Policies

Please see below for more information about various policies of West Point Grey (WPG) Daycare:

Guidance

The purpose of guidance is to provide positive guidelines to assist children in the development of self-control, self-confidence, and social skills.

Our guidance objective is to help children acquire the skills they need to resolve conflicts:

  • in socially acceptable ways
  • to the child’s own satisfaction
  • without loss of pride
  • to develop control, competence and worth
  • to support development of positive self-esteem

We want to facilitate children’s development of self-control, self-confidence, and ultimately self-discipline. To this end, we actively encourage verbal expression of feelings and assertion of felt needs. Hitting, biting, and other forms of physical and verbal behavior will be kindly redirected by a staff member.

Staff will provide:

  • clear, simple and consistent limits
  • encouragement for positive behaviour
  • recognition of the unique individuality of the child
  • time and skills to encourage children to develop problem-solving approaches
  • recognition for mistakes as learning experiences
  • a positive learning and play environment to encourage each child’s feelings of trust, security, and comfort
  • intervention and redirection during negative situations (e.g. sit with a staff member to read a book, engage in a different activity and then return to the desired activity)

The following strategies are prevention-oriented in order to develop a positive atmosphere and maximize opportunities for desirable behaviour.

Staff will:

  • establish clear, consistent, and simple limits
  • offer straightforward explanations for limits
  • state limits in a positive way, using kind and positive words
  • focus on the behaviour, rather than on the child
  • provide choices
  • allow time for children to respond to expectations
  • reinforce appropriate behaviour, with both words and gestures
  • ignore minor incidents
  • encourage children to use teachers as a resource – be constantly available to protect, guide and help them
  • be alert, anticipate potential difficulties, and step in to prevent problems.

Staff will provide and maintain a stimulating environment and encourage positive play and social interaction.

While we will never use a “time out” approach, we will talk about a particular behaviour with the children and, if necessary, redirect them to a different play area until they are ready to go back and play where they were before.

Daycare staff employ a variety of guidance techniques that are based on licensing regulations and the Ministry of Health’s booklet Guiding Young Children’s Behaviour. For instance, if children wish to play with the same toy and become frustrated, they are encouraged to express their feelings with the other child and take turns. If the child is still upset; a staff will discuss the situation again until the child is comfortable and understands the reason for such an approach.

When choosing a guidance technique to use, staff are careful to take into account each child’s unique personality and developmental level, as well as the familiarity they have with the English language — in case they are newcomers to Canada. Staff will also assess each situation when choosing such techniques.

Health and Safety

An important aspect of WPG’s program is providing a healthy environment for children. A proper balance of physical exercise, rest, and nutritious food is part of this process.

Additionally, a hygiene routine has been developed with respect to toileting and hand washing. Children at WPG Daycare learn to:

  • Wash hands before and after eating
  • Wash hands after using the toilet
  • Avoid sharing foods
  • Place used tissues in garbage
  • All children, siblings and parents must wash wants before entering the room
  • Children’s belongings should be taken home to wash once a month
  • When your child is sick take all their belonging home to wash

All parents, siblings, grandparents and caregivers are required to wash hands prior to entering the daycare space in the morning and at the end of the day, without exception. The staff members will be reminding you, if necessary. You can choose to use the hand sanitizer during pick up time, but please do not use it for your children, as it is proven to be unsafe for them.

Standard of Practice – Active Play

Children actively play outdoors, in our private playground, from 10:30am – 11:30am and in the afternoon from 3:00-3:30pm and from 4:00pm until pick-up time. Children also have the opportunity to play in our indoor play area from 9:15am – 10:00am. Before the afternoon story time, children can also run in our large indoor area, to release some of the energy before calming down for our structured circle time. We do not have any screen exposure.

The examples of facilitated play activities we offer are: floor hockey, golf, throwing and catching balls, running together or playing tag, soccer, basketball, singing songs which promote movement, such as “Ring Around the Rosy”, looking for bugs and insects, among others. All teachers engage in facilitated outdoor play, to ensure that all children participate and get enough physical activity.

The unfacilitated activities vary every day, as we set up different activities to promote the children’s creativity, discovery, interests and imagination. Unfacilitated activities include water play, painting the walls with water, different toys set up in our sand box, blocks, tricycles, balls, cars, motorcycles, balancing blocks, jumping obstacles, going up the stairs and down the slide, running, climbing small rocks, among others.

During outdoor time children can be observed actively enjoying the large outdoor space that we have, which includes lots of flowers, trees, shaded areas, a beautiful vegetable garden, large sand box, and plenty of space for them to run and be active.

All the teachers at West Point Grey Daycare share the common belief that the outdoors are a critical aspect of our program, as children are able to breathe fresh air, exercise, use their outside voice and explore nature. During the winter months, as it gets darker earlier, the schedule is changed, so children wake up from nap, eat snack, go outside from 3:00-3:30pm then play inside after circle and snack time, until pick-up. We always ensure that the children go outside twice per day, rain or shine.

Illness

WPG’s Illness and Attendance policy is based on the Vancouver Coastal Health requirements for daycare facilities and on the daycare’s individual policies.

A child must be well enough to participate in a full day program. You may be called to pick up your child if the staff feels your child cannot manage within the daily routine (this includes daily outdoor play) for any reason or is displaying any signs of illness.

The daycare considers the safety and health of all of the children, parents, caregivers, and staff. No child that is judged to be unwell, fighting a virus or a source of infection may attend the daycare, even with a doctor’s note. The staff person in charge can refuse to accept a child deemed not well to be in the daycare for any reason. Please keep your child home if you suspect any type of illness or virus, as we count on your assistance to protect everyone.

A child should not attend the daycare if he/she has or is developing any of the following:

  • A fever of 99F (37C) or higher – your child must be home for at least 24 hours and only return to the daycare once they feel well. 
  • Diarrhea (one or more episodes) –– your child must be home for 48 hours.
  • Skin infection, rash of any sort caused by a virus, sore infected eyes, signs of any contagious disease or signs that the body is fighting a virus, even if no longer contagious.
  • Acute cold with coughing, runny nose or eyes, sore throat
  • Constant coughing and/ or sneezing
  • Vomiting in past 24 hours (once or multiple times) – must be home for 48 hours
  • Has been on antibiotics less than 24 hours
  • Inability to cope and participate through the daily program – the staff will call you if they believe your child is not well enough to be at daycare.

A child may return to daycare when:

  • Fever has remained below 99.5F (37.5C) for 24 hours without medication
  • 48 hours have passed since last bout of sickness
  • Rash is contained and not spread through the body
  • Symptoms have subsided
  • Child has been examined by a doctor and has received medical clearance (and all of the above symptoms have cleared or are significantly reduced) – medical notes do not void our current policies. *

*Doctor’s note are not always necessary: in case of vomiting and diarrhea if your child is kept home for 48 hours, no note is needed. In case of viruses, the staff will request a note, depending on the virus. If no note is requested, then you don’t need to provide one.

Children who are not feeling well enough to be part of the daycare’s program or are in need to recover away from the group for any reason (i.e., outdoor or water play) will be asked to stay home. Staff will use their judgement to decide weather or not a child should stay at the daycare during the day, a doctor’s note will not exclude the staff’s or manager’s decision to keep a child at home.

When you take your child to the doctor:

  • Let them know your child is in group care
  • Ask for the doctor to tell you what is causing your child’s illness
  • Ask if the child should attend daycare and how long they should rest at home for
  • Ask whether they are contagious and for how long

Please obtain a note from your physician for the daycare, if requested, indicating that your child is not contagious and is well enough to return to group daycare, once symptoms have seized.

When a child becomes ill at the daycare:

  • Staff will notify the child’s family
  • If, for any reason, staff cannot reach a family member, the emergency contact person will be called
  • Child must be picked up from daycare within 30-45 minutes.
  • If your child has a virus that is unknown whether contagious or not, he/she will be kept away from the group (with a staff member) until your arrival.

Please note that it is very difficult to have a written policy which includes all types or viruses, bacterias and diseases, so personal judgement will be considered on each individual case (even the common viruses, bacterias and diseases, depending on what it is, the severity and the risks to others.) We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

In case of emergency, 911 will be called immediately.

© 2023 West Point Grey Daycare Society