Little Miracles

Parent Handbook

(Operational Procedures)

Welcome to

Little Miracles

About Us

Welcome to Little Miracles, where we are committed to providing your children with the highest quality education and care possible through developmentally appropriate practices. We are always encouraging your child to explore the world around them and build their own knowledge from these interactions.

We know that children are God’s little miracles, and in his infinite wisdom he made all of his children different with no two the same. Therefore, our center encourages individuality along with a sense of belonging where all God’s children are accepted and appreciated. The teachers have designed a variety of daily activities so that all children, regardless of learning style, economic background, or race will find an activity they find interesting.

Our rooms are designed to have a warm, home-like feel so that your child will feel safe, loved and ready to take on the world. The rooms are equipped with materials designed to inspire curiosity and maintain interest. We also have multiples of our more popular toys to allow all children ample time with them. The rooms also have plenty of open space to allow our infants and toddlers room to practice crawling, walking, and climbing.

Lesson plans are designed to develop all developmental domains such as cognitive, language, social-emotional, and physical. We will develop these domains through art, music, language arts, dancing, science, cooking, citizenship, water play and gross motor activities.

Schedules

Room Breakdowns

  • Infant (Birth – roughly 12 months)
  • Young toddler (roughly 12months– 24months)
  • Pre-School (2’s & 3’s)
  • Pre-K (4’s and 5’s)
  • School Age (Kinder-6th grade)

* The ages of the rooms are not set in stone. Children will be placed according to developmental level. If you believe your child is ready to move up, then a Room Readiness Evaluation may be done to evaluate your child. Room breakdown may also fluctuate due to enrollment.

Hours of Operation

Little Miracles is open year-round from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday–Friday.

Center Holidays

  • New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
  • Christmas Break (December 24-26th)
  • Good Friday

Closing for Inclement Weather

If Aledo I.S.D. is closed due to weather, then Little Miracles will also be closed. We will also post on Facebook and ltmiracles.com if we are closed. If inclement weather should occur during the day, then parents will be contacted via text message/phone so that arrangements can be made for early pick-up. Be assured that we will take every precaution during threatening weather to protect your child. For the safety of the staff we ask that all children are picked up before closing. If parents are unable to make it in time you must send someone else. Late fees will apply after the set close time.

Payment Information

All costs are based per week. Prices shown are full day prices (more than 4 hours per day). Any children that stay less than four set hours a day will receive the price half of what is listed below.

Infants (6wks-12months)

$165

Young Toddlers(12months-23 months)

$160

Toddlers(2)

$155

Pre-School (3),

$150

Pre-Kindergarten (4/5yrs)

$145

After school

$75 - (there are no additional charges for holidays)

Summer School

$115 plus the cost of field trips, shirts, and gas

Daily Rate

3 days - $ 105

2days - $70

Drop-ins- We will accept drop-ins unless the class is full, parents must call ahead if they wish to drop a child in for the day ($40 a day)

Multiple child families, Police Officers,Military families,and Educators from surrounding school districts will receive a 5% discount on their total weekly bill.

Payment Contract

  • Tuition is due in advance. We will accept payments Bi-Weekly or Monthly as long as it is paid in advance.
  • A $10 late fee will be assessed if payment is not received by Monday of that week.Due to staffing and the state’s student/teacher ratios,families are expected to pay their contracted amount whether your child is present or not. This includes holidays as well as sick days.
  • If your childneeds to attend on a non-contracted day, then you must call ahead to see if there is an opening and you will have to pay the drop in rate for that day as well as the normal contract amount.
  • We do accept credit cards. Each transaction will have a $5 processing fee unless you are set up on an automated payment plan.

Vacations

Each family will receive 2 free contracted weeks (five consecutive business days) each year to use for vacation time. You must let the director know a week in advance in writing to use these weeks.

Roster Removal

If your child is absent for a full contract week without any contact from the family,then your child will be removed from the class roster. Their spot may be given away if there is a waiting list on that class. Once your child is removed if you wish to get the spot back, then you must re-enroll your child. This includes all paperwork and fees.

Late Pick up

Families will be charged a $10 fee at 6:05pm, and $1 a minute for every minute after that, for late pick-ups. After 7:00pm, if we have not received any communication from your family, then the child will be considered abandoned and the authorities will be called for a pick-up.

Insufficient funds

  • Little Miracles will charge a $35 fee for all returned checks.
  • Declined credit cards will be charged $10

Parent Information

Policy Changes

All parents shall be notified of any policy changes at least one week before they will go into effect, when possible. Anytime there is a change in policy you will receive a written copy of the change along with a form to sign, acknowledging that you have received a copy of the change.

Policy Concerns

If you would like to review or discuss any questions or concerns about our policies and procedures please stop by the office to speak with Ms. Andrea or Ms Brittany. If they are not immediately available you can leave a note in the payments drawer, leave a message on our voicemail, or email and we will contact you with a time to meet.

Parent involvement

Parental involvement is a must when you want your child to succeed in school, and there is no better time to start than now. Little Miracles has an “Open-Door” policy when it comes to parents visiting. Parents may come anytime and participate in any activities your child is involved in. We do ask that when you are in the room that you are positive role model and not a hindrance to your child, teacher, or other children. If the teacher or director feels that you are hindering the class you will be asked to leave. This will do wonders for your child in seeing that what they are doing is important and exciting to you.

We ask that you do not try to conference with your child’s teacher during activity times. This distracts our staff from their number one responsibility, which is your child. If you need to talk to a teacher or director, then we welcome your questions and concerns. Please schedule a time to meet with any staff member you desire at a time that is convenient for both you and the center.

Keeping Parents Posted

We do our best to let you know exactly what is going on in your child’s classroom by making sure:

  • Parents will receive daily reports for children in the Infant, Young Toddler, and Toddler classes.
  • One year olds and up will post Weekly Activity Plans outside their rooms
  • Join our closedFacebook group calledLittle Miracles Information Board to see videos, pictures, and announcements
  • Sign in computers may have notes to individuals or classes that will pop up after signing in.
  • An Information Bulletin Board is located above the check in desk in our Infant building. This board houses all notices from management which includes, but is not limited to, information about preventing and responding to abuse, parent workshops, news from Childcare Licensing, or any other Early Childhood related topics or offers we come across. You can also find notices, field trip information, and lesson plans on the main exit in “Big Kids” building.
  • The center’s rooms and walls will be lined with the children’s work. At Little Miracles you will not see “cookie-cutter” work. All work is done by the child with minimal help from the staff. This ensures that no two shall be alike, and although they will not look perfect we will be showing them all with pride. The important thing to remember is that it’s something the children worked hard on, learned from, and feel good about.

Special Guidelines

Clothing

Dress for fun. Your child will be involved in many hands on activities while they are in our care. They will be playing outside, using a variety of art medias, and many other activities that will require washable clothing and comfortable shoes.

We ask that you bring an extra set of clothing to leave at the center for any messes that may occur. Include pants, a shirt, underwear, and socks. Please make sure that, like all personal belongings, everything is labeled with your child’s name.

Outdoor Dress

Weather permitting (dry and 40-100 degrees); we will participate in outdoor activities on a daily basis. Outside times may be shortened if conditions are not ideal but possible. For this reason we ask that you make sure your child is properly dressed to go outside. In the event of unfavorable weather the children will be given an opportunity to do gross motor activities or free play indoors.

Teachers will apply sunscreen if you provide the sunscreen and written instructions on when and where to apply. Schoolers will apply sunscreen to themselves unless they need helpfrom a teacher.

Personal Belongings

Along with a small blanket and child sized pillow, the children may bring one item from home to help them go to sleep each day. Keep in mind that when choosing this item that it must fit in the child’s cubby for storage throughout the day. If your child brings any bottles, sippy cups, bottle coolers, pacifiers, or any other personal belongings they are to be all labeled with your child’s first name and last initial to discard any confusion. Due to space limitations all children under the age of two must use bags provided by Little Miracles for their personal items. If you bring a non Little Miracles bag it must be 13.5 x 13.5 or smaller. Larger bags will be emptied and sent home. Little Miracles will not be held responsible for any lost or damaged items.

Breast feeding Moms

You have the right to breast-feed your child wherever necessary, this includes here at Little Miracles. If you are able you can stop in and feed your child as needed while in care. We will pull up a Glider for you and your child in our Infant room. We also have refrigerators and bottle warmers in the room so you can continue to nurse even if you go back to work.

Diapers and Wipes

During the duration that your child is in diapers or pull-ups, all diapers/pull-ups and wipes must be provided from home. Diapers will be changed as needed and will be checked every two hours. Teachers will keep you informed when you are running low so that you may restock.

  • If parents do not provide diapers within 2 days of notification you will be charged $10 a day until they are provided.
  • Lack of wipes will result in a $5 a day charge.

Toilet Training

Little Miracles will aid families with toilet training if the child is older than 18 months. Children will never be punished or forced to use the toilet. If your child is in underwear and still potty training please make sure you have 3 changes of clothing. We will allow them to stay in underwear for 2 accidents before we return them to a diaper/pull up. We will not work on potty training if the child is still in diapers.

Infant Blankets

As per the state legislation, in an effort to reduce crib death/SIDS children under the age of one year are not allowed to sleep with blankets, bumper pads, stuffed animals, sleep positioners, or pillows. All infants that cannot roll over must be placed on their back in a crib. All new staff and children under the age of 12 months must have a signed Infant Safe Sleep form before their start date.

LITTLE MIRACLES SAFE SLEEP POLICY

All staff, substitute staff, and volunteers at Little Miracles will follow these safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for infants to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS/SUIDS):

  • Always put infants to sleep on their backs. [§746.2427 and §747.2327].
  • Place infants on a firm mattress, with a tight fitting sheet, in a crib that meets the CPSC federal requirements for full size cribs and for non-full size cribs [§746.2409 and §747.2309].
  • For infants who are younger than 12 months of age, cribs should be bare except for a tight fitting sheet and a mattress cover or protector. Items that should not be placed in a crib include: soft or loose bedding, such as blankets, quilts, or comforters; pillows; stuffed toys/animals; soft objects; bumper pads; liners; or sleep positioning devices [§746.2415 and §747.2315]. Also, infants must not have their heads, faces, or cribs covered at any time by items such as blankets, linens, or clothing [§746.2429 and §747.2329].
  • Do not use sleep positioning devices, such as wedges or infant positioners. The AAP has found no evidence that these devices are safe. Their use may increase the risk of suffocation [§746.2415 and §747.2315].
  • Ensure that sleeping areas are ventilated and at a temperature that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult [§746.3407(10) and §747.3203(10)].
  • If an infant needs extra warmth, use sleep clothing (such as sleepers or footed pajamas) as an alternative to blankets [§746.2415 and §747.2315].
  • Place only one infant in a crib to sleep [§746.2405 and §747.2305].
  • Infants may use a pacifier during sleep. But the pacifier must not be attached to a stuffed animal or the infant’s clothing by a string, cord, or other attaching mechanism that might be a suffocation or strangulation risk [§746.2415 and §747.2315].
  • If the infant falls asleep in a restrictive device other than a crib (such as a bouncy chair or swing, or arrives to care asleep in a car seat), move the infant to a crib immediately[§746.2426 and §747.2326].
  • Our child care program is smoke-free. Smoking is not allowed in Texas child care operations (this includes e-cigarettes and any type of vaporizers) [§746.3703(d) and §747.3503(d)].
  • Actively observe sleeping infants by sight and sound [§746.2403 and §747.2303].
  • If an infant is able to roll back and forth from front to back, place the infant on the infant's back for sleep and allow the infant to assume a preferred sleep position [§746.2427 and §747.2327].
  • Awake infants will have supervised “tummy time” several times daily. This will help them strengthen their muscles and develop normally [§746.2427 and §747.2327].
  • Do not swaddle an infant for sleep or rest [§746.2428 and §747.2328].

Parents can review information on safe sleep and reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS/SUIDS) at:

Discipline

Discipline comes from a Greek word meaning “to train”. Discipline is not a negative word at Little Miracles. We use compassion in training your child to be responsible and independent. All children are different; therefore, discipline is individualized and consistent for each child. All consequences will be developmentally appropriate and designed to teach acceptable behavior/self control.

Our personnel will only use positive methods of discipline and guidance in order to encourage self-esteem, self-control, and self-directions. The focus will be on what your child is doing correctly with as little negative reinforcement as possible. Redirection and positive statements will always be used first. If needed, a child will be given a time-out. Time-outs will last one minute for each year of the child’s age. Corporal punishment of any kind is strictly prohibited by anyone in the center at any time.

Notwithstanding our best efforts, the staff of Little Miracles cannot be a substitute for the daily teaching, discipline and nurturing provided by you, their parent. We take our obligations to your child seriously. This is true not only with respect to your child, but with all of the children in our care. Parents will be notified of discipline problems via Ouch Reports, Teachers, and Management. If a child is a constant disruption or a danger to the other children/staff members Little Miracles may suspend a child for the day and then refuse service permanently if they behavior does not improve, or escalates. Little Miracles also reserves the right to refuse service to any child that requires additional staff or equipment solely for that child.

We encourage you to seek input from us about your child’s progress and development in their class. We cannot be as useful to you in your parenting without consistent dialogue. The cornerstone of the relationship between Little Miracles, its staff, and the parents of the children in our care is TRUST. We strive to work with you, the parent, to ensure that your child: learns to interact socially with peers and teachers in an acceptable manner, is prepared to enter the school environment by learning to respect group dynamics; and has fun along the way.