Parent Policy Handbook

Last Updated: June 30, 2023

This handbook is for parents whose children have been enrolled in the WSU Hourly Child Care Center. There is an application form on our website that needs to be filled out every semester before children may attend.

Application Process

• All parents, new and returning, must apply each semester.
• Priority is given to students attending in-person or virtual classes.
• Applications are accepted throughout the year and approval is based on deadlines and availability.
• Returning parents receive priority for enrollment up until the following deadlines:
  •  Spring Semester: November 28
  • Summer Semester: May 2
  • Fall Semester: April 24
• Faculty and Staff will be approved no sooner than the week before the start of each semester.
• The child care center is closed between semesters, for Fall and Spring breaks, and holidays.

Once accepted you will receive a confirmation email with more details about your enrollment including access to an orientation that will need to be completed on Canvas before the first day of care can be provided.

Description

Weber State University’s Hourly Child Care Center is a state-licensed facility. We provide Regular Care (regular weekly scheduled care throughout the semester) or Back-up Care (call at least one hour before care is needed to see if space is available). Faculty and staff of WSU may use the center if space is available. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis (Faculty and Staff are only accepted no sooner than one week prior to each semester and throughout the semester as space is available.

Program Goals and Philosophy

We are committed to Developmentally Appropriate Practices as defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

• Work together to provide a learning environment that protects a child's physiological and psychological health and safety.
• Support a child’s point of view while developing responsibility and self-awareness in a challenging, interesting, and developmentally appropriate environment.
• Create a curriculum that extends a child’s verbal and literacy skills.
• Construct lessons that engage a child’s mathematical and scientific exploration skills.
• Encourage a caring community of learners who can develop social relationships and communication skills.
• Establish partnerships with families in order to support parents in their educational pursuits.
• Inform parents of the progress and development of their child.

Fees

• Payments must be made online at weber.edu/nontrad/childcare (Links to an external site.) under “Pay Fees”.
• There is a non-refundable $15.00 application fee per child.
• The cost for Students is $3.50 per hour.
• The cost for Faculty /Staff is $6.00 per hour (starting Fall 2023 semester).
• Pre-payment for the reserved hours of care for the first week is due before the first day of attendance. Pre-payment for each week is due by Friday night to receive care for the next week. Unused payment will carry forward to the next week.
• You can set up automatic payments each week or enter a specific amount in the Marketplace App. You can also make cash payments at the Shepherd Union Information Booth. We will provide you with an invoice every Monday with any remaining balance you owe or credits you have. Please make your payments on time or we will not be able to allow your child to attend.
• Child Care is offered FREE for students during finals week (up to 12 hours). You will need to submit a completed application at least 1 week before the semester begins and attend “Regular Care” for the entire semester. Hours must be pre-scheduled for finals week (once exams are scheduled) and hours can only be used during final exams.
• Care will NOT be provided if there is a balance owing on your account.
• Any remaining funds will carry over to the next semester if the child attends.
• If care is discontinued, any remaining balance will be refunded.
• If there is an unpaid balance at the end of the semester, we will make ONE attempt to contact you and collect the owing balance. If payment isn't made, your account will be turned over to WSU collections and your records will be placed on hold until the payment is made in full.
• Late Pickup After Hours: A late charge of $1.00 per minute will be charged after closing (there is a 5-minute grace period allowed).
• If you have any concerns or extenuating circumstances requiring adjustments in your billing schedule you can reach out to the Nontraditional Student Director, Debbie Cragun dcragun1@weber.edu, for approval after completing a "Payment Accommodation Form".

Attendance

Please call 801-626-7798 if you will be absent, late dropping off, or late picking up your child(ren). You can email wsuhourlychildcare@weber.edu, however, if it is the same day, please call.

• Absences: You must notify the center when your child will be absent. Excused absences include vacation, sick time (sick symptoms or COVID positive test), or if a professor cancels the class.
• No-shows: If you do not notify the center, this will count as a No-show. After TWO No-shows you will automatically be moved to “Back-up care” and forfeit your spot.
• Late Arrivals: We understand that late arrivals happen. However, you must call the supervisor and leave a message if you are going to be late. (More than 30 minutes late means care may not be available).
• Late Pickup:  We understand that late pickups happen. However, you must call the supervisor and leave a message if you are going to be late.
• Late Pickup After Hours: A late charge of $1.00 per minute will be charged after closing. There is a 5-minute grace period to allow you to collect your child's items. Extenuating circumstances should be discussed with the Supervisor. Continued late pickup may result in further action being taken.
• Back-Up Care: If you are in need of backup care you must call at least 1 hour in advance. Backup care can only be provided as space allows.
• Exams: Please let staff know which testing center or other location you will be in so we can try to contact you as soon as possible in the event of an emergency.

Extended Hours Request Form

Parents need to submit an “Extended Hours Request” form (available at weber.edu/nontrad or QR code available in the center) when requesting hours outside the semester schedule (exams, study time, tests, etc.)

Exams may require extra time than you have scheduled, so please anticipate this and allow time for this.

Extended Hours Form

Change of Hours Request Form

Parents need to submit a Change of Hours Request Form when requesting a permanent change to scheduled semester hours. 

Change of Hours Request Form 

Closure of the Center

• The child care center will be closed between semesters, holidays, and breaks when the Weber State University campus is also closed.
• Students who attend on a regular basis throughout the semester can receive up to 12 hours of free care during Finals Week.

Immunizations

We require all parents to provide a copy of their child’s immunization record, or a state exemption form, by the first day of attendance.

Illness & Medications

If your child has any of the following symptoms, he/she may not attend our center:

• Having a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher
• Diarrhea
• Unidentified or contagious rash
• Vomiting
• Eye infection
• Head lice
• Runny nose with green or yellow snot
• New persistent cough or any other Covid-19 symptoms

If your child develops any of these symptoms while in attendance or has unusual behavior/lethargic a parent will be notified and must immediately pick up the child. In order to reduce the spread of illness children will be excluded from care for at least 24 hours after symptoms have ceased. If your child contracts a contagious illness soon after attending our program, you must notify the supervisor within 24 hours. Lingering coughs following an illness are allowed as long as all other symptoms are relieved.

Please Note:

• That you must call or email the center if your child will not be attending due to illness (refer to attendance policy). Please make staff aware of when you expect your child to return.
• We do not give medication to children. Please do not leave any kind of medication in your child’s lunchbox or backpack.

Potty-Training/Accidents

Children need to be fully potty trained:

• Be in underwear the entire day (no pull-ups)
• Be able to manipulate clothing (push down and pull up pants).
• Recognize the need to go to the bathroom.

If a child has an accident, the child will be changed into an extra set of their clothing. If a second accident occurs, caregivers will be contacted to pick up their child. If an extra set of clothing is not provided caregivers will be contacted after the first accident.

Emergencies

Parents will receive information about our emergency procedures in Childcare Orientation Canvas training.

Injuries/Incident Reports

When minor injuries, behaviors, or other incidents occur that concern your child's health and safety, you will receive an incident report through ProCare. Minor injuries such as scratches, abrasions, and bruises will be cleaned with soap and water and treated with a Band-Aid if necessary. If a child is injured and the injury appears serious but not life-threatening, we will contact parents immediately. 

If a severe or life-threatening injury occurs we will:

• Call emergency personnel immediately;
• Contact the parent after emergency personnel are called; and
• If the parent cannot be reached, try to contact the child's emergency contact individual.

*All our teachers are CPR and First Aid certified.

Signing in & Out

• Please drop your child off through the outdoor entrance by the playground. You may exit through the inside door into the Nontrad center.
• We ask parents to approach a childcare teacher upon arriving and leaving.
• Parents must sign in/sign out on the ProCare Kiosk app located on the iPad that is located in the cubbies near the main outdoor entrance.
• We will check the release form and ask for photo identification for any individual checking out a child who is unknown to the staff.  Only parents or those with written authorization from parents ON FILE, will be allowed to take a child from the center.
  • We may accept an electronic permission statement (such as an email or text message) from the parent for an individual to sign out their child as long as we can confirm the sender’s identity.
  • In an emergency situation, the parent may give verbal authorization to center staff. The verbal authorization includes confirmation of identity by picture ID.
• As a mixed-age childcare facility, we have children of a variety of ages in the center at a time. Please be aware and courteous of children that could be napping when you arrive. This is most common in the afternoon between noon and 2:00 p.m. 

Class Schedule

The following is an example of our center’s daily routine. Daily activities include, but are not limited to, stories, songs, outside play, and walks around campus (weather permitting). Our walks around campus could include walks to the duck pond, field trips to the bowling alley, or movies at the Planetarium. Parents are informed of weekly activities in the lesson plan. These may change depending on when children are dropped off/picked up.

*Children need to be prepared to go outside in any weather conditions. We will go out every day.

Our curriculum focuses on a play-based learning approach. Our teachers design lesson plans based on themes that include play activities with specific learning goals in mind. They will provide individualized, intentional, and differentiated instruction to facilitate each child's growth. We use Utah's Core Early Learning Standards to guide the learning activities for our classroom. Teachers seek out opportunities for learning that occur naturally throughout the day during play and daily routines. The children get to experience creative art, science, fine motor/math, block play, story/time, dramatic play, sensory, and outdoor time. Everything that we plan and do for the children's growth and development is based on the relationships that the teachers create with the children.

Lunches & Snacks

Lunch is not provided by the Hourly Child Care Center. We will provide at least two snacks a day.

Our center is now PEANUT FREE. Due to a peanut allergy, we require that there be no peanuts in your child's lunch or snacks. This includes granola bars with peanuts, Reese's products and any candy with peanuts, Uncrustables peanut butter, and jelly sandwiches, and trail mixes with peanuts.

• A water bottle labeled with your child’s name must be provided daily. Your child’s water bottle must be taken home daily to be washed.
• If your child has a food allergy, notify the classroom teachers. This should also be documented in your child’s application and on your Procare account.
• If your child will be staying between 11:45 am-12:30 pm, please bring a nutritious lunch from home.
• If your child arrives after this time please ensure they are fed lunch before they arrive.
• We do not have facilities to refrigerate all lunches. Please use ice packs in your child's lunches when food needs to be kept cold.
• Lunches need to be accessible for children. Use containers your child can open on their own and pack foods that your child can eat on their own with little preparation. Food that needs to be cooked or heated should not require more than a minute in the microwave.
• When packing your child's lunch please be aware of not packing foods that can be choking hazards if your child is under four. Examples of choking hazards are hot dogs and other meat sticks (whole or sliced into rounds), raw carrot rounds, whole grapes (cut-up grapes are ok), hard candy, nuts, seeds, raw peas, hard pretzels, chips, popcorn, rice cakes, marshmallows, and chunks of meat larger than can be swallowed whole.
• Please do not include medications in your child’s lunch. We do not give medications.

What to Wear

We believe in the benefits of outside play! We will go outside every day unless it is a red air day, active precipitation, or extremely cold or hot temperatures. Please dress your children accordingly.

Please remember to:

• Send a backpack with an extra set of clothing just in case your child needs a change (we paint and play in sand and water almost every day).
• If your child has a favorite blanket or snuggly toy that helps him/her separate from you more easily, include it in the backpack.
• Keep other toys at home as these can easily get lost among the classroom toys.
• Apply sunscreen before coming to school.
• Mark everything your child brings with his/her name.

Nap/Quiet Time

We will be offering a nap/quiet time for all children. Children will be provided a mat, sheet, and blanket. Please refer to the daily schedule for nap times. If your child needs a comfort item you are welcome to bring it. They can be left in their backpack until nap. All children will have the opportunity to rest. If children do not fall asleep they will be provided quiet activities to do on their mat after they have had some time to rest their bodies.

Discipline

Discipline strategies are employed in our classroom with the goal of helping children control their own behaviors and appropriately express their emotions. Positive guidance strategies are used to prevent most behavior problems. We seek to accomplish this through the following:

• Model positive behavior for the children through “using words” to solve problems
• Coach children in addressing peers and teachers in an appropriate manner, without physical or verbal aggression.
• Redirect the child to another area.

Incident Reports may be prepared for parents to sign when reportable incidents occur.

What to Bring Everyday

• Send a backpack with an extra set of clothing just in case your child needs to change (Accidents happen and we also plan on having lots of fun experiences that can get messy!)
• If your child has a favorite blanket or snuggly toy that helps him/her separate from you more easily, include it in the backpack.
• Please keep other toys at home as these can easily get lost among the classroom toys.
• Apply sunscreen before coming to school.
• Please bring a water bottle labeled with your child's name every day.
• If your child will be staying between 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., please bring a nutritious lunch from home.
• The Shepherd Union building regularly has problems with the heating and cooling system. In the summertime, still, send a sweater with your child. In the wintertime, if your child arrives wearing a heavy sweater, have a t-shirt underneath or pack one in their bag.
• Mark everything your child brings with his/her name.

Birthdays

We love to celebrate children’s birthdays. If you would like to bring treats or snacks for the class all food must be store-bought. NO homemade treats are allowed.

Parent Involvement

Parents are always welcome in our classroom and your suggestions are appreciated.

• Parents must be on campus at all times their child is in care unless approval for practicums or research off campus is given by the Supervisor.
• If you have special contacts or interests that would help our program and enhance the experience for children, please inform the supervisor.
• Parents are encouraged to get involved in the Nontraditional Student Center.

Termination of Enrollment by Parent

Parents may terminate the enrollment of their child/children at any time. Please notify the supervisor of termination as soon as possible. Parents can request a copy of their child’s records.

Termination of Enrollment by Center

Enrollment may be terminated at the discretion of the director if the following conditions occur:

• Lack of payment for services rendered.
• Not adhering to the policies outlined in the Parent Handbook.
• When concerns can’t be resolved and mediation has occurred.

Grievance

We encourage parents to express all concerns to the Childcare Supervisor or Assistant Childcare Supervisor in the classroom as soon as possible. If difficulties and differences are not appropriately addressed and resolved, parents should contact the Director of the Nontraditional Student Center.

Contact Information

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

"Weber State University, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensures equal access to all university functions, activities, and programs for individuals with disabilities.”  

Please contact the Child Care Supervisor to discuss accommodations for your child.