Admission: The Trinity Lutheran School Childcare Center is open to all families with children in any education program administered by Trinity Lutheran School. This includes Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and the Day School. Children between the ages of 3 and 12 who are fully potty-trained are eligible to participate in the Daycare program. Please note that Trinity does not have staff who are trained to work with children with special needs, unusual behavior problems, or severe learning disabilities. The Childcare Center retains the right to refuse children who cannot appropriately participate in our program.

Enrollment Procedure: The Contract Certification & Enrollment Form (i.e. the last two pages of this document) must be completed and submitted to the childcare director before your child will be allowed to start in the Childcare Center.

Hours of Operation: The Childcare Center is open from 7:00 AM until 5:30 PM Monday through Friday (except on the holidays noted below). You must sign your child into and out of childcare and accurately list the time of arrival and departure. A $1.00 per minute charge will be assessed for children not picked up by 5:30 PM.

Holiday Closures: The Childcare Center will be closed for the following holidays:

1. Labor Day – Monday, September 6, 2021

Inclement Weather & Other Closings Procedure: In severe weather, listen to your local radio station or television station for information. Trinity follows the lead of the Laramie County School District #1 (LCSD#1) regarding the closing of the Childcare Center due to weather conditions. If LCSD#1 is closed on a school day for poor weather, The Childcare Center will also be closed. If the Childcare Center closes early for any reason, the parents or guardians will be contacted and will be expected to pick up their child(ren) by the appointed time unless other arrangements are made.

Payment Schedule: All contracted childcare payments are due in advance. The contracted amount is based upon your expected daycare needs for 168 school days from September 1 through May 28. The first payment is due on August 6 (#1) followed by the remaining nine (9) payments due on the first of each month September 2020 (#2) through May 2021. Each payment covers ~17 school days. If payment is not received by the fifth of each month, a late fee of $30 will be assessed and childcare services may be suspended until the payment is received. Sporadic childcare use is billed monthly and due by the 15th of the following month.

School Day Rates: 

• Maximum Daycare (average 5-7 hours/day per ~17 school-day period)  $375
• ½ Daycare (3.25-4.75 hours/day per ~17 school-day period)  $300
• Before- & after-school Daycare (up to 3 hours/day per ~17 school-day period)  $220
• Before- & after-school Daycare -or- after-school Daycare (up to 2 hours/day per ~17 school-day period)  $155
• Before- or after-school Daycare (up to 1 hour/day per ~17 school-day period)  $85
• Hourly Rate  $6

Please note that the above rates are based on the school year of 168 school days only. There will be additional fees charged for all non-school days as well as the days/weeks of no school at Christmas and Spring Break. Sign-up sheets for these non-school days will be posted in a timely manner at Childcare Check-In. Your child must be signed-up in advance so that we can plan for the proper staff-to-child ratio. Please see schedule below for non-school day rates.

Non-school Days, Early Release Days, Periodic Care and School Break Rates:

• Christmas Break (December 21-23, 28-30) – 6 days  $150
• Spring Break/Holy Week (March 29 – April 1) – 4 days  $120
• Non-School Day or 6+ hours in a non-school day  $35
• Early Release Day  $20
• Hourly Rates  $6

Method of Payment: TLS does not transact business in cash. All payments are to be made payable to Trinity Lutheran School and be in the form of a personal check or money order. We are also able to take credit/debit card payments via Square™ (payment by card must be a pre-arranged with the Headmaster and entails a small surcharge). Any check returned by the bank must be reimbursed to TLS immediately along with a $30 NSF fee. Delinquent accounts will be turned over to collections or small claims court after thirty (30) days of non-payment and a collection fee will be assessed to your account. Childcare services will be suspended until paid in full.

Dress Code: 

1. Clothing should be clean and neat.
2. Clothing must be appropriate for a Christian atmosphere. No spaghetti straps, short shorts, or shirts with vulgar or suggestive language.
3. Clothing must be manageable by the child.
4. Clothing must be appropriate for the weather conditions and daily activities.
5. No sandals or other open-toed shoes.
6. Girls are to wear shorts or tights underneath dresses or skirts.
7. Shoes must be worn in the Childcare Center at all times (except while napping).
8. Outdoor attire may not be worn indoors. If your child feels that he will be cold in the classroom, please send a light jacket or sweater that can be kept here for that purpose.
9. All outer clothing should be labeled with your child’s name. We recommend putting the name on the inside of the item so that strangers cannot see it.
10. For all children under six years of age, please supply a change of clothing in case of accidents.
11. On non-school days, school uniforms are not required in Childcare.

Meals & Milk: Children in the Childcare Center over the lunch-hour need to bring their own lunches. Please bear in mind that our ability to heat meals is limited. The Childcare Center will provide an afternoon snack. Watch for lists of items that staff may request periodically for cooking and baking activities. Children are allowed to bring their own snacks if they prefer this to the group snack provided by the staff. Special donated treats and snacks are always welcome and appreciated. Your child may purchase milk at the current milk prices.

Prohibited Items: Children are not allowed to bring in the following items to the Childcare Center:

1. Weapons of any kind, whether real or pretend
2. Toys or books from home (stuffed animals and/or blankets for quiet time are allowed as well as an item for a special “show and share” day)
3. Any electronic device (iPod, smart watch, phone, etc.)

Any prohibited item brought in will be taken from your child and held at our desk. TLS assumes no responsibility for items brought from home that are lost, stolen, or broken. 

Nap-time Items: If your child takes a nap, he or she is required to bring a pillow and a blanket from home for nap-time. A stuffed animal may also be brought. All items must be taken home weekly to be laundered.

Discipline Policy: Each daycare staff member is in loco parentis, “in the place of a parent,” with respect to children receiving daycare services at Trinity Lutheran School Childcare Center. It is the role of the staff member, just as it is the role of a parent, to guide children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Disciplinary action is carried out by daycare staff, except in extraordinary cases. Extraordinary cases are dealt with by the school Headmaster. If a behavioral issue merits the involvement of the Headmaster, it necessarily merits a phone-call home and possibly suspension expulsion from the daycare and/or school. Disciplinary action entails some or all of the the following:

• Rebuke and correction
• Apology & forgiveness
  
  • The offending child admits wrongdoing and apologizes to whomever he has wronged.
  • The aggrieved person speaks forgiveness.
• Restitution: the student who has done wrong should make the matter right, if need be and if possible.
• Discipline which discourages a student from repeating his offense in the future (imposition of natural and logical consequences).
• Admonition which encourages student to act appropriately in the future (redirection, modeling of positive behavior).

Suspension & Expulsion Policy: If a child is continually exhibiting inappropriate and disruptive behaviors, these concerns will be shared with parents through written documentation and a phone call and/or conference, together with an account of intervention methods which have been attempted. The following behaviors may result in the immediate suspension or even expulsion of your child from our care:

1. Child physically or verbally injures or bullies another child or staff member.
2. Child bites, spits at, urinates or defecates on, scratches or strikes another child or staff member at the Center.
3. Parent or guardian is verbally abusive or continually complaining about the Childcare Center’s rules or staff members.
4. Childcare fees are not paid in a timely manner.
5. Drop off and/or pickup times are routinely abused.
6. Parent or guardian does not work with the childcare staff to provide consistent guidance and discipline to enable a child’s positive behavior.
7. Child is having frequent/uncontrollable tantrums.
8. Child is not fully potty-trained as evidenced by frequent accidents.
9. Child shows continual aggressive posturing toward another child or staff member.
10. Child causes intentional damage to the Childcare Center or other building property.
    

The Trinity Lutheran School Daycare maintains an index of local and national resources for addressing challenging behaviors. These resources may be used by staff and families in order to mitigate the need for expulsion or suspension. 

Health & Illness Policy: In the event that a child comes to daycare with a contagious illness (flu, cold, etc.) or infectious disease, the parent or guardian will be notified and the child will be sent home. The same procedure will be followed when signs of illness develop during the day. Symptoms such as a cold with fever, severe cough, skin eruptions, sore throat, fever of 100 degrees or greater, vomiting, diarrhea (three loose stools in a twenty-four-hour period), or head lice will make it necessary for us to send your child home immediately. Your child will be kept in an isolated, supervised area until you arrive. A sick child who is sent home may not return to the Childcare Center until he is symptom-free for at least twenty-four (24) hours (e.g. A child who throws up during the night cannot return until at least twenty-four (24) hours after the last episode). This is for the protection of your child as well as the other children and staff. 

Parents/guardians are responsible for providing TLS with current emergency contact information in their 2020-2021 Enrollment Form. If your child becomes ill at the Childcare Center, we will call you or your designated emergency contact so that your child can be taken home. We will not admit a child who has had any of the following recent illnesses or symptoms specified below:

1. Diarrhea that…
   
   • is due to disease spread by fecal contamination as determined by a physician;
   • is accompanied by evidence of dehydration or fluid loss;
   • is accompanied by abnormal stools with blood or mucus;
   • is accompanied by a history of poor fluid intake or unusual drowsiness; or
   • continues beyond three days
2. Severe pain or discomfort
3. Vomiting
4. Difficult or rapid breathing
5. Yellowish eyes or skin
6. Sore throat with a fever of 100 degrees or above
7. Coughing with a fever of 100 degrees or above
8. Fever of 100 degrees or above with no other apparent symptoms
9. Untreated head lice
10. Untreated scabies
11. Suspicion of being in the contagious stages of chickenpox, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, or diphtheria
12. Skin rashes lasting more than one day
13. Swollen joints
14. Visible enlarged lymph nodes
15. Blood in urine
16. Mononucleosis

Administration of Medications: Prescription and non-prescription medications may be administered from the original bottle(s) with written directions printed on it/them. A signed permission form from the parents or guardian must be on file.

Sunscreen: All children are required to have their own sunscreen together with a signed permission slip. Our childcare staff will only apply sunscreen with a current permission slip. The slip should specify daily application.

Medical Emergencies: The following procedures will be followed in the event of a medical emergency:

1. Immediate first aid will be given by a CPR/First Aid trained staff member.
2. If the emergency is critical, 911 will be called and EMT/Paramedic personnel recommendations will be followed.
3. Parents/Guardians will be notified as soon as possible.
4. If Parents/Guardians are not available the emergency contact will be called.
5. Parents/guardians are responsible for any expenses as a result of emergency room care, ambulance, or any other expenses resulting from a serious emergency.
6. The hospital used for emergencies by our facility is Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
7. For minor accidents and injuries an accident/injury report may be written and kept on file for each child involved and/or a parent will be told when the child is picked-up.

Unknown Persons on school property or picking up children from classrooms or Childcare Center must show a photo ID and either be on a child’s pick-up list or a parent/guardian must let staff know ahead of pick-up time.

Weapons Policy: No guns or lethal weapons are allowed in the TLS daycare facility unless parents are required to carry firearms as a function of their job. School parents are encouraged to research all applicable statutes and laws pertaining to their right to keep and bear arms in the State of Wyoming.

Emergency Evacuation Plan Site: The City of Cheyenne in Laramie County Wyoming has declared Poder Academy, 2201 Morrie Avenue, Cheyenne (corner of 22nd and Morrie) as the nearest designated emergency evacuation site. Parents/guardians will be notified by a call or text from a staff or faculty member of Trinity Lutheran School if your child will be at Poder Academy as a result of an emergency situation.

Complaints/Compliance History: Parents wishing to file a complaint or report a concern about the TLS Childcare Center or obtain the complaint and compliance history of the TLS Childcare Center may do so by contacting the Wyoming Department of Family Services: State of Wyoming, Department of Family Services, Early Childhood Division, 1556 Progress Court, Wheatland, WY 82201, https://dfsweb.wyo.gov/, Office: 307-322-3790 ex. 229.

Daycare Contract – Please print, fill out, and hand in at Registration. Questions? Contact our Early Childhood Director, Mrs. Gail Anderson, or our bookkeeper, Mr. Ken Eppich.