Policies & Procedures
Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday: 7:00am - 6:00pm
Professional Development Days: 8:00am to 4:00pm
Wildflower Childcare will be open all professional development days, spring break (Full days*), 2 weeks in July (TBA) & 2 weeks in August (TBA)
*Full days are: 8:00am to 4:00pm
Special Closures
Wildflower Childcare will be closed all statutory holidays and Christmas break in accordance with School District 44’s school calendar.
Drop Off
Wildflower kindly asks that all families respect the neighbours surrounding the centre. At drop off please use the designated parking spots at the rear of the home, located in the lane. It is required that at the time of drop off, each child is walked into the centre by their parents / guardian or by an authorized person designated in the child’s file. The child must be signed in daily on the sign-in sheet located at the entrance of the centre.
“The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences ”
Food & Drink
Wildflower Childcare follows Canada’s Food Guide when planning healthy snacks each day. We feel it is a way to promote healthy eating habits and helps build a sense of togetherness and community. Each snack will always include fruit and / or vegetables, as well as a main dish of 2 of the 4 food groups. Water will always be available throughout the day.
Fees & Repayment
Wildflower Childcare requires 6 months of post-dated cheques from the first day of care. Monthly fee payments will be processed on the first of every month. A minimum of one full month (30 days) notice is required on departure of care or reduction in the number of attending days.
When notice has been duly given, all remaining post-dated cheques will be returned. Any NSF cheques will require parents / guardians to be notified. After 3 NSF cheque incidents may result in the termination of the parent / centre contract.
Medication Distribution
If a child requires medication of any kind, we require the parent to complete and sign a medication consent form. The medicine must be in its original container and we ask parents to give detailed instructions of how to administer the medication properly.
Active Play
Vancouver Coastal Health requires about 60 minutes of active play per day.
At Wildflower Childcare, we believe that fresh air is important to one’s physical, mental and emotional health. Before school, children at Wildflower spends 15 minutes to play. After school, children at Wildflower will spend 45 hour outdoors. With the forest and grass field located behind the centre and Michael Park located at the front of the property, as well as the large back yard, we have lots of options to play interactive games such as 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?', 'Capture the flag,’ or simply even a big soccer match on the field.
Care & Supervision of Children
Any staff member on-site will be supervising the group at all times of the day when children are under Wildflower’s care. The ratio of educators to children in a before and after school group setting is one educator to 10 children.
Staff must be aware of the number of children in their care at all times and will need to be in close and visible proximity, as well as show awareness to the types of play children are engaged in, supporting the activity and actively engage when it is appropriate.
illness
Children will need to stay at home, or make alternate arrangements if they have
A fever at 100 F / any eye or skin infections / nausea or diarrhea.
If a child gets sick at Wildflower, parents will be notified immediately and will be required to pick up as soon as possible. If staff are unable to get in touch with the child’s parents, Wildflower Childcare will then call the child’s emergency contact to be picked up. Following safety precautions, the sick child will be removed from the group and isolated until the parent or emergency contact arrives. Water will be the only thing distributed to the child and no medication will be administered.
If the child has a fever, diarrhea or is vomiting, they will not be able to attend for 24 hours from the time of their LAST symptom.
Emergency Procedures
In case of an emergency, Wildflower’s emergency exit is located at the entrance of the centre. Our emergency meeting area is located at the back of the property, in the parking spaces near the lane. If we need to evacuate to the front of the property, our emergency meeting place is located to the south side of the trees, beside the school zone sign.
In case the primary exit is obstructed, our secondary location will be up the staircase and out the front or back doors to either meeting places.
In case of any other emergency, we have an alternative evacuation route through the large south-facing window in the centre’s study rooms. All employees of Wildflower Childcare, including the owner and operator, have valid and up to date first aid certificates, as well as current CPR training.
Field Trips
We are very lucky to live where we do and Wildflower Childcare is centrally located around so many great parks, water parks, beaches and public transit. Any field trips Wildflower Childcare takes the children on will be planned and notified at least 1 week in advance. Parents will need to sign a field trip form granting their child permission to attend.
Any day trip taken will cut through our lunch hour, so we ask that on adventure trip days, parents provide their child with a picnic lunch ie. nothing that requires heating.
Wildflower Childcare asks that parents drop off no later than 8:30am on field trip days to ensure their child can enjoy a snack before the adventures begin.
Professional development days will be planned around the centre, where as spring and summer breaks will have fieldtrips located around the North Shore. A spring break schedule will be sent out to families at least 1 month prior to spring break closures, and the same will be done for the summer months.