Welcome to Roots & Wings!

Credentials

1. Are you licenced?

   In the province of Ontario, home agencies are licenced, not providers. You must go through an agency such as "Wee Watch" to become a licenced home child care provider. I see no benefit for me or for you in joining such an agency. I think that they offer very little, and charge very hefty fees to both parents and providers. I think that my very open relationship with parents gives them the security that an agency might give. I would rather take the money I save in fees and put it toward buying new supplies and toys for my day home. That way, we all win!

   I am familiar with daycare regulations for our province, and am willing to go through my home with you and do a "checklist" that is similar in nature to those used by agencies to deem their day homes fit for licensing.

2. What experience do you have caring for children?

   I have cared for several children in a professional capacity over the span of the past ten years. Most recently, I have relocated my successful home daycare from downtown Toronto to Bowmanville! I had a houseful of satisfied little clients in Toronto, and am hoping to continue the trend here in Clarington.

   Beyond this, I am a mother of three. I stayed home with them and was, and continue to be a VERY attached and involved parent.

3. What is your work history?

   Apart from home child care and stay at home mommy, I have also worked in a bank, restaurants and nursing homes. I recently was a personal medical aide for a man who received a double lung transplant! Very interesting stuff! I am a caretaker by nature, so I enjoy the times most when I am able to make people feel loved and secure.

4. What is your educational background?

   I have taken Child and Infant CPR and First Aid. I graduated from the State College of Florida with honours, and I have additionally taken university level courses in nutrition, child and adolescent psychology, and human development, as well as many nursing courses.

Care

1. For how long do you intend to provide home child care?

   It is my goal to provide home child care until my own youngest child is old enough to stay home by himself. In other words, for the foreseeable future. He is still young, and this situation won't present itself for at least another five or more years!

   We are new to Bowmanville, and have just bought our home here. We have no intention of uprooting before all of our children have finished high school.

2. May I call or come by during the day?

   Absolutely! I have a very liberal open door policy. I have no problem with any parent coming by or calling, texting or sending me emails to inquire about their child.

   Do know that sometimes, I cannot get to the phone or access my email right away. I do have a cell phone on me at all times when I have the children in my care, but if I am in the middle of interaction, I will often let calls go to voicemail. Please see this as a PLUS for your child - I do this so that the children receive my attention. I answer emails during quiet time and in the evenings.

3. Do you follow a schedule or routine?

   Yes! Please visit my other pages for details on Learning Time and to see a copy of our daily schedule.

   Please note that I do reserve the right to veer off schedule from time to time if we are on an outing, or if we are just plain having too much fun to change activities!

4. Will you help us potty train?

   Of course! Without a caregiver's cooperation, it'd be pretty tricky to get a toddler out of diapers. I have ideas on potty training, and will discuss these with you, but you are the parent and I will do my very best to help implement your routine. I will not, however, give food as reward.

5. Do you offer evening or weekend care?

   Generally speaking, no. However, I am willing to consider occasional child care requests for evenings, weekends or overnights on an individual basis. Don't be afraid to ask, but know that I can not always accomodate.

   Also, I have a very mature and baby savvy 13 year old daughter who is looking to do some evening babysitting. She successfully completed her first babysitting endeavour recently, and is very eager for more!

Policies and Procedures

1. Are you ever closed?

   Yes I am. Just like you, I need vacation time. I am closed for two weeks (10 business days) out of every year. I always give at LEAST two weeks notice before I go on holidays. I reserve the right to take additional personal days at my discretion with ample notice.

   I am also closed following our regular payment schedule on statutory holidays as listed below:

   New Year's Day

   Christmas Day

   Boxing Day

   Family Day

   Thanksgiving

   Victoria Day

   Good Friday

   Canada Day

   August Civic

   Labour Day

   Full payment is due each week, 52 weeks of the year in order to secure your spot in my home daycare.

    

2. What is your discipline policy?

   I practice positive discipline, which consists mainly of distraction and redirection during the toddler years. I will always get down to the child’s level, and use positive words such as, “we draw on paper with our crayons”, instead of “don’t colour on the walls”. I, whenever possible, ignore undesirable behaviours and reward good behaviours. I model the good behaviours, and like to “catch” another child engaging in more desirable behaviours around the child that needs the guidance. I do not shout or ridicule.

   At ABSOLUTELY NO TIME will your child be subjected to any kind of physical punishment while under my care. I am vehemently against corporal punishment of any kind. For children under the age of three, I do not use social exclusion (aka time-out) unless the child is unable to calm down after an appropriate amount of time, and even then, I will be right beside the child for the duration.

   For preschool aged children and older, I feel talking is our best defense against repeating undesirable behaviours. I talk to children who have the ability to reason.

   For children aged three and older, time-outs will be used, but only in extreme cases such as repeated behaviours that do not respond to eye level correction. Time-out consists of briefly removing the child from their current surrounding so that the child can calm down and collect themselves. I do not do it for punitive reasons – more so to diffuse an ugly situation.

3. Do you care for sick children?

   I will accept your child into care if they are feeling a little under the weather. It is important to note that if your child is unable to participate in our daily routine, they are too ill to come to daycare. This is for your child's protection as well as the protection of the other children, as well as my own family.

   Also, please know that I cannot in good faith accept any child that is that is vomiting, has an undiagnosed rash or pain or has a fever, or is in the contagious stages of a communicable childhood disease such as chicken pox or impetigo.

   If your child becomes ill while in my care, I will always alert parents immediately, and we can decide the next course of action from that point.

4. How do you handle sick days?

   It is my policy to have my clients pay for their space, not the amount of days they use. Therefore, if your child is unwell and cannot attend daycare, you are still responsible for paying the full weekly fees.

   If I or one of my family members is ill, I will call the parents and let them decide whether they want their child to attend. If I am very ill (which very rarely happens), I will close, and you will have to seek alternate care. If I am not open, you do not pay for that day.