Please Contact Us About Any Questions Regarding Policies

For a comprehensive list of Creekside Kids Policies and Procedures, CLICK HERE for a downloadable version.

Creekside Kids, Inc. was developed in response to the Cheyenne Mountain School District’s preschool
families who need extended care for their preschool children. We also serve district staff members and
members of the public who need childcare that follows the school year calendar.

We are unaffiliated with the district but we are housed on-site at Cañon School. This provides a safe and easy transition to and from the preschool classrooms to child care.

We provide escorted pick up and drop off at the door of the preschool classroom and high-quality programming based on children’s needs and interests. Creekside Kids, Inc. is a Large Child Care Center for children ages 2 ½ through age 8, and is open to all children regardless of ability, gender, race and/or religion.

Philosophy: We believe in flexible, child-directed learning in an atmosphere of exploratory fun. We draw from the Montessori Method, the Reggio Emilia philosophy and Play-Based methods. Since many of the children are already attending a preschool program we focus on learning through stimulating activities and the care of the “whole” child.

Physical, social and emotional, and cognitive needs are all equally important in the life of a young child and contribute to the growth of the child as a life-long learner.

Discipline: At Creekside Kids, Inc., we strive to create positive learning environments for all of our children, families and staff. For the children, this is accomplished through the use of various social and emotional curricula, positive behavior support, Love and Logic (a link to Love and Logic will be needed here) strategies, communication with parents and guardians and mental health consultants as needed.

For families, we communicate as much as possible on a regular basis, provide articles and information about behavioral issues, and suggest seeking outside help from physicians, Child Find, counselors, etc. Staff is involved in all of these procedures as needed and appropriate.

As a community we feel that children should have reasonable control over their environments and therefore we teach appropriate social skills while allowing the children to make decisions about their classrooms and interactions. All children will be taught how to engage in respectful communication and physical interactions based on societal norms. We also teach responsibility and kindness as social/emotional skills. Our general rules for all classrooms within the center are, “We keep ourselves safe. We keep our friends safe. We keep our things safe.”

The Pyramid Model and Pyramid Plus Model of teaching has deeply influenced our strategies for working with young children. We are able to address pro-social peer interactions and social/emotional competencies through behavior support techniques.

Creekside Kids encourages and supports teachers in observing, tracking and analyzing challenging behavioral interactions in order to understand the motivations behind unusual behaviors. We look for patterns and root cause to inform a team-based approach of individualized support.

When a child has difficult time controlling his/her body and is “disoriented” we will provide a short calm down period away from others as needed so that they do not harm themselves or others before addressing the issue at hand. When there is a pattern of harmful behaviors teachers will meet with parents/guardians to address the behaviors and create a plan of action.

When appropriate, information on Early Childhood Metal Health Professionals will be provided for the families. The center may recommend that the parent speak to their health care provider about an issue. The center may suggest a counseling or therapy consult. In the event that plans created are not successful and the harmful behaviors are not curtailed a child may be suspended or dis-enrolled.

Registration: All forms, including shot records, must be filled out and turned in before a child attends the first day of child care. If medication needs to be administered, a Medication Administration form, filled out by a physician, must be completed, signed, and returned before ANY medication can be administered to a child. The physical form, filled out by a physician, must be completed, signed, and returned within 30 days of enrollment.

Registration and Deposit: A registration fee of $25 per child will be charged to all new families. This fee is non-refundable. All families will be required to pay a $200 deposit per child. Deposits will be refunded if the family gives a two week notice of disenrollment and pays all outstanding balances. If the account has an outstanding balance, the deposit will be applied to this balance and any remaining deposit money will be refunded to the account holder.

Payment: Pre-payment of tuition is required at the beginning of each month. We accept cash, check, or money orders at the center and ACH and Credit payments through Kangarootime. If a monthly payment schedule does not fit your budget, please speak with the center director about other payment options. Families that pay via Kangarootime with a credit card will incur a 3% processing fee. Families that pay via Kangarootime with ACH will not incur a processing fee.

Monthly Schedules: Creekside Kids offers a variety of scheduling options to meet the needs of our families. As such, families are required to turn in a schedule for each period to allow for proper staff scheduling, meal orders, and billing. Schedule and billing periods are 4 weeks in length (with 2 five week periods each year.)

Families are required to turn in a schedule the Monday prior to the beginning of each period. Families who do not turn in a schedule may be removed from the schedule to provide space for other families requesting care. Families whose child/ren continue to attend but have not turned in a schedule for the period will be billed a supplemental fee of $30 per period starting on the first day in attendance for the new period and will be charged the period’s tuition at the average rate of the previous period’s tuition.

Supplemental billing for each week is completed weekly for additional hours the child is in attendance above the previously billed hours. The rate for additional hours in attendance is $8 per hour.

Kangarootime: Kangarootime is an online system that is used at the center for registration, payment, check in/out of children, and parent communications. All families will receive an invitation to enroll in
Kangarootime upon registration at the center. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to register and
complete student registration as well.

Once set up is complete the primary parent/guardian on the account must invite any additional persons that will need access to the system, including but not limited to: other parent/guardian, grandparents, family, friends, people authorized for pick up/drop off, etc.

Please be sure to choose all privileges that apply to each person including: Check-in, Billing, Notes, Messages, Calendar, and Gallery. An email is required for each person and each person is also required to upload a picture of his/her face when completing registration.

It is the responsibility of the person picking up or dropping off to check the child into and out of the system on a daily basis. Families who fail to check in or out on a regular basis will be charged a daily check-in/-out fee of $1 per day. Children being picked up by a temporarily authorized person who is not registered in the system may have the fee waived for up to one week. After one week it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure the person is invited to and registers for Kangarootime.

For billing purposes, each child’s billed time begins at the time the child is checked into the system by the parent/guardian and stops at the time a center employee approves the child’s check out from the center. Center staff are required to approve each check-in/-out as an added safety benefit for our families and their children.

A check-in computer is provided for the use of families. However, families may choose to use a personal cell phone for check-in/-out and an app is available for download. Please note that some billing features do not work through the app and require you to log-in through a browser on your phone or on a desk top or lap top computer.

Go to www.kangarootime.com for more information or ask the center director if you have any support needs with this system.

Multi-Child Discounts: If a single family has more than one child enrolled, the highest tuition will be billed at full price and any additional children in attendance will have their tuition billed at a 10% discount.

Students with Disabilities: On a case-by-case basis, the needs of a student will be evaluated to determine if Creekside Kids, Inc. is the best placement for each child.

Center Schedule: Creekside Kids, Inc. provides care Monday through Friday from 6:30 am to 5:45 pm. We are open year round. Creekside Kids, Inc. closes for the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day (or the day after for observed holiday)
• Memorial Day
• July 4
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day & the subsequent Friday
• The week of Christmas

We are open during the summer and offer exciting summer camps as well as our regular child care services. Ask the director for more details about the summer camps!

Inclement Weather/Late Start: If Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 has a snow day or late start,
Creekside Kids, Inc. will open from 8:00 to 5:45. Children will be admitted on a first-come-first-served basis as we have a legal limit of 27 children in the program at any one time.

Closures: If Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 schools are shut down after school has begun due to inclement weather, natural disaster, etc. we will also close and will expect prompt pick up of the children. Parents/guardians will be called and alternate contacts for each child will be called if there is no response from a parent/guardian within 20 minutes. If Colorado Springs City Bus Services are canceled then Creekside Kids will also close for the entire day.

Meals/Snacks: Our sister center, Blue Skies Exploration Academy, prepares and delivers organic and locally sourced lunches, breakfasts, and snacks fresh daily. Every breakfast and lunch includes fresh fruit. Every lunch also includes vegetables, a healthy carbohydrate, and a lean protein. Snacks include items such as whole grain crackers, cheese, fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, pita bread, humus, and many other nutritious foods. Our meals are locally sourced, 90-100% organic and are of excellent nutritional value and taste! All foods are nut free.

The cost of breakfast, lunch, and snack are included in the tuition. Every effort will be made to ensure that foods will be chosen in consideration of special dietary needs. A family may opt out of the meal program only upon providing a documented medical condition from a medical doctor regarding food allergies or specific dietary concerns or needs that cannot be met by Creekside Kids.

Creekside Kids is an ALLERGY AWARE CENTER and every effort will be made to ensure children are not exposed to known allergies. However, as in any public setting, there is the possibility of exposure to known allergies even while under direct supervision of an adult.

If your child has been exempted from our food program due to a documented medical need or you are sending food for a special occasion like a holiday or birthday, please do not send any foods containing nuts such as, peanut butter, Nutella, granola bars with nuts, or trail mix. Many other foods have nuts in them too—PLEASE READ LABELS CAREFULLY! (A nut free alternative for nut spreads is WOW butter, which is a soy based product.)

Accidents/Injuries: If a child is injured while at Creekside Kids, Inc. parents will be called as soon as possible, and a plan will be developed based on the child’s needs.

Sick Policy: Please do not send your child if he/she has vomited, had a fever, had diarrhea, or started an antibiotic within the past 24 hours. Please have a “back-up” person in place to pick up your child quickly if he or she becomes ill while at Creekside Kids, Inc. If a child has a fever over 100˚F, or is vomiting, or has diarrhea, or has an unusual rash or is listless/lethargic, or acting strangely, a parent will be called to pick the child up. If the parent does not respond in 10 minutes (or fewer if the situation appears urgent) Creekside Kids, Inc. will contact an alternate contact on the child’s list.

If no one can be found to pick the child up or if the staff deems it necessary, emergency services may be called to attend to the child. If Creekside Kids, Inc., requests emergency medical and/or dental treatment and/or emergency transportation for any reason, the parents or guardian of the child agree to assume all associated costs. It is not the responsibility of Creekside Kids, Inc. to determine if insurance covers the child’s care or emergency transportation.

Inclement Weather: If the weather is very hot during outside time, every attempt will be made to have
students play in the shade and to drink an adequate amount of water. If the weather is very cold during outside time, children should be provided with appropriate winter attire including snow boots, gloves, hats, coats, and pants. If the weather is deemed excessively hot or cold by health department standards then the children will have indoor recess in the gym.

***Please label all additional clothing items sent with child. We recognize it is costly to replace lost items. Names greatly assist in returning lost items to the appropriate child.

Supervision: Students will always be under direct supervision.

Medication Policy: No prescription or over the counter medications will be administered without expression written permission from a licensed health care physician with prescriptive authority and written parental consent. It is recommended that medications be given at home if possible. It is also recommended that the child receive the first dose of any new medication while under the supervision of a parent.

All medications must be kept in their original container, and will be stored according to current
recommendations in the Medication Administration training manual. Prescription medications need to have a pharmacy label. Only staff with the proper training will administer medications and have had state-approved training and delegation with an RN. This is in compliance with the Delegatory Clause of the Nurse Practice Act (Section 12-38-132 C.R.S).

If your child has any special medical needs or allergies, please speak with the Center Director.

Storage of Medications: Non-emergency medications will be stored in a locked container. Emergency
medications, including inhalers and epinephrine, will be stored in the classroom out of reach of the children to allow for quick access in the case of emergency administration of medication. Refrigeration will be provided if noted on the label.

Child Self-Carry: Families of school-aged children that wish to self-carry must have a written contract
between the center, the parent(s)/guardian(s) and the child that acknowledges assignment of levels of
responsibility of each individual. This contract will accompany orders for the medication from a health care provider along with confirmation from the health care provider that the child has been instructed and is capable of self-administration of the prescribed medication.

Delegation of Medication Administration: Medication will be administered only by a staff member who has been trained and certified by the center’s Health Consultant to administer each medication to each child.

Immunizations: Immunizations are not required; however, Creekside Kids, Inc. must have a current and complete copy of the original immunization card for each child. If a child has not been immunized for religious or personal reasons a written statement signed by the child’s parent or guardian must be submitted to the center. Privacy will be maintained; however, in the event of the illness occurring or of potential exposure, all parents and guardians will be notified that an exposure has occurred and that there are children in the center who are not fully immunized.

Individualized Health Care Plans: Families with a child that has an existing individualized health care plan in place must provide a copy of the plan to the staff of Creekside Kids before the first day of attendance. These plans are to be authorized by the child’s health care provider and parent(s)/guardian(s) and define the interventions needed to care for a child who has an identified health or developmental condition or concern including, but not limited to: seizures, asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, heart or respiratory conditions, and physical disabilities.

Families of children who have an identified health or developmental condition, but do not have an existing plan in place must obtain a plan from the child’s health care provider and the parent(s) / guardian(s) and turn the plan in to the center within the first 30 days of enrollment. The plan must define the interventions needed to care for a child who has an identified health or developmental condition or concern including, but not limited to: seizures, asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, heart or respiratory conditions, and physical disabilities. Medication cannot be administered and medical procedures cannot be completed by center staff until a plan has been received and any required delegation by the school nurse has been completed.

Health care plans should include (as needed) a medication schedule, nutrition and feeding instructions, medical equipment or adaptive devices including instructions, medical emergency instructions, toileting and personal hygiene instructions, behavioral interventions, and medical/procedure/intervention orders.

Failure to provide the plan in advance may cause a delay in enrollment due to the need to review the plan, train staff, and receive delegation from the school nurse. Health care plans must be updated every 12 months or if changes occur.

Alternative Contacts: Please provide a list of authorized adults who may pick up your child if you are unable to do so. Include their phone numbers, their driver’s license numbers, and address. No one other than the parents or designated person(s) will be allowed to pick up your child without prior arrangement. Creekside Kids, Inc. must be notified in advance and have a written note (if possible) with the person’s name and relationship to the child.

If the parents are divorced or separated and one parent is not allowed by court order to pick up the child, Creekside Kids, Inc. must have a copy of the current order. The parent who has custody must submit a written plan indicating what Creekside Kids, Inc. should do in the case the barred parent tries to remove the child from our custody. If there is no current court order in place or it is not provided to us, the staff of Creekside Kids, Inc. cannot stop the non-custodial parent from removing the child.

Late Pick-Up: If a child is not picked up by 5:45 p.m., the parents will be called and if no response occurs within 5 minutes, the alternative contacts will be tried. The child will be released to whichever of the authorized adults arrives first. If it is not a parent, the parents will be called to inform them of who has the child in custody and how to contact that person.

In the event that no contact is made with either parents or emergency contacts within 30 minutes, the police will be called to take custody of the child.

Charges applied for Late Pick-Ups are:

$5.00 for the first five minutes and a courtesy call (5:45 to 5:50)
$1.00 for each minute thereafter.

The time will be determined by the center’s clock. Cash payment is due at the time of the parent’s arrival or with the first day the child arrives back to the center for care after the late pick-up. A receipt will be provided.

Families who are regularly late for pick-up, more than 2 times in a period, will incur an increased late pick-up fee. These families will be informed through Kangarootime Messaging regarding the rate increase for late pick-up. Families that continue to have excessive late pick-ups may be dis-enrolled for failure to adhere to the center’s hours of operation.

Late payments/Returned Check Fee: Payments are due by the first of the month for that month’s tuition. A late fee of $20 will be charged upon the 5th business day of the billing period for families paying monthly tuition. If a monthly plan does not meet your needs, please speak to the director about weekly and biweekly options. A late fee of $5 per week will be charged to families following a weekly or biweekly payment schedule. Full payment for the period is required at the start of each period or at the beginning of the week for weekly or biweekly payment schedules.

The returned check fee is $30.00 plus any additional costs incurred for a returned check. The charge for a returned or declined ACH or Credit Charge depends on the reason for being declined or returned and can range from $7 to $30 plus any additional costs incurred for a returned payment. Families will be charged fees accordingly. If any form of payment is repeatedly returned or declined the account holder will be required to pay cash for services.

Collection of Overdue Accounts: Accounts that are three months or more past due may be sent to
collections. In case of default payment, the account holder(s) agree(s) to pay any and all costs of collecting this account including, but not limited to, attorney fees and court costs.

It is the responsibility of the account holder to pay all past due center fees and tuition. In addition, it is the responsibility of the account holder to pay any collections fees accrued during the collections process.

Disenrollment: A minimum notice of two weeks is required when you decide to dis-enroll your child. If a two week notice is not given, you are still responsible for paying the two weeks. In order to better serve our parents, we appreciate knowing the reason for the disenrollment.

Creekside Kids reserves the right to dis-enroll a child who presents a health or safety risk to staff or other children. We may also dis-enroll any child whose needs are not met by our program. Creekside Kids may also dis-enroll your child if you or your child is not able to or chooses not to follow our policies.

Natural Disasters/Fire/Emergency: Creekside Kids, Inc. follows all Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 plans for emergencies such as fire and intruders. Fire drills and lock-down drills will occur along with the building’s regularly scheduled drills.

In case of evacuation from the building grounds the following locations are the primary, secondary, and tertiary evacuation sites depending on emergency needs.

1. Cheyenne Mountain Junior High Parking Lot
2. Harlan Wolfe Park
3. Fellowship of the Rockies on 8th Street

Lost Child Policy: If a child were to become lost, the building’s intercom system would be utilized to alert all adults of the missing child and to request that the child return to the Creekside Kids, Inc. classroom immediately. All possible locations such as bathrooms and closets would be checked while other adults search the fenced playground. A parent will be notified as soon as possible to the situation and appropriate authorities would be notified as soon as possible/appropriate.

Each child is assigned to a supervising adult on an 8:1, 10:1, or 12:1 ratio, depending the age groups present, so the likelihood of a child getting lost in the school which has a fenced play area is unlikely. Our focus is your child’s safety. We work with each child to teach safety skills such as staying in the line with the teacher.

If our center is the first time your child has traveled in a group or your child might have difficulty staying with the teacher, please let us know so that we may give your child a little extra attention in this area.

Volunteers, Visitors, Guest Performers and Speakers: Creekside Kids, Inc. will have guests visit for educational or entertainment purposes. However, no guest will be allowed to be alone with a child or with the children.

Parents/guardians who are visiting will be allowed to be alone only with their child. Visits by parents should be kept to a reasonable time limit. Extended visits disrupt peer to peer interactions which are vital to developing social and emotional skills and child / teacher interactions which are vital to developing important bonds in a caregiver environment. In addition, visits often disrupt a child’s routine and may cause the child to become upset by an unexpected visit that is outside the norm of parental drop off and pick up practices.

As Creekside Kids is a for-profit business, per Department of Labor regulations, we are not permitted to utilize volunteers. All position must be a paid position which sometimes includes contract labor positions for guest performs and speakers.

Field Trips: Field trips are limited to sites within walking distance and will only happen with prior notice and with adequate supervision. If a child arrives late to the center on a field trip day, the parent/guardian may call the center’s cell phone and meet the class. The child may be signed in on location with the supervising teacher.

Transportation: Creekside Kids, Inc. and its employees do not transport children in their cars. In the event of an unusual emergency, the director may drive a child to the appropriate health care facility; however, Creekside Kids, Inc. will not be responsible for any medical/dental/transportation costs associated with the visit to the medical facility. It is not the center’s responsibility to determine if insurance covers the child’s care.

In the event of a natural disaster, including but not limited to wildfires and floods, Creekside Kids’ staff may use personal vehicles to transport children to an evacuation site if time does not allow for walking or waiting for pick-up by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact.

Television Viewing: In line with Reggio Emilia inspired learning Creekside Kids, Inc. only plays videos for educational or health purposes. For example, to demonstrate a scientific experiment which the children may repeat or to illustrate a concept we have been exploring. On snowy days, we may play a children’s yoga video, or exercise video for the children to follow.

Conferences: Conferences to discuss your child’s behavior, progress, and social and physical needs can be called by either the parents/guardians or staff on an as needed basis.

Potty Training: Our staff will monitor the children in the bathroom and take them on a regular schedule (and as needed). The staff will supervise bathroom behavior and hand washing, however the bathroom is for single use and the children will be asked to close the door for privacy. Please let us know if you have any concerns. If a child needs help with wiping, the staff will help when asked by the child or if a parent asks for the child to be regularly assisted. Please provide two weather appropriate changes of clothes for a child undergoing potty training.

All Potty Trained Children: Older children who are trained occasionally have accidents—please supply a change of shirt, underwear, pants, and socks even if it is only a remote possibility for your child.

Diaper Changes: Diapers are checked as part of our bathroom schedule (approximately every 50-70 minutes for children ages 2 ½ – 3) or more frequently if required. Hand washing is performed after each change.

Parents are responsible for supplying diapers & wipes, and a weather appropriate change of clothes.
*Parents that do not provide diapers may be charged $1 per diaper provided by the center.

Hand Washing: All children and staff are required to wash hands upon arrival at the center. Regular group trips to the bathroom are scheduled frequently due to the location of the bathroom and the ages of the children. If a child does not need to “go” he/she will still be required to wash hands. This may result in chapped hands so the center provides cotton swabs and a block of Crisco (vegetable oil) for application by an adult. We are only able to apply this to HEALTHY skin (no scabs, open cracks, etc).

*We are an allergy aware zone in the Cañon School building, and do not serve nuts or products
containing nuts. All children need to wash hands on arrival to reduce the likelihood of spreading
both germs and allergens in the classroom.

Nap Time: All children in the center between 1:00-3:00 will have a rest time. If your child will be here during that time please provide a sheet to cover our cots and a small blanket. You may also send a small pillow and/or small stuffed animal if you’d like. A child who attends 3 or more days a week may store his/her nap items at the center during the week and take them home on Fridays for washing. Children will rest quietly on cots for a maximum of 30 minutes before getting up.

*If you do not provide the center with a sheet and/or blanket you may be charged up to $1 per day
for use and cleaning of center materials.

Personal Property: Accessories such as gloves, scarves, socks, and sunglasses are occasionally lost or
damaged. Creekside Kids, Inc. will not be responsible for replacing/repairing these types of items. Some children have a personal item for nap time and these will be kept in the backpack except at rest time. They will not be for shared use.

Children should not bring toys for play into the classroom as this can cause hurt feelings if children do not want to share or if a toy is lost or broken. If a toy is brought into the classroom it will be returned to the child’s backpack or cubby. Creekside Kids, Inc. will not be responsible if an item is lost or damaged.

Children should not carry money, Chap Stick, lotions/ointments, or any medications in their pockets or
backpacks. As we have mixed ages, any item that poses a choking risk will be kept by a teacher until the end of the day. To file a Complaint about this Child Care Center: Contact the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care, 1575 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80203-1714 or call (303) 866-5958 or (800) 799-5876

Child Abuse: Creekside Kids, Inc. is required by law to report to the local Social Services Office any
suspected physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect. To report suspected abuse or neglect, parents may call 444-5700.

Policy Agreement
I have read and understand the policies of Creekside Kids, Inc. By signing this agreement, I/we agree to
honor all terms of this contract, and the written policies of Creekside Kids, Inc., now and in the future.
Breach of this contract in any way from the parent/guardian, may result in immediate termination of all services.

Please turn in this form with your child’s enrollment forms.

________________________________________________________________________
Child’s / Children’s Name(s)

______________________________________ ____________
Parent Signature Date

______________________________________ ____________
Administrator Signature Date
Creekside Kids, Inc. 1201 W Cheyenne Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80906