FAQ
Browse our collection of frequently asked questions below.
Operations
Monday – Friday (7:00 AM – 5:30 PM)
The center is closed for the following holidays:
New Year’s Day January 1, 2024
Good Friday March 29, 2024
Memorial Day May 27, 2024
Independence Day July 4-5, 2024
Labor Day September 2, 2024
Thanksgiving November 28-29, 2024
Christmas Week December 23-27, 2024
Teacher Inservice Days
April 1, 2024
October 14, 2024
The Intersection Daycare center reserves the right to close in case of severe weather or a “State of Emergency.”
Child Health Assessment – completed and signed by the child’s health care provider (submit within 30 days of child’s first day of care). Updates are required according to state mandates (within the first 30 days of enrollment, 6 months, 12 months, 2, 3, 4 & 5 years of age). Children can be excluded for failure to update physicals.
Emergency form – completed and signed by parent/legal guardian. Must be updated every six months and whenever information changes.
Fee agreement – completed by parent/legal guardian.
Special Care Plan – if applicable (IEP, IFSP, Behavior Plan)
Release of Information Form – completed by parent/legal guardian.
Getting to Know You form
Enrollment Form
Legal documentation of any custody arrangements – for children in divorce/separation situations in order to adhere to them.
Legal documentation of any protection from abuse orders – in order to adhere to them.
All open children and youth cases must be reported at enrollment.
Parents/Guardians MUST bring each child into the classroom and sign him/her into the program. Any child brought to Intersection Daycare is the parent/guardian’s responsibility until checked in and left with Intersection Daycare staff.
A teacher must verify with the parent that the child has been signed into Intersection Daycare’s sign-in sheet. The staff person must update the number count and primary caregiver card.
No child may be unsupervised on Intersection Daycare property!
It will be the responsibility of the families to provide breakfast (7:30 am) and lunch for your children at this time. The center will provide a snack in the morning and the afternoon at this time.
Daycare children will be supervised by an adult seated within arm’s reach to assist with eating and prevent choking.
Intersection Daycare will not serve hot dog or sausage rounds, whole grapes, fruit cocktail, hard or raw vegetables, candy, nuts, beans, seeds, pretzels, chips, popcorn, marshmallows, gum, or nut butters. Honey will not be served to children under the age of one year.
Menu items will be pureed, mashed or cut into age-appropriate sizes to prevent choking.
Fiscal Responsibilities
Tuition is $245 per week.
Parents are responsible for paying a weekly tuition due on Friday for the upcoming week of childcare services. Fees are paid 51 weeks a year and include holidays. Fees are charged for all days, regardless of whether or not your child attends. Our tuition rates are based on your child’s classroom enrollment.
You may set up automatic tuition payments through our Procare/Tuition Express program through auto draft from your checking account or credit card. Payment processing fees will be added to all debit and credit card payments. You may use money orders. Money orders need to be dropped in the tuition payment box outside of the office door. You must use a payment envelope with your name, your child’s name and the amount inside written on the front. This ensures that the payment is correctly credited to the right account.
If you are using an Adams County voucher, you are responsible for paying the difference.
As a Christian social service center, we recognize any financial hardships your family may be experiencing. However, it is critical, for the functioning of our child care center, to be fully financed in order to maintain quality programming and meet Keystone STARS standards for care. Each family’s tuition is critical to the operation of our center’s budget. Any family experiencing a hardship should talk to the center director for a referral to resources within Intersection Daycare and our community.
Families that fall into arrears of two weeks will meet with the operations director to arrange a payment plan and make a good faith payment.
Families that fall into arrears more than three weeks may be discharged from the program. Payment must be made in full and will be required before re-enrollment. Intersection Daycare will not hold your child’s spot during this time.
Health & Safety
We need your help in keeping Intersection Daycare a healthy place for your child. Please consider our illness policy when your child is not feeling well. The policy is a state mandated regulation and helps to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. We may ask you to take your child to the doctor for a diagnosis because we are not licensed physicians and only use symptoms to suspect contagious diseases.
The following guidelines are used when making a decision about sending your child home or readmitting him/her to the classroom after an illness:
Fever of 99.5 degrees or higher – when no fever has been had for 24 hours.
Vomiting one or more times – when no longer vomiting after 24 hours.
Diarrhea one or more times – no diarrhea for 24 hours .
Earache or draining ears with pain – when treated.
Pink eye – until treated with a doctor’s written permission or prescription.
Impetigo – until treated with a doctor’s written permission.
Ringworm – until treated with a doctor’s written permission.
Pinworms – until treated with a doctor’s written permission.
Head Lice – until treated and after treatment.
Scabies – until treated with a doctor’s written permission.
Influenza – with a doctor’s written permission.
Chicken Pox – May return 6 days after rash appears or when all scabs are crusted and dry.
Unexplained rash – with a doctor’s written permission.
Measles – may return 6 days after rash appears and with a doctor’s written permission.
Cold sores – when healed (no oozing or bleeding), a small scab may be present.
Strep infection – 24 hours after antibiotic treatment.
Scarlet fever – with a doctor’s written permission.
Intersection Daycare will approve medication administration only if not given it would jeopardize the health of the child. Please review the following steps and accompanying documents to ensure an understanding of this guidance:
Family members must notify Intersection staff immediately about any medication to be given.
Parent/guardian written permission with an authorization to administer form must be received to administer medication.
Authorization to administer medication must be received by a physician before administering any medication that does not contain a prescription label on it.
The medication must be in the original container to administer medication. Any prescribed medication must have a prescription label attached.
The date on the bottle must be current and not expired. Medication prescriptions and physician notes must be dated less than 1 year.
All medication that is not life-saving (i.e. EpiPens, rescue inhalers, etc.) must be stored in a locked area with the child’s name on the container.
All childcare staff members are mandated by PA state law to report any signs or suspicions of child abuse that may happen. All staff members receive mandated reporter training within 30 days of hire. Parents and guardians are asked to do the same. At the time of filing a report, staff members are asked to report all suspicions to the center administration.
To report abuse please call the Child Line at 1-800-932-0313 or report online at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home.
First Aid kits are located in each classroom and are taken along when children go away from the facility. These are kept inaccessible to children and are restocked to maintain the items required by the Department of Public Welfare.
Written emergency first aid plans are posted in all classrooms.
If a child should be injured, ex: biting, cuts, bumps, bruises, falls (not major), minor injuries, at Intersection Daycare, parents will be notified via phone call or personal contact per parent preference. An official injury report will be placed in the child’s file as well as given to the parent on the date of the incident.
If a child is needed to be transported to a hospital, 911 will be called and a staff member will assist the child until a parent or guardian can accompany the child. Consent for Emergency Treatment forms will be signed by the parent or guardian of each child enrolled and kept on file in case the parent or guardian cannot be reached.
Emergency Numbers – a copy of each child’s emergency sheet is also kept in his/her classroom and is taken along when the children go away from the facility.
All staff are required to have annual training in CPR, fire safety and emergency procedures.
Our emergency plan is also distributed to parents at the time of enrollment.
Intersection Daycare follows the site-specific evacuation routes and safety procedures outlined in the board-approved Intersection Daycare All Hazards Plan. Parents may access a copy of the AHP in the center administration office.
In an effort to create a safe feeding environment, Intersection Daycare does not serve nuts or nut products.
All special diets will be posted in a confidential manner. All special diet requests must go through the center director. The center director will communicate any and all special diet requests to the Nutritionist and Kitchen Management.
Family Engagement
Intersection Daycare believes that families have strong and sustained effects on children’s development, learning, and wellness. Therefore, our program implements a family engagement approach that is inclusive of family well-being and stability. Our core belief as a center staff is that families are their child’s first and most important teacher.
We are dedicated to supporting this relationship in every way possible.
Establishing and maintaining an ongoing partnership between families and Intersection Daycare staff that values regular two-way communication is an essential component of our program philosophy and our relationship with you and your child. Regular family participation and observation are encouraged. Parents/legal guardians may visit the Intersection Daycare any time during the hours of operation. Program staff uses a variety of mechanisms to communicate with families such as surveys, notes sent home, conferences, and daily check-ins to continue important dialogue.
By sharing a variety of information concerning your child such as activities at school and home, news related to development and learning, language, family structure, home and school routines or shared caregiving issues, we can work together to meet your child’s needs. Children gain valuable information from a scheduled guest who shares their special interest or expertise.
Some parents/families have special talents, skills, or experiences. Please consider sharing them with us. Other family members may have some time to spend helping in the classroom. Family engagement in our program is vital. Parents are welcome to join us for meals, as volunteers, and on fieldtrips.
Staff actively use the information that they gain from families to modify our program environment, teaching methods/strategies, and curriculum to best serve our family’s needs. Intersection Daycare has established a Child Care Parent Committee to support the engagement of families in the decision-making process at the center. The Parent Committee will meet monthly to discuss ways families can support their participation in the education of their children. Inclusive in these planning discussions will be how the Intersection Daycare can include activities to promote the diversity of backgrounds and multicultural learning within our center.
Please contact the Center Director for more information on how to join this group, schedule of meetings, etc.
Our main form of communication with our daycare families is through the ProCare App.
Staff will complete initial observation within 45 days of enrollment/classroom change and conference with parents.
Staff will complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) for each child during this timeframe.
Our center has an “open door” policy. This means parents/guardians are welcome at any time. We welcome parents and encourage communication. Our center communications are as follows:
Daily message boards – Available in all rooms
Monthly Newsletter – Monthly information regarding classroom learning, education goals, and strategies to support learning at home.
Parent conferences – Offered three times per year in all classrooms.
Open door policy – We encourage parents to talk openly with the staff. The Center Director, Assistant Director and Operations Coordinator are available when needed.
A suggestion box is located in the lobby of the playground entrance to the center and every effort will be made to communicate with parents when they drop off and pick up their children.
Teachers continuously work with families to establish and maintain regular, ongoing, two-way communication in order to learn about children’s individual needs and ensure a smooth transition between home and our program. If there has been an unusual or special circumstance during the day, this information will be passed on to the parent(s) verbally or in a written note or email.
Daily classroom communication will appear on the dry erase board each day. Reading about what is going to happen or has occurred is an excellent way to help your child leave you for the day and then to reconnect. How your child reports the day’s events also helps you understand your child’s interests and what they value.
Center-Wide Notices will be posted on the outside of each classroom, at the front entrance or sent electronically through Procare.
When a parent or community member is dissatisfied with any aspect of the Child Care Program, he/she should present this complaint/concern, orally or in writing, to the Center Director. The Center Director must act on the complaint/concern within five working days. If the complaint/concern cannot be resolved by the Center Director, both parties should present the complaint or concern to the full Child Care Center administrative team.
Curriculum & Instruction
Intersection Daycare follows the philosophy and standards of the Creative Curriculum, PA Early Learning Standards, and Keystone STARS. Developmental records on each child are kept and activities are planned to extend the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of each child. Children will learn through learning centers (science, math, literacy, manipulative, gross motor and creative play) that are developed through the interest and developmental appropriateness of the children. It is the responsibility of all staff members of Intersection Daycare to provide and meet each child’s individual developmental, physical and social needs.
Parents play a vital role in young children’s learning since a parent is a child’s first teacher. Intersection Daycare invites and encourages parents to participate in the program in whatever way is possible. Parent meetings are held to discuss the education program and special activities.
Each classroom develops a daily schedule to best serve the children in their group and the activities they need to accomplish. We ask that all children arrive at the center by 9:00a.m. This ensures your child’s participation in walks, field trips and the education program.
Daily schedules are posted in each classroom.
All age groups are assessed formally and informally to ensure that the teachers plan their curriculum goals and activities to support individualized learning. Our teachers observe, record and document children’s development, participation and learning throughout the year. The assessments are ongoing, systematic and gathered from natural play activities and realistic settings that reflect children’s actual performance.
Our center uses a variety of methods such as observations, checklists, rating scales, and individually administered tests. The assessment results are used to benefit children by informing sound decisions about children, teaching, and program improvement.
Intersection Daycare Administrative Staff reserve the right to modify the procedures stated in this document based on individual situations and/or center needs. Intersection Daycare employees benefit from the same services as non-employees and must abide by policies and recommendations from the Child Care Center Director.