OUR PHILOSOPHY
Welcome to our center! We appreciate the confidence you have placed in us by choosing our child development center. KIDS HAVEN, by Sandy was created to entice children to explore, learn, and experiment in a structured environment.
Every child will be offered the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential in a safe, clean, and caring atmosphere. We feel strongly that parental support and input are essential in achieving our goals.
We will attempt to develop the whole child with physical, cultural, social, and intellectual activities that will enhance his or her everyday life. Our utmost goal will be to provide the most loving care and the best early childhood educational program possible.
We are very proud to say we are a Kentucky All Star Program center with a two star rating. This is a voluntary program sponsored through the state of Kentucky that offers a wonderful enrichment program for child care centers. It also provides scholarships for continuing education for their staff members. STARS FOR KIDS NOW demands child care centers to offer the highest quality child care available because they cherish the importance of a child’s early years.
–Sandra K. Johnson, President
IMPORTANT LINKS
HOURS OF OPERATION
KIDS HAVEN, by Sandy is open from 6:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Morning time is a critical part of our daily curriculum. Due to this fact, we ask that children be in the center by 9:00 a.m. If your child will be late or absent on a particular day, we ask that you call us by 9:00 a.m. so we may staff the day accordingly. If you do not call and your child is not here by 9:30 a.m., they will not be able to stay that day. If your child needs to arrive late on a particular day due to an appointment, please let the director know ahead of time. We understand that mornings are often critical family time for some families. If your schedule requires that your child arrive later than 9:30 a.m. on a daily basis, please provide this information to the director during enrollment, however, keep in mind that this schedule must be consistent due to our staffing. Children must be in the center by 11:00 a.m. to receive lunch and quiet time. If they will not be here by 11:00 a.m., we ask that you do not bring them until after 2:30 P.M. so they do not interrupt quiet time.
A late fee will be charged for any child remaining in the center after 6:00 p.m. Late fees are posted on the front bulletin board.
We will be closed on the following holidays; New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving (and the day after Thanksgiving), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. KIDS HAVEN, by Sandy will allow one week vacation (5 consecutive days) with a tuition credit of 50% of your normal tuition fees.
In the case of a weather emergency, we reserve the right to close for the safety of our families and staff. A message will be posted through our Brightwheel App.
ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS
A Child Care Contract must be completed and turned into the Director’s office along with a picture ID from each parent and a current immunization record for each student. Annual registration fee and the first week’s tuition are due upon enrollment.
FEES
There is an annual registration fee upon enrollment of your child and each subsequent January 1st. Tuition fees are due on Monday of the week your child attends school and is considered late if not paid by Wednesday. A late fee of $15.00 is automatically applied to your account on Thursday. If tuition fees are not paid for two weeks, you will be notified by the director or owner that your child must be withdrawn until all fees are paid in full.
TEACHERS & STAFF
Our teachers are experienced professionals trained to lead and teach your young children. All staff members have a Criminal History Background Check, Child Abuse Check, and TB test prior to working in our center. We require all of our staff to go through mandatory state training each year. We currently have staff members with their Child Development Associate Credential and their Director’s Credential and continue to encourage all staff to obtain these certifications. The state of Kentucky is fortunate enough to have an excellent scholarship program available to early childhood centers who participate in the STARS for KIDS NOW program. KIDS HAVEN has been a “Star Center” for over 10 yrs. We also offer an incentive program to our staff if they complete any of these continuing education programs.
DISCIPLINE & ABUSE POLICIES
Young children are often caught in situations that result in biting. It is an aggressive, yet developmentally appropriate behavior. Our youngsters often find themselves frustrated and biting is their form of communication. Our staff is on top of the situation immediately and proper actions are taken to remedy the incident. Actions will be taken to calm the child including but not limited to TLC, ice, cool washcloth, and cleaning of the area. A report will be written for the parents of the biter and the child who has bitten. If the biting becomes a frequent occurrence a conference will be scheduled with the director, owner, and the parents of the biter. We will agree upon appropriate actions depending on the child’s needs. A referral to First Steps therapy will be made if needed. We may also recommend discussing the issue with your family pediatrician for further assistance with controlling the biting.
Our method of teaching the children self-discipline is to use positive reinforcement and redirection. There is no physical punishment or threat of physical punishment. Cooperation and frequent communication between parents and staff provides consistency for the child and promotes a good self image within the child.
Our objective in discipline is to help the child learn self control and to teach self discipline. This can be done with redirection and positive reinforcement. During a conflict, we will consider the child’s age, developmental stage, emotional make-up, home situation and past situations of discipline.
Discipline shall take the form of conversation, redirection, thinking chair away from the group and positive reinforcement. We ensure that our disciplinary actions are fair and consistent and that the child recognizes them as such. A calm, kind voice shall be maintained at all times. Patience and understanding must always be used. A child will never be labeled or made fun of at any time. At no times will verbal abuse, threats, or derogatory remarks about the child or his/her family be allowed.
When uncontrollable, disruptive and/or harmful behavior persists, the child shall be taken out of the classroom setting for a cool down period and the director shall advise the parents.
This center maintains a child care program which assures affirmative steps are taken to protect children from abuse and neglect. Our staff is trained on what signs to look for and instructed to act upon their findings. We are responsible by law to report any cases of suspected abuse to the proper authorities. Staff members are encouraged to make the director aware of possible situations; however, they are not required to do so and may report the abuse on their own. Reports will be made to the local Child Protective Agency as required by law.
SAFETY & NUTRITION
All classrooms, our multi-purpose room, kitchen, hallways, playgrounds, and parking lots have video cameras mounted in strategic locations for the safety of your children and our staff.
KIDS HAVEN, by Sandy is a proud participant of the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. CACFP requires our center to follow strict menu planning guidelines which include only whole grain breads, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, low sugar cereals and lots of milk! Meals are roasted, baked or broiled (never fried). Our staff is trained to encourage the children to try new foods and enjoy meal-time together. They are also trained on the importance of sanitation procedures for serving each meal. Delicious and nutritious meals are served to your children every day!
EMERGENCIES
KIDS HAVEN, by Sandy keeps a file on those authorized to pick up your child based on the information on the child care contract. Please notify the director immediately of any changes to your information.
In case of a weather emergency, it is important that our staff and children know how to respond. Evacuation plans are posted in every classroom. Children must be comfortable if they were ever put into an emergency situation. Fire drills are practiced each month and earthquake and tornado drills every three months (quarterly) as required by Kentucky state licensing. Practice drills are posted on our front bulletin board.
SECURITY
We believe strongly in the importance of a safe environment for you, your child, and our staff. Our security system only allows persons with an assigned code to enter the building. Upon enrollment of your child, you will be assigned a security code for entering and exiting the building with your child. We always have a staff member in the front office to greet parents and visitors. A detailed file is kept on every child in case of emergency. NO child is released to anyone without proper identification.
CLOTHING & TOYS
All children are required to keep an extra change of clothes, seasonally appropriate, in their cubby. This includes underwear, socks, shirt, and bottoms. All items must have children’s names labeled on them. The children do go outside on a daily basis weather permitting (above 40 degrees). Please make sure your child has a jacket, hat or hood, and gloves.
We ask that no toys from home be brought into the center. This often causes issues and toys get broken. We have an abundance of educational material and equipment for all classes. Toys or items from home will be welcomed on show and tell day.
DISMISSAL
The center reserves the right to dismiss any child if after entering the program, he/she seems unable to adapt to the group experience. We reserve the right to dismiss any child if there are any irreconcilable differences between the staff and the parents.
DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and /or employment activities.)
To file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form or at any USDA office, or call (866)632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202)690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)877-8339; or (800)845-6136 (in Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”