Evaluating Program Manuals
Traynae
Chapter4Reading.docCHAPTER 4
Policies and Procedures: Tools to Ensure Your Program’s Smooth Operation
NAEYC Administrator Competencies Addressed in This Chapter:
Management Knowledge and Skills
4. Educational Programming
· The ability to develop and implement a program to meet the needs of young children at different ages and developmental levels (infant/toddler, preschool, kindergarten)
· Knowledge of administrative practices that promote the inclusion of children with special needs
5. Program Operations and Facilities Management
· Knowledge and application of policies and procedures that meet state/local regulations and professional standards pertaining to the health and safety of young children
7. Marketing and public relations
· Skill in developing a business plan and effective promotional literature, handbooks, newsletters, and press releases
9. Oral and Written Communication
· Knowledge of the mechanics of writing including organizing ideas, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
· The ability to use written communication to effectively express one’s thoughts
Early Childhood Knowledge and Skills
6. Family and community relationships
· Ability to communicate effectively with parents through written and oral communication
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the contributions well-developed policies and procedures can make to your program.
2. Develop an outline for a staff manual, listing the major headings it should include.
3. Describe some ways the family handbook is different from the staff manual.
4. Identify the types of issues that should be addressed in an administrative manual.
Grace’s Experience
When Grace stepped in to serve as her program’s director, she discovered that she was not sure how to handle many of the routine tasks that were now her responsibility. Previous directors had led the program effectively, but she found that there was no guidance beyond her own history with the center and the institutional memory of some other long-time employees. No policies or procedures had been established about interviewing prospective employees, filling openings from the waiting list, and planning for staff vacations.
Policies and procedures guide a program’s operations. In this chapter, we discuss how policies and procedures ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws; child care regulations; and voluntary accreditation and/or QRIS standards if applicable, while helping the program stay true to its core values and vision and strive to realize its mission.
4.1 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: TOOLS TO ENSURE YOUR PROGRAM’S SMOOTH OPERATION
Policies address issues that are critical to the center’s operations and include rules employees must follow. They describe the program’s specific plans for achieving particular goals. They can apply to employees as well as participating families. Policies often answer the question, “What is to be done and by whom?” A policy might state that the director is responsible for recruiting and retaining qualified staff. Other policies clarify expectations of employment; for example, establishing the length of employees’ annual paid vacation. A third group of policies describes rules participating families are expected to follow; for example, a policy might state that children’s birthday celebrations must not include sugar-filled treats, such as cupcakes and candy.
Policies should be written as comprehensive statements describing previously made decisions, identified guiding principles, or already agreed-upon courses of action that will help the program achive its goals. Many policies will be included in a program’s family handbook and/or staff manual; other written policies might serve as a resource for program administrators to ensure consistency and fair treatment for employees and families alike.
Procedures describe specific strategies for complying with established policies. They may identify, step-by-step, how to reach agreed-upon goals and include forms developed to accomplish these tasks. Like policies, most procedures will be included in appropriate staff manuals and family handbooks; others apply only to administrators and are less widely circulated.
A procedure that applies to all employees describes applying for vacation time. This procedure should indicate where the form for requesting a vacation can be found, how far in advance and to whom requests are to be submitted, and when employees can expect a response to their vacation request.
The family handbook should include procedures that apply to families. Examples include a request that families notify the center if their child is sick and will not be attending for several days or the procedure for families to identify individuals authorized to pick up their child at the end of the day.
Some procedures apply only to administrators. When filling a staff vacancy, the director may be required to (a) post a notice in the staff break room, (b) advertise in the local paper, and (c) list the job opening on an online website such as Craigslist. It would not be appropriate to include this procedure in the widely circulated staff manual, but it should be included in the program’s administrative manual that ensures consistency in carrying out many administrative tasks.
Policies and Procedures Guide Both Employees and Families
Policies and procedures describe each stakeholder’s responsibilities and guide their interactions. Some of their content may be specified by child care regulations or voluntary standards, and in all instances they should reflect reliance on the profession’s Code of Ethical Conduct (NAEYC, 2011a) which identifies early childhood educators’ ethical responsibilities and describes how members of the profession aspire to behave as they work with young children and their families, colleagues, employers, and the community.
The staff manual is an internal document that describes qualifications for employment; includes job descriptions; and spells out employees’ rights and responsibilities, including the expectation that all employees are to comply with laws, regulations, and standards designed to safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of children, families, employees, employers, and the community. The staff manual should additionally create clear expectations related to employees’ professionalism and reliance on ethical standards. It should contribute to the creation of the center’s culture of caring; ensure the center’s smooth day-to-day operation; and guide employees’ interactions with one another, the families they serve, and the community. In short, the staff manual helps the center stay on course for accomplishing its goals and achieving its vision. A comprehensive staff manual increases the likelihood that policies and procedures will be implemented consistently.
Families, like employees, play a critical role in ensuring that the program’s operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. A program’s family handbook is distributed to the families of all participating children and may also be posted on the program’s website. It should include information about the program’s operations, policies, and procedures. The family handbook should include specifics about the program’s day-to-day operations. It should provide guidance about how children should dress, describe nap-time routines, and specify drop-off and pickup procedures. Many programs also have policies addressing holiday observances and create guidelines about bringing toys from home. Some items in the family handbook ensure that the program complies with licensing regulations. Examples of regulations-based policies families are responsible for following include requiring children to submit proof of specific immunizations and requiring the isolation or exclusion of children with identified contagious conditions until they are no longer contagious.
In addition, the family handbook should make it clear that this program’s operations and interactions are guided by the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. (See Appendix 2.) In fact, the Code requires that programs keep families informed about their philosophy, curriculum, assessment practices, the qualifications of its staff, and “explain why we teach as we do” (Code of Ethical Conduct, Principle 2.2). The family handbook is an essential tool for systemically communicating with all families.
Finally, the administrative manual is a tool that guides the administrator’s decision-making process. It is likely to include specific information about the employee salary scale; waiting list policies; and benefits, such as reduced tuition for an employee’s child, that are at the director’s discretion to use when trying to attract particularly desirable personnel.
Like the program’s staff manual and family handbook, the administrative manual should reflect a reliance on the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and additionally specify that administrators’ interactions are guided by the Code’s Supplement for Early Childhood Program Administrators (NAEYC, 2011b). (See Appendix 3.)
Unlike the staff manual and the family handbook, the administrative policies and procedures manual is not distributed. Only the program’s director and the governing and/or advisory boards have access to this sensitive information. It is important, nonetheless, even in small proprietary programs, to write down administrative policies and procedures. This ensures fair and equitable treatment and simplifies the director’s day-to-day decision making by addressing in advance the commonly occurring issues he is likely to face on a regular basis. It can also serve as a guide when facing infrequently occurring situations, such as orienting a new director. In this way, it serves as the program’s institutional memory.
Policies and Procedures Addressed in Licensing Regulations
Many states’ child care licensing regulations require that licensed programs have written policies and procedures for staff and families covering particular aspects of their operation. Licensing regulations in many states require that topics such as the following be addressed in handbooks for families:
· Ages of children served
· Hours and days of operation
· Procedures for releasing children at the end of the day
· Procedures for handling illness and injuries
· Procedures for notifying families of field trips
· Notification that child care providers are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect
· Accepted forms of discipline (NARA, 2013)
Manuals for center personnel may be required to address the following issues:
· Job qualifications, including education, training, and experience
· Essential job functions
· Staff performance evaluation procedures
· Termination procedures
Advocates urge states to require child care providers to develop written emergency plans with specific action steps they should be prepared to take in human-made or natural disasters, with a special focus on infants and toddlers and children with disabilities who would need special assistance in the case of an emergency (Save the Children, 2012). The state board of education may also require school-based programs for young children, such as prekindergarten and after-school programs, to create policies and procedures addressing specific aspects of their operation.
Weather emergencies can happen at any time. Watch this video for recommendations about how to prepare for and respond to extreme heat, high winds, and flooding so that you can protect children from harm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SICJkKN-Mg
Requirements Addressed by Voluntary Standards
The family handbook, employee manual, and the administrative manual of programs participating in voluntary accreditation or their state’s QRIS may be required to meet additional standards above and beyond those imposed by licensing regulations.
NAEYC Accreditation Standards also address teachers’ preparation, knowledge, and skills. While state regulations may allow lead teachers to be enrolled in high school or a GED program, NAEYC requires that lead teachers in accredited programs have at least an associate degree or the equivalent. In addition, NAEYC now requires that at least 50% of the lead teachers in programs with four or more teachers hold a bachelor’s degree in early childhood or a related field; however, educational requirements are due to increase in 2020, when 75% of all lead teachers will be required to have earned a bachelor’s degree (NAEYC, 2008; NAEYC, 2014). That means the staff manual in an accredited center must describe the current minimal requirements for lead teachers, and that it would be advisable for it to inform teachers about the increased requirements that will be in place in the foreseeable future. The administrative manual should specify that the director is responsible for ensuring that the teaching staff satisfy the current accreditation requirements and that the program will be ready when the requirements are increased in 2020. The director will need to take these factors into account when making decisions about hiring new personnel and when promoting current staff so that the program remains in compliance with applicable accreditation standards.
NAEYC requires other written personnel policies that go substantially beyond licensing requirements. For example, they must describe:
· Roles and responsibilities, qualifications, and specialized training required of staff and volunteers
· Salary scales and descriptions of benefits for full-time employees, including health insurance, leave, education, and retirement plans
Some of this information will be included in the widely circulated staff manual, but other specifics will, instead, be part of the administrative manual.
The recent emphasis on increasing the nutritional quality of food served to children in child care and efforts to curb childhood obesity are reflected in many states’ QRIS standards (Gabor & Mantinan, 2012). They may, for example, prohibit sugar-sweetened drinks, specify that programs serve skim or low-fat milk to children over 2 years old, and increase the number of servings of vegetables (in addition to white potatoes) children are served each week (South Carolina ABC Child Care Program, n.d.)
Centers that are part of a franchise or chain are also likely to be required to satisfy specific non-licensure-related requirements. For example, the operator may require all employees to wear shirts with the center’s logo, or all classrooms might be required to include specific information in an “introducing the staff” flyer posted outside each classroom. Dress codes and other organization-specific rules would be included in the center’s staff manual.
Characteristics of Viable Policies and Procedures
Administrators and boards developing policies and procedures need to consider if proposed items are (a) aligned with laws, regulations, and standards; (b) reasonable and needed; (c) have the potential to contribute to the program’s efforts to fulfill its mission and achieve its vision; and (d) help the program take a proactive stance rather than a reactive approach to operations and decision making.
They need to be committed to devoting the time and effort required for developing well-thought-through policies and procedures. The program’s leadership should also be committed to participating in the regular review of policies and procedures to be certain they remain aligned with changing laws, regulations, and standards and understandings of best practice. Consider these characteristics of viable policies and procedures:
1. They conform with state laws and regulations, accreditation and/or QRIS standards (when applicable), and to the policies of the funding agency.
2. They address as many frequently occurring situations as possible.
3. The staff and administrative manuals and family handbook are aligned with one another.
4. They are relatively constant. Policies should stay consistent rather than change every time there are new members on the board. Procedures should be modified only when better strategies for accomplishing particular goals have been identified.
5. Every family should receive the family handbook and it should be readily available so that it can be consulted easily. This is a good addition to the program’s website.
6. Every member of the staff should receive the staff manual and it should be readily available so that it can be consulted easily.
7. They may include a stipulation for their annual review.
How Do Policies and Procedures Contribute to the Center’s Smooth Operation?
The first step in ensuring the program’s smooth and consistent operation is thoughtfully and carefully creating comprehensive policies and procedures. The next step is to develop the family handbook and staff and administration manuals to be certain everyone is informed about the policies and procedures that apply to them. The third, and perhaps most important step, is ensuring consistent reliance on established manuals and handbooks. All employees need to be familiar with, and to be held accountable for consistently and reliably following, both the family handbook, which guides their interactions with participating children and families, and the staff manual, which guides their relationships with their coworkers, administrator, clients, and employer. Together they create shared understandings about the program’s operations. When the director follows the administrator’s manual, established policies and procedures will be followed, even when there are changes in leadership. These tools eliminate any number of potential problems that would otherwise require a great deal of the director’s time and energy.
Well-developed policies and procedures can, for example, help determine how you should prioritize families on your waiting list. Suppose two families paid the registration fee and put their children’s names on the waiting list for a space in your 3-year-old classroom just days apart. Now, after several months, you have a long-awaited opening. Do you offer the slot to the first child on the list whose stay-at-home mother wants him to have a wider circle of friends? Or do you offer it to the family that came to you a few days later and now needs full-time child care so the mother, who has been job hunting for months and needs money for unexpected medical expenses, can accept the position she was recently offered?
Clear-cut policies aligned with your program’s core values, mission, and vision would help you consistently reach fair, equitable, and defensible decisions. If your family handbook and program policies indicate you will always fill vacancies on a first-come, first-served basis, you would be bound to offer enrollment to the first family to pay the application fee. If, on the other hand, your mission prioritizes supporting families’ economic self-sufficiency, and your policies state that you are guided by the established waiting list, you may elect to offer the spot to the second family that needs reliable child care to support the mother’s employment. In that case, your family handbook might state, “Spaces will be offered to families on the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis unless there are compelling extraordinary circumstances.”
Time invested in writing a comprehensive administrator’s manual can make the director more efficient and ensure consistency while saving time and reducing stress. That is because, instead of ricocheting from one emergency to the next, or relying on memory about how sensitive situations have been handled in the past, the director can turn to established policies and procedures to guide day-to-day decision making. Established policies and procedures can help her be confident that her course of action will be well thought out and fair to children, families, employees, and the community.
Application Activity
Working in small groups, review the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct in Appendix 2. Develop an item you think would make a good addition to a program’s staff manual that is suggested by one of the Code’s core values, ideals, or principles.
Who Is Responsible for Developing Policies and Procedures?
In small family-operated centers, owners or operators often serve as hands-on directors working directly with children, families, and employees. The director in these centers is likely to develop, interpret, and implement policies and procedures and probably has the autonomy to make decisions as the need arises.
Centers operated by a local sponsor such as a church, community organization, college, or university may have a board of directors and/or an advisory committee that works with the director in policy and procedure development and implementation. In these programs, the board is responsible for guiding the development of policies and procedures that reflect the sponsor’s priorities. They are likely to take the lead in developing policies and procedures related to the maintenance and use of space and utilities, the program’s financial health, days and hours of operation, and other steps the program can take to achieve the sponsor’s goals in operating the early childhood program.
While the board focuses on creating a context for the center’s operations, the director should be relied upon as the expert on matters related to young children and early care and education. She will have appropriate expectations about employees’ strengths and needs, should be able to contribute to policies and procedures that promote positive relationships with the children and families served, and can provide advice about how to establish and maintain a good reputation in the community that reflects well on the sponsoring agency.
Large chains and franchises, Head Start, and public school programs usually have a formal organizational structure with established lines of authority. In these programs, policy formulation, interpretation, and implementation are likely to be formally structured, with the responsibilities of the director and board clearly identified. In these large organizations, the director is likely to serve as an expert and spokesperson for the early childhood program, working within this formal structure to advocate for the children and staff. For example, a superintendent in a public school works with the school board on policies and procedures and sees that the adopted policies and procedures are implemented. This work, however, is likely to be carried out by assistant superintendents, principals, early childhood coordinators, and classroom teachers who directly implement programs for young children at the local level.
Developing and Revising Your Center’s Family Handbook and/or Staff Manual
Developing the Family Handbook and Staff Manual for a New Program:
The center’s family handbook and staff manual are its official vehicles for communicating how it will achieve its vision while accomplishing its goals. When you have the opportunity to create the staff manual and family handbook for a new center, you will be developing policies and procedures that will set the program’s course for the foreseeable future. It is important that these documents create a culture that respects children, families, and colleagues; encourages and nurtures relationships based on trust and respect; and anticipates frequently asked questions and ordinarily occurring situations to ensure the program’s smooth operation.
The place to begin the process of developing these materials is with appropriate licensing, accreditation, and/or QRIS standards. You want to be certain you address all required topics. The next step is to consider how the program will adhere to the core values, keep sight of the vision, and contribute to the mission of the investors, the education committee of the sponsoring church, the board of a publicly funded agency, or whoever is preparing to begin serving young children and families.
If you become a director in a small center, you might be expected to single-handedly create its family handbook and staff manual. If you are working with a board, its members may be a resource upon whom you can rely. In either case, as a director of a new program, you will probably have neither a staff nor families to review preliminary drafts, so it will be particularly important to rely on professional resources such as this book. It would be wise to seek feedback from successful directors of existing programs as you develop these foundational documents. It is also advisable to ask a lawyer to review particular sections before they are finalized to be certain the policies and procedures they describe keep the center in compliance with applicable laws related to hiring, termination, including individuals who have special needs, handling confidential information, and other issues that may have legal dimensions. A member of your governing or advisory board or an experienced director in your community may be able to help you locate a lawyer who can provide this service at a reasonable cost.
Developing a Family Handbook and Staff Manual for an Existing Center or Making Major Revisions to Existing Documents:
If you become the director of a program that has a record of regulatory compliance and success but lacks a comprehensive and up-to-date family handbook and/or staff manual, your job will be to begin by making “the way we do things here” explicit. That is, you would work to describe how the center’s “business as usual” approach has helped it comply with laws, regulations, and standards and achieve its goals in the service of young children and their families.
A director embarking on the creation of these materials for an existing program or a substantial revision of the programs’ existing family handbook and/or staff manual will want to work with a small group of staff and the center’s governing or advisory board if applicable to be certain she has accurately described current policies and procedures. It would also be wise to ask a few families to review a proposed family handbook to be certain they find it to be comprehensive, clear, and easy to understand.
Once you have a preliminary draft of a new or substantially revised family handbook or staff manual, it is time to give employees an opportunity to provide feedback. This effort will help you confirm that your descriptions of existing policies and procedures are accurate, reasonable, and fair, and will increase the likelihood staff will take ownership of them. While all feedback on draft materials should be carefully considered, it is unlikely administrators and boards will incorporate every suggestion made by the center’s employees. It is essential, however, that staff can see evidence that their feedback has been thoughtfully considered. Remember that they are the face of the center, both within the program and out in the community. They have a unique perspective that will add an important and much needed dimension to these materials.
Refining the Existing Family Handbook and/or Staff Manual:
Teachers can provide valuable feedback as you refine your program’s staff manual.
David Kostelnik/Pearson Education
The family handbook and staff manual should be systematically reviewed and updated as needed on a regular basis, at least annually. Their review should be seen as an opportunity for the staff to reflect on where the center is on its journey toward excellence, and also where it can make progress in realizing its vision. The review process should begin by addressing any gaps, oversights, inconsistencies, or duplications they may have noted in the existing materials. Then, it would be wise to consider any situations that frequently require teachers or the director to make an exception to an existing policy or procedure. Any policies or procedures that are not consistently followed may need to be revised. This annual review of the program’s policies and procedures encourages staff to be reflective practitioners and may help the program comply with a formal policy established by the program’s governing board.
A Better Way
Grace was surprised by how much time and energy she found herself investing in routine tasks. She had to seek approval from the governing board every time she needed to fill a staff vacancy, when making anything but the most clear-cut decisions about offering admission to children on the waiting list, and when switching from one food service provider to another to save money. She felt she needed more autonomy and hoped that clear guidelines about how to make those kinds of decisions might make the board willing to trust her to make good choices.
Grace realized that she could contribute to the center’s ongoing and long-term success by creating an administrative manual. She knew it might take as long as a year to accomplish this goal, but she was confident it would be worth the time and effort. She first reviewed the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and its Supplement for Program Administrators. Then she contacted the directors of other high-quality centers in her community to ask if they would share their handbooks (which she realized they may not be willing to do) or, alternatively, meet with her and help her develop a draft table of contents that would serve as an outline for her manual. She also networked with directors of leading programs similar to hers when she attended her state’s early childhood conference. When she had a good draft of a proposed administrative manual, she took it to her governing board for its approval. She was pleased when the board made some additions and then approved it promptly. It is now an indispensible tool that has streamlined the decision-making process and has made her more consistent and efficient.
Using Established Policies and Procedures
Whether implementing existing or newly established policies and procedures, employees’ morale, the program’s reputation, and its overall success will depend on each staff member’s commitment to knowing and complying with both the spirit and the letter of agreed-upon policies and procedures.
It is the program administrator’s responsibility, either alone or with the center’s corporate office or board of directors, to interpret and ensure consistent compliance with these programmatic guidelines. That means not only that the director follows them without fail, but also that he holds each employee and all participating families accountable for abiding by them consistently.
We recommend that staff be required to sign off on the staff manual and family handbook annually to signify that they know and are committed to following the policies and procedures they describe and that families be asked to commit to knowing and following policies and procedure described in the family handbook when they enroll and at the start of each year.
Categories of Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures should cover as many aspects of the early care and education program’s operation as possible. There are, of course, wide variations across programs, but most programs of early care and education have policies and procedures in the following categories:
1. Program overview. Any discussion of policies and procedures should begin by providing an overview of the program, its core values, vision, and mission.
2. Program services. These policies and procedures state the primary program services to be provided (e.g., care, education), along with other services (e.g., food, transportation, social services, parent education) offered by the program.
3. Administration. Some specific areas included in administrative policies and procedures are the makeup of, and procedures for selecting or electing, members to the board of directors, board committees (e.g., executive, personnel, finance, building, program, nominating), advisory group, parent council, or other councils or committees; policies related to the appointment and functions of the director and supervisory personnel; and the administrative operations, such as the organizational chart and membership and functions of various administrative bodies.
4. Personnel policies. All programs need to have the following documentation in place:
· Job descriptions and qualifications
· Recruitment, selection, and appointment procedures
· Staff training and professional development requirements
· Performance review timeline and procedures
· Salary schedules and fringe benefits
· Payroll schedule (e.g., the 15th and 30th of the month, every other Friday)
· Policies related to excused and unexcused absences
· Personal leave and vacation policies
· Termination policies
Personnel policies of publicly funded programs must include nondiscrimination and equal opportunity clauses and must be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees may also be covered by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The websites of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Justice, and ADA home pages listed at the end of this chapter include advice about how to avoid discriminatory practices and highlight information related to these issues that should be included in staff manuals (e.g., causes of termination, procedures for termination, appeal process for termination).
5. Services to children. These policies and procedures describe who is eligible for the program’s services. Sometimes eligibility is determined by governmental or agency mandates; sometimes families must document financial need; and in other instances, programs may give priority to particular populations, for example, the members of the sponsoring church or employees of a particular business. These policies should also describe
· Maximum group (class) size
· Child–staff ratio for each age group
· Enrollment options (e.g., full time, part time, drop-in)
· Program services and provisions for child’s safety and welfare (e.g., accident procedures, insurance coverage)
· Types of assessments used to document children’s progress and procedures for sharing assessment information with families
· Situations that could result in the termination of program services
6. Health and safety. This category of policies and procedures may cover
· Physical exams required before employment or admission
· Procedures for screening children’s health daily
· Care or exclusion of ill children
· Procedures for administering medications
· Health services offered by the program (e.g., screening, immunizations)
· Management of injuries and emergencies
· Nutrition and food-handling guidelines
· Provisions for rest or sleep
· Staff training in health and safety (Which staff members have CPR and first aid training? Is there always a trained staff member onsite?)
· Plans to inspect classrooms and playgrounds for potential dangers on a regular basis.
Rely on professional resources to develop your program’s policies and procedures addressing health and safety. One place to begin is Caring for Our Children, an authoritative online resource with guidelines for protecting children’s health and well-being as well as specific recommendations for both caregivers and families related to infants’ safe sleeping practices, obesity prevention, and children’s oral health (AAP/APHA/NRCHSCC, 2011). Another resource that explicitly addresses programs of early care and education, and is a good addition to any director’s book shelf, is NAEYC’s Healthy Young Children (Aronson, 2012).
7. Financial management. These policies should describe the sources of funding (e.g., fees paid by families, grants, contracts) and guidelines and procedures for purchasing goods and services. They should additionally describe how the program will create and manage the contingency fund established to pay for significant unplanned expenses, such as a new roof or furnace, or how to pay employees in case the program should have to close for a week, a month, or even longer because of illness, a natural or human-made disaster, or a facility problem. Some topics addressed in policies related to the program’s finances include
· The identification of person(s) responsible for the program’s financial management, including the creation and monitoring of the budget
· Requirements for keeping the program’s day-to-day financial records
· Requirements for reporting the program’s financial status regularly
· Audit requirements
8. Record keeping. Policies and procedures should indicate
· What kinds of records are kept on each employee and on each child
· Where records are kept, including provisions for their security
· Who, under what circumstances, has access to these records
They should identify procedures for ensuring compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as it relates to children’s and families’ rights to privacy in educational settings. Refer to the website listed at the end of this chapter for a description of applicable provisions of FERPA.
9. Families. These policies and procedures describe ways the program interacts with families and meets families’ needs. Particular issues to address in this category of policies and procedures include
· Description of the program’s philosophy
· Procedures and policies related to enrolling and withdrawing children, including notice to be given when withdrawing a child
· Days and hours of operation
· The calendar for the coming year, including scheduled holidays
· Description of the center’s open-door policy that welcomes parents without advanced notice and notes whether or not siblings are welcome
· Descriptions of how program personnel will communicate with families, including daily or weekly logs, newsletters, email, teacher conferences as well as the center’s policy on the use of technology and social media
Policies related to families should also include information about opportunities for them to be engaged in the program by serving on advisory groups, accompanying children on field trips, and contributing as a classroom volunteer. And finally, it should include information about the structure and purpose of the parent-teacher organization (PTO), including information about planned family events and fund-raising.
10. Public relations and marketing. These policies and procedures guide outreach into the community, including community representation on advisory committees or governing boards, relationships with allied agencies and associations, and the use of facilities by outside groups. There will also be expectations about how the administrator creates a presence in the community and how the program creates its unique identity. These policies may also indicate if the center advertises when enrollment applications are accepted or when registration opens to the public.
4.2 WHAT TOPICS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE STAFF MANUAL?
Your program’s staff manual is the vehicle that communicates and formalizes many of the program’s policies and procedures. It serves as a reference and roadmap for administrators and employees alike. The staff manual often overlaps with the family handbook, but it may address issues in more depth or with a different emphasis. It also must align with state child care regulations as well as accreditation and/or QRIS requirements, if appropriate. In addition to including a statement that all employees are required to know and adhere to applicable licensing regulations and to rely on the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, major topics that you may want to address and elaborate on in the staff manual include the following:
1. Program Overview
· States the program’s core values, and includes its vision and mission statements.
· Includes the program’s address, phone and fax numbers, email address, website, and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) number.
2. Program Services
· Identifies ages served and days and hours of operation.
· Identifies curriculum models (e.g., Creative Curriculum, HighScope) or approaches to early care and education (e.g., Program for Infant/Toddler Care) teachers and caregivers are expected to implement.
· Summarizes age-appropriate expectations, including the center’s guidance and discipline policies; suggestions for creating an appropriate learning environment; and strategies for appropriately challenging, communicating with, and nurturing young children.
· Identifies learning standards addressed at each age level (e.g., Infant/Toddler Guidelines, Early Learning Standards).
· Describes required documentation of curriculum planning. Are teachers required to submit lesson plans in advance? If so, what should they include? When are they due?
· Describes how caregivers and teaches are expected to provide parents with information about their child’s growth, development, and learning using agreed-upon assessment strategies at regularly scheduled parent conferences.
3. Administration
· Includes an organizational chart with a description of the makeup of advisory and/or governing boards.
· Establishes a chain of authority and indicates who will be contacted for help in the case of an emergency if the director is not available.
4. Personnel Policies
· Gives notice that the program adheres to applicable nondiscriminatory, equal opportunity, American with Disabilities, and Family Leave laws.
· Indicates, if applicable, that employment is “at will” and briefly describes this policy.
· Includes job descriptions and qualifications for all positions.
· Identifies all information and forms required for employment (i.e., background checks, physical exams, educational records, references, Federal Employment Eligibility Verification [I-9], Internal Revenue Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate [W-4] forms).
· Summarizes required fringe benefits (e.g., workers’ compensation, Social Security) and other benefits (e.g., health insurance, retirement) available to employees who wish to participate.
· Describes indicators of possible abuse or neglect, puts teachers and caregivers on notice that they are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect, and identifies where they can find additional information about their community’s child protective services.
· Describes staffing patterns (e.g., lead teacher, assistant teacher, floater) and how teaching teams are expected to share instructional, caregiving, and housekeeping responsibilities.
· Identifies daily work hours, break and lunch time scheduling, and how work hours are to be recorded.
· Identifies the schedule and frequency of pay days (e.g., every other Friday, the 1st and 15th of each month).
· Describes when the program will conduct an orientation for new employees and includes a general description of its content.
· Describes the probationary period, if any, for new employees. Indicates its length and how it affects terms of employment (e.g., eligibility for benefits, earned leave).
· Describes policies and procedures related to sick leave, personal leave, family leave (e.g., maternity, paternity, or family illness or death), jury duty, time off for medical or dental appointments, and vacation. Identifies forms used to request leave or vacation, where those forms can be found, and to whom they are to be submitted. Indicates how far in advance they should be submitted and when employees will know if leave or vacation has been granted.
· Identifies whom to call when sick and unable to work.
· Describes when substitutes are used and how they are contacted and scheduled.
· Identifies staff meetings employees are required to attend. Indicates how often required meetings are usually scheduled (e.g., monthly at lunch time) and indicates if employees are paid for this time.
· Stipulates the number of hours of in-service training required annually. Is in-service training offered onsite? Are employees paid during training? Are employees supported if they attend local, regional, or national conferences? Is support available for courses at local colleges or universities? Does the program participate in the Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.®) scholarship program offered by many states? (See the website listed at the end of this chapter for more information about the T.E.A.C.H.®program.)
· Describes procedures used to evaluate staff performance and either includes copies of observation and performance evaluation forms or indicates where they can be found.
· Describes policies related to raises and bonuses. Can employees expect annual cost-of-living raises? Are raises based on merit? Are bonuses regularly awarded? Do raises and bonuses depend on the program’s financial status?
· Describes disciplinary or corrective action procedures, including procedures for filing an appeal.
· Describes where staff can locate supplies and how they can request needed supplies, materials, and equipment.
· Describes the program’s policies related to the use of personal cell phones, the center’s phones, computers and office equipment, and the Internet.
· Describes the program’s policies related to the use of smartphones and social media. (Are teachers permitted to text family members while they are caring for children? Are they permitted to “friend” the parents of the children they teach? Can they post classroom pictures on Instagram?) See Figure 4.1.
· Describes the dress code for all staff.
· Identifies where staff are to park.
· Describes how staff are notified if the program will be closed, will open late, or will close early because of severe weather.
· Indicates that the center is a nonsmoking facility or identifies where smoking is permitted.
· Indicates if employees are allowed to bring their preschool or school-age children with them to work and, if they are, under what circumstances.
· Describes resignation and termination procedures. Indicates if exit interviews are offered and, if so, with whom.
These guidelines for the appropriate use of technology described in Figure 4.1 can ensure that smartphones and social media are used appropriately
Figure 4.1
The Appropriate Use of Technology
Sources: Texas Child Care Quarterly, 2013; UW Madison Campus Children’s Centers Technology/Social Media Policy, 2013.
5. Services to Children
· Describes admission criteria and identifies any populations (i.e., siblings of currently enrolled children, members of the sponsoring church) who are eligible for preferential admissions.
· Describes the services the program offers to children with identified special needs. Describes the supports available to teachers of children with disabilities and the assistance available to them as they develop and implement Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) and Individual Educational Programs (IEP), if appropriate.
· Includes the annual calendar indicating dates the program is closed and dates of required staff work days.
· Identifies child–staff ratios for each age group served.
· Identifies group size for each age group served.
· Describes how transitions from one room to the next are planned (e.g., are they based on children’s age or on their developmental level?) and implemented.
· Stipulates that teachers and caregivers are responsible for supervising the children in their care at all times, both indoors and out, awake and asleep.
· Describes policies related to child guidance and discipline and summarizes recommended practices.
· Describes the program’s assessment practices, identifies assessment instruments used (i.e., Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Work Sampling System), and includes a general description of expected documentation of learning and development, such as the content of children’s portfolios and anecdotal records.
· Describes suggested strategies to help children adjust to the program.
· Indicates expectations about lesson and unit plans. Are they to be turned in regularly? To whom? What are they to include?
· Describes the program’s policies about classroom pets and animal visitors. Are they allowed or encouraged? Are they allowed to be out of a cage? What hand-washing practices are required?
· Describes expectations about outdoor play. Where are outdoor play areas? Is each classrooms assigned particular times for outdoor play? Do children regularly visit nearby parks? How long are children expected to spend outdoors every day? How are teachers expected to be involved during children’s outdoor play? What weather conditions keep children indoors?
· Describes appropriate activities for days when children must remain indoors.
· Describes the program’s policy about field trips. How are field trips approved, scheduled, and supervised? How are children transported? Are there some specific trips generally planned for each age group each year?
· Describes the program’s policies related to holiday and birthday celebrations, being sensitive that some families’ beliefs mean that they prohibit their children from participating in any celebrations.
· Describes any extra optional activities offered on-site on a fee-for-services basis.
· Describes procedures to follow if a child has not been picked up at the end of the day.
· Describes how staff and families are notified in the event of severe weather or other natural disaster or environmental risk (e.g., chemical spill).
6. Health and Safety
· Summarizes ordinary and universal precautions that reduce the likelihood that infectious and contagious diseases, including blood-borne pathogens, will be spread.
· Describes hand-washing practices for children and adults.
· Describes appropriate labeling and storage of children’s cribs and rest cots.
· Details sanitizing and washing procedures for toys, cots and cribs, sheets, bibs, and so on. (Important note: The concentration of household bleach sold in many stores has become stronger. Instead of being about 6% sodium hypochlorite, it is now 8.25%. Consult Caring for Our Children (see the website at the end of this chapter) for guidance about how to dilute bleach for sanitizing and disinfecting).
· Describes procedures for storing and giving children prescription and over-the-counter medications.
· Explains fire and emergency evacuation procedures, including where children would be taken if they could not return to their classrooms and how families would be notified in case of an emergency.
· Details sick child exclusion policies, identifying when children should not come to school and when they are ready to return.
· Describes plans to provide children with first aid, including how minor injuries will be handled (What incident reports are to be filed?) and how parents will be notified if emergency medical care, including transport by ambulance, is needed.
· Describes procedures if a teacher becomes ill or is injured, how children’s safety will be ensured, and how supervision will be assured.
· Describes how children will be released at the end of the day. Indicates how families notify the program if someone other than the usual parent or caregiver will take their child home, including what form of identification is required before a child will be released to someone other than the usual parent or caregiver.
· Sets expectations for toilet training and describes toileting routines. Indicates if children of particular ages are required to be potty trained. Describes how the program supports potty training. Indicates if children are always accompanied to and supervised in the bathroom and if bathroom time is part of the daily routine.
· Indicates if the program provides breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks. Does the center follow U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or other published dietary guidelines? If children bring food from home, does the program provide any guidelines about what should or should not be brought to school? Is it a peanut-free program? May children and staff bring fast food (e.g., McDonald’s)?
· Describes how to ensure that food allergies or other dietary restrictions are observed.
· Describes mealtime routines. Are meals served family style? Are teachers and caregivers expected to eat with the children? Is conversation encouraged?
· Indicates teachers’ housekeeping responsibilities (Do they take out the trash, sweep their floors, and clean sinks and bathrooms at the end of the day?).
· Details by whom and how often the facility and playground are checked to note their condition and identify repairs that may be needed.
· Practices specific to infant and toddler rooms:
· Details diaper changing practices designed to protect children’s health and safety.
· Indicates that adults must remove their shoes upon entry in infant rooms.
· Requires safe sleep practices to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Infants up to 12 months of age should be placed on their backs in a safety-approved crib for all naps. The crib’s mattress should be firm and covered with a tight-fitting sheet. There should be no blankets or toys in the crib.
· Indicates if families provide formula and baby food and where they are stored if provided by the center.
· Indicates how bottles of formula or breast milk are heated (microwaves are NEVER used to heat breast milk or formula).
· Describes how food and bottles brought from home are labeled and stored and when they must be discarded.
· Describes provisions for nursing mothers who want to visit the classroom to nurse their babies and indicates if there is a lactation room where mothers can express breast milk for later use.
· Indicates if families provide diapers, wipes, creams, and ointments and where they are stored if provided by the center.
· Describes how infants are fed (Are bottle-fed babies always held? Are older infants placed in high chairs or do they sit in child-sized chairs?)
7. Business and Financial Issues
· Details established fees and tuition.
· Describes how fees and tuition are collected and teachers’ responsibilities (if any) related to fee collection.
· Indicates how payments are handled if enrichment activities are provided on a fee-for-services basis (e.g., dance, gymnastics, and art).
8. Records
· Describes content of employees’ personnel files and identifies individuals who have access to these records.
· Describes content of children’s files and identifies individuals who have access to these records.
· Summarizes teachers’ and caregivers’ responsibilities to comply with the FERPA.
9. Families
· Describes how teachers and caregivers are expected to communicate with families (e.g., daily logs, communication notebooks, regular emails, and monthly newsletters) and policies addressing the use of social media.
· Indicates that the center has an open-door policy that welcomes parents without advanced notice and notes whether siblings are welcome to visit.
· Describes how teachers and caregivers are expected to communicate concerns about a child’s behavior.
· Indicates how confidentiality of all children and families is maintained.
· Indicates how families notify the center if an individual unknown to the center staff will be picking up their child at the end of the day.
· Describes frequency and content of parent–teacher conferences.
· Indicates if the program offers parent education sessions. If so, when are they held? Who is eligible to participate?
· Indicates if the program has a parent–teacher organization (PTO). Describes its purpose and major activities. Indicates how teachers can become involved.
10. Public Relations and Marketing
· Employees should be reminded that they are the face and voice of the program in the community. Even when they are not working, their behavior reflects on the center.
· Some teachers may be willing to speak to early childhood classes or civic groups. They might reach out to other child care programs or neighborhood religious communities in need of training or parent education classes. When it is seen as a community resource, the program reflects well on itself and the field of early care and education.
Remember that employees are expected to know and consistently abide by all policies and procedures included in the employee manual as well as the family handbook. Some topics, such as job descriptions, are most appropriately addressed in the employee manual; others, such as guidelines for birthday celebrations, are described in the family handbook.
4.3 WHAT TOPICS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE FAMILY HANDBOOK?
The family manual should have a warm and friendly tone and be polished and professional. That means it is easy to read and understand, avoids professional jargon, and includes no errors in spelling or grammar. Illustrations should be respectful of children and families (avoid “cute”) and should reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the families you serve. In addition, you should make every effort to have the manual translated into the home language of every family enrolled in your program. The handbook does not communicate with your children’s parents if they cannot read and understand its contents. Families are expected to agree to follow the policies and procedures described in the handbook. We recommend that you ask them to sign off to signify their commitment to do so every year.
Consider addressing the topics listed next as you prepare a family handbook. Some information, such as the program’s overview and description of services, belongs in both the staff manual and the family handbook. Other information, such as specifics about when and how to pay fees or when children should stay at home, is appropriately covered in more depth in the family handbook than in the staff manual. Additional topics, such as staff qualifications, are addressed more briefly in the family handbook than in the staff manual. The emphasis you put on each topic in these program-specific resources will reflect the audience you are addressing, the program’s purpose, and the population the program serves.
1. Program Overview
· States the program’s core values and includes the program’s mission and vision statements as well as its general approach to instruction (e.g., is this a play-based program?).
· Indicates the program’s licensure status and, if appropriate, the accreditation it has earned or its quality rating.
· Affirms that the program is committed to the field’s core values, ideals, and principles as stated in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
2. Program Services
· Identifies ages served and days and hours of operation.
· Gives notice that the program adheres to applicable nondiscriminatory, equal opportunity, and Americans with Disabilities laws.
· Identifies curriculum models (e.g., Creative Curriculum, HighScope) or approaches to early care and education (e.g., Program for Infant/Toddler Care) implemented by the program and briefly describes their essential characteristics.
· Describes services provided and routines for before and/or after school for school-age children (e.g., pick up from school, homework time, and activity options).
· Indicates where parents are to park at drop-off and pickup times.
· Describes policies related to termination of services, including notice families are expected to give if they plan to withdraw their child from the center.
3. Administration
· Includes an organizational chart including a description and makeup of advisory and/or governing boards.
· Lists current staff and their assignments.
4. Services to Children
· Describes admission requirements, including birthdate cutoffs, and identifies any populations (e.g., siblings of currently enrolled children, members of the sponsoring church) who are eligible for preferential admissions.
· Includes the annual calendar, indicating dates the program is closed and any dates the center does not operate on its regular schedule (Are there half-day sessions to give teachers time for parent conferences or staff development?).
· Indicates child–staff ratios and group size for each age group served.
· Describes how transitions from one room to the next are planned (Are they based on children’s age or on their developmental level?) and how they are implemented.
· Describes the amount of interaction between children of different ages, particularly if the program serves school-age children.
· Describes how children should dress (e.g., play clothes that may get dirty or wet, shoes that are safe for running and climbing) and reminds families that children will play outdoors in all but extreme weather.
· Indicates the program’s ability and willingness to meet the needs of children with identified special needs and any requirements (e.g., an extra employee in the classroom under certain circumstances) that may apply.
· Describes the program’s policies related to child guidance and discipline.
· Describes morning drop-off and afternoon pickup routines, including advice on helping children transition into the program and adjust to its day-to-day routines.
· Describes the program’s policy about classroom pets and animal visitors.
· Describes expectations about outdoor play. Where are outdoor play areas? Do children regularly visit nearby parks? Reminds families that children are to dress to play outside every day except during extreme weather, and describes weather conditions that are considered to be “extreme” and would keep children indoors.
· Describes the program’s policy about field trips, including a description of how families will be notified of an upcoming trip, what kind of permission form will be required for children to participate, how children will be transported and, if appropriate, invites families to help with supervision.
· Describes the program’s policies related to holiday and birthday celebrations.
· Lists supplies children are expected to bring from home (e.g., rest mat, toothbrush, blanket for nap time, and change of clothes).
· Describes any optional activities offered on a fee-for-services basis and the related responsibilities of regular center staff.
· Describes how families are notified if the program will be closed, will open late, or will close early because of severe weather.
5. Health and Safety
· Identifies required immunizations and health exams required for enrollment.
· Describes hand-washing practices followed by children and adults, including parents entering the classroom.
· Describes plans to provide children with first aid, including how minor injuries will be handled and how parents will be notified if emergency medical care, including transport by ambulance, is needed.
· Describes procedures for giving children prescription and over-the-counter medications. Indicates where the required form can be found.
· Explains emergency evacuation procedures, including where children would be taken if they could not return to their classrooms and how families would be notified in case of an emergency.
· Sets expectations for toilet training and describes toileting routines. Indicates if children of particular ages are required to be potty trained. Describes how the program supports potty training. Indicates if children are always accompanied to and supervised while in the bathroom and if bathroom time is part of the daily routine.
· Details sick child exclusion policies, identifying when children should not come to school and when they will be permitted to return. See Figure 4.2 for an example of how your family handbook might describe when a child should stay home from school.
· Requests that children bring a complete change of clothes (including socks) to be left at the center.
· Describes how children will be released at the end of the day. Indicates how families notify the program if someone other than the usual parent or caregiver will take their child home, including what form of identification is required before a child will be released to someone other than the usual parent or caregiver.
· Describes the procedure if a child has not been picked up within an hour of the center’s closing.
· Indicates if the program provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks and if it follows USDA or other published dietary guidelines.
· Provides guidelines about what should or should not be brought to school if children bring food from home (e.g., Is it a peanut-free program? Will food from home be refrigerated? Can it be heated? May children bring food from a fast food restaurant, such as McDonald’s?).
· Details what steps are taken to be certain food allergies and other dietary restrictions are respected (e.g., those based on religious practices or preferences for only organic foods).
· Describes mealtime routines. Are meals served family style? Do teachers and caregivers eat with the children? Is conversation encouraged?
Often, it can be difficult for parents to determine when sick children should stay home. Watch this video of a health care professional offering advice about when children are too ill to go to child care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm2J-Cj2Iz0
Figure 4.2
Sample Family Handbook Exclusion Policy
6. Business and Financial Issues
· Details established fees and tuition for each age group, including registration fees, materials fees, late fees, and returned check policy.
· Describes when fees and tuition are due and how they are collected (e.g., Are credit or debit cards accepted? Are checks mailed or dropped into a box on the director’s desk?).
· Describes when late fees and returned check fees are assessed and how they are to be handled.
· Describes the fee for being 10, 20, or 30 minutes late to pick up the child at the end of the day.
7. Records
· Identifies birth, immunization, physical examination, residency, or other documentation required for admission.
· Identifies materials families must submit before their child can participate in the program, such as emergency contact information, acknowledgement of having received the family handbook, and so on.
8. Families
· Puts families on notice that teachers and caregivers are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the local child protective service agency.
· Informs families that corporal punishment will never be permitted in the center.
· Identifies how families can expect teachers and caregivers to communicate with them (e.g., daily logs, communication notebooks, regular emails, monthly newsletters).
· Indicates that the center has an open-door policy that welcomes parents to visit without advanced notice. Indicates whether siblings are welcome to visit.
· Describes how teachers and caregivers are expected to communicate concerns about a child’s behavior.
· Describes the program’s policies related to social media. (Is it appropriate for families to “friend” their child’s teacher? Can they post classroom pictures on Instagram?) (Refer to Figure 4.1.)
· Assures parents that their written permission will be required before any image of their children are shared either online or in print.
· Indicates how confidentiality of all children and families is maintained.
· Describes frequency and content of parent–teacher conferences.
· Indicates if the program offers parenting classes. If so, when are they held? Who is eligible to participate?
· Indicates if the program has a parent-teacher organization. Describes its purpose and major activities. Indicates how families can become involved.
See Figure 4.3 for an example of a Family Checklist to communicate beginning-of-school routines in a straightforward and easy-to-follow format.
9. Public Relations and Marketing
· Indicates that the director and selected teachers may be willing to speak to civic groups or may be available to work with other child care programs or neighborhood religious communities in need of training or parent education classes. When seen as a community resource, the program reflects well on itself and the field of early care and education.
Application Activity
Develop a policy (a rule about a critical issue) and procedures (step-by-step instructions for following that policy) for a staff manual or family handbook. Make sure that the policy or procedures you develop address a complex topic likely to require the director to make a difficult decision. Topics to consider are responding to a family’s request for a particular teacher or classroom, working with a teacher who is going through a difficult divorce and whose attendance has not met the program’s expectations, or a family that has been regularly bringing a child to the center during his class’s nap time.
Figure 4.3
This Family Checklist can help ensure a smooth start to a new school year.
4.4 WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE IN THE ADMINISTRATOR’S MANUAL?
This material will, in all likelihood, be available only to the director and her supervisor(s), which may be an advisory or governing board or the corporation’s regional and/or national coordinator.
The issues addressed in an administrator’s manual are likely to be more idiosyncratic than those addressed in either the family handbook or the staff manual. Examples of items that may be addressed in the administrative manual include the following:
· Details related to salary scales, raises, and bonuses (if applicable).
· Details of interview and hiring procedures. How are references checked? Is time in the classroom part of the interview process? Are potential employees approved by the board or its representatives?
· Details of termination procedures.
· Conditions for the availability of discounts for employees’ children to attend your program. Is this benefit available to all employees? Is it a discretionary benefit that may be offered to employees with specific credentials?
· Describes how the yearly calendar is developed. Does the director consult with local schools? Professional organizations whose conferences the staff attends?
· The director’s responsibilities related to the recruitment of both staff and families.
· The director’s responsibilities to lead or arrange for on-site professional development that will help staff meet annual training requirements.
· The director’s responsibilities for establishing an appropriate online presence for the center, including the appropriate use of social media to enhance the center’s reputation.
· The director’s responsibilities related to developing and monitoring the budget and planning for the center’s long-term financial health.
· The timelines related to licensure and accreditation. When is the program up for renewal? What reports must be submitted to licensure and accrediting bodies?
If you become a program director, you will want to find out about existing guidelines you will be expected to follow. During your tenure, you will want to continue to develop this resource. It will make your life, and that of your successor, much easier if all this information can be found in a central, organized location.
SUMMARY
A program’s staff and administrative manuals and its family handbook can be seen as vehicles describing how the program follows its policies and procedures. These in-house publications should be grounded in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct as well as the program’s specific core values, vision and mission while providing specific guidelines for how it will abide by applicable laws and regulations. They are invaluable tools for ensuring programs’ success, and for that reason their development deserves careful thought and hard work.
· Discuss the contributions that well-developed policies and procedures can make to your program.
Thoughtfully and carefully created policies and procedures guide families staff, and the program’s administration and contribute to the program’s smooth and consistent operation by creating shared understandings. They should be developed by relying on the program’s core values, vision and mission statements; federal, state, and local laws; child care regulations; as well as voluntary accreditation and/or QRIS guidelines if applicable. The program’s administrator is usually responsible for taking the lead in their development. In some cases, they may be developed by a board of directors and/or an advisory committee. In large chains and franchises, Head Start, and public school programs, policies are developed in accordance with the organization’s established lines of authority.
· Develop an outline for a staff manual, listing the major headings it should include.
The staff manual should begin with a statement that all employees are required to abide by the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. Major topics it should address are:
· Program overview
· Program services
· Administration
· Personnel policies
· Services to children
· Health and safety, including specific practices for caring for infants and toddlers
· Business and financial issues
· Records
· Families
· Public relations and marketing
· Describe some ways the family handbook is different from the staff manual.
The family manual should be warm and friendly, polished, and professional. It must be accurate, be easy to understand, and should avoid professional jargon. Illustrations should respectfully reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of children and families you serve. In addition, it should, if possible, be translated into the home language of every family.
The family handbook addresses the same topics included in the staff manual, but the emphasis of some topics is different. For example, specifics about how to pay fees is in more detail in the family handbook, but information about staff qualifications will probably be more detailed in the staff manual.
· Identify the types of issues that should be addressed in an administrative manual.
The administrative manual includes confidential information about salary scales as well as interviewing, hiring, and termination procedures. It also describes the director’s responsibilities related to providing staff training and financial management as well as licensure and accreditation deadlines.
USEFUL WEBSITES
Federal Laws and Regulations
Employment Law Guide
This government resource sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor provides an overview of employment laws, regulations, and available technical services that can help your program be in full compliance.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The U.S. Department of Education website provides a comprehensive description of mandated practices and can help your program stay in full compliance.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
This government website provides information to help ensure that your program’s practices are in full compliance with equal opportunity requirements and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
This U.S. Department of Labor website includes information about all aspects of the FMLA and includes materials related to FMLW in a wide variety of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
This U.S. Department of Justice website provides a complete description of the practices required by ADA and includes regular updates to help programs remain in compliance.
Commonly Asked Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
This U.S. Department of Justice resource interprets the ADA specifically for programs of early care and education.
Materials to Guide the Development and Implementation of Policies and Procedures
Caring for Our Children
This up-to-date and comprehensive resource, created in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, is downloadable. It addresses a wide variety of topics and provides valuable specifics. It also updates its recommendations to reflect current issues and concerns.
Is America Prepared to Protect Our Most Vulnerable Children in Emergencies?
This downloadable report provides guidance to help programs of early care to prepare for emergencies promptly and safely.
T.E.A.C.H.® Early Childhood Project
This resource describes the T.E.A.C.H.® project that supports early childhood teachers’ professional development and includes contacts for participating states.
South Carolina ABC Child Care Program Sample Documents
This website links to sample documents, from hand-washing policies to what should be covered in new employees’ orientation. Using them could streamline many aspects of your program’s operations.
TO REFLECT
1. What might be some consequences if a director did not consistently apply policies and procedures described in the family handbook or staff manual? How would the program’s operations be affected? What effect would this behavior have on morale? Who would be responsible for bringing these issues to her attention?
2. We recommend that you ask a few trusted families to review your program’s family handbook as it is being developed and finalized. What are the benefits and the risks of asking for feedback before the document has been finalized?
