Family Handbook (the “Handbook”)

Smith Memorial Daycare Center
329 2nd Avenue East, Kalispell MT 59901
406-755-9224
[email protected]

Handbook last revised on 9/17/25

Download PDF of Handbook

Table of Contents

Welcome!

Welcome to Smith Memorial Daycare Center (“the Center”)

 We are happy to have your child attend the Center! 

We hope it will be a happy learning experience for all attending children. Here at the Center, we strive to create an enriching environment for child development and growth. Our focus is to cultivate independent learners, to ensure a safe emotional and physical space, and to provide opportunities for both academic and social growth. The daily structure of our program provides opportunities for play-based learning as well as classroom instruction learning. 

We are a faith-based program in which we intend to share the love of Jesus with children and their families. At the Center, we have a strong staff with a variety of faith backgrounds. We respect each other’s differences, and we grow through love and acceptance of these differences. We teach the children with this same respect. We do not have a separate religious education component for any age group. 

We do: 

  • Sing songs about God and Jesus 
  • Tell Bible stories in developmentally age-appropriate ways 
  • Pray to God before meals 
  • Celebrate Christian holidays 
  • Share stories from other faith traditions when culturally appropriate 


If you have any questions, please talk with the Director, the Center’s Board, or the Pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church. 

Mission Statement

The mission of Smith Memorial Daycare Center is to provide affordable and quality childcare in a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment. 

History

 Smith Memorial Daycare Center began more than 55 years ago as a mission of Epworth United Methodist Church. What started as a mission to provide affordable and quality childcare to working families soon became the first licensed childcare facility in Kalispell, Montana in 1966. Through the years of support by volunteers, the community, and the Epworth United Methodist Church, the legacy of the Center continues. 

License

 The Center is a licensed childcare center licensed by the State of Montana for children ages 20 months through 8 years with a total capacity of 56 children per day. At the Center, we enroll children ages 2 through 5 for our academic session programs (additionally, some school-aged children are accepted for our summer session program and some holiday breaks). We accept children of any race, creed, or economic status if the parent/guardian and children can satisfy the agreed-upon payment and other requirements and practices described in this Handbook. 

The Center reserves the right to change any requirement or practice in its sole discretion without prior notice on a case-by-case basis to benefit the general welfare or safety of children and staff at the Center and/or to comply with applicable statutes, rules, and regulations. Any such change made on a case-by-case basis will not create a precedent for dealing with similar situations in the future. 

Programs

The Center has four active classrooms. We provide a full day program for each of these rooms and follow a structured daily schedule. 

Room 1 (orange): 20 months – two year olds 

Room 2 (teal): two and three year olds 

Room 3 (purple): three and four year olds 

Room 4 (green): four and five year olds (during winter holiday days and the summer session also may have six – eight year olds) 

Daily Schedule

Each classroom follows the same daily schedule, with minor, age-appropriate, adjustments in time (I.e., lunch and nap will be earlier for the younger students, while the older students will eat and rest a little later). The schedule below is a generalized daily schedule which approximates a typical day at the Center. Actual daily schedules may vary depending on your child’s individual classroom, the weather, and other circumstances not within the control of the Center. The Center REQUESTS that all children be at the Center before 9:30 a.m., and are to be picked up BEFORE 5:30 p.m. 

  • 7:30 – 9:30: Student Arrival at School and Free Play 
  • 9:30 – 9:45: Videos, Music, Books, or Exercise 
  • 9:45 – 10:00: Morning Snack 
  • 10:00 – 11:00: Classroom Instruction Time 

    • Circle time, crafts, stories, puzzles, games, centers, and other activities

  • 11:00- 12:00: Outside Play

    • Playground, walks, field trips, and other activities 

  • 12:00 – 12:30: Lunch 
  • 12:30 – 1:00: Story Time 
  • 1:00 – 2:00: Nap Time/Rest Time 
  • 2:00 – 2:30: Wake Up/Quiet Time Activities 
  • 2:30 – 3:00: Classroom Activities or Outdoor Play 
  • 3:00 – 3:30: Afternoon Snack and Clean-Up 
  • 3:30 – 5:00: Free Play in Classrooms or Outside as Parent Pickup Time Occurs 
  • 5:00 – 5:30: Videos or table activities as Parents pick up Children 

BrightWheel App

The Center uses the Brightwheel App for many valuable purposes including parent and staff communication, sending photos of children to their parents and guardians, invoices for billing, tuition payments, signing children in and out of the Center, keeping track of a child’s day, and a child’s diapers supply. The Brightwheel App is a tool the Center provides for the parents to use. It is an App that can be downloaded on your smart phone with no expense to the family. The child’s parent will be sent an invitation to use the App once the child is enrolled at the Center. Feel free to ask Center staff regarding any questions about the Brightwheel App. The staff will work together to solve any issues. 

If you pay tuition through the Brightwheel App with a bank account or debit card, there is a fee for each transaction. As of March 2025, this fee is 0.6% for each transaction (minimum $0.25 and maximum $2.00). If you pay tuition through the Brightwheel App with a credit card, there is a fee for each transaction. As of March 2025, this fee is 2.95% for each transaction. These fees are processing fees and go directly to the Brightwheel operator, not to the Center. 

The Brightwheel App is the preferred means of communication with the Center. For attendance and other updates about a child or the child’s family, please message the Center through the Brightwheel App instead of communicating with a phone call. 

Enrollment

No child can begin attending the Center before Center staff have interviewed the child to be enrolled, have interviewed the responsible parent(s) or guardian(s), the responsible parent(s) or guardian(s) has toured the Center, and the responsible parent(s) or guardian(s) has completed and signed all necessary paperwork. 

Attendance Policies

Arrival: Once a child is enrolled, a responsible, identified adult must bring the child to the Center check-in desk each day. The responsible adult shall check in the child by using the QR code through the Brightwheel App, help the child deposit belongings in an assigned cubby (as needed), and then bring the child to an open and available classroom. Available classrooms are dependent on the drop-off time and the age of the child and other possible factors. 

Generally applicable situations for drop-off time and classroom availability- 

7:30 – 8:00- all ages of children will be brought to Classroom 3 (purple door). 

8:00 – 9:30- ages 2 and 3 will be brought to Classroom 1 or 2 (orange and teal doors). 

After 8:00- ages 4 and 5 will be brought to Classroom 3 or 4 (purple and green doors). 

Upon departure from the Center, adults must close and lock the blue gate at the top of the stairs and ensure the outside door at ground level is completely closed and locked behind them. 

If the child needs additional time to say goodbye after check-in, the library is available for that purpose or to allow the child to wave from the window. In the case of library usage, please alert staff of the situation so that Center staff are aware when the adult departs so that the child can wave good-bye from the window. Staff will then bring the child into the designated classroom. 

All children should arrive at the Center prior to 9:30 a.m. Each child’s arrival at the Center by 9:30 a.m. allows the child to be at the Center prior to the morning snack and classroom time, helps eliminate challenging behavior, supports Center staff, and ensures that all children are timely for classroom learning and projects. If a child is unable to be at the Center facility before 9:30 a.m., the Center requests that the parent/guardian timely notify the Center in advance via the Brightwheel App. 

Departure: Upon arrival for child pickup, the identified adult must sign the child out using the QR code through the Brightwheel App. A child can be picked up upstairs or outside the Center on the playground, weather dependent. If pickup takes place by an adult contact identified on the child’s emergency 

contact list, please ensure that the adult contact has an adequate form of identification to present to the Center’s upstairs desk for staff to identify the child’s family. A child will be allowed to leave with an adult identified on the child’s emergency contact list as authorized to pick up the child. Center staff will release the child to parents or legal guardians, and other persons above the age of 18 on the child’s emergency contact list provided by the parent or guardian, if Center staff feel the child is safe departing with the identified person. Center staff will not allow any child to leave the Center with someone who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Persons can be added or deleted from the emergency contact list as the child’s parent or guardian desires. Any person authorized to pick up a child will be required to show adequate identification. Each child’s responsible adult should take home all items in the child’s cubby at the end of the day. On the last day of attendance for the week, the child’s responsible adult should take home the child’s sleep stuffy and blanket to wash. 

Gates

The gates at the top of the stairs to the Center and the fence around the outdoor playground represent the physical boundaries of the Center. In the interest of safety, it is extremely important for children to recognize and to respect those boundaries. To reinforce that recognition and respect, please ensure the blue gates at the top of the stairs and the playground gates are only operated by adults, and please close and latch these gates when you enter or leave the facility. 

Cameras

The Center maintains a network of security cameras within the Center and at the outdoor playground. This network is for the safety of the children and staff in the Center. Classrooms and restrooms are not covered by the camera network. 

Items to Provide

Parents and guardians must provide to the Center the following items (labeled with the child’s initials or name) for daily use by their children. 

All year: 

  • Small blanket for rest time 
  • Optional small sleep stuffy 
  • Extra set of clothes, to be replaced as needed 
  • Water bottle 
  • Diapers/pull-ups (if not potty-trained) 

Winter time: 

  • Snow Pants 
  • Winter coat 
  • Water-proof mittens/gloves 
  • Hat 
  • Snow boots 

Summer time: 

  • Swimsuit 
  • Sunscreen (if child has sensitive skin from generic brand) 
  •  

Please make sure all clothing is school and weather appropriate for play indoors and outdoors. 

Prohibited Items

Children may not bring candy or gum to the Center. Toys or items from home are prohibited from being brought into the Center. Please leave all such prohibited items in the car or at home.

Birthdays

Many children (and staff) celebrate birthdays at the Center. Packaged treats from home are welcome either for all the children attending the Center that day or for the celebrating child’s class only. Snacks, candy, or non-edible items are all acceptable to bring on the child’s birthday and will either be collected at the front desk for children to take on their way home or can be distributed only to the children within the celebrating child’s class. Parents need to give staff advance directions! Please provide nut free treats to accommodate children with allergies. 

Days and Hours of Operation

The Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. 

7:30 a. m. – 9:30 a.m. is the designated drop off time. The bulk of instruction and lesson time for the children is between the hours of 9:30 a. m. and Noon. 

Children can be picked up from the Center between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The Center requests that parents/guardians refrain from picking up children during Nap Time as it disturbs other sleeping children. The Center closes promptly at 5:30 p.m. Out of respect for Center staff, and in recognition of their right to be with their families, please make it a priority to pick up children during the scheduled time. For any late pickup, for each minute after 5:30 p.m., one dollar will be charged to the child’s tuition bill. 

Scheduled Closures

The Center is closed on the following days: 

  • Center closes at 3 p.m. on Good Friday 
  • Memorial Day 
  • Independence Day 
  • Friday before Labor Day 
  • Labor Day 
  • Center closes at 3 p.m. on the day before Thanksgiving Day 
  • Thanksgiving Day 
  • Friday after Thanksgiving Day 
  • Christmas Eve 
  • Christmas Day 
  • Center closes at 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve 
  • New Year’s Day 


During each December via the Brightwheel App or another medium, the Center will notify parents and guardians of any additional closure days to be observed during the following calendar year. However, additional closures also may occur as described in the following paragraphs. 

Weather Closures

For weather-related or other safety emergency closures, the Center usually will follow the practice of local Kalispell Public School District 5. Check with the Director of the Center if unsure about a closure day for the Center. 

Additional Closures

The Center may schedule to be closed for staff development days, with reasonable prior notice to parents or guardians. Additionally, the Center will be closed whenever an expected or unexpected termination of utilities for the Center facility occurs. The parent/guardian will not be charged tuition for a child for a day otherwise scheduled when the Center determined it would be closed because of weather or for a staff development day or for a day when Center’s utilities have been terminated for the whole day. 

Outdoors Weather Policy

Children are taken outside on the playground every day, weather permitting. Parents must make sure their children have the proper clothing to go outside and play every day. In the winter, children go outside unless the temperature is 15 degrees or below. In the summer, conditions are monitored to keep children hydrated and to observe the heat index carefully for outdoor activities. The Center monitors the air quality index in spring, summer, and fall to ensure the safety of the air for the children while outdoors. 

Scheduling and Absenteeism

A child’s parent or guardian should notify the Center staff as soon as reasonably possible if a child is sick and cannot attend on a day for which the child is scheduled. This information is used to help track health trends at the Center. Due to the Center’s tuition policy and staffing regulations, absent days cannot be credited or exchanged for other attendance days. The tuition policy is described in this Handbook. The Center requires one week advance written notice for a child’s planned absence. Scheduling for each child is important. The Center hires staff and provides lunches and snacks based on the number of children scheduled each day. As a nonprofit childcare center, communication with families is vital for the success of the program. 

Immunization records

Upon registration, every child must provide a copy of immunization records. All inoculations must be current, BEFORE attending the Center. As a licensed childcare facility, the Center’s health records are inspected by representatives of the State and/or the County. 

Sick Child Policy

Each child must be in good health upon arrival each day. Each child must be free from fever (101 degrees or higher), diarrhea, unexplained rashes, and vomiting for 24 hours before attending the Center. The Center reserves the right to refuse admittance of any child who exhibits any of the forgoing symptoms. All rashes and communicable diseases require a physician’s written release prior to returning to the Center. If a child becomes ill at the Center, Center staff will contact the child’s parent or guardian and require an authorized adult to pick up the child. 

Health and Medication

If a child is receiving a prescription or non-prescription medication, the parent or guardian, upon request, may be able to develop a workable plan with the Center’s Director for providing the medication to the child while at the Center. Such a workable plan must be approved by the Center’s Director, which approval may be withheld in the sole discretion of the Director. Any such workable plan shall require relevant forms, including a signed written authorization by the parent or guardian specific to the particular medication. 

Parents and guardians must bring any and all medications under any approved workable plan described above, and any creams, cough drops, and other administered remedies to Center staff directly and cannot leave such items in a cubby or in backpacks, clothing, or other personal belongings. All medications and remedies must be labeled properly with required information which must include the child’s first and last names, name of the medical provider, the manufacturer’s instructions for storage, and other details to be described by the Center’s Director and must be contained in their original containers. 

Emergency Care

All children are required to have an “emergency treatment” form on file. This form must include the name, relationship, and telephone number of an emergency contact person for the child in the event the parent or guardian cannot be reached. If a child is injured while attending the Center, appropriate first aid will be administered by a teacher or the Center’s Director. Center staff is certified in child and adult First Aid and CPR. If a child is injured at the Center, an “accident/injury report” will be filled out which will require the signature of the child’s parent or guardian and will be placed in the child’s file. This form is to give notice of the event and the action taken. In the event of a serious injury or illness which requires immediate medical treatment, an ambulance will be called, and the parent will be contacted immediately. If a parent or legal guardian cannot be reached, an adult on the emergency contacts list for the child will be notified. The child’s family will be responsible for all costs associated with a medical emergency. 

Emergency Evacuation Plan

The Center holds eight (8) fire drills and two (2) other disaster drills each calendar year. Evacuation plans are posted at each exit. 

Nutrition

The Center provides a nutritious lunch and a morning snack and an afternoon snack each day to children in attendance. This food is provided at no additional charge to parents or guardians. Lunches are served family style. Lunches and snacks from home are not permitted unless previously approved by the Center’s Director because of a child’s food allergies or religious beliefs. Parents/guardians are encouraged to prepare their children for the day by feeding the children an appropriate breakfast before arriving at the Center. Accordingly, it is not acceptable to send food for breakfast with a child arriving at the Center in the morning. A monthly food menu is posted on the Center’s stairwell bulletin board. If a child has a food allergy, the parent or guardian must inform the Center’s Director immediately, and an allergy form must be completed for the child. The Center may be able to make some reasonable accommodation for a child’s food allergy. At any time while the Center is participating in the CACFP program (Child and Adult Care Food Program) managed by the State of Montana, no child may bring food to the Center unless an exception has been approved for that child by the Center’s Director. 

Best Beginnings Program

The Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship Program is a financial scholarship option for qualified low-income families offered through the State of Montana. Online applications are available at the website identified below for children attending the Center. As of February 2025, program eligibility is for working families whose income is less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. Eligibility is evaluated and a co-payment is determined based on the Child Care Sliding Fee Scale. 

https://dphhs.mt.gov/ecfsd/childcare/bestbeginningsscholarships

Mandatory Reporting

All staff at the Center have an ethical duty and a legal mandate to report any suspicion of child neglect or abuse promptly within 24 hours of having reason to suspect any neglect or abuse. 

Photographs

Photos are taken of the children at the Center to share with their families through the Brightwheel App. This use is our primary use of photography. In addition, photos are printed for use in the Center and Epworth United Methodist Church newsletters and bulletin boards. The Center operates an active website, as well as a Facebook account and an Instagram account. However, no photos are posted to social media or to the Center’s website without parent or guardian authorization on the Center’s photo policies forms set forth below. By signing these forms, the child’s parent or guardian consents to the use of the child’s name and/or photo for these purposes described above. 

Transportation

The Center does not provide daily transportation to and from the Center. However, sometimes parents carpool together for a particular event. In the event of a field trip, parents will be notified of the activity in advance, and a form for signature by parent or guardian will be presented at that time for documentation of the departure from the Center and identification of bus or other motorized vehicle to be used for transport. 

Toilet Learning

Because most children are not ready for the often frustrating experience of toilet learning, the Center does not promote starting that learning experience until after age 2½. Experience has shown that a child has little control over the sphincter muscle that controls the bladder and little cognitive ability to recognize when the need develops to void. There are always individual exceptions. Center staff are happy to discuss concerns and/or ideas for implementing a toilet learning plan before the age of 2½. However, starting the experience too early can be discouraging for children, families, and Center staff. For any child who is not potty-trained, a written “Toilet Learning Agreement” must be completed and approved by Center staff for enrollment at the Center. The Agreement describes the Center’s and the family’s responsibilities for initiating and maintaining a toilet learning plan. In most cases, the Center expects children to be able to pull pants up and down with minimal assistance and resistance. If a child is unable to do this, the child may not be ready developmentally to learn to use the toilet. 

Behavior

The Center requires a safe, nurturing, loving, and caring environment. Consistency and repetition are essential for children. At the Center, appropriate behavior by children is encouraged through positive reinforcement, re-direction, choice-making, and respectful actions. If a child exhibits challenging or inappropriate behavior, a calm down period may be utilized. A calm down period is no longer than five minutes for older children and two to three minutes for younger children. Behavior management has not been a major problem at the Center. However, if a child refuses to comply with a calm down period, becomes uncooperative, or is aggressive towards other children or Center staff, the parent or guardian will be contacted and told to pick up the child for the day. This process is to ensure the safety of all children and staff in the Center. 

In the event a child inflicts physical harm on another person or shows a pattern of aggressive or disruptive behavior or engages in other challenging behavior, the parent or guardian will be notified. The Center may work with the parent or guardian to create a plan of action to prevent such behavior from occurring again. In the event such a plan is created and the child’s behavior does not significantly improve within two weeks, or the safety or well-being of the Center staff or other children is threatened, the Center unilaterally, in its sole discretion, may terminate the child’s enrollment. 

The Center strives to serve all children enrolled in its program. However, there may be situations when the Center’s program is not the best option for a child or the child’s family. If a child requires additional resources that the Center does not provide, the Center unilaterally may terminate enrollment immediately in its sole discretion. 

Possible consequences for challenging behavior include – 

1. Staff will correct and redirect behavior. 

2. Staff will require a calm down period. 

3. If behavior is escalating, or the safety of others is at risk, the behavior will be documented in writing and shared with the Center’s Director and the child’s parent or guardian. 

4. After parent or guardian involvement, if the behavior continues, the parent or guardian will meet with the Center’s Director to determine other options for the child’s needs and to change the challenging behavior. 

5. Immediate termination of enrollment for a child who engages in aggressive and violent behavior directed towards other children or Center staff. 

Biting Policy

Unfortunately, biting is not an uncommon form of communication in childcare settings. The Center’s staff strive to identify the underlying cause of any biting by a child, in the context of the actual situation. To redirect this behavior, it is crucial to identify what the child is trying to communicate. Teething, frustration, anxiety, fear, boredom, and attention-seeking are all common reasons for children to bite. The Center aims to solve this issue in the classroom. If the issue cannot be resolved by redirection in the classroom, this policy outlines the procedures in place to ensure the safety of all children enrolled in the program. 

For the child that was bitten: 

  1. First aid is given to the child. The wound will be cleaned appropriately with soap and water. If the skin is broken, then the wound will be covered with a bandage. 
  2. Injured child’s parents will be notified via Brightwheel App immediately of incident. 
  3. An “Injury Report” form will be filled out and kept at the Center. 

For the child that bit: 

  1. Teachers utilize redirection and teaching tools. 
  2. Teachers may provide a calm down period in the classroom. 
  3. The parents or legal guardians will be notified of the incident. 
  4. A “Behavior Report” form will document the incident and be kept on file at the Center. 

When biting continues: 

  1. If a child bites twice within a 1-hour period, the parents or guardian must pick up the child for the remainder of the day. 
  2. If a child inflicts 3 bites in which the skin of another child is bruised or broken, within a one-week period, a meeting will be set up with the parents or guardians. 
  3. Upon the infliction of 3 additional bites in which the skin is bruised or broken, in the span of one-week, the child will be required to have a one-week absence from the Center. 
  4. If the child inflicts 3 bites again in which the skin is bruised or broken, in the duration of one-week, the Center reserves the right to terminate the child’s enrollment. 

Assessment Period

Each child upon initial attendance in any new session is subject to a thirty days assessment period. During that assessment period, the Center will determine in its sole discretion whether the Center and its staff provide an appropriate setting for the child to continue for the remainder of that academic session. If the Center determines in its sole discretion that it is not the appropriate setting for the child, the Center unilaterally, in its sole discretion, may terminate the enrollment of the child. 

Termination

The Center hopes that the relationship with you and your child will be a long and enjoyable one. However, many circumstances may occur which make it necessary for either you or the Center to end the relationship. Accordingly, either party may terminate this relationship on 30 days prior written notice to the other party. The Center unilaterally can terminate your child’s enrollment immediately, in its sole discretion, under the following circumstances: 

1. If you are consistently late picking up your child (defined as three occurrences within the same calendar month.) 

2. If you are consistently late paying your child’s tuition bill (defined as being late two or more times without prior agreement with the Center’s Director.) 

3. If there is continuous misbehavior by your child. 

4. If there is physical or verbal abuse or threat towards Center staff or other children or persons at the Center made by you, your child, or a person identified on your emergency contacts list. 

5. The child’s parent or guardian fails to comply or to cooperate with directions given by Center staff. 

Tuition Rates

The Center operates on the basis of two academic sessions: the fall-spring session and the summer session. The fall-spring session begins in September and runs into late May or early June, similar to the publicized schedule of the local Kalispell Public School District 5. The summer session begins in late May or early June, after the end of the fall-spring session, and runs into September and ends before the next fall-spring session begins. 

As of January 1, 2024, our daily tuition rate per child is $45. 

Tuition is to be paid twice each calendar month: on the 15th and on the last day of the month. Invoices are sent out via the Brightwheel App three days before the bill is due. 

Tuition payment is accepted through the Brightwheel App (credit card, debit card, or automatic withdrawal from bank), by cash, or by check. 

Tuition liability is contracted as described hereinbelow. Tuition is payable regardless whether your child attended or was absent on days previously identified by you on the signed Commitment for Scheduled Attendance Days form set forth later in this Handbook. Additional days may be added to the child’s daily attendance in addition to those you previously identified if space is available in the child’s appropriate classroom. Tuition payments for any added days will be in addition to the contracted tuition payment payable for the previously identified days. Any added days cannot be exchanged for identified days when a child was absent. 

Late Fee

A late fee of $10 may accrue automatically without notice if an invoiced bill has not been paid within 5 calendar days after the bill is due. If no tuition payment is made for a child during any 35 days of attendance by that child, the Center in its sole discretion may suspend the child’s enrollment immediately until tuition payments owing are received by the Center or other arrangements acceptable to the Center are made. If a parent/guardian is repeatedly late in making tuition payments for a child, the child will not be eligible to attend the Center during shorter sessions between the regular academic sessions. 

NSF Fee

A $10.00 NSF (“not sufficient funds”) fee will be charged for any bank returned check. 

Holding Fee

If a child desires to attend the Center in a future academic session (either fall-spring or summer) without being scheduled to attend the prior academic session (summer or fall-spring, respectively), a $100 non-refundable fee per child must be paid to hold a space for the child for that future academic session. This $100 will not be applied to any daily charges and only secures a classroom space for the child for that future academic session. 

 

The following provision is an element of the CACFP program (Child and Adult Care Food Program). 

Non-Discrimination

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

civil rights regulations and policies, Smith Memorial Daycare Center is prohibited from discriminating on 

the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual 

orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should 

contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD- 

3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online 

at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA 

office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter 

must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written 

description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

mail: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or 

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or 

email: [email protected] 

Smith Memorial Daycare Center is an equal opportunity provider. 

Signatures

[1] Smith Memorial Daycare Center Photo Release: Center and Church Authorization 

I, the parent/guardian of _______________________________________ hereby give the teachers at Smith Memorial Daycare Center permission to photograph the above-named child during childcare hours. The pictures and name of the student may be used for parent/teacher communication, arts and crafts, and public display in the Center and in newsletters of the Smith Memorial Daycare Center and of the Epworth United Methodist Church. 

Parent or Legal Guardian Name: ______________________________________ 

Parent or Legal Guardian Signature and Date: _______________________________________ 

Smith Memorial Daycare Center Director Signature and Date: 

__________________________________________________________ 

[2] Smith Memorial Daycare Center Photo Release: Social Media and Website Use 

I, the parent/guardian of _____________________________ hereby give the teachers at Smith Memorial Daycare Center permission to photograph the above-named child during childcare hours. The pictures and name of the student may be used for advertising purposes on the Smith Memorial Daycare Center social media pages (Facebook and Instagram) and inclusion on the Center’s website by the Smith Memorial Daycare Center staff. 

Parent or Legal Guardian Name: _______________________ 

Parent or Legal Guardian Signature and Date: ___________________________________ 

Smith Memorial Daycare Center Director Signature and Date: 

______________________________________________________ 

[3] Smith Memorial Daycare Center Photo Release: Brightwheel Communication 

I, the parent/guardian of ______________________________ hereby give the teachers at Smith Memorial Daycare Center permission to photograph the above-named child during childcare hours. The pictures and name of the student may be used for parent/teacher communication via the Brightwheel App by the Smith Memorial Daycare Center staff. 

Parent or Legal Guardian Name: __________________________________ 

Parent or Legal Guardian Signature and Date: _______________________________ 

Smith Memorial Daycare Center Director Signature and Date: 

____________________________________________________________________ 

Commitment for Scheduled Attendance Days

By signing this form, I agree that I have received a copy of the Smith Memorial Daycare Family Handbook, and I acknowledge that I understand the Handbook’s contents and that I am legally bound by the Handbook’s contents. The Handbook includes Smith Memorial Daycare Center’s policies and procedures which apply to me and my child. No statement or comment previously made by the Center or its staff about policies, procedures, or practices is valid or binding unless it appears in writing in the Handbook. The contents of this Handbook supersede and replace all previous policies, procedures, and practices of the Center and previous versions of the Handbook. 

I hereby agree to make timely payments to the Smith Memorial Daycare 

Center for my identified child to attend the following days _____________________ 

____________________________________________________________ of each and every week, except for holidays identified in the Handbook, at the Center during the 

academic session beginning on ______________________________________ and 

ending on _______________________________________________. I acknowledge and agree that I am liable to make timely payments for my child in accord with the Handbook’s policies and procedures for the days identified above and even for days identified above when my child does not actually attend regardless of the reason for any such absence. 

In addition to other reasons for disenrollment of a child from attending the Center as provided in the Handbook, either the Center or the signatory for this acknowledgement and agreement can terminate this contractual relationship, without cause, upon thirty (30) days prior written notice given to the other party. 

Name and contact information for parent or legal guardian: 

______________________________________________________ 

Parent or legal guardian signature and date: 

_______________________________________________ 

Name of child and birth date: _______________________________________ 

Signature and date for Center’s Director: 

__________________________________________________ 

Download PDF of Handbook