Safety

Smoking and Alcohol Usage:

Smoking will not be allowed at the center at any time. This applies to staff, families, and visitors.

Alcohol beverages will not be served or consumed by anyone on center property. At any time a parent or guardian attempts to pick up a child from the center while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, we will arrange alternate transportation for your child to your home. If this is not possible, we are legally bound to release the child to your custody and alert the police of the situation.

We are mandated by law to report any suspected child neglect or abuse to the proper authorities.

Weapons and Firearms:

At no time will we allow any weapons or firearms of any kind in our center. This includes, but is not limited to: knives, pocket-knives, swords, stun-guns, pepper spray, mace, nun-chucks, or other martial art accessories, lassons, hand cuffs, smoke bombs, etc. This policy also includes all toy guns and other toy weapons such as plastic swords. We will not tolerate any of the families we serve bringing a gun or other weapon into our center at any time.

If your child is found to have a gun, weapon, or dangerous substance in his or her possession while in our center, you will receive an immediate call from us informing that you need to pick up your child immediately. We will require written assurance from you that your child will not ever bring any guns or other weapons to the center before we will be able to accept your child for care again. If this is not provided, the terms of our contract will be voided immediately, and you will forfeit any tuition.

If your child arrives with an inappropriate toy, it will be stored in their cubby until the end of the day and returned with a note stating that you are not to send it with your child in the future. Toy guns and swords may fine for pretend or pretend play at home, but they are not suitable for a group care environment.

Child Abuse:

Unfortunately, this is a subject that must be addressed in today's society. It should go without saying that we will not knowingly allow any form of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse of any child in our care at any time. This includes times that the child is in their own home. On the surface, this may sound like an invasion of privacy, but legally, as child care providers, we are mandated to report any suspected child abuse.

We have been trained in the recognition of all forms of child abuse, and will do everything in our power to prevent any instances from occurring. If we notice any signs of abuse at any time, we will alert the child's parents immediately both verbally and in writing, along with a full description of the symptoms. (brusing, sores, sudden extreme behavior changes, etc.) We will document this same information for any staff, and if necessary, alert the proper authorities.

You may get notes from us about your child having bruises or scrapes without needing fear that we suspect you of abusing your child. Be assured, if we think your child has been abused, we will let you know! The notes we send home are just to alert you in general of any instances that may come up.

We would prefer not to have to deal with this issue, but we think it is best that we handle it openly and honestly to avoid any possible misunderstanding. We both want what is best for your child. Please feel free to discuss this or any other issue with us at any time.

Heritage College Educational Childcare Center
3242 Fort Road
Toppenish, WA 98948
Telephone: (509) 865-5885

      Special thanks to Sandi Hurt (Site Director), who wrote the Parent Handbook 2002-2003,
whose information I've used in this Website.