Safe Arrival and Departure Policy

This policy has been developed to support the safe arrival and dismissal of children receiving care at Young Achievers Daycare.

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1. ACCOMPANYING YOUR CHILD A parent or guardian must accompany the child into the program, sign the child in and remain with the child until a staff member has received him/her. The program is not responsible for the safety of a child who enters the program unaccompanied. At pick-up, a parent or other authorized person must inform the staff that they are picking the child up and sign the child out.

 

2. IDENTIFICATION Your child will only be released to those listed on his/her registration form. If you wish for someone else to pick up your child, you must inform the staff via letter of consent. Proper identification will be required upon arrival.

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3. AGE RESTRICTION FOR PICK-UP Due to safety and liability concerns, a person under the age of 16 will not be permitted to pick up a child from the program without the parents’ signed waiver of liability from Young Achievers Daycare acknowledging the risks.

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4. CHECK IN/OUT PROCEDURE Parents or guardians are required to sign-in their child upon arrival using the designated sign-in sheet and sign-out sheet at pick-up.

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5. AUTHORIZED PICK-UP Only individuals listed on the child’s authorized pick-up list will be allowed to pick up the child. Any changes to the authorized pick-up list must be communicated in writing or verbally to the team lead.

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6. UNACCOMPANIED CHILD: A parent can provide written permission for their child to leave the daycare premises unaccompanied if they are 10 years or older. In the letter, the parent must provide the specified time they can leave unsupervised and express in writing that they understand that Young Achievers Daycare is not liable once the child leaves the program. One staff in the program will be responsible for dismissing the child from care, the staff will review the written instructions prior to release, and release the child at the time set out in the instructions. The staff will document the time of departure from care as well as initial on the attendance record and sign in/out sheet.

 

7. IDENTIFICATION VERIFICATION Staff will request photo identification from individuals not familiar to the daycare staff, ensuring it matches the information on the authorized pick-up list.

 

8. DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP TIMES Any changes to your child’s schedule and drop-off and pick-up times must be communicated a minimum of 24 hours in advance and approved by the team lead.

 

9. EMERGENCY CONTACTS Parents are required to provide updated emergency contact information. In case parents cannot be reached, alternative emergency contacts will be used.

 

10. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY Staff members are strictly instructed to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of children and families. Sensitive information will not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

 

11. SECURE ENTRANCE AND EXIT The daycare facility has controlled access points. Only authorized personnel will have access to the building with the use of electronic doorbells and video monitoring by the staff to allow entry.

 

12. VISUAL VERIFICATION Staff will visually verify the identity of parents and authorized individuals during drop-off and pick-up. Familiarity with regular contacts is encouraged.

 

13. STAFF TRAINING All staff members undergo training on the safe arrival policy, including identification, verification, emergency procedures, and effective communication with parents.

 

14. DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD-KEEPING Accurate records of attendance, arrival, and departure times are maintained.

 

15. REGULAR POLICY REVIEW: The safe arrival policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure its effectiveness. Feedback from staff, parents, and any changes in regulations will be considered during these reviews.

 

16. LATE DROP-OFF If your child does not arrive at their regularly scheduled time, you will be contacted to ensure your child’s safety. Staff will attempt to contact you through our parent communication app (Dojo), or by phone twice in the first hour of your expected arrival time before being marked as absent. Staff will note the communication attempts in the communication book. Once your child’s absence has been confirmed/or if the hour has passed, program staff will document your child’s absence on the attendance record. Any additional reasons for the absence will be included in the daily communication book and symptoms of ill health form if your child is absent due to illness.

 

17. LATE PICK-UP (Before Centre Closes): You will be contacted if you have not picked up your child at the designated time and have not previously communicated a change in schedule. If we are not able to reach you, then your emergency contact will be called to pick up your child.

 

18. LATE PICK-UP (Centre Closed): If your child is not picked up once the centre closes at 6:00pm, your child will be offered a snack and activity while they await pick-up. A staff will attempt to contact you and if they are unable to reach you, your emergency contacts will be called. Where the staff are not able to reach a parent/guardian or any other authorized individual on the child’s file, the staff will proceed with calling the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) and follow their direction for next steps.

 

19. DRINKING & DRIVING If a parent arrives intoxicated or if this is suspected by a staff member, they will offer to call the emergency contact or a taxi. If the parent refuses and leaves with the child, then the police will be called and informed of a suspected impaired driver. Young Achievers Daycare staff would have to report this incident to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS.) If the intoxicated person is not a custodial parent, the intoxicated person will be denied the release of the child, and the parents will be contacted.

 

20. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Clear communication channels between staff and parents must be maintained for any changes to the child's arrival or departure routine. You also risk termination of care if you do not communicate changes to your child’s schedule since this impacts the safety and flow of the program. You will be notified in writing by email if there are any concerns about communication. Please see the policy “Childcare Termination Policy Due to Non-Compliance” for more information.         

 

This policy was created based on the information provided in Part 7.10 Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy in the Child Care Centre Licensing Manual that states:

 

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 specified 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 steps that must be taken if,

(i) a child does not arrive as expected at the child care centre or home child care premises, or

(ii) a child is not picked up as expected from the child care centre or home child care premises.