMS   |    FLIGHT FRAMEWORK  |   CAR SEAT YES TESTS   |   RESOURCES   |    KINDERLOGIX TUTORIALS   |    CONTRACT AND POLICIES   |   PAYMENT INFO   |   A NEW START

Car Seat YES Tests

Transportation Checklist

A rear-facing seat provides the best protection for a child’s head, neck and back in a sudden stop or crash. Using a car seat properly is required by law in Alberta. Use the YES test to help you properly install the car seat in your vehicle and buckle up your child correctly every time. Push, pull and adjust the seat until you can check each item that applies to your child’s car seat.

Rear Facing Car Seat YES Test

Proper use of a car seat can reduce the chances of your child being injured or killed in a crash by as much as 71%. Using a car seat properly is required by law in Alberta. Use the YES test to help you properly install the car seat in your vehicle and buckle up your child correctly every time. Push, pull and adjust the seat until you can check each item that applies to your child’s car seat.

Forward Facing Car Seat YES Test

A booster seat provides the best protection for an older child in a sudden stop or crash. An adult seat belt alone doesn’t fit a child’s body properly. Without a booster seat, an adult seat belt rides too high on a child’s belly and neck. This can cause serious injuries to a child in a crash. Use the YES test to help you decide when your cild is ready for a booster seat, and to learn how to use one correctly.

Booster Seat YES Test

Resources

Advertising – Kijiji and Facebook template
                 – Dayhome Listing on Google Maps

Art of Observation Video 

Biting – How to Help Your Child Stop

Children’s Book List

Children’s Online Indigenous Books

Cleaning and Sanitizing Solutions

Co-Inquiry Process – Blocks

Co-Inquiry Process – Flashlights

Communicable Diseases Reportable List

Cultural Awareness Training

Ice Play

Income Tax for Educators

Loose Parts by Schema

Loose Parts Guide

Loose Parts Outdoors

Material for Playspace Environment

National Day for Truth and  Reconciliation videos

Outdoor Play

Positive Discipline

Professional Training Plan

Recipes for Fluffy Slime, Dough Ornaments, No Cook Play Dough, Cloud Dough, Moon Sand, Snow Dough

Religious Dietary Resources

Social and Emotional Support – What to Put in Your Calming Kit
                                            – ASaP Calming Activities
                                            – Feelings Bingo
                                            – Breathing Breaks
                                            – Playdoh Feeling Faces
                                            – Photo Feeling Wheel
                                            – Emotions Photo Book
                                            – Tucker Turtle (Powerpoint)
                                            – GRIT Book Nook – The Very Cranky Bear
                                            – GRIT Book Nook – Pete the Cat & the New Guy
                                            – GRIT Book Nook – The Kiss Box
                                            – When I’m Angry, I Can – Cards
                                            – When I Feel Angry (Powerpoint)
                                            – When I Feel Worried (Powerpoint)
                                            – When I Feel Sad (Powerpoint)
                                            – When I’m Excited, I Can – Cards
                                            – When I Feel Happy (Powerpoint)
                                            – When I Feel Proud (Powerpoint)
                                            – When I’m Waiting (Powerpoint)

Speech and Language – Learning More Than One Language
                                 – Under 12 Months
                                 – 1 Year Old
                                 – 2 Year Old
                                 – 3 Year Old
                                 – 4 Year Old
                                 – 5 Year Old

Weather – Dressing for the Weather Chart

Workshop Video Recordings

     –How to translate videos to other languages 

All youtube videos can be translated into subtitles in your preferred language! There are at least 100 languages to pick from.

First you press this button and make sure it is underlined in red:
Then you click the gear (settings):

You will get this menu:

Click “Subtitles/CC(1)”, then click “Auto-translate”: Then you can select form a large list of languages:

        – Income Tax Workshop for Educators – January, 2025

KinderLogix Tutorials

Dayhome Attendance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlErIn0K0xc&t=5s
For dayhome educators, it is recommend that you use the Timesavr mobile app.  The video demo above demonstrates using the desktop app.  Either will work, but the mobile app has a more targeted design, so you may prefer it.  The mobile app can also be used on any screen size, including a desktop computer.
Tip:  Hold your phone horizontally to see more information (especially when in the Attendance tab)
 

To log into the mobile app, download it from the store, or navigate to it in your browser.  The app is available in the Google Play store on Android devices, and on the Microsoft store on Windows devices.

Marking Yourself Unavailable (Desktop Version)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r13anfweL34
Marking Yourself Unavailable (Mobile Version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmh5WGpcyDg

Contract and Policies

Illness Policy: 

Children’s Illness Policy Chart
Educators Illness Policy

Stat Holidays:

The following is a list of designated days that a Dayhome may close. It is not a requirement that operators provide alternate care on designated holidays. If families need care on a statutory holiday, they should check with you as far in advance as possible. If you choose to provide care, there may be an additional charge per child for the day, payable directly to you.

New Year’s Day                          January 1, 2025
Family Day                              February 17, 2025
Good Friday                            April 18, 2025
Easter Monday                        April 21, 2025
Victoria Day                            May 19, 2025
Canada Day                            July 1, 2025
Civic Holiday                           August 4, 2025
Labour Day                             September 1, 2025
Truth and Reconciliation Day    September 30, 2025  
Thanksgiving Day                    October 13, 2025
Remembrance Day                   November 11, 2025
Christmas Day                         December 25, 2025
Boxing Day                              December 26, 2025
New Year’s Day                        January 1, 2026

Late Fee Policy:

Hours of care are outlined in the family’s contract with the agency. If a family picks up their child(ren) late/after contracted hours, educators can charge a late fee. Child Development Dayhomes has a standard late fee of $1/minute/child.

At the Educator’s discretion, the Educator can charge this late fee by clicking on the “late pickup” link in TimeSavr and enter the number of minutes the child was picked up late.

Attendance records must be filled out accurately. Late fees are added to family’s fees withdrawn at the beginning of the next month.

If a family is consistently picking up their child(ren) late, the educator and family need to discuss a change of the contract that reflects the new hours needed for child care. Educators and parents can fill out a change of services form and send to the agency.

Lockdown Procedures for Dayhomes:

The Lockdown procedure must be implemented when you suspect or have been notified from emergency personnel/police, that there is a situation that may result in harm to the persons on the dayhome premises. This may include but is not limited to a potential shooting, a hostage incident, or an unauthorized or suspicious person on the premises.

Step 1. Lock all doors and windows; close all the blinds/curtains.

Step 2. Turn off all lights in the home.

Step 3. Gather all the children, move to a room/space without windows so you cannot be seen.

Step 4. Take your phone and put is on silence, bring the travel first aid kit with the children’s medical consent cards and emergency medication.

Step 5. Call 911 if required.

Step 6. Keep children as calm or quiet as possible. Have quiet activities, snacks and water stored in the secure area you plan to use in the event of a lockdown.

Step 7. Remain indoors until you receive further instruction from emergency personnel/police.

Step 8. Notify the agency as soon as lockdown procedure is over.

Step 9. Parents/guardians must be notified once lockdown procedure is over.

Inclusion Policy:

Our Mission is to provide “Peace of Mind” for parents and dayhome educators.

We strive to provide quality, inclusive childcare to families so they can have “peace of mind” while away at work or attending school. CDDH believes in community inclusion and in the belief that “we all belong”. All children have the right to high quality childcare. CDDH strives to provide a welcoming community where each member experiences the feeling and reality of belonging. It is our goal to support all children to participate in the program and to nurture each child’s well-being. Children are place in an inclusive dayhome environment that honors the child’s need for interactive play with peers along with their special requirements. We pride ourselves in providing and advocating for inclusive childcare.

 

Extended Hours Care Policy:

Children receiving extended hours care must be visited every 6 months in a shift period. An individual monitoring plan is developed for each dayhome educator providing extended hour care, with minimum expectation that children are seen in extended care at least once every six months.

We have a 24 hour emergency line that is listed on our main number after hours.

Parents using extended hours are made aware that there is a limit to the monitoring that may be done for the dayhome educator or for that child. The educator will still be monitored regularly though the educator is only seen in a shift period every 6 months.

Dayhome educators are assessed on a case by case basis to evaluate their ability to provide extended hours care. Considerations are:

-how the dayhome educator’s family will react to an extended hour placement,

-adequate sleeping set-up (if applicable), etc.

No dayhome educator shall offer child care for a child for a period longer than 18 hours in any 24 hours without prior written notification to the agency.

An educator offering child care to a child for a period longer than 18 hours in any 24 hours must provide that child with time for sleeping. In such cases, the dayhome educator must give each child his or her own bedding and sleeping accommodations that meet the child’s developmental needs. Male and female school-aged children must sleep in separate rooms.

A dayhome educator offering extended care is required to provide the child with facilities for bathing or showering. Children must be bathed individually and supervised according to developmental needs.

Administration of Medication:

1. All medication shall be in the original labeled container and be administered by the Educator according to directions on the label. All prescribed medication must be labeled with the physician’s name, the child’s name, the date of issue, pharmacy name and phone number and the physician’s instructions for administration.

2. All medications, including those requiring refrigeration, shall be stored in a locked container, inaccessible to children.

3. All medications shall be received by the Educators directly from the parent/guardian along with the Medication Report form completed by the family. Educators must record the administration of the medication on the Medication Report form and submit monthly to their consultant.

4. Observe children carefully for allergic reactions after receiving medication.

5. All medications must be returned to families when the authorized period has ended.

6. The administration of over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies, or non-prescription medication to children in Family Dayhomes is not permitted, unless there is written authorization from a physician. This authorization MUST include the physician’s name and phone number, name of medication, dosage, and times to be given.

7. Parents must provide information about when medications were given to the child prior to arriving at the dayhome.

8. Educators must wash their hands using warm water and soap before and after giving medication.

9. For specialized/emergency/ongoing medication: The educator must ensure that the medication is up to date. Inform the parents if the medication is about to expire and ensure not to accept any expired medications. If the child’s medication expires, the educator cannot take the child for safety and liability purposes and must inform the agency. The child can return to the dayhome when the proper medication has been provided to the educator.

Standard 10D: Medical Conditions

Educators must consult with the parent about special handling of children with medical conditions. Educators may require special instruction or training from medical personnel on how to handle certain conditions or medical emergencies. Should a child require emergency medication, the educator must have on file a specialized medication form and/or Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan form stating how to administer the medication and the amount.

Standard 10E: Medication

When emergency medications are used to treat allergies, the educator must be able to recognize the allergy symptoms and know how and when to administer the medication. Emergency medications must be available for the child at all times, including outings. All medications must be locked up, excluding emergency medications (eg. EpiPen) that must be stored in a place inaccessible to children. All medication forms must be submitted to the agency office within 5 working days of the last working day of the previous month.

Payment Info

Educator/Parent Fee Schedule
 

Infants Less Than 19 Months:

Contract:                            Educator Receives:                                           Parent Pays    

Full Time                            $1566 – $158 agency fee = $1408/month           $326.25/month
(100+ hours/month)

Part Time                           $1018 – $100 agency fee = $918/month             $230.00/month
(50-99 hours/month)

Children 19 Months to Kindergarten:

Contract:                            Educator Receives:                                           Parent Pays 

Full Time                            $1416 – $158 agency fee = $1258/month           $326.25/month
(100+ hours/month)

Part Time                           $920 – $100 agency fee = $820/month               $230.00/month
(50-99 hours/month)

Educators may charge supplemental fees for additional services or activities. The fee amount is determined by the educator, who is responsible for maintaining receipts or documentation to support the provision of these services. Participation in any supplemental offering is optional, and parents must be given the choice to opt in and pay for these services.

Supplemental Offerings:
-Field Trips
-Food
-Transportation
-Overnight care
-Extended hours care
-Cultural activities
-On-site experiential learning
-Specialized classes

Drop in: At educator’s discretion and availability, must be in ratio.

Drop in form (found in Educator Portal, under Forms):
if applicable must be filled out and sent to the agency for child to be added to TimeSavr, the day of or prior to care. Private payment to a maximum of 4 times/month.

Back up: At educator’s discretion and availability, must be in ratio. Charges are the same as what is currently charged. If doing back up for 2 weeks or more you can change fees if agreed on with parents.

Overtime: Childcare beyond contracted hours or working on a statutory holiday educator sets rate and collects private payment.

Extended Care:
– Care that exceeds 9.5 hours/day (educator sets rate)
– Care before 6am or after 6pm (educator sets rate)
– Care on weekends (educator sets rate)

Termination:
– Parents must give 2 weeks’ notice
– Educators must give 1 month’s notice to parents. Parents can leave at any time once you have given notice.

PLEASE INFORM PARENTS OF THE ONE TIME FAMILY REGISTRATION FEE OF $150.00.

Important Attendance Record Info

Please Note: Attendance Records are the primary source of information for preparing your paycheques and our government reports each month. The more accurate your attendance records are, the more accurate your paycheques and our required reports will be.

For attendance record due date, check the Child Development Dayhomes newsletter available on the website.

The night before the Attendance Records are due, please ensure that you fill out your Attendance Records until the end of the month. You will have to estimate the last few days of the month. This is what we will use to calculate your pay.

Once you are done with your estimations, please do not go back into TimeSavr for 2 days. We will be working on payroll and any changes to the Attendance records will cause the Payroll to be off.

Keep track of the children’s actual hours for all the days you have entered estimated hours. You can use a piece of paper or a calendar.

If a change happens during the time that will affect a payment (either a parent account or your paycheque), please call our Administration team. This could be an unexpected “Educator unavailable day” or a part time child will now be using more days that have not been recorded in KinderLogix.

For each day that the child is scheduled to attend your dayhome, please ensure that the Attendance Record indicates what occurred: either hours attended, absent or you have recorded yourself as unavailable.

For drop in children (e.g. in a dayhome 4 or less times per month). Please send in a drop in form to our office and we will enter them into KinderLogix and assign them to you so that you can log them in and out.

For children with multiple entries (i.e school age children), log them in when they get to your house in the morning, log them out when they get on the bus or you drop them off at school.

If you are providing back up care, please call us with the child’s name. We will assign them to you in KinderLogix so you can log them in and out. Back up children will continue to show up on your Attendance Records even after they return to their regular Provider. You will see their hours with their regular provider; please do NOT delete these hours. Timesavr will sort this out at the end of the month for us and we will remove them from your Attendance records after we have sent in our Government report.

After you have estimated your hours for the month, pull your monthly total for each child and see if they make sense. i.e are there any negative hours, do you have a child in care for 18 hours etc?

Your monthly hours are calculated each month based on your children’s Attendance Records. These are the hours we send in to get your Provider Support Funding.

 

Understanding Your Paycheque

There are several situations that have the potential to affect your pay. Each is very unique and should be viewed individually. The following are some general guidelines to assist with determining how your pay is calculated. Please note that we guarantee that you will be paid for every day worked, unless we have called you and ended care for a family.

The government pays Provider Support Funding to the agency one month after the care was provided. (i.e. you will be paid in March for February hours and infant care.)

Full Time Pre-School Children

When a parent gives their two week’s notice, and all fees have been paid, you will be paid up to the child’s last day, and will be paid for all 10 days of notice, whether the parent uses care or not in those 10 days. If proper notice is not given and payment arrangements to cover the notice are not made, the family will be sent to a Collection Agency, which has a negative effect on their credit rating for seven years. (If the family attempts to apply for credit of any kind, they may be declined) Once we have received the money from the collection agency we will forward the amount collected to you.

Then you give one month’s notice to a family, the family may leave care AT ANY TIME, from the point of notice, and you will only be paid until the last day that the family was in care.

If childcare is terminated by the Agency due to a lack of payment or failure by the parent to obtain subsidy, you will be paid for all days of care provided, up to the day that care is terminated.

You will be paid for Dayhome child sick-days, holidays and unexplained absences for all months regardless of the total number of hours that the child has been in care for the month. If the total is less than 100 hours, and the parent is subsidized, the parent will be billed extra for the lack of hours.

School-Age Children:

School-age is defined as Grade 1 onwards, or 7 years and up

Fees for school-age children are set at an hourly rate with minimum hour contract / month to a maximum of your regular full time fee.

If a parent contracts for a set number of hours, and the child’s monthly total is less because of child sick days or child holidays, you will be paid the full contracted amount (other than the first and last month of care, which will be pro-rated.)

If you are unavailable and the child used back up care, you will be deducted for the hours the child went to the back up educator to allow for payment of the back up educator.

If you are unavailable but the child still made his minimum contracted hours then you will not be deducted.

If you are unavailable and the child did not make his contracted hours then you will be deducted for the hours the child normally would have attended for that day(s).

Providing Care for Back Up Children

You may provide back up care for a child that is registered in another dayhome while the regular provider is ill or on vacation.

THE PARENT MUST COMPLETE A PARENT AGREEMENT BACK UP FORM BEFORE CARE IN YOUR HOME BEGINS. (See forms section). Having accurate information will protect the child and yourself in case of an emergency.

The agency will issue you payment for this child on your pay cheque once an attendance record for this child is received. Every child other than your own, that you provide care to, MUST be on a signed attendance record. If not, you are placing your Dayhome in non-compliance and putting your Liability insurance in jeopardy.

Steps for Back up Child Care:

1. Call the office to let them know which child will be using your home for back up care. The office will temporarily assign this child to you so you can log them and out in KinderLogix.

2. When providing back up care you will be paid what the regular provider would have been. It is based on a pro-ration and the parent cannot be charged additional fees. You may call the agency with the parent’s full name if you would like to know the daily rate. Remember you will only be paid for actual days of care. Sick days and holidays are not included for back up care pay.

3. Back up children count as children in care. The following ratios apply: Maximum of 6 children under 13 years of age Maximum of 3 children under 3 years of age Maximum of 2 children under 2 years of age

Please contact your childcare consultant should you have any further questions.

**** Remember that back up children in your home may become future permanent children, providing back up care creates a network of families for your business! ****

Providing care for drop in children

You may provide drop in care to a child that you are directly responsible for up to 4 times a month. If the family is using 5 days or more per month, they must be registered with the agency.

Payment for drop in care must be collected from the family by the educator you must provide the parent with a receipt as the agency cannot provide receipts for drop in care for income tax records.

Every child other than your own, that you provide care to, MUST be on a signed attendance record. If not, you are placing your Dayhome in non-compliance and putting your liability insurance in jeopardy.

Have the parent fill out a drop in form at your house. Please send this into the office so that we can enter them into TimeSavr and assign them to you so you can log them in and out your Attendance records in TimeSavr. You only need to do this the first time they come to your home.

Drop-in children count as children in care. The following ratios apply:

Maximum of 6 children under 13 years of age
Maximum of 3 children under 3 years of age
Maximum of 2 children under 2 years of age

Please contact your childcare consultant should you have any further questions.

A New Start

Using Your Home for Daycare (PDF)

Child Placement Appointments Template (PDF)

Steps to a Successful Interview

Interviewing is one of the most important things you will do to place children in your home. First impressions tend to make lasting impressions! Therefore, be prepared!
 
Be prepared for the interview:
 
Have your home spotless, fresh and organized (offer a tour)
Greet everyone by their first names
Prepare and introduce your whole family
 
When they arrive, welcome the family into your home. Make everyone feel comfortable and at ease. This may be a good time to offer refreshments and engage in small talk. Tell the parent(s) about yourself:
 
How long you have been providing care.
How many children you care for.
Previous experience and training you have, etc.
Show parents your educator profile
 
Tell the parent(s) about your daily routine:
 
Activities: art, music, stories, games, fieldtrips, etc.
Food: examples of the nutritious meals and snacks you provide.
Naps: show the parent(s) the sleeping arrangements
Play areas: how the parent(s) the indoor and outdoor areas where the child(ren) will be playing.
Have a positive approach – Emphasize what you have and do, not what you don’t have or don’t do
 
Determine the needs of the parent(s)and child(ren):
 
Starting date of care
Hours of care
Special needs of the child
Child guidance
Parent expectations
Age of child(ren)
If you quote fees, include agency fee
 
Remember the importance of interaction. Offer to hold the baby and get down on the floor and interact with the child. Have age appropriate toys/activities available.
Departure:
 
Invite the parent(s) to call you if they think of questions at a later date.
When the parent(s) are leaving, offer them your business card and your consultant’s business card.
Inform the parent(s) that when their decision is made, they must contact the Agency to book a registration. Phone your consultant with your decision.
 
Good Luck! Should you have any questions or concerns regarding interviewing, please contact your Consultant. She is there to help!
 
 

Telephone and Interview Etiquette

Setting up a Professional Voicemail Greeting:

Please be sure to set up a professional sounding voicemail if you haven’t already done so. A professional voicemail greeting is important because it can make a positive impression on your callers, show your professionalism and competence, and encourage them to continue the conversation with you.
Here is an example of a professional voicemail greeting that you can use:

“Hello, this is Jane Doe, Dayhome Educator with Child Development Dayhomes. I am unable to take your call. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you for calling and have a wonderful day.”

 
Phone Response – Things to Remember
Speak slowly and clearly.
Answer in an upbeat, happy voice.
Ensure Child Placements Appointments cards are by the phone.
Try to be accommodating when setting up an interview.
Ensure all family members support and understand the professional aspect of your business.
 
Interviewing
First impressions count.
Be welcoming. Make the parent feel at ease. Greet both parents and the child(ren).
Ensure your home is clean and fresh, with age-appropriate toys available.
Use lots of small talk to open the lines of communication. E.g.: Did they find the home okay? Ask the child and the parents about their day. If the child is an infant, ask to hold them.
Prepare your family for the interview.
Give the parents a tour of your home, pointing out indoor play areas, sleeping arrangements, etc.
Offer refreshments.
 
Self Promotion and Information Sharing
Tell the parents about you. Describe your experiences in childcare, relevant training, and courses, why you decided to become an Educator, how many children are in your home.
Find out the parents needs.
How you operate your Dayhome – activities you do with the children, how you encourage self-help skills, views on feeding, discipline, etc.
Ask the parents to share any relevant child related matters.
Discuss business matters. E.g. Hours of operation, back-up care, child illness policy, late pick-up, payments.
 
Wrapping it Up
Invite parents to call if they think of any questions at a later date.
Thank them for coming and be sure to say a goodbye to the child(ren).
Inform the parents that you will call them in a few days to see if they have made a decision or would like to schedule a second interview.
 
Questions a Parent May Ask
Will other adults be present in the home?
What would you do in the case of an emergency?
What are some of your daily activities?
What playmates will my child have?
What are your rules about TV?
What types of meals and snacks do you serve?
How do you handle discipline?
 
Follow up: a call to your consultant and a call to the parent after 2-3 days.
 

Returning Calls and Voicemails

It is very important to return all calls and voicemails from families inquiring about your dayhome, as soon as possible, whether you have space available or not. This includes calls from agency staff or families inquiring about back-up care. This is not only a matter of courtesy and professionalism, but also a key factor in providing good customer service and creating a positive image of Child Development Dayhomes.

When we return calls and voicemails promptly, we show families that we care about their needs, that we value their time, and that we are reliable and trustworthy. This can help us build long-term relationships, increase customer satisfaction, and generate more referrals and repeat business.

On the other hand, when we fail to return calls and voicemails in a timely manner, we risk losing customers to our competitors, damaging our reputation, and missing out on potential opportunities.

Therefore, we urge you to please make it a priority to return all calls and voicemails within 24 hours.

Getting Off to a Good Start

Clarifying expectations with parents can prevent communication break downs. Letting parents know what you expect initially helps to eliminate problems in the future.
 
Nice Touches
1. A pre-arranged chat over a cup of coffee once a month gives educator and parents a chance to compare notes and get to know each others’ needs and wants better.
2. Encourage children to make little things just for the parent(s).
3. Repeat to the parent the humorous and affectionate statements made by the child.
4. Often parents will “unload” on you at the end of the day. Just listen!
5. Invite parents for celebration days in your dayhomes (i.e. a child’s birthday, Christmas, cultural celebrations that the family observes). This does not have to be elaborate. It shows parents that they are welcome in your home, and that you want to foster the relationships between yourself, the parent and the child.
 
Tips for Creating a Good Educator / Parent Relationship
1. Choose parents with similar points of view.
2. Flexibility is also a great peacemaker.
3. Be willing to change your mind or compromise. Together, you will probably have the very best ideas for the child. Learn from one another.
 
 

Child Registrations

Families that want to register in your dayhome must call the agency. When the agency receives a call from a parent wishing to register, we will call you to confirm:
 
You would like to register the family
The fee you are charging the family
Start date
Ratios
 
Once the registration has been completed, the office will call you to confirm the registration is complete and to let you know the date and time that the family will be starting care in your home.
 
If the agency has not contacted you to let you know that the registration is complete and the fees have been paid, then assume the child is not registered and no fees have been paid. Do not take the child into care until you confirm the registration is complete with the agency.
 
Your consultant will email you a copy of the parent agreement form, child biography and medical consent card. Please print these forms for your child files. Print two copies of the medical consent card. One copy goes in your travel first aid kit and the other in an accessible location in your home.
 

Twelve Ways Educators Can Support Parents

1. Do everything possible to keep children safe and well cared for.
 
Do a quick safety check of your dayhome every morning before the children arrive.
Take time at the end of the day to prepare children for pick up: Change diapers, wash faces and hands, comb hair, have each child’s bag packed and ready to go.</li>
 
2. Make it fun and interesting to attend your program.
 
Plan interesting activities for the children.
Let them help with the planning.
Greet them in the morning dressed in a costume!
Have a theme day (e.g. Backwards Day, Green Day, Western Day…)
Plan field trips. The anticipation is half the fun!
 
3. Help keep track of personal items (such as boots, hats, mittens and blankets) so families don’t need to replace them.
 
Keep your entrance way organized. Use labeled hooks, bins and/or shelves at the children’s level to keep their personal items organized.
Teach children how to put their things away.
 
4. Provide a nurturing relationship outside of the family.
 
Plan a potluck for all of the families.
Invite each family over for coffee every couple of months.
Plan a fun family winter event for all the children and their parents. For example, plan a tobogganing or ice-skating night, serve hot chocolate and muffins that the children helped baked.
 
5. Share positive or humorous stories about the child with the parent daily to bridge the gap between your program and home.
 
Share at least three positive things about the child’s day with the parent at pick up time. Even if a child has had a terrible day, she may still have eaten a good lunch, put on her own socks, was the first to wash up after snack…
Start a journal that is sent back and forth from home to dayhome.
Take photos of the children to display on your bulletin board.
Make a special photo book for each child to give as a gift to the parents.
 
6. Believe that all parents want what is best for their children.
 
Really believe this because it is true, even though it isn’t always apparent.
 
7. Accept differences in child rearing, family traditions and parenting styles.
 
Make it your motto to welcome diversity and learn from it.
Incorporate some of these “new traditions” into your dayhome.
 
8. Remember that parents are doing the best they can. It is always easier to criticize than to walk in someone else’s shoes.
 
Try to view things from the parent’s perspective.
How would you like to be treated if you were the parent?
 
9. Be professional in all interactions with parents.
 
On the phone, put a smile on your face before you pick up the phone. If the children need your attention while you are on the phone, take a message and call the parent back.
Always make parents feel that they are welcome in your home and are important to you.
Be positive.
SMILE!!!
 
10. Communicate early about concerns, before resentment builds.
“Sandwich” a concern between two positive statements Start with a positive statement, address the concern, and then end with another positive statement. For example: “Amy climbed up the slide all by herself today. In the afternoon, she was really frustrated and bit one of the children. I’d like to call you tonight to talk about how we can deal with this together. When would be a good time? After the tears had subsided, she had a wonderful time making a glitter glue picture.” Second example: “Jared had a great time playing with the trucks this morning. I also just wanted to let you know that we’re all out of diapers. This afternoon when we were at the park, Jared pointed at Alex and gave him a shovel. He’s getting so good at sharing.”
 
11. Use problem-solving strategies to approach difficult situations.
 
Always approach a problem knowing that there will be a solution.
Call your consultant to brainstorm some solutions before you discuss with the parent.
Think before you speak.
Remember to acknowledge each parent’s concern and respect their opinions even if they may be different than your own.
Be willing to listen and compromise. The parent may have some solutions that you have not thought about.
 
12. Keep information confidential
 
If you need to talk about a dayhome concern, call your consultant. Do not discuss with a neighbour, friend, Facebook group or another parent.
 
 

StoryPark Documentation


About Storypark:
 
Storypark is an online service for early childhood educators which helps teachers deepen relationships with family, understand, plan for and extend children’s unique interests and abilities. More than 100,000 teachers and families in 23 countries are using Storypark to improve learning outcomes for children by engaging families in their learning.
 
As a Childcare Educator with Child Development Dayhomes you will be required to use this as a valuable resource for documentation daily. Please use this to document daily activities indoor and outdoor, child progress and milestones, community involvement, parent involvement, meals and snacks served etc.
 
Parents are informed regarding Storypark at registration. Mention to your parents that they have all been sent an Email as an invitation to Storypark. This is an important CDDH Communication piece. It is a way to record and communicate learning as it happens via photos, video, audio and observations within a secure online environment that is only seen by your parents that are tagged. The Accessible ePortfolio records travel with children from birth to school, even if they leave CDDH. Support a continuous, cohesive learning journey for each child. Share notices, events, reminders, policies and messages. Have conversations with individuals and get immediate responses.
 
Documentation: What is a Learning Story?
A learning story is a format used to document a child’s learning. It uses “story telling” to describe a child’s learning process. There are many details that are incorporated into a learning story which describes: the experience that un-fold or an event, how the child interacts during the experience or with others, conversations, interests, skills, etc. Basically, it is a narrative of recognizing and describing the learning that is taking place through a child’s play.
 
The purpose of documentation is to make learning visible.
 
Steps of writing a Learning Story
Take photos, video of children
Description of activity/children’s activity – what are the children doing? what are they saying?
Analysis of learning and reflection
 
Observation and Documentation: (Use in conjunction with the Planning Cycle)
Begins with being curious about what children are doing and wanting to accomplish in their play, learning and development. This situates you as a co-learner alongside the children.
Your recorded observations can be many different forms of documentation, such as photos, video, audio recording, anecdotal notes, and collected artifacts made by children and/or scribed words expressed by children.
As you reflect on your documentation you might begin to see patterns in children’s play, such as continued interests, repeated use of objects, common play groups.
As well, you may notice and name dispositions to learn that a child demonstrates in their playing, learning and development.
 
Reflection and Interpretation:
As a co-researcher you may gather insights from families and other educators to help you understand more deeply what children are doing, or trying to accomplish in their playing, learning and development.
Seeking additional information and insights from children, families and your learning from professional journals and books and conferences can help you to further understand your observations and reflections of children’s experiences
 
Planning and Taking Action:
Your observation, documentation, reflection and interpretation processes will inspire further experiences that invite children to pursue their ideas and theories, challenge ideas, explore, invent, create, and play in active ways that engage children’s senses and whole-body movement.
Co-imagining possibilities is made more dynamic as you invite the children, families and your team to invent and create further opportunities to expand and extend children’s playing and learning experiences.
Your program plan decisions are made visible in the design of a responsive play and learning environment and the design of care routines, as well as your interactions with children and families