$13 per half-day

Half day positions may also be available. Please remember fees are not based on actual time the child is in care. Since current provincial laws only allow me 5 Childcare Slots at any given time, you are paying for the spot at Growing Minds Preschool that your child is occupying. Your child's spot is guaranteed and will be held as long as it is being paid.

Growing Minds Preschool does require a yearly registration fee of $30. This helps set off the insurance costs of the children. 

PAYMENT PROCEDURES

Payment is due weekly on the last day of the week that your child is in attendance. If the fee is not paid when due, a late fee of $5.00 per day may be assessed. If payment is not received by the following morning, child(ren) may not be permitted to return until all fees have been paid in full. Payments may be made by check or cash.

If your child is not in attendance due to vacation, payment is due BEFORE you leave. In cases of illness, your payment is still expected unless other arrangements have been made. If I close my childcare due to my own illness, payment will be accepted on your first day back to child care.

Parent is responsible for payment of all charges incurred due to bounced checks. After a check is bounced, the required payment method is cash. If any charges and/or late fees are unpaid at the time of termination, all legal fees and court costs necessary to collect the outstanding charges will be the responsibility of parents/guardian.

Before your child is admitted into Growing Minds Preschool, or to hold a future spot, a non refundable security deposit must be paid. This deposit is equal to one week of child care. This deposit will be credited to your last week's fee when you decide to depart from Growing Minds Preschool. In addition to this deposit a $30.00 tuition fee must be paid. Repeated late payments may be grounds for termination and your deposit will be non-refundable. I will give you a minimum of two-week's notice of any increases in your childcare fee.

Your fees are my entire income which includes taxes. Beyond that, your fees pay for insurance, training, toys, equipment, art supplies, and all of the other items that your child will use. Like other self-employed workers, family child care providers do not receive the benefits many employees take for granted. Unlike other forms of self-employment, family child care is very restrictive. There is no room for growth. The province dictates the size of my business. I cannot take time off for appointments or obligations without careful planning and covering of my responsibilities. I hope this helps with understanding the rates and the reasoning behind my payment policies.

DROP OFF / PICKUP LATE FEES

You are scheduled for child care for the hours listed in your Contract and Rate Agreement. Examples: If you put 4:30 p.m. as your pick-up time, your late fees will begin at 4:31p.m. even though Growing Minds Preschool is open until 6 p.m. If you put 8:30 a.m. as your drop-off time and you drop off earlier than that you will be charged an early fee even though Growing Minds Preschool is open at 6 a.m.) Late fees will also apply if you tell me verbally that you will be picking your child up early and do not arrive by the time you say. (Example: If you call me at noon and tell me you will arrive by 2:00 p.m. to pick up your child and you show up at 3:00 p.m. even though your contract may state your pick-up time to be 5:00 p.m.) The late fees will be as follows: I will charge an overtime rate of $5.00 per child per every 15 minutes that you are late to pick up or early to drop off. (16 to 30 minutes late or early, you owe $10.00 per child.) Calling me to inform me that you will be unavoidably late does not waive your late fees. If overtime is pre-arranged, my fee will be $3.75 per hour, per child. This is to assure that children are picked up on time as not to impose on my family time. Late drop off does not constitute late pick up. These rules will be strictly enforced, and your habitual tardiness may result in termination of services. The above late fees will also be charged to you if grandma or another person is suppose to arrive to pick up your child and is late.

It is your responsibility to have your child picked up on time. If you know you will be unavoidably late, it is your responsibility to have an authorized alternate person pick up your child. It is not my responsibility to tell you that I have plans after child care hours so that you can be here on time. Bad traffic or weather (except in extreme situations) will not be an accepted late excuse and you will be billed accordingly. As a courtesy please remember this.

It is your responsibility to allow ample time to get here to pick up your child on time. In cases of extreme bad weather a phone call from you would be expected to let me know you are on your way. I would not want you to put yourself in danger in rushing to my home to be on time, but I would still expect to be reimbursed for my services at my overtime rate of $5.00 per child per every 15 minutes. Job-related lateness will not be excused for any reason. Continued late pick ups will mean breach of contract and you will forfeit your child's position at Growing Minds Preschool as well as your deposit.

ABSENCES

There will be no refunds or adjustments made to your child care fee for your time missed due to illness, extended holidays, or days off. A place has been reserved for each child that cannot be filled on a short-term basis.

Although I will make every attempt to be available each day, there will be occasions when another family member or I are ill and I am unable to provide service. You will be notified as soon as possible of any personal or family illness, funeral, or emergency. It will be your responsibility to obtain substitute care on such occasions and to arrange payment to the substitute. If I am unable to provide care for any of these reasons, you will not be charged for theses days. I strongly suggest that you have a family member, a friend, or a substitute provider lined up for the times I am closed due to illness or emergency.

When I must be away for a short time (1 - 4 hours), backup care will be provided by one of my substitute providers. If I am unable to use one of my substitute providers then it will be necessary for me to close for half the day or the full day. My substitute provider is authorized to carry out the terms of this contract.

TAXES

You will receive a receipt at month end for tax purposes.

ADDITIONAL FEES

At times provider may take children on an outing or field trip or plan special projects requiring an additional fee to cover the cost of the outing or project. Advance notice will be given to the parent(s) of such fees. If parent chooses not to send child(ren) on a planned field trip or outing, no adjustment will be made in the weekly childcare fee.

MATERNITY/EXTENDED LEAVE

In cases of your child's potential absence due to parent's maternity or extended leave from his/her job, I still require payment for the entire time of his/her absence to hold your child's position.

ABSENCE DUE TO OTHER REASONS

There are a limited number of spaces available; therefore, weekly payments are not based on child's attendance. No refunds or reductions in fee are given for late arrivals/early departures, extended parental vacations (please see vacations and holidays), weather, or exclusion due to illness.

VACATION AND HOLIDAYS

A minimum of two weeks' notice of provider's vacation will be provided when possible to enable parents to obtain other care during that time. The parent is responsible for finding back up care. Provider's vacation is unpaid vacation; any additional days (aside from the days listed below) are unpaid.

Parents are allowed 2 weeks unpaid holiday with a minimum of 2 weeks notice given, otherwise full payment is expected. Full payment is expected for the parent's vacation exceeding 2 weeks. Once you have given me notice of upcoming vacation, I may revise our scheduled activities. Childcare may not be available if your plans change.

No childcare services will be provided on Public and Statutory holidays. FULL DAYS payment is expected for all of these days. Should an above paid holiday fall on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be taken as the paid holiday. If an above paid holiday should fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be taken as the paid holiday.

Occasionally, I may need to take additional days off for appointments, family activities, training, etc. I will try to schedule these days as far in advance as possible so that you can arrange other care for your child. I also will try to pick a day that is convenient for the majority of parents, if possible. These days will be unpaid.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Childcare service is usually available and no adjustment will be made due to absence. In the event of severe weather all efforts will be made to keep childcare open. However, cancellation of childcare, delayed opening or early closing is up to the provider's discretion.

SUBSTITUTE

Occasionally the provider may find it necessary to leave Growing Minds Preschool for a small portion of the day. A substitute will be provided if this is necessary. Parents will be informed in advance, if at all possible, if this is to take place.

BACK UP CARE

When choosing Family Child Care it is imperative that you have reliable back up care available. In the event of provider illness, vacations, or personal time off, it is the responsibility of the client to arrange alternate care.

SICKNESS POLICY

Under no circumstances will parents be allowed to bring a sick child to my home. Sick children expose other children, as well as myself and my family, to the spread of their illness and require additional care and attention that I am unable to give. Moreover, sick children want care from their parents in the comfort of their own homes. If other children become ill due to exposure to your sick child, either because he/she was returned to child care before full recovery or because he/she was not picked up promptly upon notice of becoming ill, other parents will be unnecessarily inconvenienced. If my family or I become ill due to exposure to a sick child, all of the children may need to arrange alternate care, and it is possible that I may lose a portion of my income. Because this is disruptive to other children and their families, as well as my own, your cooperation on this issue is extremely important.

The following illness policies will be strictly enforced, for the health, well being and safety of all concerned.

SYMPTOMS REQUIRING REMOVAL OF CHILD FROM CHILD CARE

Fever: Fever is defined as having a temperature over 98.6°F taken under the arm, over 99.5°F taken orally, or over 100.4°F taken rectally. A child needs to be fever free for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to child care; that means the child is fever free without the aid of Tylenol or any other fever reducing substance.

Diarrhea: runny or watery stools, or 2 or more loose stools within last 4 hours.

* As for infants with fevers and/or diarrhea and as it pertains to teething, I will only accept a child with these symptoms back into care after the child has seen a doctor and a note is sent from the doctor stating that these symptoms are due to teething.

Vomiting

Runny nose: Your child may be brought to care if he/she has a common cold (slight cough, clear runny nose, occasional sneezing). Discharge of any color other than clear is not acceptable in child care.

Runny and/or Crusty Eyes: Watery, matted, and/or red/pink eyes are not acceptable in child care.

Unexplained Rash

Your child will not be accepted into child care if he/she has had any of the above symptoms within the last 24 hours. A sick child should be allowed to recover fully after an illness so that other children in the group do not risk exposure and so that the child is able to fully participate in child care activities. If you are unable to remain at home with your sick child it will be necessary for you to make substitute child care arrangements at your own expense. If your child becomes ill while in my care, I will notify you immediately. You are required to pick up your child within 60 minutes of notification. If you cannot be reached then your emergency contact will be called.

If your child is out ill, regular fees still apply. I reserve the right to determine when a child should be sent home due to illness. Children may return to care 24 hours after symptoms of illness end. Please notify me as soon as possible when your child becomes ill so that I may notify the other parents.

If your child is thought to have a communicable disease, you will be notified and asked to pick him/her up. He/she will be isolated from the other children and given special attention and comfort until you arrive. Your child will be accepted back into care when no longer contagious. All other parents will be notified of the possibility of a communicable disease and what symptoms to watch for.

If someone in my family has any of the above symptoms, I will call you the previous evening, or as soon as I am aware of the situation, so that you may determine whether or not you want your child exposed to such symptoms. However, I reserve the right to ask you to make other arrangements if I feel the illness(es) in my family will hinder the quality of care for your child. If I specifically request that you find alternate care on any given day, then I will not require payment. However absences by your choice qualify as your sick or absent days and are to be paid as stated above. I do not expect to be paid when I am not available for care due to illness. However, I have set aside time in my schedule to accommodate your schedule and feel that I should be compensated for the time that I am available.

I will always respect your need to be at work. I ask, however, that when deciding if your child should be at home, you give consideration to the other children. Ask yourself how you would feel if another child were as ill as your child. Would you want your well child exposed to these symptoms?

Further, there are times when a child is not that ill, but is terribly uncomfortable, and really needs some "one on one". At those times I strongly urge you to consider keeping your child at home. If your child is unable to participate in the normal activities of the daily schedule, then your child must stay home.

If your child becomes ill while in care at Growing Minds Preschool, I will make the determination as to whether or not the parent is to come for the child. Each case is different and new situations may arise, but in general, aside from obvious symptoms of illness (fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) if your child is acting sick, lethargic or too uncomfortable to participate in our normal childcare routine, I will be calling you to come get your child. Please know that when I make that call to you I have done everything I can possibly do, and we have reached a point where parental care is needed. Please do not make me feel guilty if and when I do have to call you to come and get your sick child. If you are called to come for your sick child, you must pick him/her up within one hour.