Payments Policy

Payments are due on the 1st unless other payment arrangements have been arranged with the office. If you are paying on the 1st and we haven’t received a payment by the 5th , you will need to find alternate care until a payment has been made. If you pay on the 15th and we haven’t received a payment then you will also have to find alternate care. If you have any questions regarding your payment arrangement, please contact the office.

Health Policy

We are governed by Idaho Central District Health Department as well as Caring For Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs as to what our health policies are. We will call and ask that your child be picked up within 1 hour if he or she has any of the following symptoms:
     1. Increased temperature with behavior changes or other signs and symptoms of illness
     2. Fever of 101 or greater: (24 hours after the last episode or incident)
     3. Red eyes/Pink Eye: (24 hours after treatment started)
     4. Sore throat/ Strep: (24 hours after treatment and 24 hours after fever)
     5. Rash/Chicken Pox: (6 days after rash started or until sores have crusted over)
     6. Vomiting or Diarrhea: (24 hours after the last episode or incident)
     7. Upper Respiratory Infections: Pneumonia:
        Bacterial: (24-48 hours with no other symptoms)
        Viral: (24 hours after the last episode or incident with no other symptoms)
     8. Ear Infections: (24 hours after treatment started with no other symptoms)

If an antibiotic is recommended by a health care provider, then the child must be on it for 24 hours before they can return to the center unless they still have an increased temperature with behavior changes or other signs and symptoms. All ill children will be isolated and given appropriate care until you come.
SandCastles staff cannot administer any over the counter medication without a physicians signed release form. The form must include the dates the medication can be administered. If it needs to be administered more than one day, it needs to reflect that on the form. SandCastles does not keep release forms on file for the children. Every time your child needs an over the counter medication, you must get a signed release form from your physician. SandCastles staff can’t administer prescribed medication unless it is in the original bottle and labeled with the child’s name. A medication consent form must be filled it with the appropriate directions by the parent.
SandCastles is required by law and our accreditation to have up-to-date immunization records or an immunization waiver on file. Please get those to us with 10 days of registration.
We will give appropriate first aid to an injured child and an accident report will be filled out. You will be contacted if the staff deems the injury needs immediate medical help. If further medical attention is required and EMT are activated we will contact you immediately. Any injury that occurs during the normal course of the day will be billed to the parent’s insurance. Depending on the type of injury and circumstances it will be determined the next course of action if necessary.

Discipline Policy

In our efforts to provide a “Peaceful Classroom” the following steps are used in dealing with conflict that arises.
A Peaceful Classroom is where a child feels safe, can trust that their safety is upheld, feels responsible and capable of expressing their ideas, promotes mutual respect and interdependence and can develop skills for living and participating in a democratic community.
The teacher becomes a facilitator guiding children through the problem- solving process.

A. Normal conflict that occurs during the normal course of a child’s play.

    1. Gather data and collect information
    2. State the problem clearly
    3. Generate ideas
    4. Evaluate the ideas
    5. Ask for a decision and help children plan

B. If a child continues to cause conflict that threatens the safety of themselves or other children then they may be asked to “take a break” or they may be provided with a 1-person activity. Many times over stimulation causes stress and children need time to “take a break” and regroup before reentering play.

C. Excessive Threats of Safety to the classroom will result in the following steps to be implemented:

    1. Teacher and Director meet to determine a plan of action.
    2. Director requests a conference with parent and teacher.
    3. Parent input is taken a plan of action is determined.
    4. Plan of Action is implemented.
    5. Plan of action and process is reviewed.

If after these efforts have been made to work with a child and family, the child does not appear to be benefiting from a program, or the child is seriously jeopardizing the ability of other children to benefit form the program, the Director and teacher shall communicate with the family and appropriate specialists to determine the child’s current needs, identify the setting and services most suited to meeting these needs, and assist the family in placing the child in an appropriate setting.
On a last note, please refrain from reprimanding children from other families while on the center’s premises. We encourage you to contact a Sandcastles staff with your concern.