Health issues

Each child must be immunized before admission, as required by Code of Virginia. If your child appears to have symptoms of contagious illness upon arrival at our center, staff have the right to deny admission. If your child becomes ill in any way during the day, we will provide temporary care until you are notified and take your child home. It is the responsibility of parents to arrange alternate care for your child until he or she has completely recovered. When your child has sufficiently recovered from an illness or communicable disease and has returned to the center, we expect that the child will be able to participate in all program aspects, including outdoor play.
The Russian Kids House staff will only administer emergency drugs. All prescription medication must be kept in the original pharmaceutical container with the child's name, prescription number, doctor's name, dosage and directions of administration. We are unable to give children any non-prescription medication or over-the-counter drugs. This includes salves, lotions, lozenges, drops, etc. (exceptions being diapering ointments, insect repellents and sunscreens).
If your child has any special dietary requirements or food allergies, please inform our staff when you enroll your child.

Food

The center does not provide food, all snacks and meals are brought from home in sealed containers that are labeled with the child's name.

Clothing and possessions

All clothing, bed linen and pajamas must be clearly marked with your child's name. Appropriate toys and possessions promote a homey atmosphere and we welcome them at our center. Please clearly mark all personal items and keep in mind the following:

• clothing should be appropriate for the weather, season and daily routine;
• for emergencies, leave a spare change of clothing (with your child's name on it);
• take home soiled clothing each day;
• you may bring in a special blanket or soft toy for your child for sleep time; we will wash it with the other linen (on a weekly basis);
• keep valuable items at home (although we make every effort to take care of your child's possessions, items may get misplaced or damaged);
• we do not accept responsibility for lost or stolen items.

Bed linens are assigned for individual use, they have to be clearly marked with the child's name, brought in by parents on the first day of the week and withdrawn by them for washing on the last day of the week.

Arrival and departure

Each parent must sign in his or her child on arrival and sign him or her out on departure. Since the posted attendance sheets will be used to verify the presence of children in an emergency, parents must follow this sign-in/sign-out procedure each day. Bear in mind that regular routines for pick up and drop off help reassure children.

Unless you make specific arrangements, your children will be released only to the person(s) you specify on the admission form. To protect children, parents and staff, the following procedure is required to allow someone else to pick up your child:

• you, as a parent, must make the request in writing with the center manager;
• the person picking up your child is required to show photo identification before your child is released.

Late pickup and late fees

Please call the center if you know that you are going to be late to pick up your child. A staff member needs to explain to your child what has happened since your child might be upset if you do not arrive as usual. In addition, staff may have personal plans that have to be changed. The fees for late pickup are as follows:

• first late pickup - a warning letter;
• second late pickup - $25 (reduced to $15 if you call to explain your situation);
• subsequent late pickups - $35 each (reduced to $25 if you call to explain).

If the late period exceeds 15 minutes:

• the emergency contact person listed on the application form will be notified;
• if this person is not available, the police will be called to help locate you;
• the Children's Aid Society will be contacted to care for your child until you are located
  

Emergencies

In the case of fire, long-term power failure, extreme weather conditions or evacuation, parents will be notified either by phone or a bulletin posted at the center stating where the children are and how to pick them up at this location.

Emergency Contacts

If your child becomes ill or if there is an emergency, you will be contacted as per details contained in the Emergency Contacts Form that parents are required to complete while enrolling in the center. These forms should include parents' work location and timetable, as well as home, mobile and business phone numbers. We also require alternate contacts with respective names and phones for the situations when neither parent could be reached. It is parents' responsibility to notify us of any changes to this information.

Sick days and vacations

If your child is going to be absent from the center for all or part of the day, due to illness or other reasons, please note:

• you need to notify the center by 9 a.m. at the following number: (703)-242-2524;
• we charge regular fees for these days

Our center closes for the first three weeks in August. If you need alternate day-care arrangements, please do so ahead of time.