Before entering a daycare facility, the child must have had all current immunizations. The immunization form must be signed by a physician and filed by the daycare. This rule protects the child and other children in attendance from transmitting and receiving communicable diseases.
Proper behavior must be exhibited by the child according to his age range. Excessive bad behavior such as hitting, not listening to teachers or recurrent disruptions can be dangerous for children in the class. It is the duty of the daycare facility to promote a safe and healthy atmosphere for all children. When a child is not able to be controlled with verbal warnings or consequences, the parent must be contacted for further action.
The fees and tuition of a daycare center have already been established by certain guidelines. The fees for younger infants are typically more because babies need more one-on-one care. As a child gets older, the fees are less expensive. Some daycare centers charge based on a sliding scale. The tuition is based on the parents' income and not the age of the child. Parents and daycare centers should develop a system for how the tuition will be paid, whether it be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. The daycare will provide a receipt that the parents should save for tax purposes.
Parents should be aware of the center's feeding requirements, such as the menu and how many meals will be prepared. When an infant is in daycare, parents need to decide whether they need to prepare breast milk for the infant, feed them formula or feed them baby food. This will depend on the age of the child; the parent may have to provide the formula and baby food. Daycare centers keep a feeding schedule for parents to review daily. Some daycare centers provide breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in-between. Others may only provide breakfast, lunch and snacks. If no food is prepared by the center, the parents will need to prepare healthy meals and snacks for the child.
Daycare workers do their best to keep children healthy by washing hands and sanitizing toys, tables, counter tops and all other surfaces. With all of this preparation, children still get sick. Once a child gets sick in daycare, it is very easy to pass the sickness to other children. Some centers require the child to be taken home if there is a high fever and the child is lethargic or vomiting. Others may require parents to keep the child home for cold symptoms such as a runny nose, coughing or sneezing. It is important that the parents understand the policies early so that they are able to plan accordingly.