Family Handbook

Our mission is to change Early Childhood Education and provide the highest standard of learning. We’ve created a positive environment that fosters the development and enjoyment of learning, along with first-class childcare. Parents and guardians are welcome to visit the center any time during the hours of operation per Minnesota Statute, 245A.14, subdivision 15.

Our staff set the tone and image of our center, they consider the impact of themselves on others, regular attendance and punctuality, work efficiently, confidently, perform as leaders and have the highest professional behavior.

Integrity, Passion for Education, Commitment to Excellence, Innovation, Professionalism and Capability

Our philosophy is based on a mixture of teaching methods. We have developed a program that encompasses a great breadth of knowledge, excitement, and adventures. We believe that, in a child’s life, ages zero to five are imperative to their lives’ journeys. We are dedicated to providing the most exceptional environment for children to reach such goals and exceed their potential. All our little ones are under the age of six. The first five years are the most important ones in a child’s life. Therefore, we are  focused on  development and learning. Our programs are designed to develop each child’s five senses to their fullest potential. Each child learns at his/her own pace. Our programs and lessons help them to develop their social, intellectual, physical, and emotional skills. Many activities and fun play experiences are provided during each day to the specific age groups that helps them get ready for the next level. Our program plan explains all of the specific goals and outcomes for each age group and is developed and evaluated in writing annually by a Lead Teacher qualified person under Minnesota Rules, Part 9503.0045, subpart 1.

Our teachers all meet the qualifications set by Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois State Laws. They each go through a full orientation and developmental and educational skills needed by children.

Each Center’s Program plan is located on the location’s page for parents review.

The State of Minnesota, Department of Human Services licenses our Minnesota locations.

We are also inspected by the County Health Department (Dakota County for Burnsville, Hennepin for Maple Grove, Plymouth and Champlin, Sherburne for Becker, Washington for Woodbury ).

The State of Illinois licenses under DCFS and the City Health Department licenses our Food, Sanitary needs, etc.

The State of Wisconsin, Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Health Department licenses our programs.

We comply with MN state Statute 9503 and Rule 3 Guidelines.

Department of Human Services (MN) contact information is 651-431-6500

We comply with IL DCFS code 407, Child Care Act of 1969 and all state and local codes.

We comply with WI DCF 251 for Group Child Care Centers.

DCF contact information is 608-421-7550 and the Peace of Mind Hudson license is 7000589987/001 and the Little Sprouts Menomonie license is 8000586858/001

Becker is licensed for 150–18 Infants, 28 Toddlers, 79 Preschoolers, and 25 School Agers.

Burnsville is licensed for 84–16 Infants, 28 Toddlers, and 40 Preschoolers.

Champlin is licensed for 114—14 Infants, 44 Toddlers, 44 Preschoolers, and 14 School Agers.

Elmwood Park is licensed for 135–24 Infants, 30 Toddlers and 80 Preschoolers.

Maple Grove is licensed for 115—18 Infants, 31 Toddlers, 66 Preschoolers.

Menomonie is licensed for 167– 24 infants, 39 Toddlers, 67 Preschoolers, and 37 School Agers.

Plymouth is licensed for 435—64 Infants, 84 Toddlers, 287 Preschoolers.

Peace of Mind Hudson 32 Infants, 53 Toddlers, and 82 Preschoolers.

Peace of Mind Woodbury is licensed for 210–32 Infants, 44 Toddlers, 106 Preschoolers, and 30 School Agers. Our license also includes a combination of infants and toddler not to exceed 74 children.

We will receive consent in the event of each occasion of research, experimental procedure, or public relation activity involving a child per statute. While we only have field trips for our School age summer program (specific locations), we obtain written permission for each field trip to include the date, destination, intention of the trip, cost and the method of transportation.

We do not teach any religious doctrines,  in part because many of the children come from different backgrounds and beliefs, but we teach how to love and get along with each other.

We provide activities that are designed to promote the intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of each child.

We admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the Center. We does not discriminate based on race, color, sex, creed, religion, age, disability, national and ethnic origin in the source of payment or in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies or other center administered programs.

Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin break up their age groups just a little differently:
Minnesota: Six weeks to 16 months (with a minimum ratio of 1:4)
Illinois: Six weeks through 14 months (minimum ratio of 1:4).   Wisconsin: Six weeks through 23 months.

**Children are always within sight and sound.

Our infant’s enrollment plan starts at six weeks old.

Since learning begins at birth, we give our care and attention to each one of them individually each day. Our staff ensure the infants feel secure, safe and comfortable in their environment.

Our program for infants, besides eating and sleeping, is completed with games, singing, talking and identifying different forms of objects such as toys, books, etc. Our babies are introduced to our languages, reading, sign language, etc.

Until your baby is ready for regular table food, we will follow your own diet plan; a form will be provided to you to fill out.

What you need to provide each day: Diapers, wipes and Formula or breast milk for your baby in your own bottles (all has to be labeled with your child’s first and last name and dated). Special meals/baby food: all containers are to be labeled with your child’s name and dated. All leftovers will be discarded at the end of the day.

Two complete sets of clothes are to be left at the center

What we provide daily: Wipes, table food, Vitamin D milk, bibs and sippy cups.

Infants are six weeks to 16 months (15 months in Illinois and 24 months in WI). Your child’s rate will change when they have reached the next age group and we have received their updated health forms (Health care summary and immunization record for MN and Medical Examination for Illinois).

Our program meets the basic needs of infants along with activities to promote their physical, intellectual, social and emotional development.  Some of the activities include books, finger plays and songs, large and fine motor activities, sensory and science as well as they are introduced to other languages, reading and sign-language.

Our objective for our infant program is to help each child reach all of the important milestones such as rolling over, sitting unassisted, crawling, walking, copying gestures, using simple words, handling toys with intention, and many more throughout their first year of life.

Ones room: We do have one’s classrooms at some of our centers and this allows for a longer transition from infant to toddlers.  It is a great opportunity to transition to one nap, use a sippy cup, steady on their feet, eat from a bowl with a spoon, respond to their name, be ready to sleep on a cot, use non-verbal communication such as pointing and begin the transition to spoken words for objects, activities and friends, as well as learn object permanence, demonstrate an interest in their peers and anticipate daily routines.

Infants will participate in activities that will develop their intellectual, physical, and social-emotional skills which include but are not limited to:

Language activities: Reading theme related books, learning Italian, Mandarin, and Sign Language.

Fingerplays and songs: including BINGO, The Wheels on the bus, Five Fat Turkeys and many more.  Infants will also learn movement, counting, colors, clapping, repetition and other skills.

Motor Activities: Pushing tractors, tunnel time, pumpkin rolls, feather painting and more.  They will learn to focus on both large and fine motor skills.

Sensory and Science: Veggie painting, mashed potato play, bottle shakers, ice cube painting and “whats that smell.”  Infants will be exposed to new textures, explore creative expression, and use their sense of touch, taste, sound and smell.

**The infant schedule is very fluid for the teachers to provide individualized care for the children enrolled.  Below is an outline as to what we do during the day, but is very flexible with feeding and napping schedules.

8:00-8:30 Arrival/breakfast
8:30-8:40 Music
8:40-8:50 Tummy time/large motor
8:50-9:00 Changing
9:00-9:10 Spanish
9:10-9:20 Story time; cuddling
9:20-9:30 Massage
9:30-10:30 Morning Nap
10:30-10:40 Exploratory play
10:40-10:50 French
10:50-11:00 Changing
11:00-11:10 Art
11:10-11:20 Body parts
11:20-11:30 Math
11:30-11:40 Game
11:40-11:50 Italian
11:50-12:00 Exploratory play
12:00-12:30 Lunch/changing
12:30-12:40 Reading cards
12:40-12:50 Story time; cuddling
12:50-1:00 Massage
1:00-3:00 Afternoon Nap
3:00-3:20 Snack/Changing
3:20-3:30 Large motor/tummy time
3:30-3:40 Game
3:40-3:50 Fine motor
3:50-4:00 French
4:00-4:10 Sensory
4:10-4:20 Changing
4:20-4:30 Music
4:30-6:00 Free play; Departure time

Minnesota: 16 months to 33 months (with a minimum ratio of 1:7)
Illinois: 15 months through 23 months (with a minimum ratio of 1:5)
**Children are always within sight and sound.

We have several rooms–younger and older. The age range for either groups are dependent on the child’s needs first and foremost.

Personal care, attention and individual needs are addressed for each child in our program. There is plenty of playtime and different fun things a child can watch, touch and do to make each activity a fun learning experience.

Toddlers learn our five languages, math, reading, sign language, encyclopedic knowledge, art, music and dance.

Our teachers, during this period, help the children develop new skills such as potty-training, language and self-help as well as small and large muscle group development activities. We feel that children should be challenged to avoid repetition and boredom.

Children this age are learning many new skills.  We want to ensure your child is in a classroom that is developmentally age appropriate with other children at a similar development level. Our program provides a variety of activities to promote the physical, intellectual, social and emotional development.

The objective is to have them gain more independence and reach the milestones that are appropriate for their age such as how to use their words, potty training, learning to get dressed, playing with friends, pretend play, eating from a plate with a utensil.  Our goal is they will increase their language skills and knowledge of their body parts, colors, shapes, numbers and letters, be more conscious of their feelings and use words to express themselves, understand following directions, be more confident with self-help, demonstrate interest in learning and activities.

Toddlers and Twos will participate in activities that help to develop their intellectual, physical, social and emotional skills which include but are not limited to:

Circle time: reading theme related books, learning the days of the week and months of the year, discussing the weather, and discussing the weekly theme

Art: Including “cupcake liner turtle,” “Australian Aboriginal Handprint,” “Dental floss painting” to encourage toddlers to develop creativity and independence.

Music/Dance: Songs like Five little monkeys, I want to be a big dinosaur, head shoulder knees and toes that encourage toddlers to move their bodies, teach repetition and get their wiggles out.

Reading: Sequencing activities, reading theme related stories, learning words related to their theme, and additional literacy activities that develop cognitive development, encourage children to read, and teach children language skills.

Math: Color matching games, measuring activities, number recognition and additional math activities that help grow memory along with cognitive and intellectual development.

Yoga: including the cobra pose, downward dog, cat/cow pose as well as others that hep children learn calming techniques

ABC: Letter of the week, words that begin with that letter, tracing letters in the sand, etc used to develop letter recognition

Science: kool-aid eruptions, making alligator pie, play dough exploration, island volcanoes and other sensory activities that encourage children to explore their senses.

What you need to provide: Diapers, diaper cream if needed, 2 sets of extra clothing, pacifier if needed for nap and a blanket.

What we provide: Wipes, table food, vitamin D milk, bibs

There is another rate change at 33 months for Minnesota and 36 months for Illinois, potty trained and up to date health forms.

7:40-8:00 Breakfast (structured free play prior to breakfast)
8:00-8:45 Structured free play, arrivals, puzzles, testing on weekly themes with individuals
9:00 Circle time–days of the week, etc.
9:10 Spanish
9:15 Art
9:30 Italian
9:45 Dance
10:00 Reading Cards
10:15-10:45 Outside/gym dependent on weather
10:45 Encyclopedic knowledge
11:00 Math
11:15 French
11:25 Sign language
11:30 ABC/Flannel stories/etc.
11:45 Diaper changes, potty, wash hands for lunch
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Storytime
12:45 Yoga
1:00 Nap Time
3:00 Diaper changes/potty/wash hands for snack
3:15 Snack
3:30 Fine motor—beading, puzzles, coloring
3:45 Mandarin
4:00 Science
4:30 ABCs—letter of the week
4:45 Puppets
5:00 Structured Free Play (outside if nice in the summer)
5:30 Clean up

33 months to 5 years. (with a minimum ratio of 1:10)
**Children are always within sight and sound.

Preschoolers are eager to learn and they love it. This is all used to their advantage, from ages 33 months to five (5) years old, to prepare them for kindergarten.

Patience, hands on experience and meeting children where they are at with learning is provided in our preschool program.  Our program provides a variety of activities to promote the physical, intellectual, social and emotional development.  Some of the activities. incorporated include our languages, yoga, reading, basic math, science and art.

Our objective is that children completing our preschool program are able to get dressed on their own, cooperate socially, problem solve, understand cause and effect and develop a positive self-esteem.  We want them to be more confident in their social interactions, able to follow classroom rules, have good listening skills, are motivated to read, know their letters of the alphabet, write their name, know the numbers 1-20 and other skills required for Kindergarten.

Preschool children will participate in activities that help to develop their intellectual, physical, social and emotional skills which includes but is not limited to:

Circle time: reading theme related books, learning the days of the week, months of the year discussing weather, and the weekly themes.

Music/Dance: Apples and bananas, the Bear went over the Mountain, London Bridges, and more to encourage movement, memory skills, and to help children get their energy out.

Art: Observation drawing, bird mosaic, oil and water paintings and more that develop creative expression, exploration of a variety of tools and encourage independence.

Reading: Learning consonants and vowels, learning different word sounds, sight words, words that start with other letters of the alphabet, and more that develop language skills and encourage children to read and gain interest in books.

Handwriting practice: including writing letters, words that begin with different letters and names.

Math: Learning time, number recognition, counting, exploring money and a variety of math activities to promote cognitive and intellectual development.

Yoga: Half lotus pose, stork pose, oyster pose, cougar pose, and other poses that help children learn calming techniques.

Science: Walking water experiment, make a rainbow, frozen snowmen, mixing colors and other activities that encourage sensory exploration, development of vocabulary, thinking and problem-solving skills and increase social interactions.

What you need to provide daily: Diapers and wipes if needed, 2 sets of clothing and a blanket for nap.

What we provide daily: Table food and milk.

A child’s rate will decrease to the preschool rate when they also have their State required medical forms.  Children typically transition to our young preschool room without being potty-trained and will still be charged our toddler rate until potty-training is completed. Parents have the option to bring in pull ups or diapers.

Five languages, sign language, yoga, extensive reading, basic math, science, and art concepts emphasize the program during this preschool program period. The children are each given a chance to develop some new skills such as social cooperation, problem solving, discipline and respect, as well as develop positive self-esteem.

8:00 Breakfast (structured free play prior to breakfast)
9:00 Circle time–days of the week, theme of the day
9:15 Spanish
9:30 Art
9:45 Reading Cards
10:00 French
10:15 Silly songs and dancing
10:30-11:00 Outside/gym dependent on weather
11:00 Encyclopedic knowledge
11:15 Math
11:30 Italian
11:45 Sign language
12:00 Handwriting practice
12:15 Lunch
12:30 Storytime
12:45 Yoga
1:00 Nap time
3:00 Wash hands for snack
3:15 Snack
3:30 Science
3:45 Mandarin
4:00 Special Subject
4:15 Dramatic Play
4:30-6:00 Combine and have structured free play (ie potato head, blocks, etc) Or outside in the summer.

Our method of payment is automatic withdrawal through our app, Kindertales, which is supported by Stripe.

Late payments are charged if payment isn’t received by 6pm on Monday (of the week of care). The late payment charge is 10.00/per day. A family has more than a two-week balance over-due on their account, services will be suspended until the balance is paid in full.

A late fee of 35.00 plus 1.00 a minute will be applied if your child is picked up after 6pm. It will be added to the following week’s tuition.

The center will charge a $30.00 fee for any payment that is returned NSF. By consideration of the center, enrollment may be ended if frequent NSF payments are presented.

We provides families with one free week per 12 months of continuous enrollment. It will fall on your enrollment anniversary. Each family’s tuition will be held on the date they started with us. For families with multiple children, the anniversary week will fall on the younger child’s date to remain consistent (after the older child leaves). For example: if one child started on 3/5/2016 and the younger child started on 5/5/2016, the free week will be held on 5/5/2017. We cannot accommodate any other weeks of free tuition.

We provide a 10 percent discount for the younger sibling. When the older child is no longer in attendance, the Multiple Child Discount is not available and the younger child will pay the current rate of tuition.

Due to our increasing costs outside of our control, we raise our rates annually in the fall. Under unusual circumstances, we may need to increase the rates outside of our Annual increase if we encounter a large cost unexpected and out of our control. We offer a 60 day notice for across the board rate increases. We release our current year rates by March 1st (for the increase to be in effect Sept 1).

To maintain the high quality of teachers and educational services provided to children at the center, we must maintain our daily costs. Full tuition will be charged even if your child does not attend every week day – a week being defined as Monday through Friday.

A two-week written notice must be given to the Center Director when parents wish to terminate care. Our center also reserves the right to cancel a contract. The center will also give the parents a two-week written notice of termination. There will be no refund of your enrollment fee and you still must pay two weeks of childcare fees no matter what your reason is or if your child(ren) attends or not.

Being that we do not have part time care, we cannot prorate or charge for partial days for the two week notice.
The child’s family will pay any legal fees incurred while enforcing this contract.

The Maple Grove and Burnsville locations are open Monday – Friday, 6:30 am – 6:00 pm.

If children are not picked up by the 6pm closing time, we do have a late fee. Our license is for care to end at 6pm and aren’t able to provide services after we are closed.

Our Becker, Champlin,  Elmwood Park, Hudson, Menomonie, Plymouth, and Woodbury locations are open Monday – Friday, 6:00 am – 6:00 pm. Peace of Mind Woodbury and Hudson are also open the third Saturday each month for Parents’ Night Out (from 5:00pm-10:00pm September to May).

If children are not picked up by the 6pm closing time, we do have a late fee. Our license is for care to end at 6pm and aren’t able to provide services after we are closed.

We are closed the following Holidays:

Memorial Day
4th of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
The Friday after Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day

If the holiday follows on a weekend, we will be closed the business day closest to the holiday.
For example: If 4th of July is on a Saturday—we would be closed on Friday. If it is on a Sunday—we would be closed on Monday.

Peace of Mind Woodbury and Hudson are also closed Good Friday, with Staff training days: February 21st, Easter Monday, May 20th (Parent/Teacher Conferences), August 31st (Transition from summer/fall programming) and October 21st (Parent/Teacher Conferences).

Diaper changing is provided every 2 hours while awake. Without parent preference, we do not wake children to change their diapers. For example, if a child is changed prior to nap at 11am and sleeps until 1:30pm, they would be outside of the every 2 hours diaper change, unless a parent wants us to wake at 1pm for the next scheduled diaper change.

We potty train at least every 2 hours, if parents prefer a different schedule, we can accommodate that. We support what parents/guardians are doing at home to be consistent at school.

We potty train at least every 2 hours, if parents prefer a different schedule (potty training boot camp) we can accommodate that schedule. We support what parents are doing at home to be consistent at school.

Because accidents happen, please make sure to have extra sets of clothes for your child. We do have spare clothing at each location, but sometimes our clothes go home and don’t come back and we run out of spare clothing for an accident.

Following potty training and diapering the staff and the child wash their hands—this does include infants. Sometimes during the winter months this can cause dryness to occur on their hands. We do believe the best way to eliminate illness is by frequent hand washing.

1. All children are provided a quiet place to nap or rest.
2. The quiet area is set aside from any play area and/or children that could distract the napping environment.
3. If any child (infant, toddler, or preschool), is unable to take a nap, they are allowed to get out of their crib or off their cot after 30 mins of quiet time. Also, if a child awakens after 30 mins their nap time is considered complete. Children may do quiet activities after their 30 min rest time.
4. Separate bedding must be provided for each child in our care.  They may bring their bedding or blankets from home, individual bedding and blankets must be washed weekly and if soiled or wet. Blankets must never cover a child’s head.
5. All blankets must be placed either in the cubby, locker or on the individual cot—not all together and sent home weekly or when soiled to be washed by parent/guardian. The extra center blankets/bedding will be washed when soiled or on a weekly basis.
6. Cots should be placed on the floor.
7. Cots are put out after children begin eating, not before.
8. If a cot needs to be shared, it needs to be sanitized before and after the use.
9. All cots should be sanitized on Friday evenings, or if soiled by a sick child.
10. Cribs and cots are placed directly on the floor and are not stacked while in use with clear aisles and unimpeded access for both adults and children on at least one side of each piece of napping and resting equipment.
11. Children over the age of 16 months are also allowed to bring a snuggler item with them for comfort during nap time.
12. A crib must be provided for each infant for which the center is licensed to provide care.  The equipment must be safe and sturdy construction that confirms to federal crib standards under Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 1219 for full-sized baby cribs or Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 1220 for non-full size baby cribs. See Minnesota Statute, section 245A.146, subdivision 4, for additional crib safety standards including routine crib inspection requirements.
13. At least on a monthly basis, the license holder shall perform safety inspections of every crib or portable crib of rigid construction including full-size and non-full size cribs used by or that is accessible to any child in care and must document the following: A. No mattress supports can be easily dislodged from any point of the crib. B. No screws, bolts, or hardware are loose or not secured, and there is no use of wood screws in compartments that are designed to be assembled and disassembled by the crib owner.  C. No sharp edges, points or rough surfaces are present.  D. No wood surfaces are rough, splintered, split or cracked and E. No unacceptable gaps between the mattress and any sides of the crib are present.
14. A crib is provided for each infant in the number of the licensed capacity.
15. All infants are placed to sleep on their back unless there is a physician’s (or APRN) directive form, approved by the commissioner, on file for an alternative sleeping position. This form must be kept on file at the licensed location.
16.  An infant who rolls onto its stomach after being placed on their back may be allowed to remain sleeping on its stomach if the infant is at least six month of age, or there is a signed statement from parent indicating the infant rolls over regularly at home.
17. Infants must be placed on a firm mattress with a fitted sheet that is appropriate to the mattress size that fits tightly on the mattress and overlaps the underside of the mattress, so it cannot be dislodged by pulling on the corner of the sheet. Nothing must be placed in the crib with the infant except the pacifier as defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 1511.
18. If an infant falls asleep before being placed in a crib, the staff must move the infant to a crib as soon as practicable, while remaining within sight of the infant until safely in crib.
19. When an infant falls asleep while being held, the licensee holder must consider supervision of others when determining how long to hold the infant prior to placing them in their crib.
20. All infants must not be positioned where the airway can be blocked or anything covering their face.
21. While it is not recommended and prohibited for any infant that is able to roll over on its own, with written consent of a parent or guardian, an infant may be placed down to sleep in a one-piece sleeper equipped with an attached system that fastens securely only across the upper torso with no construction of the hips or legs. Prior to swaddling, a parent must sign the form provided by the Commissioner. Once the infant can roll, both the form must be signed and use discontinued.
22. All cribs and cots are placed with clear aisles and unimpeded access for adults and children on one side of each crib or cot. Sleeping equipment are directly placed on the floor and never stacked when in use.
23. Crib checks are mandatory in the infant room every 5 minutes.
24. Children should never be permitted to stand or walk on cots.
25. All children must be in supervision during nap time; the shades may be down and the lights off, but staff must be able to see each child clearly with proper supervision.

The Center Director and the child’s lead teacher will meet with the parent/guardian to address the behavior and discuss possible solutions to help the child to be successful in our program. The Center Director will document the conversations along with any ideas presented.

The Center Director and all staff members teaching the child will discuss ideas based on their conversation with the parent/guardian and their own ideas to implement within the classroom.

Ask staff members in the classroom to complete a behavior log (Located in the OPS manual) to log any unacceptable behaviors/incidents which will identify the child’s name, time and date of the incident, what happened before the behavior, behavior observed and the teachers actions to redirect or reduce the behavior

The Center Director will also review the tapes to observe the behaviors based on the behavior log and make notes as to what is observed.

The Center Director will observe the classroom and ensure the staff are following the policies as well as the schedule.  They will ensure the classroom is running smoothly and positive redirection is being used.

The Center Director will review any incident reports for the child to support the staff members with ideas on how to redirect the child or prevent the behavior from occurring.

If the Center Director along with the staff are unable to curb the unacceptable behavior in order to protect the safety of the children and staff, a behavior plan will be developed for the child.

We believe that with the proper positive environment, children will thrive. The following actions are in place before any child would ever be separated from the group. The staff provides less intrusive methods to guide the child’s behavior in a positive manner. If the less intrusive methods to guide are ineffective, the child will be separated from the group. If the child’s behavior at any time threatens or endangers the well-being of the child or another child in the program, the child will be separated. If a child requires separation, the child will remain within an unenclosed section of the classroom and will be continuously seen and heard by a program staff member. The child will be returned to the group upon the contingency that the child has stopped or brought the behavior that precipitates the separation under control; and The child will also be allowed to return to the group when the child’s unacceptable behavior abates or is then under control. When the unacceptable behavior that precipitated the separation stops, the child must immediately be returned to the group.

Children that are separated from the group are documented and parents are notified. There is a separation log in each location’s log binder. Children between the ages of six weeks and 16 months are never separated from the group.

Separation log: All separations from the group must be noted on a daily log. The license holder must ensure that notation in the log includes the child’s name, staff person’s name, time, date, and information indicating what less intrusive methods were used to guide the child’s behavior and how the child’s behavior continued to threaten the well-being of the child or other children in care.

If a child is separated from the group three times or more in one day, the child’s parent shall be notified and notation of the parent notification shall be indicated on the daily log.

If a child is separated five times or more in one week or eight times or more in two weeks, it is considered persistent unacceptable behavior and a behavior plan must be developed.

Bear hugging any children, Corporal punishment such as rough handling, shoving, hair pulling, ear pulling, shaking, slapping, kicking, biting, pinching, hitting or spanking.

Emotional stress: name calling, ostracism, shaming, making derogatory remarks about the child/family, threatening language or language that humiliates or frightens the child. Emotional abuse, punishment for lapse in toilet habits, withholding food, light, warmth, clothing or medical care as a punishment for unacceptable behavior.

The use of physical restraint, other than to physically hold a child where containment is necessary to protect a child or others from harm; and it is prohibited to use mechanical restraints such as tying.

In addition: it is prohibited to separate a child from the group except within the rule requirements.

Shadowing biters throughout the day. Teaching them that “biting hurts”

Having a child sit in the front of group or next to a teacher

Show the child the mark they have caused so they can connect the act with the result

Maintaining classroom order, schedule and following the curriculum. Busy and engaged children are less likely to act out.

Give positive praise when children are doing things well.

Give them the why: Why can’t we throw chairs. Why can’t we push friends. Why should we listen at group.

**For more information please see the Separation policy in the Policy binder, the DHS binder and OPS binder.

We make every effort to work with your schedule and we believe that every parent should be involved each step of the way. Communication among parents and our staff is a priority that reinforces the well-being and education of each child at the center.

We utilize an app called Kindertales to update our families on their child’s day.  It provides information on meals, diaper changes, naps, etc.  We have an open-door policy which allows parents and guardians to visit anytime during the day and we encourage you to reach out and check in anytime.

We encourage parents to stop in at any time during the day to visit the child or spend a little time with us to get an idea of what we are about and what we do daily. We always are available, at your request, to discuss your child’s progress at the center.

Management is available by email, podium and phone. Our phone is in our Center office and we are so frequently in classrooms, outside, etc. that it is best to try us on email or Podium (click the small icon in the lower right of the website) to ensure a prompt response.

Additionally we have an online calendar that shows what Fun Fridays are, what weekly theme we are doing, what day special guests are coming as well as our lunch menu. We have a general Facebook that gives the updates from our calendar and also a private Facebook for each location where we share pictures of our day.
Kindertales is the software we use to update parents on their food intake, potty/diaper changes, general behavior, medication, daily updates, communication with management.

Formal conferences are held twice a year to provide you with a written assessment of your child’s intellectual, physical, social and emotional development. discuss your child’s development and any other concerns your child may be having. The written assessments are kept in each child’s file.  Throughout the year, our teachers are gathering information of your child’s milestones and adding them to your Kindertales profile.  We welcome any conference outside of the bi-annual conference to ensure we have continuity of care with your child.  Parents are welcome to visit the center during open hours. If at any time you wish to have a meeting with your child’s teacher, please do not hesitate to call.

To make sure that we are communicating well, we follow up all of our parent communication with an email to make sure that what we heard is what the parent was trying to communicate. If ever there is a disconnect between the parent and the center, we always ask to bring it up asap.

During your child’s attendance, there may arise a problem the parent feels should be corrected. The parent can first bring the problem to the teacher. If the problem is not resolved to the parent’s satisfaction, the problem is to be presented to the Center Director. We do have an upper management team that consists of our Area Director and our Chief Operating Officer that is also available to resolve any issues. The goal is to fully resolve the problem.

Certain symptoms in children may suggest the presence of communicable disease. Children who have one or more of the following symptoms should be excluded from the childcare setting until 24 hours after symptoms have subsided or a physician has certified that the symptoms are not associated with an infection agent or they are no longer a threat to the health of other children. Parents must report any communicable disease to the center.

SYMPTOMS

Fever: auxiliary temperature of 100 degrees or higher

Respiratory: difficult or rapid breathing or severe coughing
Child makes a high-pitched croup or whooping sound after he/she coughs
Child is unable to rest comfortably due to continuous cough

Diarrhea: three or more times since admission on one day. Observe the child for other symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, or vomiting. Child must be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to daycare.

Eye/Nose Drainage: thick mucus or pus draining from the eyes and or nose
Sore Throat: especially when fever or swollen glands are present

Rash: skin rashes undiagnosed or contagions, drainage or crust on skin

Itching: persistent itching of skin or scalp

Appearance/Behavior: child looks or acts differently, unusually tires, pale, lacking appetite, confused, irritable, and different in walking

Unusual Color: eyes or skin yellow (Jaundice)

Stool: grey or white

Urine: dark-tea colored – these symptoms can be found in hepatitis and should be evaluated by a doctor

Vomiting: two or more times since admission on one day.

AIDS: exclude infected child if he/she exhibits biting behavior, has open skin sores or any bleeding disorder.

Chicken Pox: until all blisters have dried into scabs about six days after onset of rash.

Conjunctivitis: bacterial after 24 hours of treatment.

COVID-19: Quarantine and exclusion guidelines are directed by the Department of Health, CDC and Licensing body.

Giardiasis: for those with diarrhea only; may return once stools are normal

Hand, Foot & Mouth: until fever is gone and child is well enough to participate in normal activities

Hepatitis B: no exclusion necessary unless child is biting or has open soars

Impetigo: until all sores are healed or can be covered with bandages and until child has been treated with antibiotics for at least 24 hours

Lice: until first treatment is completed and no lice seen. Cannot return with nits.

Measles: until 4 days after the rash appears

Mumps: until swelling subsides, usually five days, but may be as long as nine days after swelling begins

Oral Herpes: no exclusion necessary

Pertussis: until five to seven days after antibiotic treatment has been started

Pink Eye: viral until a letter from you doctor is provided to verify that the child does not have bacterial pink eye

Pinworms: 24 hours after an antibiotic treatment has been started

Febrile: 24 hours after an antibiotic treatment has been started

Ringworms: 24 hours after an antibiotic treatment has been started

Roseola: must be fever free for 24 hours

Rubella: after five days are rash appears

Scabies: until 24 hours after treatment begins

Streptococcal Scarlet Fever: 15 MINUTE TEST WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. A 24-hour test is mandatory through the center, child must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours and be fever free before returning

Cytomegalovirus: no exclusion necessary

Fifth Disease: no exclusion necessary

Parents are encouraged to secure back-up care for the time your child is not allowed at the center because of illness. You are still responsible for paying your regular childcare fees if your child is absent because of illness. In the event that there is an epidemic, such as the flu or other illness that is becoming hard to manage with staff and children, LN has the right to close for up to one day for cleaning or recuperation when we do not have enough staff to handle normal operation for the childcare.

In the best interest of the child’s health and other children at the center, a current medical record and immunization (on the first day) record must be provided to us within 30 days of enrollment. These records must be updated in accordance with State Laws. Each time that an update occurs, you must submit a copy for us to keep on file. Similarly: Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois differ a little bit.

From infant to toddler and toddler to preschool; Minnesota: a new Health Care Summaries and Immunization records are required–Wewill drop the rate to the next age group, when the child has met the age required (i.e. 16 months for toddlers and 33 months for preschool) and the forms are received.

Illinois: A Medical Exam Form is required at enrollment and every 2 years. Additionally we are required to receive a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

For us to safely and healthily administer medicine to your child, we require that all medications be labeled, dated, and prescribed by a licensed physician. All over the counter medications will be administered only by following the labeled instructions A “medication authorization form,” that we provide on Kindertales, must be filled out by the parent every day your child has to be administered medicine while at the center.

In case of illness, such as fever or diarrhea, your child may not be brought to the center to limit the spread of illness. If your child stays at home, please notify the Center Director. If your child becomes ill at the center, and we feel it would be better for him/her to be at home or see a doctor, we will contact you or the emergency contact person to come pick him/her up as soon as possible. Until the parent arrives, the ill child will be supervised at all times and isolated in a quiet area away from the other children. The program staff will: 1. Continue to assess the child’s condition frequently 2. Take his/her temperature every 30-60 minutes if fever is present 3. 911 will be called if the situation appears to be an emergency.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has vaccinations guidelines for young children that we strongly recommend the parents to follow. We file and keep track of all immunizations of each child at the center as required by State Law. An immunization record is required on your child’s first day of attendance.

If your child has any special needs, procedures stipulated in Rule 3, will be followed. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be developed to meet your child’s needs. The plan will be coordinated with either the service plan and/or education plan with your child’s physician, psychiatrist, or physiologist. The parents must be involved and approve all aspects of the planning.

Please let the Center Director know at the time of enrollment if your child has any allergies or if he/she develops one at any time during enrollment. We do require action plans to match the correctly documented health care forms. This will help us take better care of your child’s health. Any food brought into the center must be peanut free. We are required to create an ICCP plan for your child, paired with the most current health form, a new action plan annually or if there are relevant updates and train all of our staff on the ICCP plan and action plan.

We have a Public Health Nurse once a month at the Center. She assesses all health procedures and is available for any questions you may have regarding your child’s health. Please let the Center Director know if you have any specific health questions and she will contact the nurse for your family.

At this time, Little Newtons has food is provided by an outside source. On site, we provide breakfast and snack. A monthly menu is posted online for our lunch. Each meal is per the USDA food program. We are a fully nut free environment. Children cannot bring in any items that contain nuts–including granola bars, etc. We must maintain the nut free environment for the severity of our children with allergies.

Peace of Mind Woodbury and Hudson as well as Little Sprouts Burnsville and Menomonie provide meals on site.  We cannot microwave to re-heat it at those sites.  Our menu meets USDA requirements and a variety of healthy options for breakfast, lunch and snack. We are able to accommodate menu changes due to allergies or religious preferences.  If your child arrives before 7am, they may bring a light healthy snack to have before breakfast that is nut free.

The staff believe that a child’s birthday is a very special event and everyone enjoys celebrating!

We celebrate each child’s birthday with a crown, happy birthday decoration. You may bring a store-bought treat to share on your child’s birthday as long as it does not contain nuts or made in a facility that processes any nuts. Please connect with your child’s classroom teacher to ensure that there aren’t other restrictions with the children enrolled in the classroom.

The center has HVAC and keeps all doors closed at all times. Whenever outside or at the playground all children are kept away from food, garbage, and flowers and are required to wear shoes. Parents may provide an insect repellent. It will be applied using the manufacturer’s instructions with parents’ written permission.

In case of a missing child, we will notify all staff members, the Police Department and the parents of the child immediately. Everyone will be searching for the child.

Our centers have cameras/audio in all our classrooms and offices. We do use this recording for quality assurance as well as for ensuring that our children/staff are safe. For example, in the event of an injury, we could review the tapes to see how a child got injured. The recordings/audio are not public and not released to anyone outside of our company but to a governing official (due to privacy of other children).

We conduct daily maintenance checks on all its equipment and supplies for safety purposes. Cribs are inspected once a month and logged.

At the present, We do not have any pets. However, if in the future we would consider a school pet, we will notify all parents and check all our records for any allergies and/or medical conditions. We keep safety in mind, always.

Kindertales logs in each child to their respective classroom. It is important for parents to have the app and take the extra moment to log in their child/children.
For added security, our computer swipe system logs your child in when you enter the building and logs your child out when you come in to pick them up. Please make sure to swipe your card upon entering the building and as a safety mandate, please don’t allow people in the building without their cards. We have the card system with our doors lock to ensure those that enter our building is secure. If you have misplaced your card, please let our directors know so they can deactivate your card and issue you a new one! We do have a 7.00 charge for fobs outside of the 2 issued at enrollment.

None of the children will be released to anyone who appears to be intoxicated. Any adults (other than the parents) picking up a child are required to show a valid State ID and will have to be on the list of authorized adults submitted by the parents that we keep on file.

We do not provide transportation of any kind to the children attending the school. Parents are asked to park their cars in the parking lot and walk their child into the building each day. Please follow these rules as they are mandated by the Cities we do business in.  Please be aware some of our parking lot are a one-way traffic flow. It is for the safety of our children. Please drive slowly and be aware of your surroundings!

We carry liability insurance for each child in attendance for any incidents that were caused by negligence on behalf of our staff or facilities. If a child is injured at one of our centers, that is not caused by negligence, we cannot submit to our liability insurance.

We do not take children on field trips outside of our Center, except for during the summer camp. We also bring in special guests each month to give children exciting opportunities. Many new things are learned every day by children just by playing, and they do plenty of that inside. They also need an outdoor play area to breathe fresh air, to jump and run, and enjoy the seasons. Our playground area is located right in our backyard. Despite all the large muscle equipment, children can also run, roll, and do outdoor activities. The surface material is wood chips and is maintained as needed. The children are educated on the safe use of playground equipment. Staff members position themselves so they can supervise the children on all areas of the playground while respecting the staff/child ratio at all times. We also ask that you provide us with appropriate clothing dependent upon the weather, as well as sunscreen (required waiver).

Be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the day. The children play hard and need durable clothes. Your child is to come to the center with appropriate outside clothing (coat, boots, mittens, etc.), as we will be spending time outside each day, weather permitting. Our staff are not responsible for stains on any clothes that are related to activities performed at the center.  Example: playing outside on the playground and shoes get dirty.

Children’s clothing and personal belongings should be marked clearly to lessen the chance the items will be lost. In addition, please remove all your child’s belongings from his/her clothes hook on the last day that he/she attends each week. Toddler and Preschool children will need to have at least two spare sets of clothes (shirt, pants, underwear, socks, etc.). Each child will have an assigned locker for their personal belongings. We are not responsible for any lost items in our care.
We ask that you not send toys with your child to the Center. The center has a variety of age-appropriate toys for the children to play with. Young children find it difficult to share their belongings with other children. In the event your child does bring a toy to the center, they will be asked to store it in their locker. The center will not take responsibility for toys your child brings to the center which get lost or broken.

Anyone can report abuse or neglect. However employees of a licensed facility, are legally required or mandated to report and cannot shift the responsibility of reporting to your supervisor or to anyone else at your licensed facility. If they know or have reason to believe a child is being or has been neglected or physically/sexually abused within the preceding 3 years it must immediately be reported to an outside agency (within 24 hours).

Immediate danger—call 911

Foster Care of Family Child Care: County Child Protection.

In a licensed facility for Minnesota: Department of Human Services Licensing Division Maltreatment Intake at 651-431-6600. Illinois: 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873 or TTY 1-800-358-5117)

At home, family or in the community: Local child protection agency or Law Enforcement.

Becker: Sherburne County Health and Human Services: 763-765-4000

Burnsville: Dakota County: 952-891-7455

Champlin, Maple Grove, and Plymouth: Hennepin County: 612-348-3552

Elmwood Park: 1800-25-ABUSE

Hudson and Menomonie: 920-969-7925

Woodbury: 651-430-6457

Possible DHS/Licensing violations, but not abuse or neglect: Minnesota DHS at 651-431-6500

Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors Act (MN Statutes 626.556) are found at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=626.556. For Illinois: www.Illinois.gov/DCFS/safekids/reporting/pages/index.aspx.

The report should include enough information to identify involving child, anyone who is responsible of the neglect and/or abuse, the nature and extent of the maltreatment and or licensing violation as well as include any actions the licensed facility did in response.

An oral report to the above agencies must be followed up with a written report within 72 hours (excluding weekend and holidays)

Failure to report: A mandated reporter who knows or has reason to believe that a child is or has been neglected or physically/sexually abused, and fails to report is guilty of a misdemeanor.

In addition, a mandated reporter that fails to report maltreatment that is serious or recurring may be disqualified from employment positions that provide direct contact receiving services from the Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Health, or unlicensed Personal Care Provider Organizations.

An employer of a mandated reporter may not retaliate against the reports made in good faith or against a child with respect to whom the report is made. The Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors act has special provisions for civil action that can be initiated by mandated reporters who believe that retaliation has occurred.

When the facility has reason to know that an internal or external report of alleged or suspected maltreatment has been made, the facility must complete an internal review within 30 calendar days and take corrective actions, if necessary to protect the health and safety of the children in care.

The review must assess:

Whether the policies and procedures were followed

Whether the policies and procedures were adequate

Whether there is a need for additional staff training

Whether the reported event is similar to past events with the children or services included

Whether there is a need for corrective action by the license holder to protect the health and safety of the children in care.

The Area Director is the primary person responsible for completing the Internal Review, if the Area Director is suspected for alleged maltreatment, the Chief Operating Officer would be responsible for completing the Internal Review.

Part of the Internal Review process for Little Newtons, includes the use of a third party investigative company to perform video review, interviews, chronological investigation, etc. They will also complete a full investigation and provide a report.

The License holder must document the Internal review as well as save video if available, and make it available to the commissioner immediately upon request.

Based on the result of the Internal review, the License holder must develop, document, and implement a Corrective Action Plan designed to correct current lapses and prevent future lapses in performance by an individual or the license holder.

License holder must provide training related to the responsibilities of Mandated Reporting as specified in the Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors Act.

There must be documentation of this in the individual staff personnel record, monitoring of implementation by staff, ensure it is readily accessible, as specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subdivision 14.

Shelter in place is the DHS term for Tornados—which is located on the Emergency Floor Plan in each classroom. Tornado drills are performed monthly (by the 15th of the month during April-October). The CD logs the drills with time and date in the DHS log binder. All staff should know where the Shelter in place is.

*If a severe thunderstorm is in effect, be prepared to move the shelter in place if it is upgraded. A tornado watch is in effect when the conditions available could result in a tornado. A Tornado warning is when a tornado is imminent.

*An emergency safety kit which includes: First Aid Kit, flashlight, batteries, portable radio and blankets should be available near the shelter areas.

*Infants are transported in cribs (four to a crib) for all evacuation procedures.

*ipads with class rosters and emergency contacts should be taken when leaving the classroom for emergency drills and real emergencies. Headcount should be completed when leaving the classroom, arriving at the shelter, leaving the shelter and coming back to the classroom.

Fire Drills are conducted monthly by the 5th of the month. All centers, except for Becker, are sprinklered and 24 hour monitored by a fire system off site. All Schools have their fire extinguishers serviced annually.

Assistant teachers are responsible for the clipboard and emergency cards. They are the first out of the classroom. They count the children and lead the group the safe destination.

Aides are responsible for assisting all children out of the room and counting the children.

Lead Teacher: last out of the classroom and check that no children are left behind. They also count the children and double check that no children are in the room. They close the windows, turn off the lights and shut the door.

Center Director and/or Admin support does a clean sweep to ensure no one is left in the building. They grab the master Emergency Binder and are the last out.

Lock down drills are required bi-monthly during the months of January, March, May, July, September and November.

Directors should take a mental note of calling 911 to imitate the drill and announce a “LOCK DOWN” as the code word.

If an intruder is outside, ensure all doors are locked (should be always).

Directors shall notify each classroom that a lock down drill is active and there is a potential intruder on site.

All Teachers will move everyone to the corner of the classroom and infants in a crib away from any doors or windows. Staff should stay behind solid walls and doors and lock the door if able.

After everyone is in the safe place in the classroom, the Teachers should start shutting any window blinds (windows if open) and turn off the lights.

Teachers and students should stay in lock down for at least 5 minutes.

Once 5 minutes has passed, the Director shall go to each room and give the all clear signal by knocking on the door, stating their name and code word.

At this time, teachers and children may return to their regular schedule.

Directors should spot check a few classrooms and make sure the procedure was followed then document in the DHS log binder.

Becker has a plan in place for this to include evacuation.

In the event of a flood, evacuate children to higher ground.

If there is a suspected gas leak. Don’t touch anything and call the Gas company and 911 if necessary.

During the summer, we must be aware of high temperatures and heat indexes. We do not go outside if it “feels” warmer than 85 degrees. Be aware of a “heat index” emergency but we shouldn’t be outside if there is one because of the temperature. Make sure children drink plenty of water when playing outside.

Monitor winter storm watch, warnings, blizzard warnings or travel advisories. If we are closed due to weather there will be an email sent out to staff and parents as well as an update on Facebook and the website.

See exclusion policy for illness. In the event of a serious illness, we will notify the Health Department appropriately.

The Plymouth location will evacuate to the Fourth Baptist Church located at 900 Forestview Ln N, Plymouth, MN 55441(763-417-8240). The second evacuation route would be at Parker’s Lake Baptist Church which is14720 County Road 6, Plymouth, MN 55447 (763-473-3552). Fourth Baptist is set up with the City of Plymouth busing and would support our location in the event of a real threat. Maple Grove will evacuate to Plymouth and Champlin would evacuate to Maple Grove via busses.

The emergency binder must be taken in the event of any emergency situation. If the center is evacuated, once the children and staff are safe the CD and Admin Support will start calling parents to let them know they are safe. After everyone is safe and parents have all been notified, DHS would be called as well as an incident report filed.

ALWAYS remain calm—Children feed off of your energy

We practice the drills to make sure that we know how to act appropriately