Meals and Snacks:

KIDZ KORNER IS A PEANUT FREE ENVIRONMENT!!

Kitchenware:

In order to maintain as healthy an environment as possible, all food and drinks served at Kidz Korner will be heated and served in disposable bowls, plates and cups.  We will provide disposable flatware.  If you would like to send in full sippy cups or bottles (labeled with your child’s name), we will refrigerate them until needed. When containers sent from home for lunch/dinner or drinks are empty we will rinse them and put them in the child’s pack. We will not be responsible for WASHING OR SANITIZING any containers sent from home.

Snacks:

Snacks will be served each day at 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (when open later). We choose fun, healthy snacks, but avoid all foods with peanuts. Some examples of snacks are cheese cubes with apple slices, goldfish crackers with bananas, and mandarin oranges with pretzels.  We do not charge for snacks.

Meals:

Lunch is served between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Dinner is served on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m.  If your child will be with us until 7 pm on a weekday and you would like us to feed them dinner please let us know when you drop them off. We ask that if your child will be coming in directly after meal times that they eat prior to drop off or they bring in a meal with them. We provide heatable meals including but not limited to Chef Boyardee spaghettio’s with meatballs, Campbell’s noodle soup,  and Tyson chicken nuggets, or you may send a meal with your child. All meals come with milk or juice, a vegetable and a fruit. We will post the meals available each week. Uncrustables’ grilled cheese sandwiches will always be available as an alternate.

If you send a meal with your child, we will store it in the refrigerator and heat it, but it must be ready to serve, and PEANUT FREE. If, upon inspection by a staff member peanut products are found in a meal brought in by a child, the meal will be placed in a plastic bag and isolated.  An attempt will be made to reach the parents/guardians to choose an alternate meal.  In the event that a parent/guardian cannot be reached in a timely manner, the child will be given an alternate meal so that no child will go hungry. We do not charge for meals.

Children With Special Needs:

Kidz Korner will make every effort to accommodate children with special needs and include them in all appropriate activities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities act and the Department of Human Services general rules for child care facilities, section 7.701.14. Parents or guardians of children with special needs are asked to contact Kidz Korner in advance to discuss how their child’s special needs can be met. Because of the nature of Kidz Korner as an hourly, drop-in center, it may be determined that another facility better meets the child’s needs. We regret that we can not provide one on one care.

Accommodations for Special Circumstances:

Kidz Korner strives to put the needs of our guests and their families first. If you need early or late drop off or a different meal/snack time for a special event, please ask and we’ll attempt to accommodate your needs.

Discipline Policy:

At Kidz Korner, we try and keep all the children happy and busy, thus avoiding many potential discipline problems. However, if problems arise, we will first attempt to simply redirect the child to a more appropriate activity. In rare cases, time out may be used, but always within the visible space of the room and for never more than one minute per year of age. Upon pickup, parents will receive all information regarding any discipline that was necessary. Corporal punishment is NEVER allowed at Kidz Korner.

Release of Children:

Children will only be released to those persons listed on the registration form. Photo identification may be required, and the person picking up may be asked for the code word your family has selected for this purpose. The person picking up the child will be required to sign the child out, thus resuming responsibility of the child. Children will not be released to any person who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Parents will be responsible for the additional time charges incurred while Kidz Korner seeks another parent or guardian to whom we can safely release your child. If a parent appears intoxicated or under the influence of drugs and insists on leaving with their child, the police will be notified.
 

Visitors:

Parents are welcome to visit and observe at any time. There may also be times when it may be necessary to have someone in Kidz Korner to do repairs or inspections. All visitors will be required to sign in and will be supervised by a staff member.

Video Viewing and Video Game Playing:

Videos are shown occasionally. However, we do not require children to sit or lay and watch a video at any time. We will encourage the children to find other activities. In general only “G” rated videos are shown.  The only exception will be on pre-advertised Movie Nights when we might show a "PG" rated movie -don't want to exclude kid's favorites like "Sandlot" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Movie nights will be posted on our website calendar and we will remind parents/guardians upon drop off if a PG movie is being shown. Video game playing will also be balanced with other activities and only “E” rated games will be available.

Transportation:

Kidz Korner will NOT provide transportation for any child. In the event of an emergency, an ambulance will be called. We do not go on field trips at Kidz Korner.

Personal Belongings:

All personal belongings should be clearly labeled with your child’s name. Please do not bring toys, except for comfort items necessary for naps as we can not be responsible for lost toys.

In the Event of an Emergency:

In the unlikely event of an emergency, the following procedures will be followed:

Fire: The staff will evacuate the building according to a prearranged, posted and practiced plan. The children will be kept together until parents/guardians can be contacted to pick them up.

Snow/Blizzard: Upon conditions worsening, parents will be called to pick up children. The senior supervisor on site will monitor weather reports closely and close the center early if necessary so that the staff and children can safely make their way home.

Lock Down: In the event of a township police required lock down, parents/guardians will be notified by phone and kept appraised of the situation to the best of our abilities. We will maintain enough food/snacks to keep children fed during emergency situations.

Abandoned child: If a child is left at the center for more than 1 hour past closing time and we are unable to reach an emergency contact, DYFS will be notified.

Accident/Injury: All of our staff are trained in first aid and CPR, and we maintain a well-stocked first aid kit. In the event of a minor accident, the staff will provide first aid, and write a report to be kept on file and a copy given to parents. If further assistance is required, the staff will call 911 and the parents will be notified immediately.

Keeping Kids Healthy:
In keeping with New Jersey state law, we must have a completed enrollment form, an immunization record and a certificate of health on file for every child. Children who appear ill (i.e. green, runny nose, severe cough, or unexplained/contagious rash), are running a fever (over 100 degrees), etc. will not be admitted. If your child becomes ill while with us, we will contact you to come pick them up.

Medications:

Please arrange medication schedules to give your child any medicines before or after their stay at Kidz Korner. The staff at Kidz Korner will not administer any medication except for life saving medications (i.e. epi-pen or inhaler that is provided).

Toilet Training and Diapers:
If you forgot to bring a diaper, or run out while your child is with us, we will be happy to supply one. We expect all children to arrive in a clean, dry diaper. Upon drop-off all children not in diapers will be prompted to use the bathroom.  Children will then wash their hands before starting to play. We strongly recommend all children bring a change of clothes with them. We will work with parents in the toilet training of their children.  In the event of multiple accidents during one visit to Kidz Korner, it may be necessary to use a Pull-Up. 

Conference/Communication:

As parents, we know that it is nice to know what our children have done while we are gone. Our supervisors will try to note any special activities or friends your child has found and tell you about them when you arrive to pick your child up. If at any time, you have special concerns, you are encouraged to speak to, call or email a staff member or the director.

Limiting of Care:

Kidz Korner is designed for part time care. We feel that if a child spends too much time with us they may become bored and as parents we know that a bored child can sometimes become a naughty child. To prevent unhappy children and unnecessary discipline we feel that 25 hours/week is the most that a child should spend at Kidz Korner.

Withdrawal of Care:

If you are moving, or will no longer be coming to Kidz Korner, we ask that you let us know so that we may remove your children from our lists. Rarely, a child may not be ready for a group setting like Kidz Korner, and will act out in unexpected ways. If this happens, we may ask you to wait a few months before trying again. In addition, if parents/guardians are habitually late picking up a child, we may be required to refuse admittance to that child.

Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect:

New Jersey State law requires that any staff member who has reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect, or who has observed the child being subjected to circumstances or conditions which could result in abuse or neglect, shall immediately report to the county department of human services or local law enforcement agency in the community or county where the center is located.

Kidz Korner will carefully screen and monitor staff to ensure your child has an enjoyable play experience. We encourage parents to watch, to talk to the staff and to ask questions. If at any time, parents have concerns they should speak to the owner or director. Please note: We reserve the right to refuse admittance to any family that does not abide by our written parent policy. We look forward to having your children come play and hang out at Kidz Korner!!