Policies & Procedures as of December 2011
INTRODUCTION
In our ministries, we stress the sanctity of human life and the worth of each and every individual in God’s sight. We desire to provide reasonable care and protection to the children and youth attending this program and all other activities sponsored by Debert Baptist Church and to offer an environment consistent with the life and teaching of Christ.
The combination of these instructions with the love and obvious concern Jesus demonstrated for children serves as both the scriptural basis and foundational motivation in which to guide the Debert Baptist Church After-School kids Program.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to:
1) Define policies and procedures that ensure the care and safety of children who participate in the After-School Program at Debert Baptist Church
2) Define a standard of operation to limit the risk of mishap and ensure a safe and enjoyable program for everyone involved
3) Provide a clear protocol to follow in the event of an emergency
4) Reduce the risk of potential liability against Debert Baptist Church
STATEMENT OF SCOPE
This policy will apply to:
- The After-School Program under the care and ministry of Debert Baptist Church where minors are present, including those which happen at locations other than Debert Baptist Church.
- All church staff and/or those standing in a position of leadership within the church and participating in the conduct and oversight of the after school program
- All volunteers assisting in the operation of the program
CHILD SAFETY
The care and protection of the children is of the utmost concern. Below is a list of protocols designed to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for both the children and those working with them.
Staffing
All persons desiring to work with children/youth through this church in the implementation of this program must first meet the following qualifications:
Submit to a police background check
Review and agree to abide by the “Plan to Protect” child safety policy of Debert Baptist Church
Complete the “Plan to Protect” child protection training (or suitable equivalent) and demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the material and its principles.
Complete an interview with the Pastors and/or Program Director with the purpose of ensuring a shared understanding of the vision and purposes of the program, principles of the church, and role of the members of this ministry team.
A minimum of two unrelated workers must be present at all times regardless of the number of children present. The overall minimum number of workers required at any given time will be determined by the number of children present. The provincial guideline is one adult for every 15 school aged children. This should be taken as the minimum in which to operate the service not the recommended ratio. The preferred structure would have at least 3 workers for every 15 children which would allow for one or more people to assist with snacks etc while ensuring appropriate supervision and interaction with the children.
Records
Registration forms must be completed for each child participating in the program and must be submitted prior to or upon arrival of the child.
A daily attendance form must be completed and include the following information
Name of each child in attendance
Noted absences of regular participants
Time they arrived/ departed
Signature of person picking up the children
Notes indicating any accidents or exceptional incidents (i.e. sick child, extra washroom care, fights, damage to belongings or property)
Signature of each worker
Signature of Program Director or appointed designate.
Incident forms must be filled out and submitted daily in accordance with the Plan to Protect guidelines.
All registration forms including those of the workers must be kept private and secure at all times.
Guidelines for Operation
The after-school program must teach the Bible in word, in conduct, and in our actions. To that extent the following should serve as a guideline for the operation of the program but will not replace the need for common sense, compassion, and conduct that is beyond reproach.
Pick-up and Drop-off of the Child
While our responsibility for the children starts when they come through the doors of the church, we will have a staff member at the end of the driveway to ensure children are brought safely into the church from the school bus. We will also provide adult accompaniment for children unable to take the bus and walk with them from the school up to the church. Upon arrival, all children will be “Checked-In” to ensure everyone has arrived safely. If any child registered for the program is absent at this time, the parents will be contacted to ascertain the whereabouts of the child to ensure they are safe and accounted for.
Children will only be released to their parents/guardians or persons authorized by a parent/guardian to pick-up the child. All persons authorized to pick up the child must be at least sixteen (16) years old. Identification will be required for persons picking up, who the caregiver has not met before, for safety/security reasons.
A “password” system can also be used.
If there is a custody order or other such court order that prohibits any parent/person from contacting/picking up the child a copy of this order MUST be kept at the daycare for “enforceability”.
In the event that an unauthorized person arrives to pick up the child, the child will not be released and the parent will be notified immediately.
Children will not be released to any person that appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol or otherwise appears incapable of providing safe care of the child for safety/security reasons. Instead another authorized contact person from the child’s registration form will be contacted to come get the child and individual. In the event that there is no one available to come get the child, the Ministry for Children and Families and/or the Police will be contacted for further instruction. Such steps will also be taken in the event that a child is not picked up from the church at the end of the day, and all attempts to contact all other authorized contact persons has been made.
Children must be picked up no later than 5:30 PM. Do not arrive late without prior approval except in extreme emergencies.
Snacks
Safety is of the utmost concern and food safety is no exception. While it is only fruits, vegetables and other healthy snack that will be provided, safety and hygiene are still vitally important. Food storage, and preparation must be done in accordance with safe food practices including storing foods at required temperatures, and food preparation areas will be kept clean and dry. Food preparation will only be done in the kitchen. The refrigerator will be kept between 0 and 4 degrees C, which will be monitored by a thermometer located in the refrigerator at all times. All hand towels, wash clothes and dish towels will be laundered daily. Tables, counter tops etc. will be cleaned after each use with the appropriate bleach/water solution.
Behavioral Management
Our discipline and guidance centers around respect and responsibility. Each child is expected to be a respectful, responsible member of our group. This ranges from children cleaning up their own “mess” after snacks and crafts etc., to using manners and politeness when speaking with adults and each other.
All “rules” centre around these respect/responsibility/safety guidelines. The only rules are those that are required to maintain a safe and respectful environment for all the children and staff. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will any form of physical punishment or any form of abuse EVER be used!
Instead, to help in preventing problems, clear, consistent and simple limits will be established. These limits will be stated in a positive manner (ex. “please walk inside” rather than “don’t run”) and all limits will be explained in a manner that the children can understand. In every instance ample time will be allowed to give children time to respond to the limit set, and the focus will be on the behaviour not the children (ex. “running is not a safe way to move inside” rather than “you’re a bad boy - stop running!”).
When intervening in a situation, ensure to be down at the child’s level and have their attention. If the situation involves two children having a problem we can act as a mediator when necessary, modeling problem-solving skills. We need to encourage the children to express their feelings and ideas for solving the problem, and have them work together to come up with solutions. Some children need more assistance than others. In these other instances, appropriate choices will be offered to the child and logical, natural consequences of an action will be explained, and then followed, if a behaviour continues (ex. “if you continue to push the other children waiting for a turn you will need to go play somewhere else. The children don’t like to be pushed and I will not allow you to do that to them.”).
In every instance the childrens’ feelings will be acknowledged first, to help the child feel understood and supported. In some instances children, especially younger ones, can be redirected to another toy or activity to resolve problems. This will be used as a method mainly with the younger aged children. As the children grow older it is necessary to work through resolving problems to develop appropriate social skills for the future.
Only in extreme cases will time-out be used as a discipline method. Persistent refusal to follow the defined limits at times requires the child to be removed from the group. The child will be removed from the group and asked to go sit apart at the other end of the room. They will be asked to sit for a few short minutes to calm down, think about what behaviours are OK, and to let us know when they are ready to rejoin the group. Before rejoining the group we will briefly discuss what appropriate behaviours will need to be used to be a part of the group again. A child will only ever be physically restrained if they are posing a threat to themselves or others. Only sufficient strength would be used and the child will be released as soon as he or she has gained self-control again.
Communication
If you need to contact us or the child during the hours of 2:30 - 5:30PM please feel free to phone the church at (902) 662-3967 . If you get our voice mail please do leave a message in the mailbox. Often we are busy with the children and unable to get to the phone at that moment. Messages will be checked and return phone calls made as soon as possible. In an emergency you can try phoning repeatedly. We can also provide you with a cell phone number.
For non-urgent communication please email pastoraaron@debertbaptist.ca. This is the preferred method of communicating all absences, alternative arrangements, illnesses, etc.
Hygiene and Health Promotion
Liquid hand soap and individual hand towels will be used for hand washing. Children and staff will wash their hands before and after food preparation/eating, before and after toileting, nose wiping/sneezing and upon arrival. Toileting will be supervised from outside of the bathroom to give the child privacy and other children will be asked to wait outside of the bathroom. Children will be asked to flush the toilet after each use and then of course to wash their hands.
Single use tissues will be available at all times to use for wiping noses etc. These tissues will be disposed of after each use. Children will be encouraged to cough/sneeze into the “inside corner of their elbow” instead of their hands to prevent spread of illnesses by hand.
Toileting areas will be sanitized daily as well as carpets vacuumed. Shelving, doorknobs, etc. will be sanitized with an appropriate bleach/water solution weekly, or as needed. All dishes will be washed in a dishwasher or by use of the four step method (wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry).
Emergency Preparedness
Medications
Given the limited hours of the program, please try to arrange medication schedules outside of the hours of operation. It is understood that this cannot always be done. In the event that medications need to be given during the program hours the following guidelines will be observed.
All medications are stored in a locked medicine box. Children are not given any medication without the parents’ written consent. All medications must be in their original bottles with original labels. Ensure the date, time and dosage of medicine required is given on the bottle. This information will also be recorded at each administration and then initialed on the daily activity log.
For prescription medication, only the directions on the bottle will be accepted for administering the medication. And in all instances please indicate when the child received their last dosage of the medication. This is to ensure medication is given at appropriate times consistently.
With any prescription medication children may not return to care until they’ve had a full 24 hours of dosage, are no longer contagious and ready to participate in the full child care day, to ensure they are well on the road to recovery
Allergies
All allergies (and dietary concerns) will be clearly posted both on the refrigerator and written on the child’s registration forms.
First Aid
At least one staff member, holding a current first aid certificate, must be present at all times and be ready to perform care when necessary. Staff will wear disposable gloves when administering care involving the treatment of wounds and when cleaning up bodily fluids. A complete first aid kit is available at all times. A copy of the children’s emergency info/registration forms cards are kept in the first aid kit at all times, as well at least one staff member must have a cell phone available for use in the event of an emergency. In the event a child needs emergency medical attention an ambulance will be called, and then the parents - to allow them to meet the child at the hospital as soon as possible.
Illness
In the event a child becomes ill during the course of the day the parents/guardians will be contacted immediately and be required to come pick the child up. If the parents/guardians can’t be reached the alternate emergency contact person will be called to come pick up the child. While waiting for an ill child to be picked up, a separate room will be used as a place to rest, as the child can be closely supervised in this area. This also allows the child to be separated from the others to prevent spreading of illness. If the child requires emergency medical attention an ambulance will be called first and then the parents/guardians to notify them of the incident.
In the event a child arrives at the church and appears to be too ill to participate, the parents/guardians will be asked to find alternate care for the child. Allergy related and common cold symptoms as well as noncommunicable diseases/illnesses do not require that the child be excluded from care.
But one or more of the following conditions require that children be excluded from the activities: Children may return to the program when they are free of symptoms or have a physician’s/Medical Health Officer’s written approval:
Pain - any unexplained or undiagnosed pain
Acute cold (fever, sore throat, green/yellow runny nose/eyes etc... )
*** May return to care when temperature, energy and general well being are normal (even if cough and clear runny nose continue).
Difficulty in breathing - wheezing or persistent cough
Fever (100* F/ 38.3*C or higher) - fever must be gone on it’s own for children to return to daycare without being controlled by regular doses of fever (Tylenol etc.) medication.
Sore Throat or trouble swallowing
Infected skin or eyes (mucus/pus draining) or an undiagnosed rash
Headache and stiff neck - should see physician
Severe body or scalp itching
Children with a known or suspected communicable disease/illness
Vomiting - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without vomiting
Diarrhea - 2 or more times in 24 hours - may return to care after 24 hours without loose stool/diarrhea
Nausea/Vomiting/Abdominal Cramps and Diarrhea - may be an early sign of illness (that could easily be passed child to child) that requires physician’s attention
***Parents are required to inform the church of any serious illness or communicable /contagious disease (with their child or within their family) within 24 hours to allow other families within the program and the Health Unit to be alerted.
Power Outage
In the event of a power outage, staff will gather the children in the upstairs sanctuary and count to ensure all are present. If power is not restored in a reasonable period of time parents will be contacted and arrangements made for the children to be picked up early. Flashlights will be available for use during these times if needed to ensure safety.
Fire
At the signal of the smoke detector all children and staff will stop what they are doing and leave the building by way of the closest, safest exit
from downstairs we will go upstairs and out the back door or, if need be, out the door leading upstairs and out the front door
from upstairs we will go out the front door or, if need be, out the back door
Staff will take both the 1st Aid Kit (children’s emergency info/consent cards included) and Attendance Sheet with them and close all windows/doors on the way out, while checking behind doors, in bathroom etc for children who may be frightened and hiding.
Children physically incapable of walking out will be carried by staff.
Children and staff will group at the meeting spot (QuickMart beside the church) to complete a count of all participants.
911 will then be called and any medical treatment necessary will be administered.