Arrival & Departure Policy

Child Care Centre

Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy and Procedures

Purpose

This policy and the procedures within help support the safe arrival and dismissal of children receiving care. 

This policy will provide staff, students, and volunteers with a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for ensuring the safe arrival and dismissal of children receiving care, including what steps are to be taken when a child does not arrive at the child care centre as expected, as well as steps to follow to ensure the safe dismissal of children.

This policy is intended to fulfill the obligations set out under Ontario Regulation 137/15 for policies and procedures regarding the safe arrival and dismissal of children in care.

Note: definitions for terms used throughout this policy are provided in a Glossary at the end of the document.

Policy

General

• Building Blocks Nursery School will ensure that any child receiving child care at the child care centre is only released to the child’s parent/guardian or an individual that the parent/guardian has provided written authorization or verbal confirmation that the child care centre may release the child to.
• Building Blocks Nursery School will only dismiss children into the care of their parent/guardian or another authorized individual.  The centre will not release any children from care without supervision.
• Where a child does not arrive in care as expected or is not picked up as expected, staff must follow the safe arrival and dismissal procedures set out below.

Additional Policy Statements

• Building Blocks Nursery School parents/guardians will be asked to inform the school prior to class starting, via phone, if their child will be absent from school.

Procedures

Accepting a child into care

• When accepting a child into care at the time of drop-off, program staff in the room must:
  
  • greet the parent/guardian and child.
  • ask the parent/guardian how the child’s evening/morning has been and if there are any changes to the child’s pick-up procedure (i.e., someone other than the parent/guardian picking up).  Where the parent/guardian has indicated that someone other than the child’s parent/guardians will be picking up, the staff must confirm that the person is listed on the registration form or where the individual is not listed, ask the parent/guardian to provide authorization for pick-up in writing (e.g., note or email), or verbal consent at time of drop-off.
  • document the change in pick-up procedure in the daily written “Safe Arrivals Log Book”.
  • sign the child in on the classroom attendance record.

Where a child has not arrived in care as expected

• Where a child does not arrive at the child care centre and the parent/guardian has not communicated a change in drop-off (e.g., left a voice message or advised the closing staff at pick-up), the staff in the classroom must:
  
  • must commence contacting the child’s parent/guardian no later than 12.00 (noon), for morning classes and 3:30 p.m. for afternoon classes. Staff shall proceed to contact parent/guardian directly via phone, text, or email. Staff will attempt to contact parent/guardian at least once. If staff are not able to speak to parent/guardian then they will leave messages asking for the adult to confirm child’s absence, if they do not speak directly to them.
• Once the child’s absence has been confirmed or messages have been left, program staff shall document the child’s absence on the attendance record and any additional information about the child’s absence in the daily written record.

Releasing a child from care

• The staff who is supervising the child at the time of pick-up shall only release the child to the child’s parent/guardian or individual that the parent/guardian has provided written authorization that the child care may release the child to.  Where the staff does not know the individual picking up the child (i.e., parent/guardian or authorized individual),
  
  • confirm with another staff member that the individual picking up is the child’s parent/guardian/authorized individual.
  • where the above is not possible, ask the parent/guardian/authorized individual for photo identification and confirm the individual’s information against the parent/guardian/authorized individual’s name on the child’s file or written authorization.

Where a child has not been picked up as expected (before centre closes)

• Where a parent/guardian has previously communicated with the staff a specific time or timeframe that their child is to be picked up from care and the child has not been picked up, the staff shall proceed to contact parent/guardian directly via phone, text and advise that the child is still in care and has not been picked up. 
  
  • Where the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian, staff must leave a message Where the individual picking up the child is an authorized individual and their contact information is available, the staff shall proceed with contacting the individual to confirm pick-up as per the parent/guardian’s instructions or leave a voice message to contact the centre.
  • Where the staff has not heard back from the parent/guardian or authorized individual who was to pick up the child the staff shall proceed to contact emergency contact directly via phone or text. If no contact has been made then child will remain in the centre’s care and then refer to procedures under “where a child has not been picked up and program is closed”.

Where a child has not been picked up and the centre is closed

• Where a parent/guardian or authorized individual who was supposed to pick up a child from care and has not arrived by regular class pick up time staff shall ensure that the child is given a snack and activity, while they await their pick-up. 
• One staff shall stay with the child, while a second staff proceeds with calling the parent/guardian to advise that the child is still in care and inquire their pick-up time.  In the case where the person picking up the child is an authorized individual; the staff shall contact the parent/guardian first and then proceed to contact the authorized individual responsible for picking up if unable to reach parent/guardian.
• If the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian or authorized individual who was responsible for picking up the child, the staff shall start contacting authorized individuals on child’s file under emergency contacts.
• Where the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian or any other authorized individual listed on the child’s file (e.g., the emergency contacts) within 1 hour of centre’s closing the staff shall proceed with contacting Peel Children’s Aid Society: call 905-363-6131, Mon-Sun 24 hours. Staff shall follow the CAS’s direction with respect to next steps.

Dismissing a child from care without supervision procedures

• Staff will only release children from care to the parent/guardian or other authorized adult. Under no circumstances will children be released from care to walk home alone.