ST. GABRIEL 2007 SUMMER CARE
HANDBOOK
Dear
Parents,
I’m sure all of you have been
anxious to hear more information on Summer Care. The staff has been very busy organizing and
planning our weekly themes and activities.
Please take the time to read this letter carefully and keep it handy so
you will understand our policies. Even if your child has attended in the past,
please read this information again as there are always a few changes. Also, there
are several forms that must be returned no later than Friday, April 27, along
with the first week’s payment.
DAYS OPEN
AND CLOSED: It is always necessary to close for several days at
the beginning and the end of Summer Care so that the staff has sufficient time
to set up, close down, maintain the building, and prepare for the new school
year.
We will begin Summer Care on Monday,
June 4. Fall classes will begin on
Thursday, August 16, according to the tentative 2007-2008 school calendar. We will end Summer Care on Friday, August 10. (If there are any changes in these dates, we
will notify you.)
We will close on Wednesday, July 4,
in observance of the 4th of July holiday and on Friday, August 3,
due to the parish picnic. The regular
weekly fees will be due on these weeks.
SIGN-IN AND
SIGN-OUT: Summer Care will be held in the child care center
from
7:00
A.M. – 6:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.
Please enter the glass double doors as you do for After School Care.
All children must be officially “signed in” in the morning by a parent or guardian and later “signed out”. Do Not Drop Off Children! There are daily field trip permission forms to sign and other information about your child’s day that needs to be communicated. If a parent or guardian does not bring his/her child to the center in the morning, a dated note of permission must be sent allowing the designated person to sign the permission for formal or informal field trips. (A form is enclosed that may be used for your convenience. More forms will be available at the sign-in desk.) There are no provisions to keep children at the center during field trips. If you fail to sign the field trip permission form, our only alternative is to call you at work to send a fax or to come back to the center to sign appropriate papers, or make arrangements for someone to pick up your child.
RELEASE OF
CHILDREN: All children must be signed out by a parent or other
authorized individual. If any changes
occur regarding persons authorized to pick up, the staff must be notified in
writing. No phone call authorizations
can be accepted. Also, notes for release
of children brought in by unauthorized persons cannot be accepted. If you have access to a fax machine,
permissions will be accepted at the following Fax number: 239-1298.
However, you should first notify the child care office at 239-1298. (Please note that the office number and new
fax number are now the same.)
PARENT
PERMISSION FOR ACTIVITIES ON THE PREMISES: The
staff must be given handwritten permission in order for your child to attend
any school activity on the premises, such as summer school, tutoring, special
classes, sports practices, etc. Jeannie
or Dot must be given advance notice of any of these activities.
PARENT PERMISSION FOR PHOTOS: The SGCC staff takes pictures of the children
throughout the summer. We then organize
them into a photo album that is given to each child at the end of Summer
Care. Please sign permission for this on
your registration-medical form.
MEDICAL
INSURANCE CARDS: A copy of each child’s or family’s insurance card must
be returned with the enclosed registration/medical form.
IMMUNIZATION
CERTIFICATE: All children’s immunization certificates must be
current before they are able to attend Summer Care. We will notify you if your child’s
certificate has expired or will expire.
WEEKLY FEES: $125.00 per child per week
(There
is no weekly activity fee.)
Each family has a $50.00 credit the first
week.
*If
you have 1 child, you owe $75.00 for the first week and $125.00 each week
thereafter.
*If
you have 2 children, you owe $200.00 the first week and $250.00 each week
thereafter.
*If
you have 3 children, you owe $325.00 the first week and $375.00 each week
thereafter.
The first
week’s payment is due Friday, April 27, and should be turned in with the registration/medical form and other necessary forms. All payments
thereafter are due the Friday before
the week starts and will be posted each Monday. (Any credits or debits from
After School Care or Pre-Kindergarten will be posted on your Summer Care
payment sheet.)
Please place your checks in the deposit box next to
the sign-in binder on the desk. Balance
sheets are kept with each family’s sign-in sheet for your convenience. Receipts for payment are available upon
request. Payments must remain 2 weeks
current. After this, a $20.00 late fee
will be added to the balance.
Non-payment after three weeks will result in your child being dismissed
from St. Gabriel Child Care. Make checks
payable to St. Gabriel Child Care. If you have any questions concerning payments
or fees, please see Dot or Jeannie.
Late Charge Pick-up fees: $1.00
per minute
after 6:00 P.M. (No exceptions)
COMMITMENT
AND VACATION: There are 10 weeks of Summer Care this year. You will be asked to pay every week for 10
weeks straight. If you take a vacation
for one week
(5
consecutive days), you will be given credit on your balance sheet for the 10th
week,
August
6 – 10. To receive credit for one week,
you must give at least one week’s notice of your plans. If you take more than one week of vacation,
you must still pay for those days. If at any time you must withdraw your
child/children from Summer Care, notice in writing must be given two weeks in
advance.
WHAT TO
BRING: Please plan on leaving the following items at
the center for the summer. Each child
will have his/her own cubby and a rest mat.
1. A change of clothes: T-shirt, shorts, socks, and underwear in a bag labeled with child’s name.
2. Rest time: Children should bring a small
pillow and/or small blanket that must fit inside a tote bag (16’’
x 18’’) that will hang in each child’s cubby.
(Items will be returned if they do not fit inside the tote bag.) This bag will be provided by SGCC and will be
kept at the center. Please do not send
sleeping bags. Movies relating to our weekly
themes will be shown at this time.
3. Swimmies, life jacket,
or small ring: These items, labeled
with child’s name, should be brought for those who need them. Please do not bring large, inflatable toys.
4. Tennis shoes: Children may wear sandals or flip-flops on
swim days only. Tennis shoes must
be worn on all other days for safety reasons. If a child wishes to play outside at the
center on swim days, he/she must bring tennis shoes on that day.
LABEL ALL
ITEMS BROUGHT FROM HOME WITH CHILD’S NAME!!!
WHAT NOT TO
BRING:
1. Toys, dolls, games, valuables, money, or
good clothes
2. Drinking cups (We will provide sport bottles for each child to keep at the center.)
FIELD TRIPS: We will
walk to those places nearby, use school buses, and may even ride the TARC. If a
sack lunch is needed on a field trip, a drink must also be brought from home
and packed together with the lunch.
All lunches and drinks are kept in coolers. The cost of all field trips is included in
your weekly fee. The children may not
bring extra money. If
the weather causes a field trip cancellation, alternative center activities
will be scheduled in the
For your
information, activity sheets will be given out weekly. The first week’s sheet is enclosed in this
packet. It helps if you let us know
if your child/children will not be here on a FIELD TRIP DAY where tickets must
be bought in advance or when food is ordered in advance.
A field trip permission form must be signed by a parent or guardian before a child may attend any field trip. If a parent or guardian does not bring his/her child to the center in the morning, a dated note of permission must be sent allowing the designated person to sign the formal or informal permission form at the sign-in desk. The children of those families who take a week’s vacation credit may not participate in St. Gabriel Summer Care activities during that week.
If your child has a health limitation that restricts
his/her participation in any outdoor activity, you will need to make other
arrangements on that day.
T-SHIRT: All children will be given a T-shirt to be
kept at the center and worn on field trips and places where we expect to
interact with other children. This is a
visual help in keeping up with our group of children and keeping them
safe. These will be kept at the center
and laundered by the staff.
SWIM DAY: We will be going again this
year to Upper Highlands Swim Club located at
On swim day, because we go to the pool shortly after
your child arrives, we request that your child come ready to swim dressed in
swimsuit with cover-up. Send towel and
necessary clothes (shorts, T-shirt, underwear) in a labeled bag for changing
after swimming. If your child wishes
to play outside at the center, he/she must also bring tennis shoes on that day. If
your child has any swimming restrictions, please designate on the enclosed
swimming form.
SUNSCREEN: Sunscreen should be applied each swim day (or other days when needed) before coming to the center. Sunscreen can be reapplied by a staff person with parental permission. A Permission for Sunscreen Application is included in this packet and should be returned with your registration/medical form on April 27. NEW POLICY NOTE: COPPERTONE KIDS CONTINUOUS SPRAY SUNSCREEN (SPF 50) will be supplied by SGCC. You will no longer need to provide sunscreen for your child/children unless your child is allergic to this brand. If your child is allergic, you must supply a doctor’s note and your own sunscreen. If you have any questions, please ask Jeannie, Dot, or Cindy.
MORNING
SNACK: This will be served from 8:45 – 9:15 A.M. only,
except on swim days and early field trip days.
On these days, snack will be served from 8:15 – 8:45 A.M. Milk, juice, and bottled water are also
provided. Snacks cannot be held for
those who arrive after the children are dismissed. Also, we ask that you do not send a breakfast
snack to the center.
AFTERNOON
SNACK: This will be served from approximately 3:00 – 3:30
P.M. Times may vary on field trip
days. Milk, juice, and bottled water are
also provided.
DAILY SACK LUNCH:
This must be brought from home except on days when we eat out or food is
brought to the center. Lunches will be
refrigerated. We provide milk, juice and
bottled water, but children may bring a drink if they wish. Please do not send foods that need
preparation on a stove or in a microwave, and make sure all items are
disposable. Do not send lunchboxes,
Tupperware, silverware, glassware, or “fast food”. Please send plastic forks or spoons if
needed. Lunches should be nutritious!
BIRTHDAYS: We love to celebrate
birthdays, ½ birthdays, or special occasions with your help. Please let us know in advance if you would
like to send a special treat. Due to day
care regulations, we cannot accept home-baked goods.
MEDICATIONS: In order for any medicines
to be given, you must sign a daily permission form that will be kept in a
folder at the sign-in desk. This sheet
states the child’s name, medication, dosage, time given, and signature of
parent and person giving medication. All
medications and inhalers are kept in a locked box at the center.
Prescription
drugs will be administered when parents send prescription medicine in a
recently prescribed bottle with the original label from the pharmacy, along
with a completed medication form obtained from the center (a copy of which is
enclosed).
Non-prescription
drugs will be administered when parents send the medication in the original
bottle or tube and when there is a note from the physician stating that the
child has permission to take the medicine.
The note from the physician, explaining why the child needs to take the
drug, when he/she is to take it, and the dosage amount, needs to accompany the
medicine to the center.
Inhalers
that are brought to the center must be accompanied by a note or letter from the
physician on when and how many times the inhaler may be used, along with a
completed medication form obtained from the center (a copy of which is
enclosed).
*Parents who signed the SGCC medication
form for prescription medicine or inhalers during the last school year are not
required to sign another form until the next school year begins.
Contact information or numbers to
call during Summer Care hours are the following:
Child Care Office and Sign-In/Sign-Out Desk
– 239-1298
Cell Phone – 649-2044 (to leave a message)
Fax – 239-1298
Jeannie’s E-Mail - jcockerel@stgabriel.net
Dot’s E-Mail - dbrandenburg@stgabriel.net Cindy’s E-Mail – cbowen@stgabriel.net
Please complete and return to Jeannie or Dot no later than FRIDAY, aPRIL 27, the following:
1) completed Summer Care 2007 registration and medical form
2) first week’s payment ($75.00 – 1 child, $200.00 – 2 children, $325.00 – 3 children)
3) copy of medical insurance card (must be submitted each summer)
4) completed swimming permission form (one per child)
5) completed sunscreen application permission form (one per family)
6) completed medication form and/or physician’s note, if needed
7) copy of immunization certificate for those whose immunization certificates will expire before Summer Care begins
The staff at St. Gabriel Child Care is looking forward to spending quality time with your child/children this summer.
Sincerely,