My Next Generation Childcare & Learning Center

Discipline Policy The purpose of discipline is to help children learn acceptable behavior and develop self control.  Next Generation staff believe that helping the child learn self control is very important.  Our hope is that each child will learn self discipline through careful guidance.  Your child will be treated with love and respect.  If children are treated with respect, they in turn learn to respect the teachers, their friends and themselves.  According to the State Licensing rules, section 5101:2-12-56, discipline is restricted as follows:

• There will be no cruel, harsh, or unusual punishments such as punching, pinching, shaking, biting or hitting.
• No discipline technique will be delegated to another child.
• No physical restraints will be used to confine a child.
• No child will be placed in a locked room or confined in an enclosed area such as a closet, box, or similar cubicle.
• No child will be humiliated or subject to profane language, threats, derogatory remarks, about himself, or his family, or other verbal abuse.
• Discipline shall not be imposed on a child for failure to eat, failure to sleep, or for toileting accidents.
• Technique of discipline will not humiliate, shame, or frighten a child.
• Discipline will not include withholding food rest or toilet use.
• Next Generation has a NO SPANKING policy

This discipline policy applies to all employees and parents while they are at the center. Suspension Policy At Next Generation we strive to develop a positive relationship between the teacher and your child. We believe if an interesting and challenging program is offered to the child, then discipline problems are kept at a minimum. Positive reinforcement is the most effective method of preventing misbehavior. Our motivation is to make certain we provide a safe and loving environment where all children can achieve success to their fullest. Never should a child feel apprehensive about attending our center for fear of another child’s behavior, be it hitting, kicking, or bullying. It is our goal to communicate with all parents how aggressive and/or anti social behavior will be handled. Aggressive behavior is defined as intentional hitting, biting, or kicking another child or teacher. Anti social behavior is threatening, use of inappropriate language, inappropriate sexual behavior/comments or malicious teasing of another child or teacher. If inappropriate behavior continuously occurs, we use a positive approach by encouraging the child’s good behavior and/or redirect his or her activity. If the problem still exists, the child is then removed from the situation and placed in a “time out” (one minute per year of age, no more than five minutes). “Time out” shall be defined as an area away from the group activity but is visible to the teacher and the children. The teacher will positively encourage him/her to return to the group or activity after the time out is complete. If the child demonstrates behavior that requires frequent “extra attention” form the staff member, we may choose to develop and implement a behavior management plan. This plan would be developed in consultation with the parents and would be consistent with the requirements of State Licensing Rule 5101:2-12-22OAC. A behavioral report will be written by the teacher and/or administrator and signed by the parent to be placed in the child’s file for tracking purposes if unmanageable behavior continues. If the child receives 3 written behavioral reports within a 4-week period, the child may be suspended from the program for one week. Fees will still be paid for this week to retain the child’s space in the program. If a situation arises where a child is consistently endangering himself, peers or staff, it may become necessary to disenroll the child. Every attempt will be made to work together with the parents, child, and any other referral agencies necessary to assist in correcting the behavior. However, the safety of children is always our primary concern. The administrator would be in communication with the parents prior to this occurring. NOTE: Next Generation reserves the right to deviate from this process, depending on the severity or nature of the aggression and/or antisocial behavior. No Tuition, Deposit or Registration will be refunded for a suspended or disenrolled child. In addition to the above, the center will use the following three methods to track behavior and communicate with parent.

1. Daily Reports – a parent/teacher communication format that does not count as a written behavior report.
2. Observation Form – an inner center documentation of observed inappropriate or challenging behavior (above and beyond the acceptable boundaries of afe appropriateness). This form may be filled out by a teacher and is used solely to track behavior patterns. These are to be turned in daily to the office.
3. The “Behavior Report” – to be filled out and turned into the office. Management will then give a copy of this report to the parent and a copy will be placed in the child’s file. Each report counts as one of the three which would result in suspension from the center.

Children should dress for the mess when coming to the center.  Each day your child will have fun-filled hands on learning experiences.  Please send your child in simple, washable, comfortable play clothes that are easy to manage.  All children should have at least two seasonal changes of clothing.  If an accident occurs during the day and we have no change of clothing the parent will be called immediately to bring in clothing or pick up the child.  Please send the children in play tennis shoes or other soft soled, closed toed shoes.  Sandals, thongs, and boots (with the exception of snow boots) are not recommended as they can lead to injuries.  Infants and toddler children are not permitted to wear any small bead or barrettes in their hair for they are a choking hazard.  If worn, we will remove them for the safety of all the children enrolled in our program.  Next Generation is not responsible for any damage, spills, or wear and tear on items such as clothes, coats, shoes, etc.  Please do not send your children in their “Sunday Best” to daycare as regular and messy play may cause these items to get stained.

• If you are enrolling an infant (6 weeks to 18 months), you will need to bring by the first day of attendance the following items:  paperwork, diapers, wipes, any ointments, and Request for Medication Administration Form, two complete changes of clothing, pacifier if used.  On the first day and every day after, prepared bottles (enough for the amount of feedings per hours of care) labeled with the child’s name, have a lid on them, and are required to go home every day (full or empty).  Bottles cannot be left over night at the center.  No glass bottles, please!
• If you are enrolling a toddler(18 months to 30 months), you will need to provide the center with the following items by the first day of attendance:  paperwork, diapers, pull-ups or six pairs of training pants, wipes, two complete changes of clothing and a small blanket and pillow for nap time.  All items need to be labeled clearly with your child’s name.
• If you are enrolling a preschooler (3-5 years old), you will need to bring the following items in for your child by the first day of attendance:  paperwork, one complete change of clothing, a small blanket and pillow for nap time.  Please be sure to label your child’s items clearly.

Next Generation provides educational materials and toys to be shared by all children as part of the learning experience.  The center has an ample supply of materials.  With this in mind, we request that you please do not allow your child to bring or wear any toys, money, jewelry, small beads etc. from home unless requested by the teacher.  Items from home generally do not survive the wear and tear of a large group of children and can get lost, stolen or damaged.  Sharing rules are also difficult to enforce with such items therefore problems arise.  Next Generation is not responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen items brought from home. If your child is missing anything, please inquire at the center as soon as possible.  It is much easier to return lost items if they are labeled with your child’s name.  Unclaimed items are given to charity after a reasonable period of time.

Parents are the most important influence in a child’s life.  Your input is important to us and we encourage parents to participate whenever possible in activities at the center.  Parents may wish to attend our walking field trips, class parties, special luncheons or simply stop in to join the daily fun.  At Next Generation we have an open door policy.  Open communication with all our parents is a top priority.  Posted in each classroom is a parent roster with the names and numbers of each parent or guardian with a child in that classroom (with written permission from parents).  That roster is given out only to parents or guardians with children at the center and only upon request.  Teachers are available to discuss a child’s progress or needs at anytime however the center will schedule parent teacher conferences twice a year to keep you informed of your child’s progress. Other ways we communicate with parents are through our Daily Reports which inform you of the learning theme of the month, activities they did that day, food they ate, if they took a nap, and what their mood was like for that day.  At the bottom of this report is an area for the teacher to write any notes to you.  As a parent or employee, if you ever have a concern or question regarding your child, the program, or activities we are readily available to talk to you.  Please feel free to stop by or call the office to chat or set up an appointment to meet with the Director.  We also have, for your convenience, a Parent Concern Form located in the lobby to be filled out and turned into the center director.  Please do not hesitate to talk to us anytime!