Daycare Handbook of Rules and Regulations Dorset Daycare’s philosophy is to provide a program of child-centered activities through the leadership of daycare educators, the support of the parents and the co-operation of the children. Our primary concern is the well-being and safety of every child while promoting a comfortable, friendly and family-centered atmosphere. Our goal is to develop and maintain a positive and caring environment.

The daycare staff has CPR, first aid training and have attended seminars in related fields including Epi-pen training. They are qualified, caring educators who aim to provide a co-operative, friendly and encouraging atmosphere.

Programs: - The Lunch Program operates between 12:00 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., every school day. This program is not subsidized by the government and operates with enrolment revenue only. The cost of this program is - $ 33.00 per month for 5 days a week.  

The first payment is due on September 15th. The remaining nine (9) payments (October to June) are due the 1st of each month. One payment can be made per family. We encourage you to make use of our online internet payments. If paying by cheque, please make your post-dated cheques payable to “Dorset Daycare”.

Students eat their lunches in their classrooms. Parents are responsible for providing a healthy lunch for their child. Weather permitting, the children regularly go outside to play games, ball, etc. Since one supervisor is responsible for a class, it is important that all members of the class are well enough to go outside. Please dress your child appropriately. Should the weather be wet or extremely cold, the students will remain in their classes and have quiet activities such as drawing, board games, etc. NO NUT PRODUCTS, GLASS CONTAINERS, soft drinks, gum, candy or popcorn are permitted. Please, label your child’s lunch box.

Lunch attendance: If your child will be leaving the school during the lunch hour, please leave a phone message (514-457-3920) or provide a note for your child. If this information is not received by the daycare your child will not be permitted to leave the school at this time.   Due to the short lunch period, microwaves are not available for warming up lunches. Please use a thermos and/or cold lunches as much as possible. Hot lunches can be ordered twice a week from Chartwells. Menus and order forms are sent home monthly. Home & School offers Pizza & Sub lunches and TCBY is offered seasonally.   

Daycare Service: Dorset Daycare falls under the Quebec Government’s subsidized Daycare Program and parents are charged $7.00 per day for 5 hours of supervision. As well, the daycare serves a breakfast in the morning at a cost of $1.00 per day. As of October 1st, 2014 the government has increased the daily rate to $7.30 per day. In summary: Regular daycare supervision plus breakfast = $8.30 /day * *Lunch supervision is included

Operating Hours: The daycare operates in the morning from 7:00 a.m. to 9:05 a.m., in the afternoon from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and during the lunch period 12:00 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Registration requirements: Students must be registered and attending 3, 4 or 5 days per week for a minimum of two (2) periods – e.g. morning and lunch period (one period must be lunch).

Payment of Monthly Daycare Fees: Daycare fees are formulated on a daily basis per month (based on the number of school days in a month) and not on a flat rate. A fee structure will be available and distributed in early September. One payment per family. The monthly fees can be found on our website.
Please make use of our online payments.

Payment for regular daycare users: The first payment is due on September 15th. The remaining eight payments (October to May) are due the first of each month. In early June an invoice will be sent for June’s fees. In this way any discrepancies throughout the year will be rectified. Daycare services may be withdrawn if fees are unpaid.

The Morning program: The Daycare operates from 7:00 am to 9:05 am. Please enter the daycare by the door at the rear of the stage/gym area. At this time, the daycare uses the stage and gym area in a family grouping. For breakfast we serve fresh fruit, a variety of cereals, toast, bagels and milk. We offer a quiet time early in the day where the children may participate in drawing, board games, toys and simple crafts. When using the gym in the morning the children are separated by juniors (Kindergarten to Grade 2) or seniors (Grade 3-6). Usually, the daycare spends the last 10 minutes outside in free play. Early arrival of non-daycare users – The teacher arrives on duty in the school yard at 8:50 am. Therefore, children arriving before this time will become the responsibility of the daycare. A drop-in fee will be applied.

The After School program: This period (3:30 to 6:00 p.m.) operates on the stage and gym areas as well as using some classrooms for snack and homework purposes. During this period the students have an opportunity to play outside, have a snack in their assigned area and then work on homework. Nut free and healthy snacks should be provided from home. Younger children will have a quiet time during this period eg. games, books, stories, etc. The educators are available to encourage and assist students, but homework is primarily the responsibility of the individual child. Parents are expected to ensure that their child has completed his/her homework in a conscientious and careful manner. The balance of the time may include a variety of activities such as crafts, board games, construction toys, etc. Outdoor playtime or physical activity is another major part of this time slot.

iPads Grade 5 & 6 students are permitted to use their iPads during homework time. Students are given a list of pre-approved apps that they are allowed to use once their homework has been completed. Students that are caught using unauthorized apps will have their iPads confiscated until they are picked up and will lose the privilege of using their iPad during homework time.

We ask all parents to leave the responsibility of opening the exterior doors to the daycare staff. In this way we are aware of who is in the building. Please do not open the door for any adult or parent and please check when leaving the building that the door is firmly closed. Parents are not permitted to walk in the hallways or classrooms without a visitor pass.

Occasional Students: All occasional users must give advance notice by note or phone (at least 24 hours ahead). This is important, so that the daycare staff is operating within their guidelines to ensure the safety of all the children concerned. Parents are asked to send the appropriate amount of payment with their child. An invoice for unpaid fees will be sent during the first or second week of the following month. Anyone using the lunch or daycare service on a day which is not their regular scheduled day will be charged the sporadic fee for that particular day.

Nut Control Policy: Dorset School and Daycare have a policy that bans all nuts, peanut butter, peanut (nut) oils and look-alike products eg. Pea-butter and it’s by- products. For the safety of all children, please read labels on your child’s lunch food and snacks carefully, especially on cereal and granola bars.

Arrival and Departures: Parents must accompany their child into the building for security and safety reasons. The daycare’s entrance is the door at the rear of the stage/gym area. It is important that parents sign their child in and out in the Sign “In & Out” binder every morning and evening. This is a government regulation which is required and affects the daycare’s funding. Please remain in this area, and the educator will inform your child/ren of your arrival.

Pedagogical days: The daycare will be open for the majority of the days if there are sufficient students registered. Advance notice will be given of any closures (usually 2 days per year). Registration forms can be found by the Sign “In and Out” book approximately 2 weeks before the Ped Day. A separate fee is applied for these days, as they are not included under the regular grant from the government or regular school days. The fee is $7.30/day for supervision, plus an activity fee, if applicable. Any registration to a Ped Day will be charged even if the child is absent on that day. The “Daycare without Activity” option is only available with a minimum of 10 students requesting daycare services without the outing or activity.   A child is not automatically registered for Ped Day services, if they are regular daycare users. A registration form must be completed. Sorry, late registrations will not be accepted. The deadline is firm. If your child is not a regular daycare user, but you wish to use our services at this time, please contact the daycare office well in advance of the date. Sorry, but no drop-ins may be accepted on these days.

Absences from the program: The daycare must be informed by the parent via email or telephone message of all absences from the program. As our expenses remain constant throughout the year, fees shall be paid regardless of illness, vacation or other absences of the child from the program. Extreme cases can be brought to the attention of the technician for special consideration.
If a communication has not been received in advance by the daycare for a change in the daily schedule, lunch or daycare, the student will be kept in the daycare program as usual.

Change of registration: A notice should be sent in writing to the daycare 2 weeks in advance.

Authorization for Pick-up: If a child is to be picked up by a person not listed or authorized on the Registration Form, the daycare must be notified by phone or in writing in advance. The person in question will be requested to show personal identification. Should a discrepancy occur, the daycare will take responsibility for the child’s safety and keep the child until the parent can be contacted.

Daycare Closures: Should the daycare be closed due to an emergency e.g. strike day, water leak, snowstorm etc., there will be no refund of fees. Dorset Daycare is usually closed for two Professional Days per year, one in the Fall for Professional Development and again at Easter time. The daycare will post a notice in advance for your information.

Personal property: The daycare is not responsible for any broken or lost personal property. We will endeavor to return lost lunch boxes, if they are labeled. Toys and electronics from home are not permitted.

Late Fee: A Late Fee of $1.00 per minute is charged after 6:00 p.m., our closing time. This fee is to compensate the educator on duty for the extra time required to ensure the child/ren’s safety. This fee is calculated at the time the family leaves the premises using the daycare’s clock.

NSF Charge: There will be a $15.00 charge for any NSF cheques. Should there be a re-occurrence, the fees must be paid in cash for the balance of the school year.

Income Tax Credits: Income tax credits will be issued before February 28th and sent by “child mail”. Please note that receipts are issued in the name of the person making the payment – the person signing the cheques. This information is indicated on the Registration Forms.

Health Issues: It is essential that you advise the daycare of any food allergies and health problems pertaining to your child. Please remember that Dorset School has a Nut Control Policy. This policy bans nuts, peanut butter, peanut oils, its by-products and look-a-like products such as pea-butter. To authorize the administration of medication, written permission must be given to the daycare, along with the medication in the original bottle with label.

Please notify the daycare of any health-related issues.

For the protection of all children and staff at Dorset, we wish to stress the importance of keeping sick children at home. If a child is well enough to come to school, then the child is well enough to go outside during their outdoor play periods. If a child becomes ill during the day, a parent or authorized person will be contacted immediately. It is important that your child be picked up as soon as possible. In the event of a serious injury, parents will be notified immediately.

Behaviour Expectations: Dorset Daycare endeavors to work with the Dorset school staff, parents and students to provide a safe and caring environment for all. School rules apply throughout the Daycare’s day. Expectations and rules for the children will be clearly discussed and consistently applied by the daycare staff. However, should a problem persist, the daycare staff will inform the parents, discuss the problem and work to find a solution. If this does not resolve the problem or if the situation is of a more serious nature, a written Discipline Report will be sent home with the child. After two written warnings, the child may be suspended from the daycare for a period of time. These warnings may be adjusted or accelerated depending on the seriousness of the situation and at the discretion of the school Principal and consultation of the Daycare. There will be no refund of fees for the suspended period. If, however the child is removed from the program permanently, a refund will be made for the following months.

Daycare Parent User Committee: The Governing Board may form a Daycare Parent User Committee upon the request of at least three parents who use the service. For further information, please refer to L.B.P.S.B. “Policy on School Daycare and Lunch Program Services” p.14. This is available on our website - www.lbpsb.qc.ca under “Policies and By-laws. In September, a form letter will be distributed to all parents of daycare users.

The roles and responsibilities of the committee are as follows:
It is an advisory role that provides a forum for consultations and feedback.
Transmits suggestions and recommendations to the principal or the Governing Board.
Is a liaison for all the parents who use the daycare service.
Focuses on the quality of daycare services and may make recommendations in respect to the rules of operations, special projects, needed changes or any other aspect of the daycare.
May contribute to the development of innovative projects. Is chaired by the Daycare Technician.
Will write a year-end-report, and after being reviewed by the principal and the Governing Board, the report will be sent to all parent users.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email:
Lisa Gonsalves
Dorset Daycare Technician
514-457-3920
 lgonsalves@lbpsb.qc.ca