Policies & Procedures

Our Mission Statement 

At Kids ‘R’ Kids Schools of Quality Learning We believe that children should be

“HUGGED FIRST-THEN TAUGHT” 

We strive to provide a nurturing, secure and stimulating environment for young children.

Kids ‘R’ Kids Early Childhood Development Program will demonstrate the building of developmentally-appropriate early learning skills at each classroom level. These important skills are infused within the curriculum in a fun and engaging way. Through our daily take-home sheets you will learn about our day-to-day activities.

We believe in being supportive of our parents, and we welcome our parents' positive involvement and presence at our school at all times. We further believe that in such a caring atmosphere where parents and teachers have open and honest communication, children thrive and have the opportunity to blossom into responsible, considerate  and contributing members of our society.

Kids ‘R’ Kids is open to children from ages 6 weeks to 12 years without discrimination on the basis of political affiliation, religion, race, sex and mental or physical disabilities.

Infants

Taking care of infants is both demanding and rewarding. Each infant has individual needs. In a warm, loving atmosphere, our staff provides for these needs as well as gives special attention to developmental milestones. Music and story time are everyday activities in the infant room.

Health and safety are our top priorities. In Suite 100, we ask our parents to put "booties" over their shoes prior to coming into the classroom. This minimizes dirt brought into the classroom to keep it safe and clean for our babies who are crawling. A crib is provided for each baby with a clean sheet daily. Toys are sanitized as needed throughout the day as well as every evening. Parents receive daily reports on feedings, diapering and napping. Parents will fill out the parent information sheet every month (or as needed) which will update caring and feeding instructions for their infant. Baby food brought into the facility should be for a week’s supply only. Updated shot records need to be provided at the front desk every time the child’s immunizations are updated.

In our Suite 150 room, we have babies a little older who are already walking or beginning to walk. This classroom protects smaller infants from being crawled or walked over and gives the older infant the freedom to explore without hindrance and more opportunities for developmental activities.

Physical separation for baby and parent is always difficult. Kids ‘R’ Kids strives to help parents and children experience a calm transition of physical and emotional separation through our safe and loving environment.

Toddlers

Toddlers are naturally curious. At Kids ‘R’ Kids, children are given the opportunity to explore their world safely. Children are encouraged to develop their personal skills such as feeding themselves and potty training. Each child is treated as an individual during this important time to help develop his/her independence and self-esteem. The toddler program is developed to provide hands-on activities which allow children to explore, inquire, and discover solutions first-hand.

Daily activity plans focus on building language, creativity, fine-  and gross-motor skill, and social interaction.

Pre-School

Pre-Schoolers love to learn new information and master new tasks. Our program is designed to facilitate this learning through many self-directed experiences. Throughout the day, children have opportunities to explore the learning centers within their classrooms. Each learning center enhances the child’s core components of development: emotional, language, cognitive, physical and aesthetic. The curriculum enhances the learning centers through a thematic approach.

Children have many opportunities to see how reading and writing are useful before they are instructed in letters, names, sounds and word identification. An abundance of these experiences provide children opportunities to develop language and literacy skills. The atmosphere encourages independence and the building of self-esteem. In addition, the use of a daily schedule helps children feel secure and independent as they anticipate activities and the opportunity of making choices on an individual basis.

Pre-Kindergarten

Our pre-kindergarten program is designed to foster choice and independence by providing fun and excitement in a full day of activities. This environment encourages writing, solving problems, expressing new ideas, respecting differences and resolving conflicts. We have developed our pre-kindergarten program using the criteria from Fort Bend ISD, which will help in preparation for a successful school year ahead. These excited learners will experience activities and lessons correlated with:

§  Reading, storytelling and learning new words

§  Letter recognition and rhyming

§  Social studies and cultural awareness

§  Math skills related to sequencing, prediction, comparing, addition and subtraction

§  Art, music and movement

§  Spanish and physical fitness

By providing a nurturing, flexible and positive atmosphere at Kids ‘R’ Kids, the child’s self-esteem is enhanced, independence is encouraged, and successes are celebrated.

Kids ‘R’ Kids Policies and Procedures

Kids ‘R’ Kids School of Quality Learning, we reserve the right to change or revise any policy, procedure or tuition/fee schedule with written notification to parents. Please note that the policies and procedures as outlined below are governed by us, namely Kids ‘R’ Kids in Missouri City, Texas. We are independently owned and operated. These policies are not governed by the Kids ‘R’ Kids International Headquarters.

Welcome

The center is open to you, the parent, any time your child is present in the center. For the safety of all children, we do request that you make your presence known to the

person in charge and that you cooperate in not disrupting our program.

Hours/Days of Operations

Kids ‘R’ Kids hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 12 months a year from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30p.m.

The standard holidays observed are:

New Year’s Day/and/or the day after

Good Friday

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas

No discounts from tuition will be made for holidays or other days on which the facility does not open.

Kids ‘R’ Kids is licensed for specific hours of operation; early arrival and late pick-up cannot be allowed.

Late Pick-up

If children are left at the center after closing time and no word is received from the parent(s), or if an emergency contact cannot be reached, authorities will be contacted.

After the center’s licensed closing time, the center will charge $2 every minute after 6:30 p.m. per child. At 7:00 p.m., the authorities will be contacted if we have not been able to reach a parent. You will be responsible to document arrival time at the front desk and then pay the late fee that same evening in cash. If you are late picking up more than one child, you will be responsible for paying the late fee for each child.

The hours of our Mother’s Day Out program are strictly 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mother’s Day Out students will not be allowed to arrive before 9:00 a.m. Any child enrolled in our Mother’s Day Out program picked up after 2:00 p.m. or dropped off before 9:00 a.m. will be charged the standard late fee per child of $2.00 for every minute before 9:00 am or after 2:00 p.m., as above

Enrollment Procedures  

Upon enrolling your child into our center, you will be given forms that must be completed prior to your child’s start date. It is mandatory that the Health Requirement form be signed by your child’s physician before entering the school. A copy of the shot records will be needed, and it is the parent’s responsibility to update the shot records in a timely manner. Any policy changes in the school will be addressed in a memo form.

Checking In and Out

Parents are responsible for escorting their children to their individual classrooms, making sure that you leave them in the direct care of the faculty member. Parents must sign their children in and out each day using the touch screen at the front desk. The drop-off zone is in the parking lot. Only use the “Kiss and Go” area in front of the school on bad weather days. Unattended vehicles will be ticketed. For your safety and security, please do not leave your vehicles unlocked while dropping off or picking up your child. Kids ‘R’ Kids is not responsible for any theft or damages that may occur to your vehicle.

The paperwork you fill out regarding your child upon enrollment lists family members or friends whom you authorize to pick up your child. When friends or family come to pick up, we will ask them to present a picture ID to compare it to the name in your child’s file before we release the child to them. If a person’s name is not on the list, the child will not be released until we have a written, dated, and signed note from the parent giving us permission.

Siblings are not permitted in the infant rooms. This rule is provided to prevent the spreading of germs and infection. All adults entering the infant room need to wear booties over their shoes to prevent tracking of dirt in the classroom. The booties are provided for you by the facility.

Nutrition

Breakfast is provided and served from 6:30a.m. to 7:30a.m. Breakfast fees are in addition to your tuition fees. A teacher is on duty in the cafe' until 7:15a.m. Parents must sit with their child between 7:20a.m. and 8:00a.m. and then escort their child to the classroom.

For bottle-fed children, parents must provide prepared formula placed in bottles. All infant items should be marked on each part of every item with the child’s first and last name. Teachers will date bottle on arrival.

Weekly menus for children are available on our web page as well as at the front desk. We need to be informed of your child’s allergies and special diets. Any changes to the menu will be posted on the bulletin board in the cafe'.

Lunch is included in the tuition. Per the State Licensing Health and Nutrition Requirements, we cannot allow unhealthy food and snacks to be given to the children that are brought from the outside. We will cater to children who are vegetarian.

Your child’s birthday

If your child would like to bring a “special snack” for his/her birthday, that is fine as long as it does not contain food coloring or nuts. Please let the teachers know in advance. The snack will be served for afternoon snack in the classroom, and it will not be a birthday party - simply a “special snack”. No drinks please. Any treat bags will be distributed at the end of the day for every child to take home.

Fees

A tuition and fee schedule is provided to you when you tour the school. Your annual enrollment fee of $75.00 per family is charged to your account every January. You are responsible to pay the enrollment fee with the next week’s tuition. Each parent agrees to pay tuition fees the Friday prior to the week, and monthly tuition is paid by the last Friday prior to the month. If tuition is not in by Monday evening, a late fee of $50 will be added to your account that you will be responsible for paying with that week’s tuition. All accounts must be paid in full immediately in order to continue in the daily program. For any checks returned unpaid from the bank, there will be a returned check fee of $25 per check. After two returned checks, the transaction for the form of payment will then only be in cash, money order or credit card. If you have more than one child enrolled full time, you will receive a 10% discount off the lowest tuition rate.

Upon your enrollment, your set program tuition is given to you per your request.  If you need to change your tuition schedule from part time to full time or vice versa, please inform the front desk so your account is adjusted to reflect the right amount on the next week’s tuition.

Once you choose the program for your child and enroll in it, your tuition is due continually every Friday regardless of whether or not your child attends. Our program requires us to engage staff based upon the number of children enrolled, so we cannot give tuition refunds or discounts for days your child is absent. The form of payment for the tuition is check, cash, money order or credit card. (Mastercard/Visa only) There is no monetary value for vacation time not taken. Once enrolled, if you miss an entire week of school and have no vacation time available, you will need to pay full tuition for that week. If your account has a balance, you may not be able to access Watch Me Grow.

Parents who bring in referrals get one free week of tuition per family referred, provided the new family stays with us for at least 90 days.

We offer both full-  and part-time programs for families. For children younger than 18 months, we offer only full-time programs. For children 18 months and older, if your child is enrolled in the part time program, she may not attend on unscheduled days except on a “space available” basis only. You must inform the front desk of any unscheduled days in advanced.

Also for children 18 months and older, we offer a drop-in program on a “space available” basis. A family who would like to utilize the center on a drop-in basis must call each time they need care to see if we have space available in that age group. The drop-in fee needs to be paid prior to the child starting for the day.

If you choose to disenroll your child at any time, we require a two-week written notice and there will be no vacation the last two weeks. Your account must be paid in full with no outstanding balances or bounced checks.

Fees for Vacation/Sick Days

If your child(ren) is in the after school program and wants to attend Kids 'R' Kids on Public School Holiday week, e.g. Spring break, Christmas Holidays, Thanksgiving, then an additional charge will be assessed. Fees for the holiday weeks for the after school program will be posted at the front desk. If not present during holiday week, then the regular tuition applies. One day of attendance will activate the full week charge.

After three months of enrollment, ONLY three weeks of vacation will be provided at half the weekly rate per year. After one full year of continuous enrollment, an additional three weeks at half price will be given after the payment of your yearly registration. Unused vacation for the year cannot roll over to the next year. The 10% family discount will not be applied to any adjusted weekly rates for vacation or sick weeks. Any other absence will continue to be full tuition. There will be no rate adjustment for the major holidays observed by Kids 'R' Kids. One-day attendance constitutes the full weekly rate at all times. No refund is given for any unused vacation. Students cannot attend Kids 'R' Kids during their vacation weeks.

Extra Curricular Activities    

Based on interest of families enrolled in our center, we offer a variety of extracurricular opportunities from outside providers. These activities might include karate, ballet, and computer. The fees for these programs are separate and are paid to the outside provider directly.

Medication

All prescribed medication must be left at the front desk with the person in charge. A medication form must be filled out completely and signed by parent or guardian before any medication can be administered. The form is valid for the current week only. It will need to be renewed each week. Medication must be in original container and labeled as follows: child’s name, current date, amount of medication to be given, expiration date and any other instructions. Medication is given only at 11:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m.

Any nonprescription medication must have a signed, dated note from the child’s doctor stating the name of the child to receive medication, name of medication, amount to be given, and other special instructions. Doctor’s note must expire in 1 month and be dated.

Medication cannot be stored at the center. Please remember to take all medications home after they are no longer administered.

Water Activities

Our center prides itself on its state of the art water park. For the children to have a safe, fun-filled activity, there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled. Requirements are water shoes, sun block, mosquito repellant, and signed Splash Day forms. Forms can be signed at the front desk. Children coming in sandals or flip-flops will not be allowed to participate in the activity.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Recognizing the important relationship between the vision and learning process, the 68th Texas legislature passed the Special Senses and Communication Disorders Act of 1983. One purpose of the Act is to identify those children in need of professional vision and hearing examinations.

As a part of comprehensive preschool health programming, vision and hearing screening is aimed at detecting problems which would limit the child’s educational opportunities. The Act requires that all children enrolled for the first time in any preschool facility in Texas, or who are 4 year olds through high school must be screened yearly or have a professional examination for possible vision and hearing problems. Kids ‘R’ Kids must have a yearly record of the screening in the child’s file. The following data must be recorded: child’s name, type of screening, date, screener, and screening results. The school does provide this service for you (a standard fee applies); therefore, it is the responsibility of the parent to fill out the form with the payment to participate in the hearing and vision screening when we make our announcement.

Illness

The health and welfare of all our children is our primary concern. If your child appears ill, has fever, is vomiting, or shows evidence of a communicable disease, please leave him/her at home 24 hours before returning to school. We follow the criteria from the TDPRS (Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services) regarding when children should be excluded from childcare. If your child has such symptoms and is at Kids ‘R’ Kids, you will be asked to pick him/her up immediately. This requirement is imposed by the State and is intended for the protection of the other children.

Children who are brought to school who may have a reaction to an illness or medication, who show a rash but are not contagious, can come to school with a doctor’s note stating that he/ she is okay. Our policy is that children with the following signs or symptoms should be picked up promptly:

Fever: Applies to children with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher. If a child is sent home with a fever, he/she must be fever free and without medication for 24 hours before returning to the facility.

Uncontrolled diarrhea: Three or more loose stools in one day.

Pinkeye: Conjunctivitis must be excluded from care until 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun. A doctor’s note is required.

Head Lice: Excluded from care until 24 hours after treatment has begun.

Strep Throat: Excluded from care until 24 hours after treatment has begun. A doctor’s note is required.

Any undocumented rash. Excluded from care until a doctor’s note is provided.

Other signs of possible illness include rashes, wheezing or unusual lethargy.

Medical Emergency

If a child becomes ill, injured, or has an adverse reaction to prescribed medication while at the center, the parent(s) or emergency contact person will be notified immediately.

If it is necessary to seek immediate medical attention for a child, the parent hereby grants Kids 'R' Kids permission to take whatever action in its judgment may be necessary to supply emergency medical services to the child. Kids 'R' Kids will attempt to contact and follow the instruction of the parent, physician or other person(s). The parent grants permission to Kids 'R' Kids to contact and comply with the advice of an available physician, ambulance personnel, or emergency room personnel. The parent will solely be responsible for and will promptly pay any expenses which may be incurred by Kids 'R' Kids in making emergency medical treatment available to his/her child.

In the event of an occurrence of communicable disease as outlined by the Department of Health, written notification will be posted on the classroom door within 24 hours or the next working day.

Weather Emergency

Our school performs emergency evacuation procedures once a month. These procedures prepare the staff and children during an emergency. The Fort Bend YMCA is our designated place for shelter in case an emergency exists, and emergency plans are located near the exit areas.

Transportation

Transportation is provided to and from our center to designated public schools in our buses. Our buses are equipped with high-back custom seats with seat belts.

Transportation Agreements are signed once for each school year. Vehicle Emergency Forms must be filled out completely and information kept up to date. If your child needs to be dropped off at school in the morning, you need to be at the facility no later than 7:15 a.m.

Parents need to notify the center if their child(ren) does not need bus transportation that day so our bus driver has an up-to-date roster before he makes a bus run. If your student does not need to ride the bus and the center is not notified in advance, a $5 search fee will be added to your tuition per day as we must call and verify your child’s absence. You will be notified in advance of any field trips that are planned for your child’s group. A field trip permission form must be signed and dated for each field trip. For the school age children who attend Kids 'R' Kids for the holidays, if a field trip is scheduled, the child will have to go on the field trip. We do not have extra staff to cater to children left behind who wish not to go on the field trip. If you do not want your child to go on the field trip, please do not bring him/her to school that day.

Discipline

We believe that most discipline problems can be avoided through a combination of:

• Knowledge of developmental growth patterns and needs of children at different ages and stages.
• Activities that encourage and gently stimulate children’s natural curiosity.
• Routines that are consistent and give children security and stability.

To manage behaviors in a positive way we use:

• Positive reinforcement
• Redirection
• Offering appropriate choices

Discipline techniques that are never used include:

• Corporal punishment
• Yelling, abusive or demeaning language
• Shaming or humiliation
• Deprivation of food, nap or bathroom privileges

Dismissal Policy

Initial and continued enrollment will be at the discretion of Kids 'R' Kids based upon the best interest of the child; he/she must benefit from the program and the welfare of the other enrolled children will not be put at risk.

In the event that behavior becomes disruptive to the program or becomes a problem that poses an unsafe situation for the child or other children in the class, alternative arrangements will be required. If you as a parent, are uncooperative in completing and returning forms, fail to pay your tuition on time, fail to follow any state or county regulations, or fail to follow any Kids 'R' Kids policy or procedure, it may be necessary to disenroll your child(ren) from care.

We strive to provide the highest quality of care and education to the families we serve. We welcome parents' input and will make every effort to address concerns. However, we ask that concerns are always communicated in a professional and courteous manner and that all our staff is treated with the respect they deserve as partners with you in caring for your child(ren).

State Minimum Standards

A copy of the Minimum Standards of the State Department of Human Resources, regulation childcare operation within the state, is available at Kids 'R' Kids for review by parents, or a parent may review Minimum Standards rules on the web site at http://www.tdprs.state.tx.us. The child abuse hotline is 800-252-5400.

Our Staff

Our staff is hired with the dedication to teach young children. For the safety of the children, upon hiring, we do criminal background checks. Our staff is required to go through on-going training in early childhood education to enhance new teaching ideas. They also are updated on CPR and First Aid, and for the infant room area they also are current, on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

In Home Baby Sitting

Kids 'R' Kids does not render childcare services off its premises, except in the event of field trips which have been authorized in advance by the parent or guardian. Accordingly, if you arrange with a staff member for off-premises care of your child, the staff member undertakes such service on his/her own behalf and not as our employee. Kids 'R' Kids staff members are selected and retained only on the basis of their fitness for rendering childcare services in a controlled and fully-supervised childcare program. Kids 'R' Kids offers no assurance of the fitness of its staff members for performing these and other services in an environment which is not professionally supervised, and none should be implied or inferred under any circumstances.

The Parent’s Role

The relationship between parents and staff is vital to the success of a child’s experience. A partnership must be formed the first day with open communication and understanding that the development and growth of the child is our top priority.

Parents can assist and help ensure a smooth transition by doing the following:

• Have all enrollment forms completed promptly.
• Update forms as needed when changes occur, i.e. new phone numbers, address, updated shot records.
• Keep the staff informed of special needs or changes that might affect your child’s behavior.
• Notify the center if your child is ill.
• Do not bring a sick child to school.
• Notify the center if your child will be absent or does not need to be picked up from public school.
• Notify the center if you will be later than usual picking up your child or there will be someone else picking up your child. This should be in writing and faxed to the school.
• Provide a change of clothes marked with your child’s name (center not responsible for lost clothing).
• Children should be dressed properly for the weather and play.
• Do not allow children to bring toys.
• Participate in the center’s special activities.
• Attend scheduled parent meetings and conferences.
• Ask questions and address concerns as they arise.
• Do not leave food or snacks in the classroom or cubbies.
• Read all documents that the school provides. They are posted on our website, on classroom doors, daily sheets, newsletters, etc.

                                                                                                               Edition: January 2009