Our staff works hard to make sure your child(ren) have the best possible experience when at our Center. Outdoor activities, hands-on crafts and other activities happen daily. Here are a few things you as parents can do to help your child enjoy their experience. If you have any specific questions, please contact our Director or your child's teacher.

When You Arrive

  • When you and your child arrive each morning, please sign the Sign In/Sign Out sheet located in your child’s classroom binder, noting the time. If your child receives Connect, your signature must be legible or you will need to print your name underneath as well. If you are bringing medication for your child, please ask the teacher for a medication administration form.
  • We open at 7 AM. Please do not drop off your child prior to the opening. Parents are expected to accompany their children and sign them in.
  • We close at 6 PM. Please allow enough time to arrive, sign your child out, and leave by closing time.
     

Who Is Allowed to Pick Up My Child?

  • Your child will only be released to you or those persons you have listed as Emergency and Release Contacts. If you want a person who is not identified as an Emergency and Release Contact to pick up your child, you must notify us in advance, in writing.
  • Identification is required from any person the director or teachers do not know or recognize. 
  • WE DO NOT ACCEPT CHANGES OVER THE PHONE. DO NOT ASK THE DIRECTOR OR TEACHERS TO MAKE ANY CHANGES VIA PHONE. This policy is designed to protect your child(ren). 
     

What Should My Child Wear?

Please dress your child in practical clothing that allows for freedom of movement and is appropriate for the weather. Your child will be involved in a variety of activities including:

  • painting,

  • outdoor play,

  • sand,

  • water, and other sensory activities. Our playground is used as an extension of the center, and daily programs are conducted outside whenever weather permits.

  • Please send at least one change of clothing for your child. 

Accidents do happen, and it is embarrassing for a child not to have another set of clothes to put on. We cannot provide extra clothing for your child, so if he or she does have an accident and does not have a change of clothes, you will be called to come and bring them something.

Children should wear appropriate shoes. Sandals break easily and cause children to stumble, and therefore are not appropriate for the center. 

All shoes must have backs — no flip-flops, please!

If your child arrives at school in shoes without backs, we will call a parent to bring them a change of footwear.

 

Immunizations

All students should have up-to-date immunizations before enrolling at the center, and immunization records should be submitted within 30 days of enrollment. If a child is on a delayed vaccination schedule for any reason, please submit a doctor’s note to document. 
 

When Your Child Needs to Take Medication

It is almost a given that your child will need to take medication while in our care, either regularly or in special situations. To ensure your child's medicines are administered properly and according to your directions, we require documentation before administering any medicine. A Medication Administration form must be completed, signed, and handed to a teacher before our staff can administer any medication. Prescribed, non-prescribed, internal, and external medication will only be given with written permission from a physician. All medication must be labeled with the child’s name. Specific instructions that include date to be given, amount to be administered, route to be administered, and time(s) of day for administration should be marked on the medication and the Medication Administration form. Please stop by the office to complete a Medication Administration form.
 

When Your Child Gets Sick

Colds, flu, viruses and other illnesses happen. While we do everything possible to prevent the spread of disease, we need everyone's help. Please do not bring your child to the center if he or she is sick. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO THE CENTER IF HE/SHE HAS:

  • Runny nose with yellow discharge
  • Sore or swollen joints
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Contagious cough
  • Chills
  • Skin rash
  • Flushed face or fever
  • Pink eye
  • Enlarged glands
  • Sore throat
  • Diarrhea
  • Earache

 A child should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication (such as Tylenol or Motrin) before he or she returns to the center.

If your child becomes ill while at the center, we will call you to pick him/her up immediately, or to make arrangements for someone else to do so for you. Until you arrive, the child will remain in the office with the Director, away from the other children.

A child may not return to the center the next day after being sent home for an illness. The Director may request a written note from a physician stating that the child has permission to return to the center.

If medication is to be given at the center, directions as to how much medication is to be administered, the route, and times to be given should be marked both on the medication and on the Medication Administration form the parent should fill out that morning.

If a child has on file a signed statement objecting to medical care, the parent must ensure that he or she or an authorized family member is available at all times should a health emergency arise. In the event of a health emergency, the parent or family member must pick up the child immediately.
 

Lice

At Oakhurst, we understand that cases of lice will happen from time to time. We will do periodic checks by teachers of all students, or individual checks of students if a teacher or staff member notices signs that might indicate the child has lice (excessive scratching, etc). If a child is found to have lice, a parent or other authorized person must come to pick the child up that day. 

Oakhurst requires that children must be NIT AND LICE FREE before returning. This is to ensure that the lice are not passed on to other children in the center. After your child has been treated for lice, he or she may be brought to the office, where a staff member will check the child’s head for any lice or nits before he or she is allowed to enter the classroom. If lice or nits are found, the child must be taken home until all nits and lice are gone.

Adjustment Problems For New Students

A positive attitude is necessary for a good adjustment to daycare. Your child’s attitude will often be a mirror image of their parent’s attitude. Be aware that much of the anxiety a child expresses at first is for a parent’s benefit and ends shortly after the parent is out of sight. Be supportive, reassure your child that you will be returning, and keep the goodbye short and simple.

Some children require a longer period of adjustment than others. Be patient with your child and remember that we want to help both you and your child through this period of transition.

If you become concerned about your child and would like to call to check on him/her, please call the center and ask to speak to the Director. Your child’s teacher cannot leave her classroom unattended to speak on the phone, but the Director or office staff will be happy to check on your child for you.