Chris-Cross Learning Center
Handbook
2023
Where we add a little bit of Jesus to your child's day!
We believe that following the policies in this handbook result in better relationships for everyone involved. Please read over the policies and feel free to ask any questions that you may have. You are the most important teacher in your child's life and we are here to help you in any way we can. We are very excited to have you here! Here we go??
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:
· Emergency Medical Care
· Police/Fire/Ambulance 911
Other Important Numbers:
· DHS Licensing
· Oklahoma Child Abuse Hotline 800-522-3511
· Cleveland County Emergency Management 405-292-9780
· Information 411
· Resources 211
· Poison Control 800-222-1222
· Police/Fire Non-Emergency (MOORE) 405-793-5171
· Police/Fire Non-Emergency (NORMAN) 405-321-8600
· ODOT Road Conditions 877-403-7623
· OK Dep. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse 800-522-9054
If you drop your child off early, then you must pick them up early as well. If your hours are 9:00 - 5:00 and you drop off one day at 8:00 then you must pick your child up by 4:00. Arrangements must be made in ADVANCE for early drop-offs to avoid overtime charges of $1.00 for each minute your child is here before the contracted arrival time.
Tuition may increase each calendar year.
We are a faith-based center, and we are excited to introduce your child to Jesus Christ. We are very proud of our Lord, and we feel that every child deserves the opportunity to have a relationship with God. Daily devotionals (Bible stories), giving the Lord praise before every meal, and teaching and modeling love, patience, and compassion for one another are ways that we do this.
Attendance is very important. We have a lot of activities planned and appreciate all of our friends here to participate. You are responsible for tuition regardless of the reason for absence. Please call if your child is going to be late or absent. We worry about our friends if our routine is changed without any explanation. If I have not been in contact with you, I will contact you if your child hasn't arrived within 30 minutes of regularly scheduled arrival time.
Please respect the 9 A.M. drop off deadline to help limit the number of interruptions to our day. It is very serious business that we stay focused while learning.
It is normal for some children to have difficulty separating from parents or cry when being dropped off. Please be very brief (no more than 5 minutes) during drop-off times; the longer you prolong the departure the harder it gets. A smile, a cheerful good-bye kiss, and a reassuring word that you will be back are all that is needed. In my experience, children are nearly always quick to get involved in play or activities as soon as parents are gone.
Departure time is a time of testing when multiple authority figures are present and all children will test to see if the rules still apply. We do expect you to back up the HOUSE rules, but if you do not, we will remind your child that their behavior is inappropriate and take action to correct, if needed. Please be in control of your child during these times.
Right to Refuse Child Release
We may refuse to release children if we have reasonable cause to suspect that any person picking up a child is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or is physically or emotionally impaired in any way that may endanger the child. To protect your child, we may request that another adult listed as an Emergency and Release Contact, picks up the child or we may call the police to prevent potential harm to your child. Reoccurring situations may result in the release of your child from the program and possible referral to Child Protective Services. You must always have a car seat for your child. If you do not have one, your child may not be released and late pick up fees will continue to be assessed until you can safely depart with your child.
SMOKE FREE & VAPE FREE POLICY
Chris Cross Learning Center knowingly adopts a smoke free and vape free policy. This means we are committed to ensuring that all children in our care are in a smoke free and vape free environment, at all times; so effective immediately:
*Use of any tobacco/nicotine cessation product which is not approved by the FDA, is prohibited.
* This is a NON SMOKING home! Smoking, vaping, or using any tobacco products is prohibited on Chris Cross Learning Center property. Please do not smoke anywhere on the property. This includes littering or extinguishing cigarette butts or other tobacco/vape products on or around the property. Please help keep the property, both inside and out, clean and free of debris or trash.
*Please refrain from smoking or vaping in vehicles when transporting children to or from daycare. Lingering 2nd hand smoke on children's clothing can trigger an asthma attack.
*Field Trips, walks, and all outside activities will be smoke free and vape free.
Chris Cross Learning Center promotes the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW or OKHelpline.com) to ensure awareness of the statewide services that are available. ANYONE interested in quitting tobacco use will be referred to the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline and any other available cessation resources.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE DRIVEWAY OR BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY. There are scheduled times we need to leave and return and if the drive is blocked it can cause us to be late picking up or dropping off children or taking care of business errands. Please park in the street without blocking the driveway. For safety and security reasons, we must keep the driveway clear at all times. Please let anyone know who picks up or drops off the children about this as well.
2023 Scheduled paid days closed are:
1. New Years Day (1/2)
2. Training (2/10)
3. Training (3/10)
4. Good Friday (4/7)
5. Memorial Day (5/29)
6. Vacation June (6/19-6/23)
7. Independence Day (7/4)
8. Training (8/11)
9. Labor Day (9/4)
10.Training (10/13)
11.Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday (11/23-11/24)
12.Vacation, Christmas Eve, New Year's Day (12/23-1/1)
*** You are responsible for alternate childcare and the additional fees incurred during these times.
We may have a substitute at times. The substitute has been carefully screened! You will be notified of a substitute whenever possible. I will try to schedule all of my appointments after business hours but sometimes it will not be possible. If I cannot get a substitute to come in, I will close, without refund. You are responsible for alternate care in the event I must close.
My Emergency Contact person is: CHRIS CONNER @ 405-314-9794 in Moore.
TERMINATION OF ENROLLMENT:
Termination of enrollment by a weekly paying parent must be submitted in writing (no texting or emailing) at least 2 weeks in advance or you will be charged for the remaining tuition (2 weeks minimum in addition to any applicable fees) FOR EXAMPLE ONLY, if you give written notice Friday, March 2nd, you WILL owe tuition for the next 2 weeks only, on March 9th and March 16th. If you give notice on Monday, March 5th, your notice will go into effect on the following Friday, March 9th, so you will owe March 9th, March 16th, and March 23rd, to satisfy your 2-week minimum notice requirement.
Termination of enrollment by a monthly paying parent must be submitted in writing (no texting or emailing) at least one month in advance or you will be charged for the remaining tuition (1 month minimum in addition to any applicable fees). FOR EXAMPLE ONLY, if you give written notice Thursday April 30, you will owe tuition for the month of May only. If you give notice on Monday, May 5th, your notice will go into effect on June 1st, and you will still owe June tuition, to satisfy your minimum full month notice requirement.
Late payment fees begin at noon on Friday and are $10 per day, per payment late, per child. Late fees will cap at $100 per late payment, per child.
Chris-Cross Learning Center reserves the right to terminate enrollment (expel), or suspend any child, at any time, without refund.
Any fees paid are NONrefundable, this includes, but is not limited to enrollment fees, field trip fees, supply fees, or any other fees charged.
If you need to change from paying by the month to paying by the week, I will also need 1 months? notice to make the change. If you are paying by the week and wish to pay by the month, no notice is needed.
MEALS:
Breakfast will be served from 8:00-8:30
Lunch will be served from 11:15-11:45
Afternoon snack served at 2:30-3:00
If your child is not here for mealtime, you will need to feed them before you bring them. Do not send food or drinks in with your child.
We will have a time for rest. If your child has a favorite blanket or small stuffed animal, you may send these items with him/her. However, we cannot be responsible for lost or damaged personal items. Please do not bring any other toys or items from home. We have plenty of items here to work with.
Toilet training will be continued with the permission of the parent and the willingness of the child. Your child must wear either pull-ups or cloth training pants with plastic liners. You are responsible for making sure we have an ample supply of diapers, pull-ups and wipes for your child. We will not have a reserve of these items.
Accidents happen at any age, so all children need to have at least 3 changes of clothing here at all times. If your child soils or wets an outfit, please send another one back the next day. We will not rinse out soiled clothing. We will dump what can be dumped and put the clothing in a plastic bag to send home.
Medications can only be dispensed with written parental authorization; this includes diaper cream, sunblock and insect repellant. The dates, dosage, and directions must accompany this authorization. Medications must be age and symptom appropriate. Prescription medications must have your child's name, dosage information, and current date on the bottle before it can be dispensed. All medications must have child safety caps! Please make sure your child has previously had the medication to eliminate any possible allergic reactions. Please send one bottle of insect repellant/sunscreen combo for each child upon enrollment and in January of each year.
Discipline policy:
Physical punishment is not used in this facility!
Take a break (time-out) is used as a backup method of behavior modification. We believe that positive reinforcement and redirection are the best methods for deterring inappropriate behaviors. If for some reason our methods are not successful, we may have to make a call to you.
We require a copy of all parents/legal guardians' driver licenses on file. If anyone else is expected to pick up your child(ren), they will need to provide a valid driver license to keep on file.
We are mandated reporters for all children's welfare. If we suspect any case of child abuse, child neglect, and/or human trafficking, we will report our suspicions to the child abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-522-3511 and/or to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Control.
DHS REQUIREMENTS ON HEALTH ISSUES:
Your child must have up to date immunization records or a letter of exclusion on file at all times at Chris-Cross Learning Center. Only approved forms will be accepted for immunization exclusion. I will provide these forms to you, if needed.
A child will be excluded from care for the following reasons:
*Fever of 100 or higher for any reason,
*Vomiting,
*Difficulty breathing,
*Redness, swelling, or drainage from the eye,
*Unusual spotting or rashes,
*Diarrhea,
*Skin Sores,
*Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes,
*Clay colored stools or tea colored urine,
*Hard or loose persistent cough,
*Yellow or greenish discharge from the nose,
*Earache, headache or sore throat,
*Head lice or nits (eggs),
*Or any other obvious sign of illness not mentioned above.
Children must be symptom free for at least 24 hours without medication &/or have a doctor's note before returning to Chris-Cross Learning Center! If antibiotics are prescribed, they must have the first 24 hours of dosing at home.
It is your responsibility to have your child picked up within 30 minutes if they become sick while they are in our care. The late pickup fee will begin 30 minutes after the notification has been made, either via phone or text messages. We must have written authorization or phone authorization before your child can be released to anyone not on the pickup list in the event that you are not able to get here. This person must provide a picture ID upon request.
***If your child does not recognize the person trying to pick them up, they will NOT be released them even if they are on the list.
If your child is injured while in our care, we will first determine the severity of the injury and take proper steps in caring for the injury. Those steps include may include calling 911 for ambulance transportation to Moore Medical Center for serious injuries or conditions, which you will be financially responsible for. If the injury is not severe, we will fill out the injury/incidence form, you will be notified, and you will receive a copy of this form.
Emergency policies per DHS are as follows:
All events will be monitored regularly, and we have emergency alerts on our phones, as well. Please feel free to notify us of any emergencies as they arise to ensure we are aware of any and all situations listed or otherwise.
IMMEDIATE EVACUATION:
* Smoke
* Fire (or explosion)
* Gas Leak
* Bomb Threat
EVACUATION AND RELOCATION:
*Hazardous Spill
*Chemical/Industrial Accident
*Flood
*Wildfire
SHELTER IN PLACE:
* Tornado
* Dangerous High Winds
* Earthquake
* Blizzard
* Ice Storm
* Terrorist Attack
* Bomb/War
* Biological Attack
* Armed Intruder/Attacker
* Hostage Situation
* Radiological Emergency
The emergency evacuation pack (First Aid Kit) is located on the shelf in front of the window in the playroom near my desk.
Children with special needs will be assigned to ONE teacher to ensure any medications that are on site for a child, will be taken with the child in the event of the emergency relocation.
In the case of immediate evacuation (I.E.), we will follow these steps:
1) Get the disaster/first aid kit from shelf,
2) Gather children and lead them out the safest exit possible to a safe place away from danger,
3) Account for all children,
4) Once all children are safe and accounted for, notify all parents using the contact lists on my phone and/or in the disaster/first aid kit, and arrange for pickup.
5) Notify Licensing of event
In the case of evacuation and relocation situations (E.A.R.'s), we will follow these steps:
1) Get disaster/first aid kit from shelf,
2) Gather children and lead them out the safest exit possible,
3) Meet at the mailbox, at Jerry's house (1106 N.W. 7th Street), or at Santa Fe Elementary, 501 North Santa Fe,
4) Account for all children,
5) Once all children are safe and accounted for, notify all parents using the contact lists on my phone and/or in the disaster/first aid kit, and arrange for pickup.
6) Notify Licensing of event.
In the case of any other stay in place situations (S.I.P.), we will follow these steps:
1) Get the disaster/first aid kit from shelf,
2) For tornados, gather children and lead them to the storm shelter in the garage,
3) Make sure to close and latch the shelter door after ensuring that all children are accounted for, for all other S.I.P.s, lock all doors and close any blinds,
4) In all S.I.P.'s, stay away from windows; for earthquake, kneel under the playroom table for shelter,
5) After emergency passes, notify all parents using the contact lists in the disaster/first aid kit, and arrange for pickup,
6) Notify Licensing of event.
Evacuation or relocation will always be done by Tina Conner, unless I am incapacitated. CHRIS CONNER, as well as all substitutes will be trained in the procedures as well.
These drills are conducted monthly, semi-annually and annually, as required.
Weapons are PROHIBITED on the property at any time, regardless of permits or licenses to carry.
WEATHER RELATED TRANSPORTATION POLICY (IF transporting):
If the weather is bad or predicted to be bad during the hours your child is in school, we may or may not transport your child. The safety of the children is most important to us and being in questionable weather is an unnecessary risk. If we determine it is unsafe to transport and you would like to come pick your child up, please let us know and we will have them ready for you.
Utility disruptions require children be picked up after 1 hour without power or water or when temperatures the inside temperature reaches over 85 or under 60 degrees.
If we lose any utilities due to "Acts of God" and must close for MORE than 5 consecutive business days, then day 6+ will be paid at the vacation rate of 50% of your regular rate.
CORONAVIRUS aka COVID-19
If you are a weekly paying client and your child is absent due to a POSITIVE COVID-19 TEST, then you will only be responsible for the vacation rate and your spot will be held to return when released from the physician. We will need documentation from the physician to apply the discount and to return back to school.
If I have to close due to COVID-19, then you will be responsible for tuition at the vacation rate (50% of your regular tuition rate).
Parents are welcome and encouraged to visit the center at any time. Please stop by at an unscheduled time to see how wonderful our program is! Have an idea for an event? Let us know! We welcome your suggestions and ideas!
Parent conference days will be held in June to discuss your child's progress. Typically, it will be during pick up or drop off, time permitting.
We may go on field trips throughout the year. Notes and text messages will be sent regarding any upcoming trips planned.
The supply fee is $10.00 per child, per month. You have the option of paying in full or paying per semester.
Parents are welcome to view our Licensing Compliance Files. These are the actual records regarding the unannounced and announced visits that the Department Of Human Services, Child Care Licensing completes periodically. These files will inform you if there have been any licensing violations (aka non-compliances) and the extent of those particular violations. These forms are located in the large file cabinet next to my desk. Please let me know if you would like to view them. You will also be required to read and sign the Compliance File Notification form indicating that you are aware of these files. I will provide you with a copy of this notification upon enrollment and annually.
Our Statement:
Children are God's special gifts. We believe that all children are unique and with proper guidance and support, all children can succeed! We will love and nurture your child and show respect, support and guidance to your child as long as they are in our care. With the years of experience that we have working with children of this age, we can assure you that your child is in good hands. This is our pledge to you! Thank you so much for allowing us to care for your child.
Tina Conner
Chris-Cross Learning Center
(405)799-9099
(405)314-9793 (call or text)