General Information

Thank you for choosing or considering Rainbow Daycare for your child! Rainbow Daycare is a parent owned non-profit daycare operated by a seven-member Board of Directors in collaboration with the Executive Director of RDC. The Board of Directors is primarily comprised of other parents who like you choose RDC for their child. Having a parent run Board of Directors helps make the RDC experience a unique and rewarding one. Parents have a direct voice in the functions and success of the center. It is our hope that each family will have a rich and rewarding experience with RDC and recommend our center to other families looking for care.

Nutrition
RDC provides breakfast (until 8:30 a.m. daily), morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. Menus are prepared and posted weekly, but may be subject to change. RDC is a participant in the State of California Department of Education food program. All meals are prepared in accordance to the nutritional guidelines of the program. RDC strives to serve meals and snacks that are low in sugar and uses lean white meat and whole grains whenever possible. RDC allows parents to provide soy milk or organic baby food for their child; however, it is at their own expense.

Birthday Snacks
You may bring a special birthday snack to share with the other children in celebration of your child’s birthday. Please inform the Executive Director or RDC staff about the birthday at least one week in advance of when you would like to have the celebration and what you intend to bring. Please note that all birthday snacks must be appropriate for pre-school aged children and approved by the Executive Director or RDC staff prior to the date of the celebration. Snacks should be in individual servings and parents are always welcome to join in on the celebration.

Special Diets
Please inform the Executive Director if your child has a food allergy or requires any special diet at the time of enrollment. A signed physician’s note must accompany all food allergy notifications and proper medications must accompany the child to school in case of accidental exposure. In general, RDC does not accommodate special diets beyond elimination of certain foods. Parents of infants are required to provide updated information to the Executive Director and RDC staff when adding new foods to their infant’s diet. Introduction of new food must be at home and at least 24 hours before informing the Executive Director or infant teachers to add a food is to an infant’s diet. RDC will post all food allergy notifications in public view in the classrooms and kitchen.

Clothing
Your child’s clothing should be weather appropriate, washable and suitable for ACTIVE play. Clothing may become stained by paint, markers, dirt, etc so please do not send your child in any clothing that is unsuitable for pre-school activities. LABEL ALL CLOTHING! THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE SET OF SPARE CLOTHES IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS OR SPILLS FOR ALL CHILDREN, INFANTS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST TWO SETS OF SPARE CLOTHES. Clothing needs to be easily accessible in the cubby. For the pre-school children, RDC staff may request the child to retrieve their own clothing. As such, if clothing is stored in a bag, the child should be able to access the bag without assistance. RDC staff will bag all wet or soiled clothing and place in your child’s cubby to go home. RDC staff requests that parents check their child’s cubby daily for any soiled clothing.

Shoes
RDC does not allow open toed shoes such as Thongs or “Jelly shoes”, ballet slippers or slick bottomed party shoes on the play yard. These types of shoes are not safe in the play yard and can create a danger to the child. RDC recommends sneakers or closed toed shoes as they are the most comfortable and safe, and allow for uninhibited outdoor active play. If your child cannot tie shoes, it is recommended that they wear sneakers with Velcro or slip on shoes (slip on shoes must have a full back).

Toys
It is quite natural for young children to want to bring toys to school. A child may bring a special comfort toy and/or blanket from home for naptime. At RDC, the children do have an opportunity to present something for a Sharing Day. Children are encouraged to bring items to share that relate to the curriculum theme. This is the only day your child should bring a play item from home. Parents are encouraged to allow their child to choose the item to share, even if it is the same item every week! Sharing items can be any safe, fairly unbreakable toy, nature item, picture, etc. RDC asks parents to keep fragile items, and items that do not keep with the non-violent philosophy of RDC at home. Parents are responsible for labeling all items and RDC is not responsible for any soiling, breakage or losses that might occur. Please check with your classroom teacher for the appropriate time to bring a share item.

Naps
Infants are on their own schedules and may nap as frequently as they need. Preschool children nap or rest together after lunch. When children enroll, they must bring a small blanket and crib sheet used for naps. Parents must launder these and return them at least weekly. Children may bring a special blanket, pillow, and/or sleep toy from home. Parents are responsible for upkeep on these special items. PLEASE CLEARLY LABEL ALL BLANKETS, SHEETS, AND PILLOWS WITH THE CHILD’S NAME. Any pillows should be in a pillowcase and be able to fit inside the child’s cubby. All children will rest during this time. If your child does not regularly nap, staff will provide your child with a quiet independent activity to do while the other children nap.

Cubbies for Children and Parents
Each child will have one “cubby” that is assigned to them and that contain their personal items, extra clothes and bedding. Parents are encouraged to pack these items in a drawstring bag, tote, or backpack that fits within their assigned space and is easily accessible to the staff and child. Occasionally RDC staff may place memos or other communications in the child’s cubby, in or around the sign in books, or posted on the Parent Board. Please check these locations daily. Parents are responsible for all such information. Any unlabeled items may be placed in the lost and found.

Bottles, Diapers, Pacifiers and Toilet Training
Infant bottles and pacifiers will be given as prescribed by the parents. Your child will not be allowed to carry a bottle around RDC or sleep with a bottle in the crib. Children will be either sitting or held when drinking a bottle. RDC does not provide formula, bottles, bottle liners, and/or pacifiers; these must be brought from home. Please label these items clearly with your child’s name. Each infant will have a designated area in the refrigerator for bottles. Bottles must be pre-prepared by the parents with either formula or breast milk. Disposable diapers and wipes are included in the cost of tuition. Parents are welcome to provide pull-ups or organic diapers at their own expense if they prefer.

Children are offered the use of the toilet when they show interest. Parents are encouraged to talk with the Executive Director and RDC staff about their toilet training plans for their child. Our trained staff is available to assist children and parents with the potty training process; however, in order to be effective, parents must be committed to being consistent with toilet training at home and at school. RDC believes that each child adheres to their own schedule of when they are ready to toilet train. Generally, the expectation is that the child will be fully toilet trained prior to transitioning to the Red class. If a child is not fully toilet trained by the time they are three years old, the parents are to continue to pay the Yellow room tuition rate until they are fully toilet trained. The child may remain in the Yellow class if they are not developmentally ready to transition to the Red class. Children will not transition to the Blue class until they are fully toilet trained.

Communication with Teachers
Parents are encouraged to maintain open communication with their child’s teacher. While teachers are always accessible to parents during drop off and pick up times, this is not the time to initiate in-depth conversation with your child’s teacher about any behavior concerns. We ask that parents request a meeting with the Executive Director and the teacher to discuss their concerns.

It is important for parents to communicate with their teacher whenever there is something going on with their child that may affect their behavior at school. Examples may include a recent death in the family, a divorce, loss of a family pet, a parent out of town, or anything that the parent feels could potentially influence the child’s behavior while at school. Parents are encouraged to keep staff informed in order to provide the best possible care for the child.

Parent Concerns
RDC asks that parents discuss any concerns they have with other enrolled children with the Executive Director. It is inappropriate for parents to involve themselves with the discipline of another enrolled child. It is natural for children this age to experience some disagreement with other children. RDC expects that families will have confidence in the ability of staff to resolve any issues that may develop between children.

The Board of Directors Purpose
The Board of Directors primary goal is to ensure that RDC provides a safe, educational, nurturing environment for our children staffed by the most qualified and caring personnel. In addition, the Board must conduct, manage, and control the business operations of the center including establishing policy and ensuring compliance with State Licensing.

Elections
Each board member serves a term of one year with three board members elected in April and four board members elected in October of each year. Board members may serve consecutive terms but must be re-elected. When vacancies exist, the Executive Director will assist in soliciting for candidate statements from interested parents. All interested parents will submit a signed candidate statement detailing why they are interested in serving on the Board of Directors. Each candidate’s name and statement will become available to each family of RDC for a ballot and subsequent election.

Board Meetings
The Board of Directors meets monthly at the center at 5:45 p.m. and meetings typically last about an hour. Board meetings are open to any RDC family or staff wishing to attend. Information regarding the schedule of board meetings and listing of your current board members is available on the Parent Board at the entrance of the center.

By-Laws
A set of by-laws governs the Board of Directors. A copy of the by-laws is available at your request from the Executive Director of RDC.

Officers
The Board of Directors has four officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Acting board members elect officers at the first board meeting following elections.