These are the policies that our nursery staff will follow, in caring for your children. Nursery staff are age 16 and older, are supervised by professional staff, and are subject to background checks. 1. Caregivers are expected to be on site from 10 am to noon, on the Sundays when they are scheduled to work. They are expected to remain on site for the full two hours, even if no children are in the nursery. They will conduct themselves at all times in an appropriate manner. 2. Caregivers will be available at least three Sundays a month. A schedule will be drawn up for each quarter, at least three weeks before the quarter begins. Requests for changes to the schedule should be submitted two weeks before the Sunday affected, and the team cannot guarantee that requests will be accommodated. 3. Caregivers who need to stay home on a Sunday due to causes like illness or pressing emergencies should call the DRE or the designated contact if the DRE is off that Sunday, as early as possible. It is ideal if this call can be made by 5 pm on Saturday. 4. Caregivers will be actively involved in creating a warm, welcoming, and engaging atmosphere in the nursery. They will greet parents and children warmly. They will keep attendance records, ask parents to sign their children in, and obtain contact information from any new families before the parent leaves the nursery. If children have difficulty separating from parents, the caregivers will console the children and work to engage the child in an activity. 5. Caregivers are expected to return the room to its original condition before leaving the site. 6. Caregivers will engage children in a variety of activities during the time children are in the nursery 7. Caregivers will speak to parents when they return to the nursery, and provide brief information about the day’s activities. No child will be permitted to leave the nursery without being signed out by the person who signed that child in, or by a person designated by the parent at drop-off. 8. Caregivers will not use cell phones or other personal electronic devices when children are present in the nursery, except insofar as required to contact the children’s parents or the DRE. 9. Caregivers are not expected to change diapers or provide hands-on physical help for toilet- trained children. Should those needs arise, parents will need to leave the service to help their children. Caregivers should recommend to parents that they change babies and take older children to the restroom before leaving their children in the nursery. 10. If children become upset, caregivers will make a reasonable attempt to comfort children. If children are inconsolable for a period of ten minutes, the caregivers will attempt to reach out to parents. It is recommended that caregivers ask parents to leave phones on a vibrate setting, so that caregivers can easily contact them. 11. If conflicts between children arise, or children are not behaving in a way that is conducive to the safety of others, caregivers will use gentle, non-punitive techniques to redirect behavior. If these efforts are not successful, the caregiver will seek help from the DRE or that day’s designated support person, and that person will decide on the best course of action. 12. Caregivers will check in with the DRE or the designated support person before leaving the site. |