Name of Child Care Centre: Kinder Learning Centres
Date Policy and Procedures Established: January 1, 2024
Date Policy and Procedures Updated: June 26, 2024
Purpose
This policy and the procedures within help support the safe arrival and dismissal of children receiving care.
This policy will provide staff, students and volunteers with a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for ensuring the safe arrival and dismissal of children receiving care, including what steps are to be taken when a child does not arrive at the child care centre as expected, as well as steps to follow to ensure the safe dismissal of children.
This policy is intended to fulfill the obligations set out under Ontario Regulation 137/15 for policies and procedures regarding the safe arrival and dismissal of children in care.
Note: definitions for terms used throughout this policy are provided in a Glossary at the end of the document.
Policy
General
- Kinder Learning Centres will ensure that any child receiving child care at the child care centre is only released to the child’s parent/guardian or an individual that the parent/guardian has provided written authorization the child care centre may release the child to.
- Where a child does not arrive in care as expected or is not picked up as expected, staff must follow the safe arrival and dismissal procedures set out below. After a few unexpected absences*, we may request an in person meeting to resolve the issue. If the issue can not be resolved, enrollment review will be required.
* Unexpected absent example : Not arriving by 9am without reason. Not registering an absence for an appointment when your child is expected, Not registering that your child will not be attending due to illness, vacation or any other reason. If you are going to be late past 9am due to an appointment, please email the centre supervisor (not the classroom) and advise 24 hours in advanced. Children are not permitted to be dropped off after 11am due to class room disruption.
Additional Policy Statements
| All children that are scheduled for care that day must arrive at the centre by 9am. Any child that is scheduled for care that will not be attending, the parent/guardian must register the child’s absence with a reason prior to the day through the kindertales parent portal or app. Do NOT message the teacher or centre through any other channel. |
Procedures
Accepting a child into care
- When accepting a child into care at the time of drop-off, program staff in the room must:
- greet the parent/guardian and child.
- ask the parent/guardian how the child’s evening/morning has been and if there are any changes to the child’s pick-up procedure (i.e., someone other than the parent/guardian picking up). Where the parent/guardian has indicated that someone other than the child’s parent/guardians will be picking up, the staff must confirm that the person is listed on their Kindertales authorized pick up list.
- document the change in pick-up procedure in the daily written record.
- sign the child in on the classroom attendance record.
Where a child has not arrived in care as expected
- Where a child does not arrive at the child care centre and the parent/guardian has not communicated an absence through Kindertales the Supervisor must:
- After 9am, On each classroom dashboard, check for expected children that have not been checked in.
- Call the primary parent/guardian of absent child without reason and inquire about their absence. If no response is received, a message will be left.
- Once the phone call to the parent/guardian has been made, the supervisor shall document the unrecorded child’s absence in the child’s administration notes on Kindertales. Also record additional information about the child’s absence in the daily written record. If this is the 3rd unexplained absence, schedule a meeting with the parent/guardian to discuss the issue and advise of possible termination of enrollment.
Releasing a child from care
- The staff who is supervising the child at the time of pick-up shall only release the child to the child’s parent/guardian or individual that the parent/guardian has provided written authorization that the child care may release the child to. Where the staff does not know the individual picking up the child (i.e., parent/guardian or authorized individual),
- confirm with another staff member that the individual picking up is the child’s parent/guardian/authorized individual.
- where the above is not possible, ask the parent/guardian/authorized individual for photo identification and confirm the individual’s information against the parent/guardian/authorized individual’s name on the child’s file or written authorization.
Where a child has not been picked up and the centre is closed
- Where a parent/guardian or authorized individual who was supposed to pick up a child from care and has not arrived by closing, staff shall ensure the safety and well being of child while they await their pick-up.
- Immediately on closing, the staff must call the parent/guardian to advise that the child is still in care and inquire about their absence.
- If the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian or authorized individual who was responsible for picking up the child, the staff shall call emergency contacts.
- Where the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian or any other authorized individual listed on the child’s file (e.g., the emergency contacts) for 30 minutes past closing, the staff shall proceed with contacting the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS). Staff shall follow the CAS’s direction with respect to next steps. The staff shall then also inform the centre supervisor and owner of the situation.
Dismissing a child from care without supervision procedures
Staff will only release children from care to the parent/guardian or other authorized adult. Under no circumstances will children be released from care to walk home alone.
Glossary
Individual authorized to pick-up/authorized individual: a person that the parent/guardian has advised the child care program staff in writing can pick-up their child from care.
Licensee: The individual or corporation named on the licence issued by the Ministry of Education responsible for the operation and management of the child care centre and home child agency.
Parent/guardian: A person having lawful custody of a child or a person who has demonstrated a settled intention to treat a child as a child of his or her family.
Regulatory Requirements: Ontario Regulation 137/15
Safe arrival and dismissal policy
- Every licensee shall ensure that each child care centre it operates and each premises where it oversees the provision of home child care has a policy respecting the safe arrival and dismissal of children that,
(a) provides that a child may only be released from the child care centre or home child care premises,
(i) to individuals indicated by a child’s parent, or
(ii) in accordance with written permission from a child’s parent to release the child from the program at a specified time without supervision; and
(b) sets out the steps that must be taken if,
(i) a child does not arrive as expected at the centre or home child care premises, or
(ii) a child is not picked up as expected from the centre or home child care premises.
Disclaimer: This document is a sample of a policy and procedure that has been prepared to assist licensees in understanding their obligations under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and O. Reg. 137/15. It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that the information included in this document is appropriately modified to reflect the individual circumstances and needs of each child care centre it operates and each premises where the licensee oversees the provision of home child care.
Please be advised that this document does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. The information provided in this document does not impact the Ministry’s authority to enforce the CCEYA and its regulations. Ministry staff will continue to enforce such legislation based on the facts as they may find them at the time of any inspection or investigation.
It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure compliance with all applicable legislation. If the licensee requires assistance with respect to the interpretation of the legislation and its application, the licensee may wish to consult legal counsel.