Holidays and Holiday Closures

Holiday themes will emphasize multi-cultural traditions. The children and families serviced 
by our Center represent diverse religious and ethnic background. The folklore and practices 
of each are an important part of our collective culture and are presented as such in the 
curriculum.  The spirit of joy and happiness is the common theme to all. We do not emphasize 
religious themes or one particular tradition. Parents are encouraged to share their 
traditions and customs with the classroom teacher, to the Director or PTO.

The Center is closed for the following dates during the school year: 

Columbus Day		
Thanksgiving Day		
Day After Thanksgiving		
December 24		
The week of December 25-January 3rd.
Martin Luther King Day
Presidents Day
Patriot's Day
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day

The Center remains open:	
Veteran's Day

Please let the teachers know, ahead of time, if your child will have the day off.  If the 
Center has low enrollment for that holiday, it allows more staff to recognize the holiday 
with the day off.  So, when the questionnaire comes to you prior to the holiday, fill it out 
so that we can staff accordingly.  The teachers appreciate your advance notice whenever 
possible.

Snow Days

In the event of bad weather, the Center will open, and remain open, as long as conditions 
allow.  If the public is alerted to avoid travel except for emergencies, and it would be 
unsafe for the staff to travel, the Center may be closed.  The Melrose YMCA in Stoneham will 
close for one of the following two reasons:

1. A State of Emergency has been declared, or
2. The president of the Melrose Family YMCA deems its necessary to close the sites due to 
hazardous conditions.

Please telephone the Center before coming when the weather is extreme or conditions are 
dangerous.  If we know well in advance that the Center will close, the Director or the Lead 
Teacher of you child's classroom will call you personally to inform you.  There is a taped 
message available to you at the Center when you call so that you will know what the situation 
is even if no one is there.  We also ask that you call if you have made the decision not to 
send your child, so that we may be able to send staff home or tell staff not to come into 
work.  If weather or road conditions worsen during the day, parents may be asked to pick up 
their child for early closing.  Please be sure to leave an emergency number with the Center 
whenever you cannot be reached at your usual telephone number.  It is absolutely necessary 
that either you or another adult properly designated by you be reached at all times that 
your child is at the Center.  Closing the Center is done for the safety of everyone -- 
children, parents, and staff.

There are no tuition credits in the case of an emergency closing due to state of emergency, 
or the president of the YMCA deeming it hazardous.

Discipline Policy/Behavior Management

Guidance and discipline should always be developmentally appropriate and based on an 
understanding of the individual needs of each child.  The goal is to enhance and reinforce 
the healthy growth and development of the children and to protect the group and the 
individuals within it. A skilled teacher combines caring with fair and consistent limits 
within the classroom. Children who are treated this way feel safe and are usually more 
cooperative.  As they grow, children learn to express their feelings and needs in more 
socially acceptable ways.  Clear expectations, individual's attention, and acknowledgment 
of positive behaviors work wonders.  But of course, there are times when conflicts will 
arise.

Whenever possible, children will be allowed to resolve conflicts and find solutions 
themselves. Children are encouraged to establish classroom rules for behavior whenever 
appropriate and assist in its implementation.  A teacher will intervene when necessary and 
will redirect the children involved to another activity.  In doing so, the teacher will 
discuss the appropriate behavior with the children and restate the desired behavior, age 
permitting.  In order to help the children gain a better understanding of the desired 
behavior, the consequences of the inappropriate behavior will be directly related to the 
actions of the child (e.g., not being able to play with the materials that have been 
misused, or repairing a book that was intentionally torn).  Forcing a child to apologize 
to another child is usually not effective and does not validate the feelings of either 
child.

When redirections are ineffective, or when the difficult behavior is extreme or puts a child 
at risk, the teacher wills seek assistance from a co-teacher, a supervisor, or the Center 
Director.  Although it is important to allow children to express their anger in effective 
ways, keeping everyone safe is the teacher's first priority.  Occasionally, a brief 
supervised separation from the rest of the group can help a child regain control.  There 
are specific types of disciplinary interventions that are always prohibited by Center 
policy:

-Corporal punishment, including spanking, shall not be used.
-No child shall be subjected to cruel or severe punishment, humiliation, or verbal abuse.
-No child shall be denied food as a form of punishment
-No child shall be punished for soiling, wetting, or not using the toilet.

Good Health

Only Children in good health may be brought to the Center.  When a child develops signs of 
illness during the day, parents will be called and will be expected to pick up their child 
as soon as possible.  In the meantime, the child will be made comfortable in a quiet, 
supervised location away from the other children.

Children in all programs will play outdoors daily, weather permitting.  Please do not ask 
that your child be kept inside because of a cold or other illness, except for recuperation 
from bronchitis or pneumonia, as ordered by a physician.  A child who is too sick to go 
outside is usually too sick to be in a social situation with other children.

Illness

Parents must understand that any new social setting offers exposure to illnesses and germs.
Although teachers take precautions to prevent the spread of illness, children entering a new
child care setting may seem to catch everything that goes around for months, until they begin
to build up their own immunities.  Please be prepared to stay home with your child or make 
arrangements for someone who can.  In general, children who are lethargic and unable to
participate actively in the full, regular program will not be allowed to remain in the Center.
Whenever your child has experienced any of the following symptoms within the previous 24-hour
period, you will be expected to make other child care arrangements for the comfort of your
child and the health of the other families who use the Center.  No child will be allowed to
remain at the Center if any of the following conditions are present:

1. Fever if 101 degrees:  Children sent home in the middle of the day may not
   return to school until they have been fever-free for a full 24-hour period.
2. Diarrhea:  Two or more instances close together may be assumed to be
   contagious unless otherwise determined by a doctor not be to so.
3. Vomiting.
4. Pronounced or persistent coughing.
5. A contagious condition of any kind, including but not limited to strep, flu,
   respiratory infection, conjunctivitis, infectious rash, hepatitis, chicken pox, measles, 
   mumps, scabies, lice, etc., unless accompanied by a doctor's note.
6. Continuous greenish running mucus from the nose.
7. Fever (over 101°) and/or diarrhea due to "teething" must be confirmed by a
   doctor, and the child must return with a note in order for him/her to return to care.

If your child should shows one or more of the following symptoms while in our care at the 
Center, you will be telephoned to come and get your child within 30-45 minutes of the 
telephone call.  It is very important to keep the Center updated daily with telephone 
numbers where you can be reached in case of an emergency.  If either parent cannot be 
reached, the emergency contacts will be called.  Your child is not allowed to remain in 
the Center for longer than the travel time it takes for you to get here, so be warned that 
someone will have to leave work immediately.  It's always a good idea to make sure that 
those contacts live in the area (not out of state), drive a car, or have transportation 
available to them, are familiar with your child, and aware of this responsibility.  The 
"Emergency Contact" form needs to be updated each year or when any information changes.

When your child is dismissed early due to illness, an "Illness Dismissal" form is issued and 
signed off by both the Parent and the Lead Teacher of the classroom.  This provides you with 
necessary information to take with you to the doctors if necessary and establishes a clear 
understanding of the reasons for dismissal.