FAQ's for Lil' Sprouts
(updated 11/15/10)
Where is your home daycare located?
My home is located inside the Hawthorne city limits near the intersection of US 301 and SR 20. For the safety of my family and the children I take care of, I prefer not to list my exact address. Contact me for more information on this. :)
How do I check out your daycare?
First, of course, you would need to contact me. We can chat either by phone or email. We exchange information, questions, etc. If all goes well, we can then set up an time for you to come and see my home and tour the daycare setting. At this time we will be able to discuss everything from feeding, diapering, potty training, playtime, meal time, teaching, policies, etc. You will be able to look over the parent handbook, contract, know of current openings, etc. Don't worry, you do not need to make a decision on the spot.
If this is the right place for your child to attend, please set up a time enroll your child, if you are going home to think about your options after your visit. This allows us to go over the paperwork one last time, ask any last minute questions, etc.
Can I bring my child(ren) to the appointments?
Yes, please do. This gives your child a chance to explore and enjoy the environment. If coming during an nap time, your child will be encouraged to play quietly.
If my child enrolls, what will I need to bring for him/her?
This varies depending on the age/stage of the child, for most children you will need to bring:
Babies/toddlers: diapers, wipes, burb rags, blanket, breastmilk/formula/bottles, pacifiers, baby food, change of clothing, etc
Potty trained children: change of clothes, hand towel, toothbrush, special blanket/toy for nap time, etc.
We will discuss what will be needed for your child at your appointment or upon enrollment.
It is recommended that you label everything with your child's name to prevent mix ups
Do you offer a "trial period"?
Yes, I know sometimes that everything can seem great upon enrollment, but for some reason(s) it just doesn't work out. That is why I have a 2 week trial period. The first 2 weeks your child is in care, you or I can decide that it isn't working out and quit with no negative consequences, including payments pass the first 2 weeks.
Do you support breastfeeding/cloth diapering/attachment parenting?
Yes, I do. If you are breastfeeding your child, I will work with you to do what is best for the child and make sure that he/she is getting what they need. This can be done with pumped breastmilk, feeding visits, etc.
If you would like to use cloth diapers, I have no problems with this. Please provide enough diapers for the time your child will be here. You must also provide a wet-proof bag to store dirty diapers in. (Zip locks, PUL fabric bag, etc.) Provider will not "swish" or attempt to clean diapers. If flush-able liners are provided, those will be emptied into the toilet and flushed.
There are many ranges of attachment parenting. Your ideas will discussed for the best interest of the child in a daycare setting.
Will I be able to visit/contact my child throughout the day?
Parents are always welcome to visit/call their child throughout the day. Please be mindful of these things:
- In order to be able to visit/contact your child freely you or family member/friend must be on the child's paperwork.
- If this is the person's first time at my home, photo id will be required, which must be matched up with the people listed in the child's paperwork. If the person comes infrequently, the same applies.
- Visitors must sign in/out and list reason they are there.
- Please be considerate of nap times so other children are not disturbed during their rest times.
- If visiting, you may be with your child, however, the provider won't be able to have an adult style visit with you due to working with other children.
- Please direct any questionable behavior to the provider. Please don't correct, discipline, etc other children except your own and direct any concerns of the other children to the provider at once so that it maybe promptly taken care of.
- If you wish to talk to your child on the phone, please be brief. The time involved will depend on the child's age, mood at the time of call, etc.
- If calling during a nap time and your child is sleeping, provider will not wake a sleeping child to talk to his/her parent. However, I will be more than happy to snap a cell phone picture at that moment and send it to your phone. When the child awakes, the child will be given the opportunity to call their parent.
Yes, one of the things that is done starting at age 2.5-3 preschool centered activities. This includes learning numbers, letters, colors, shapes, sight words, etc. We also work on small motor skills and learning simple science such as life cycle of insects/animals/plants, weather and its patterns, etc. There are small raised gardens that the children will help me grow vegetables and fruits.
Do you take the children on field trips?
Yes, I enjoy taking them on field trips. One of the field trips that is done is the weekly story time at the Hawthorne branch library. Other field trips will vary through the year such as the Museum of Natural Science, fire station and police station visits, etc. Field trips will have a limit of children to attend because of the amount of seat belts in my vehicle. Parents are always welcome to attend, but will need to provide their own transportation if there are none avaliable in provider's van.
If a parent would like their child to attend and there are no more seat belts spots in my vehicle, they may do so by transporting their child.(This is for children who will not be in care at the time of the field trip)
What are the ratios of children that you may have at any given time?
I have two school-aged children that I must count into my ratio counts. However this will vary by the time of the year, as well as day to day since they have visitation with their father.
Following state rules, it is as follows:
Only babies: max 4
Birth till school-aged: Max 3 babies and 3 school/preschool age
Birth till age 12: Max 2 babies, 3 preschool, 5 school-aged
Babies are defined by the state as up to 12 months.
Are you registered or licensed?
I am working towards being registered. As of today (4/27/2011) I have completed 30 clock hours of training and passed the tests, as well as my back-up. I have completed my background screening and fingerprinting. My back-up will have this completed within the next week. The final step to complete is filing application and paying fee.
After I have completed my registration, I will then work towards becoming fully licensed.
Why are you not licensed?
Once I have completed the registration, I will then continue on; working towards my license. I love working with children and becoming registered is a faster process and cheaper than becoming licensed. So I decided to get registered so that I can get started and then I would continue working towards my licensing.
Do you accept state-sponsored childcare?
At this time no. It is something I am working towards and there are plans in the works to contact the Early Learning Coalition of Alachua County and partnering up with the them to work towards offering this option.
If you have a back-up, why must I have find childcare for days you are closed?
My back-up person is available only for emergency situations. This includes accidents, hospitalizations, etc that happens to myself (the provider) or my children. My back-up person works full time for the state of Florida and can not always be avaliable with time off to do scheduled daycare closings. This is also why daycare closings for vacation is not paid.
I am planning to hire a part time assistant to work for the convenience of the parents for the times I have appointments for myself or my children.
What classes have you taken to become registered?
To become registered, it is required to take 6 classes. They are:
- Family Daycare Home Rules and Regulations
- Health, Safety and Nutrition
- Identifying and Reporting Child Neglect and Abuse
- Child Growth and Development
- Behavioral Observation and Screening
- Early Literacy and Language Development
I must register annually, fill out and provide annual health and safety home checklist checklist, provide proof of substitute care, proof of background screening and complete 10 clock hours of continuing education each year. I will also go above and beyond state standards to make sure there is no recalled items in my home, ensure the safest toys, equipment, gear, etc for the children in my care. I will also follow the US Gov. food pyramid guide to serve healthy meals and snacks to the children.
When are payments due?
Payments are due on the Friday for the following week. Please note: I may not be able to accept a child with no payment. If payment for childcare has not be received on the Friday before, childcare may not be provided for the next week.
If using check/money order/cash: payment must be made by the time the child is picked up
If using paypal or google check out: payment must be made by midnight on or by Friday it's due.
You may choose to by weekly, bi-weekly or monthly in advance
Exception: Emergency situation that has occurred such as an automobile accident with injuries or worse, family emergency involving doctors/ER/etc, death in the immediate family (defined as parent, sibling, spouse or child), etc. Late fees will be waived for these situations, however, they must be made as soon as possible by the parent or someone else who may be assisting the parent.
Do you ever accept late payments?
Late payments are accepted with the following conditions:
- The payment must be made by the time the child arrives again for care.
- Parent must notify the provider in writing by or on the Friday that the payment is due.
- The payment must also have late fees of $5 per day added to the payment. (all days count)
- Checks will NOT be held.
I accept checks, cash, money orders, paypal (I can create and send an invoice) and google payments.
Checks are subject to a $35 return fee if they are bounced.
For checks, money orders and cash, a receipt will be provided within 48 hrs.
Do you charge more for children with special needs?
No, they are charged at the same rate as everyone else. It is against the law to do so.
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