Small Treasures
Child Care
Small Treasures Philosophy
The
program focus is to provide a warm, nurturing and stimulating home environment
for children to grow and develop socially, emotionally, physically and
cognitively. Small Treasures strives to form relationships between
parents, children and provider that are built around a core of cooperation and
understanding.
About Small Treasures
Small
Treasures is a state licensed and nationally accredited family child care home,
licensed to serve up to 10 children, although generally enrollment is kept at
six. The large family license is retained to allow flexibility within the
program if needed. Small Treasures provides the unique opportunity for
children to learn and grow in a home environment. This exposes the
children to a variety of experiences that help them learn important skills such
as cooperation, problem solving, and negotiation. These are lessons that
they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Small Treasures is
child-directed and provider-supported in its planning of activities.
Through meaningful one-on-one conversations, children learn that their
thoughts, feelings and opinions are valued and respected. This program is
designed for attendance from infancy through school age.
References
Whitney
Newman 617.364.8188 Donna Dickerson 617.696.2834
Cathy
Cunliffe 802.464.1153
Small Treasures Director: Ruth Baltopoulos
Ruth
is the mother of 2 daughters -- Zina, age 21 and
Experience & Affiliations
Ruth
has 20 years child care experience, 30 years experience in business
management, and a lifetime of experience with the mentally & physically
challenged (sibling), Nationally Accredited in 1997 (and one of the first to be
accredited in MA), First Aid Certification, Infant & Child CPR
Certification, MA Family Child Care License #2082384, Member of the National
Association for Family Child Care; Mentor, Referral Coordinator and former
Facilitator of the Milton Area Family Child Care Association, and Member of the
Advisory Council of the Milton Early Childhood Alliance.
Small
Treasures computes a weekly fee based on your contracted schedule. The
hourly rate used to determine your weekly fee will be: Full-time care 40 hours or
more for toddlers (over 24 months) / $6.00 ; Part-time of 20 to 39
hours or infant care for any number of hours / $7.00; Part-time care for
any age under 20 hours / $8.00.
Financial Responsibilities
Tuition
fees are to be paid every Monday morning. Checks should be made out to Ruth
Baltopoulos. There is a basket just inside the childcare entrance
in which your fee should be deposited. If your child is not scheduled on
a Monday, you are vacationing, or if Small Treasures will be closed for a
holiday/vacation, please deposit your fee ahead of time in the form of a
postdated check. A $15 fee will be charged for checks received
late. A $25 fee will be charged for checks that do not clear the bank and
cash payments may be required in the future.
Holidays, absences, the child's vacations, emergency closures or delays
due to inclement weather do not affect fees. Parents are responsible for
payments 52 weeks a year.
Taxes
Employee
Identification number for filing purposes: 04-3081674
Vacation Time 2007 - 2008
Small
Treasures will close for (4) weeks each year. All parents who have
children registered for 2007-2008 are financially responsible for these
closings. The weeks taken will be:
*December 24th - 31st (incorporates Christmas
holiday)
*April 21st - 25th (School Vacation Week)
*June 23rd - 27th (School Summer Vacation)
*August 25th - 29th
On
the infrequent occasions that Small Treasures must close early, the date will
be posted as far in advance as possible.
Holidays 2007 -- 2008
Small
Treasures will be closed on the following holidays:
Labor
Day,
September 3rd New
Years Day, January 1st
Columbus
Day, October
8th MLK,
Jr. Day,
January 21st
Veterans Day,
November 12th Presidents
Day, February 18th
Thanksgiving, November 22nd & 23rd
Memorial Day, May 26th
Christmas,
December 25th Independence
Day, July 4th
Small
Treasures celebrates a variety of holidays with the children through crafts,
songs, foods, stories, etc. If parents celebrate a holiday that they feel
may be of interest to the group please speak with the director.
Sick Time
The
Director is allowed a total of (12) sick days per annual contract period (one
per month). Please be aware that these will not be used except in
the case of extreme illness. Small Treasures has closed only four times
in the past twenty years.
Absences
If
a child is absent for any reason, the parents should notify Small Treasures as
close to the expected arrival time as possible. Parents are requested to
call Small Treasures before 9:00 p.m. or after 7:00 am. Emergency calls
are always accepted. Parents are requested to give at least 2 weeks
notice of any vacation time or optional absences.
Schedules
Parents should
be timely and adhere to their contracted schedule. Please do not arrive prior
to or later than your contracted arrival and departure times without consulting
with the Director for additional paid time. If you need to deviate from
your contracted time, please contact the Director to discuss
options. Small Treasures reserves the right to spontaneity,
and may schedule outings around the day’s anticipated drop-off and pick-up
schedule. Unscheduled visits or impromptu early pick-ups are welcome with
the realization that you may not find us here! Parents may permanently change
their schedule with Provider approval and upon the signing of a revised
contract. Pick up beyond your contracted schedule will result in a
$5 fee for every 5 minutes or increment thereof. A bill will be given to
you indicating the charge, and this fee should be paid in cash before the start
of the next week.
Hours
Small
Treasures is open Monday Friday from 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM. Arrangements can
be made for early drop-off or late pick-up at the Directors discretion with a
rate of $10.00 per hour or increment thereof. In the event of an
emergency closure or delay, parents will be notified between 6:30 and 7:30
AM.
** Note **
Please
note that Small Treasures follows the
Appropriate Clothing
All
children should arrive for care dressed appropriately for outdoor play.
Unless it is raining or extremely cold, we will spend time outside every
day.
Drop-off / Pick-up
Please
make drop-off and pick-up times short and sweet for the benefit of the entire
group. Small Treasures may have a two
hour range of drop-offs and pick-ups at either end of the day and prolonged
transitions serve as a substantial delay to our schedule. A warm hug and kiss and a clear good-bye or
greeting generally works best. When a new
child is beginning care, exception will be made as needed.
Parent Involvement
All
families are invited to schedule a time to share a planned activity with the
group at Small Treasures. Once the schedule is made, it will be the
parents' responsibility to make any necessary changes and notify the
Director. All parents are welcome to spend a day at Small Treasures
experiencing time with your child, and the group as a whole.
Emergency Care
The
Small Treasures Emergency Back-ups are Sara Harnish or Kathy Rea, who may be
called upon for childcare assistance in a medical emergency.
Illness
Children
with fever, recurrent vomiting or diarrhea, or showing other signs of illness
within 24 hours of a scheduled day may not attend Small Treasures.
Children with any bacterial infection must be on antibiotics for a minimum of
24 hours before returning to Small Treasures. In the event that a child
becomes ill during normal child care hours, they must be picked up within one
hour of notification, and must not return until they are symptom free for at
least 12 hours.
Small
Treasures will provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. Parents are
requested not to send food with their children. Small Treasures participates in
the Nutrition Education and Child Care Food Program. If this program is
reduced, or cut, the parents will be required to pay an increase in fees
effective immediately. Small Treasures welcomes mothers providing breast
milk for their child. Infant cereal will be mixed with formula, water or
juice, but not breast milk.
Small Treasures Communication Sources
Small
Treasures will post a Daily Information sheet recording the menu and
events of the day, with the exception of July & August when we are on
summer vacation <smile> Verbal communication will be used to convey
specifics regarding your child. Small Treasures actively pursues open
communication to enhance the parent/provider relationship. Small
Treasures will distribute a monthly calendar and newsletter. Parents are
requested to communicate any concerns, questions, comments, or impending
vacations/scheduling changes. Parents are responsible for giving Small
Treasures any information that could be relevant to the health and safety of
their child, or others. This includes: change in address and phone number
for home or parents work, contagious illness in the family, and any incidents
which could affect the child's behavior. Updates of the child's records
will be done annually. General information for parents, reminders, and
memos will be found on the bulletin boards directly inside the childcare
entrance. Please check this area daily.
Each
child should have on hand in his/her cubby (and parents should
check
and change periodically according to size and season):
¨ a complete change of
season appropriate clothing (parents should check frequently to ensure clothing
is the correct size/season)
¨ diapers and wipes (if
needed)
¨ a cozy blanket
¨ slippers
¨ sunscreen - children
should have sunscreen applied by parent before, or at, arrival. Sunscreen will be reapplied when necessary in
the p.m.)
¨ a family photograph
which can be laminated
Diaper Supplies
Parents
are responsible for supplying disposable diapers for their child. In
addition, they should supply wet ones (box style), and powder or diaper rash
ointment if needed. Soiled laundry will be sent home in a plastic bag for
laundering and should be replaced on the next scheduled day.
Toilet Training
Toilet
training may begin when both the Director and the Parents agree that the child
is ready. Training must begin at home, and will be reinforced at
child care. Children must wear thick training pants until they are
consistently toileting.
Toys and Personal Items
Children
may not bring toys from home, unless they have been invited to for a special
occasion such as show and tell.
Napping/Quiet Time
Each
child will be provided with an individual nap/quiet space. Naptime
for infants is based upon their personal schedules. We strive for an
afternoon rest time from 1:30 - 3:30, although this may deviate based on daily
schedules and events. Small Treasures will provide sheets and blankets,
nap mats or playpens. Older children, at the discretion of the Director,
may have a quiet time on the 'Big Couch' where they can read books and/or watch
PBS. The telephone answering machine may pick up calls during busy/nap
times. Parents may leave a message and the call will be returned as soon
as possible.
When
children have water play indoors or outdoors there will always be direct
supervision. During, hot weather children may have access to a sprinkler
and/or wading pools in the yard. During the very hot days of summer,
children may have swimming lessons in the above-ground pool.
Permission & Authorization
All
prescription medications need parental permission to be administered to the child
by the provider. Prescription medicine must bear a pharmacy label
indicating correct dosage and the child's name. Over the counter
medicines will be administered to the child with a written parental permission
form. Please request a permission form from the Director if needed.
Permission for sunscreen (and any other topical ointment including diaper rash
ointments) must be updated annually. A child will be released only to
authorized persons on record by verbal or written consent. Children will
be released to unauthorized persons with written permission only.
Children must arrive and depart the premises in the appropriate car seat/belt
as dictated by law.
Parent-Provider Conferences
Conferences
may be scheduled for each child under school age annually, or at the discretion
of the Director or parents based on the needs of the specific child.
Small Treasures seeks to be your partner in working with your child, with the
conference designed to be a time of mutual sharing, discussion and goal setting.
Times will be available for both evening and daytime meetings.
Birthday Policy
Birthdays
are observed at Small Treasures as a group celebration. The parents
should provide cupcakes or cake, and candles. Small Treasures will
provide the paper goods for their child's scheduled party. We have
a no gift policy!
A non-refundable deposit of a week’s tuition will be required to hold a slot for your child.
