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 center 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
• Educara Montessori Child Care 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 the child care centre may release the child to.
• Educara Montessori Child Care 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
Children can only be released to individuals who are a minimum of 16 years of age. Photo identification will be required for any individual not recognized by the attending staff. This may include emergency contacts, a parent, or other authorized individual picking up that are not easily recognized by the attending staff.
Procedures
Accepting a child into care
1. When accepting a child into care at the time of drop-off, program staff in the room must:
o greet the parent/guardian and child.
o parents and guardians may not drop any child off without making contact with a staff member to ensure they are aware.
o Whenever 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, or where the individual is not listed, ask the parent/guardian to provide authorization for pick-up in writing via email or through the Brightwheel app.
o sign the child in on the classroom attendance record.
Where a child has not arrived in care as expected
1. 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., sent a message or advised the closing staff at pick-up), the staff in the classroom must:
o inform the lead in the room, and they must commence contacting the child’s parent/guardian as soon as reasonably possible. Staff shall either send a message through the Brightwheel app or follow up via a phone call. If there is no answer staff must leave a detailed message. If there is no response from the parent, staff must follow up again once the child returns to care.
o Should the child remain out for several days, staff must try to contact them at least one other time to confirm the reason.
o Should the situation continue, and the child remain out of care for more than a week without communication, staff must report this to the supervisor who will then determine if CAS should be contacted.
Staffing decisions are made daily, and the number of staff in each room can change due to changes in attendance and ratios. If your child will be away for any reason (illness, vacation, a home day, etc.) or arriving later than the usually drop off time, please notify the center via Brightwheel or the absent@educara.ca email, no later than 8am.
Should your child not arrive at their expected time and the center be unaware of the reason or that they will be arriving late, staffing decisions may be made that effect the ability to drop off later.
2. Once the child’s absence has been confirmed, 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. If the reason for absence is not confirmed, staff must still mark the child absent, and add in any additional information once it becomes available.
Releasing a child from care
1. 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),
o confirm with another staff member that the individual picking up is the child’s parent/guardian/authorized individual.
o 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)
1. 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 by the attending staff shall contact the parent/guardian through the Brightwheel app and advise that the child is still in care and has not been picked up. If there is no response staff should follow up with calling all available parent/guardian phone numbers available. If the situation takes place at closing or continues after the closing time, emergency contacts should also be called.
o Where the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian by closing, staff must then proceed to contact all available emergency contacts via any all means provided.. 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 a child has not been picked up and the centre is closed
1. Where the staff has not heard back from the parent/guardian or authorized individual by fifteen minutes past closing time, and has completed all calls to authorized individuals who was to pick up the child the staff shall report to the supervisor who will return to the center to initiate protocols. Should the Supervisor be unavailable, the Acting Supervisor will assume this responsibility. In the event that both the Supervisor and Acting Supervisor are unavailable, one of the classroom leads will be designated to assume the responsibility.
2. 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 authorized individual or the parent based on known circumstances (guardians out of town, or authorized individual picks up regularly)
3. If the staff is unable to reach the parent/guardian or authorized individual who was responsible for picking up the child, the staff shall proceed to calling or contacting all emergency or authorized contacts .
4. 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) by fifteen minutes past closing, the staff shall proceed with contacting the supervisor (or other staff as defined above) who will determine whether or not to contact the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) Center 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.
Glossary
Individual authorized to pick-up/authorized individual: a person that the parent/guardian has advised the child care program staff in writing can pick-up their child from care.
Licensee: Individual or corporation named on the licence issued by the Ministry of Education responsible for the operation and management of the child care centre and home child agency.
Parent/guardian: A person having lawful custody of a child or a person who has demonstrated a settled intention to treat a child as a child of his or her family.
Regulatory Requirements: Ontario Regulation 137/15
Safe arrival and dismissal policy 50. Every licensee shall ensure that each child care centre it operates and each premises where it oversees the provision of home child care has a policy respecting the safe arrival and dismissal of children that, (a) provides that a child may only be released from the child care centre or home child care premises, (i) to individuals indicated by a child’s parent, or (ii) in accordance with written permission from a child’s parent to release the child from the program at a specified time without supervision; and (b) sets out the steps that must be taken if, (i) a child does not arrive as expected at the centre or home child care premises, or (ii) a child is not picked up as expected from the centre or home child care premises.
Disclaimer: This document is a sample of a policy and procedure that has been prepared to assist licensees in understanding their obligations under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and O. Reg. 137/15. It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that the information included in this document is appropriately modified to reflect the individual circumstances and needs of each child care centre it operates and each premises where the licensee oversees the provision of home child care.
Please be advised that this document does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. The information provided in this document does not impact the Ministry’s authority to enforce the CCEYA and its regulations. Ministry staff will continue to enforce such legislation based on the facts as they may find them at the time of any inspection or investigation.
It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure compliance with all applicable legislation. If the licensee requires assistance with respect to the interpretation of the legislation and its application, the licensee may wish to consult legal counsel.
