QR5 Information and Policies Instructions

Mission and/or Philosophy Statement

It is important for families to know what you believe about children, their development, and the goals of your program. Your mission and / or philosophy statement communicates these beliefs in clear and simple language. Your statement might also include your beliefs about the importance of engaging families in your program.

Health

Encouraging children’s healthy growth and development can have lasting effects on the children and families in your program. Your program’s health policies communicate to families the importance you place on their child’s health. These policies describe the steps you take to maintain a healthy environment, ways you support children to develop healthy habits, and other practices you follow to ensure that children are healthy and strong.

Safety

As a child care provider or teacher, you understand the great responsibility you have to ensure that children in your program are safe. This includes keeping children physically safe and providing an emotionally-safe environment where children can develop and learn.

Your policies describe the many steps you take to keep children safe. These policies help ensure that everyone in your program knows and understands their role in maintaining a safe environment.

Positive Behavior Practices

Positive behavior practices are the steps you take to promote children’s healthy social and emotional development. This includes specific strategies and techniques your program uses to encourage positive behavior and to avoid negative behavior or situations before they happen.

Tuition/Enrollment

Your tuition policies help families understand the cost of your program and how you handle payment. While it is unnecessary to include actual tuition rates in your policy, you may include when and how you accept payment. Enrollment policies may include the number of children you accept to your program, when families can enroll their children, if you use a waiting list when your program is full, or other information you feel will be helpful for families.

Inclusion

In an inclusive program, all children have access to and participate in the same routines, play, and learning experiences. This includes children with and without special health care needs or disabilities.

Inclusive practices benefit all children and families in many ways, and your Inclusive Policy communicates the steps you take to make sure all children are able to participate fully in your program. Including your program’s inclusion policies and practices in your handbook, written agreement or contract helps families clearly understand the ways you work to welcome and include all children in your program.

Look at your inclusion policies through the eyes of a parent whose child has special health care needs or a disability. What words sound welcoming and reassuring? How do the policies demonstrate exactly what you do to welcome all children into your program? Make any changes that will assure families that you will partner with them and work to meet their child’s individual needs.

Remember: For children with special health care needs or children with disabilities, getting needed services and being included can have significant impact on their lives and the lives of their family members.

Communicating with Families

Communication is a two-way street. You understand the need to communicate with families, and families benefit from knowing the importance of them communicating with you. Information about ways families can communicate with you shows them that you value their participation in their child’s program. Your communication policy might include how, when, and how often families can expect to receive communications from your program. Sharing ways families can initiate communication with you encourages positive two-way communication.

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness lays the foundation for healthy, active lifestyles. It is helpful for families to know the steps you take to promote their child’s health and well-being. Information about your program’s physical fitness activities helps families understand the goals of your program and what is required of them. Families may ask: Do they need to provide suitable clothing on certain days or for certain activities? What opportunities does your program provide for children to be physically active? Do the children play inside and outside? This is your chance to inform and remind families about the importance of physical activity to their child’s healthy development.

Nutrition

Information on your program’s approach to healthy foods and snacks communicates the importance of healthy habits. Informing families about how your program handles snacks and meals also lets them know what to expect from your program. Are families expected to provide all snacks and meals for their child, or are meals provided? How does your program address special dietary needs? Are exceptions made for special occasions such as birthdays? The more information you provide to families, the better prepared they are to follow your guidelines and policies.

Curriculum (Family Child Care and Child Care Center)

A curriculum outlines the goals and content you use for planning daily activities and learning experiences for children. It may also include information about the knowledge and skills targeted in those activities and experiences.

While families may know very little about curriculum, they will be interested in the many ways you plan activities to help children learn and develop. When families are informed about the goals you have for their child, they are in a better position to reinforce those goals at home. Your written information is another opportunity to remind families that they are partners with you in their child’s development and learning. It informs families of ways they can be active participants in that shared partnership.

Child Assessment (Family Child Care and Child Care Center)

Child assessment is used to measure and monitor children’s progress. It helps you better understand each child so you can develop meaningful activities that support every child’s growing knowledge and skills. Communicating your program’s approach to assessment helps families understand why you assess children’s progress, how the information you gather informs the activities you plan, and what they can expect to learn from you about their child’s progress.

What does the documentation look like?

A quality child assessment policy includes information such as:

• Why and how child assessment is used
• Types of assessments used
• How and when assessment information is shared with families
• How assessment information informs activities

Activity Planning and Implementation (School-Age Only)

Families benefit from information about your program’s approach to planning and carrying out activities, and how those activities reinforce children’s development and learning. When well informed, families are better able to support your program and participate as active partners in their child’s education. In addition to a description of activities, you can give families concrete steps to take by including fun activities they can do together to promote learning at home.

Policy or Statement Builder

Develop policies that are important for families to understand about your program. The Reflection Questions below will help you think about what you do in your program to capture it when creating your policies for your Family Handbook. Once you have spent time reflecting on the questions below, you’re ready to build your policies.

Do you need more time to think about writing your policies? Use Writers Tips and Prompts to find examples and get more guidance on creating the policies for your Family Handbook.