5 days per week  
$850  $620 monthly      

Baby Bear Room Orientation  5 days per week  

 $850 Last Updated: January 2005 Last web posting: August 2005  5 days per week   $850
   $620 monthly      

 5 days per week  

 $850  5 days per week   $850 Welcome to the Brown Bear Educare  5 days per week   $850
 5 days per week  		 $850 BABY BEAR CLASSROOM  5 days per week   $850

 

As a childcare provider, I can only imagine the task you have at hand to choose a childcare provider for your precious infant. We can assure you that the staff at Brown Bear Educare strives to offer the absolute highest quality of childcare possible. Though we have most likely answered most of your questions in the verbal interview, this Orientation Packet was written to help you transition into our program.

 

CAN I VISIT MY CHILD AND BREAST-FEED?

Absolutely! We encourage our infant parents to visit their child if they wish to do so. We have a nice cozy chair in which mothers may relax during their lunch break and visit their child.

 

WHAT DO WE NEED TO PROVIDE?

Parents should provide several changes of clothing to be kept at school. Your child will also need diapers and wipes. All food will be provided by you while your child in the infant room. The health care policies below, clearly state the food requirements. Bottles from home must be labeled with your child's name.

 

WHAT IF MY CHILD NEEDS MEDICATION?

Parents must provide oral medication for their child in their original containers. You must complete a Medication Release form for over-the-counter medication, however, if the label indicates that you must "consult a physician" for the amount to be given, then a doctor's note is required with the dosage recommended by your doctor. We CANNOT mix medications in food, bottles or other beverages. This is a state requirement.

 

HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT MY CHILD HAS DONE DURING THE DAY?

Your child's teacher will provide you with a daily report. The report will indicate how much your child ate and when he/she had diaper changes. The teacher will also remark on any other activities your child may have done during the day.

 

DO BABIES REALLY SOCIALIZE?

YES!!! One advantage to choosing group care for your child is that your child will have the opportunity to start building friendships at a very young age. Even infants at 6 months know who their friends are. They learn from and even compete with each other.

 

WHEN WILL MY CHILD BE READY TO MOVE UP TO THE NEXT CLASS?

Your child must achieve the following skills before he/she can move into the toddler room:

Be able to:

Walk across the room unassisted

Feed his/her self

Drink from a sippy cup

 

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT TEACHERS ARE ALLOWED TO DO AND NOT ALLOWED TO DO?

Our Health Care Policies are provided to you and posted in the Baby Bear Room. These policies are required guidelines by the State of Washington and are designed to help us to provide the best quality of care for your child. In addition, we have monthly visits from a Nurse Consultant.

 

 

NURSING CONSULTANT: Nursing consultation is required for centers licensed to care for 4 or more infants (defined as being less than 1 year of age). Regular nursing consultation is provided for our infant center by a registered nurse currently licensed to practice in Washington State. Our consultant is trained and experienced in the care of young children and will be available to advise us on the monthly operation of our infant care program and child health program. Documentation of visits is available in the master copy of the Brown Bear Educare Health Policies Notebook. Information about your child may be provided for you upon request.

 

Consultant's name: Anne McPherson

 

The teachers at Brown Bear Educare are trained professionals. We ask that you treat our staff members with respect. All of our staff members are here because they enjoy working with groups of children. While our staff members are trained to be customer service oriented, we ask that you keep in mind that we offer group childcare and make our decisions based on both the individual needs of your child and the group of children to which your child is assigned.

 

 

WHAT SPECIAL REGULATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR INFANT CARE?

Age; Infants must be at least 1 month old

Nutrition: We work with our clients to develop a plan for the infant's feedings that is acceptable to the parent and incorporates the following guidelines:

 

Developmental Stage/Age of

Infant Type of Feeding

(a) Under 4 months of age

Serve only formula or breast milk unless we have a

written order from the child's health care provider.

(b) When baby can: (at about 4-6 months of age)

Sit with support

Hold head steady

Close lips over the spoon

Keep food in mouth and swallow it.

Serve only formula or breast milk unless we have a

written order from the child's health care provider.

Begin iron fortified baby cereal and plain

pureed fruits and vegetables upon consultation with

parents.

(c) When baby can: (at about 6-8 months)

Sit without support

Begin to chew

Sip from a cup with help

Grasp and hold onto things

Serve only formula or breast milk unless we have a

written order from the child's health care provider.

Start small amounts of juice, or water in a cup.

Let baby begin to feed self.

Start semi-solid foods such as cottage cheese, mashed

tofu, mashed soft vegetables or fruits.

(d) When baby can: (at about 8-10 months)

Take a bite of food

Pick up finger foods and

get them into the mouth

Begin to hold a cup while sipping from it

Serve only formula or breast milk unless we have a

written order from the child's health care provider.

Small pieces of cheese, tofu, chicken, turkey, fish or

ground meat.

Small pieces of soft cooked vegetables, peeled soft

fruits.

Toasted bread squares, unsalted crackers or pieces of

soft tortilla.

Cooked plain rice or noodles.

Only formula, breast milk, juice or water in the cup.

(e) When a baby can: (10-12 months)

Finger Feed Chew and swallow soft, mashed

and chopped foods

Start to hold and use a spoon

Drink from a cup

Serve only formula or breast milk unless we

have a written order from the child's health care

provider.

Begin offering small sized, cooked foods.

Variety of whole grain cereals, bread and crackers,

tortillas.

Cooked soft meats, mashed legumes (lentils,

pinto beans, kidney beans, etc.), cooked egg yolks, soft casseroles.

(f) When a baby can eat a variety of foods

from all food groups without signs of an

allergic reaction

Fruit pieces and cooked vegetables.

Yogurt, cheese slices.

Offer small amounts of formula, breast milk or water in he cup during meals,

 

Preparing Bottles:

Parents may bring from home filled bottles labeled with the infant's name & date for daily use. To prepare bottles we:

  1. Prepare and fill bottles by washing hands prior to bottle preparation;
  2. Use bottled water, so a sink separate food sink is not necessary.
  3. Use a crock pot to warm bottles. We do not heat bottles in a microwave or allow bottles to warm at room temperature for more than an hour, to limit bacterial growth.
  4. Our bottle preparation area is located at least 8 feet from the diaper changing area.

 

Storage of infant formula and food:

  1. To store bottles, formula or infant food, we:
  2. Label all bottles with the infant's full name and the date the bottle was filled to be sure the correct formula or breast milk is given to each infant;
  3. Have a refrigerator accessible to staff to store bottles and unused, leftover infant food;
  4. Throw away the contents of any bottle not fully consumed within one hour. We can not put bottles that have been used back into the refrigerator;
  5. Throw away or return to the family any unused bottle contents within twelve hours of preparing or arriving at the center; (We send bottles home each evening.)
  6. Do not serve infant formula past the expiration date on the manufacturers container; and
  7. Keep bottle nipples covered when not in use to reduce risk of cross contamination and exposure.

Storage of breast milk:

 We must take all the following steps to keep frozen breast milk on site:

  1. Label the contents with the child's name and date it was brought into the center
  2. Store the frozen breast milk at 10 degrees Fahrenheit or less;
  3. Thaw the breast milk in the refrigerator, in the crock pot.
  4. Keep frozen breast milk in the center for no more than two weeks.

Cleaning Bottles & nipples: Bottles, bottle caps, nipples and other equipment used for bottle feeding must not be reused without first being cleaned and sanitized by:

1.        Washing in a dishwasher; or

2.       Washing, rinsing and boiling for one minute.

The policy of Brown Bear Educare is that we send bottles home for parents to wash.

Specific rules for feeding infants & toddlers:

1. Infants must be fed according to their need rather than according to an adult prescribed time schedule.

2. While feeding infants: Infants are held for bottle feedings to prevent choking.   An infant who can sit in

high chair and sit facing the teacher during feeding will be placed in a high chair.

3. We can not prop a bottle;

4. To prevent tooth decay:

(a)    We do not give a bottle to a reclining child unless the bottle contains only water; and

(b)   We offer juice only from a cup.

5. We take the bottle from the child when the child finishes feeding.

Sleeping Equipment:

1.        We can not put infants to sleep in infant or car seats.

2.       We provide each infant with a single-level crib infant bed napping until we and the parent agree that the child can safely use a sleeping mat.

3.       We may not use crib bumper pads, stuffed toys, quilts, lambskins, and pillows in cribs.

4.       We provide an appropriate fitting sheet or cover for the sleeping surface; and a clean light weight blanket or suitable cover for the child.

5.       We launder bedding at least weekly and more often if it becomes soiled.

Reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS):

1.          We are required to put infants to sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS unless we have a written note in the infant's file from both the parent and the infant's health care provider requesting another sleeping position.

2.         Once infants are able to turn over, continue to place them on their back to sleep. We do not need to wake the infants to return them to their back while sleeping.

Diapering Policies:

1.          On arrival, staff members are to ask parents when the child's last diaper change was.

2.         Staff members are to check diapers every 1 - to 2 hours or as needed.

3.         Our parents provide disposable diapers for their children.

4.         Disposable diapers are placed in covered and plastic lined waste containers and disposed of by the center.

5.         Cloth diapers are sent home either in a covered pail provided by the parent, or in double-bagged plastic bags that are tightly sealed closed.

6.         All diapers containing feces are double bagged in plastic bags.

7.         Staff members are expected to accurately follow the diapering procedures posted in the diapering area.