2023 Child Care 0-5years Monthly Fees Munchkins

As we head into this warmer season we would love to share a few things. Please click on the link to read our June updates Scroll down for a reminder of our closures over the summer.

June newsletter

COVID Updated Policies2022 

The biggest change being that children are no longer required to isolate when a close contact.

If a parent or household member is positive the child is not allowed to attend either.

We will not be required to close unless we cannot provide required staff to children ratio due to illness and lack of staff.

Children are still required to be symptom free to attend child care.

All children in school aged programs (Summit Kids and Shuswap Explorers) are required to wear a mask while inside. Please make sure your child has a clean mask to wear after school.

Any questions or concerns please contact Sam 250-803-2996

New year, same pandemic! As we embrace the new year here at Munchkins, I would like to thank our wonderful community that surrounds us as we are all tirelessly working and adapting throughout this pandemic, whether that means working from home- with or without kids or just the same old pandemic restrictions! You are all doing an amazing job and we are thankful to be here caring for your little ones.

Please take a quick read through our January Newsletter.

January 2022 Newsletter*Click to open*

Munchkin Parents!

Please click on the following link to read our September Newsletter ——>Sept2021 Newsletter

Licensing still requires us to follow all COVID policies and procedures. Your child will be sent home if they present any symptoms, please have a backup care plan in place.

Please re-review our COVID policies here      —–>    COVID Updated Policies All Centers

We continue to encourage everyone to follow the direction of our health authorities. Remember that your bubble is our bubble and vice versa. We do not social distance from your children, we hug them and love them as they are. We thank you for being mindful of your interactions with others as we keep each other safe as a community.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Sam.

Please save this calendar of closures to refer back to- Calendars are also posted on all doors

Did you know that we participate in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative?

The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative  enhances child care affordability by offering funding to eligible, licensed child care providers to reduce and stabilize parents’ monthly child care fees.

This is automatically deducted from your child care fees every month!

If you’d like to see the exact fees with or without the CCFRI just check out our listed fees on our webpage.

We have been having a ton of fun in all this snow! We have an awesome toboggan hill we have been spending lots of time on along with doing many sensory, baking and crafts!  Our days are packed with fun and playing as we strive to provide the best program we can for the children in our care! Remember as always to keep sending that outdoor gear, extra clothes and labeled items!

Please remember to keep your children home when they are sick- this helps stop the spread of infection. We value everyone’s health and try to keep germ sharing to a minimum which is hard when you’re little! So if you’re little one is showing signs- allow them the time they need to feel better!

Who is your back up care person? Do you have one? This person is someone you can call when your children are sick and you still need to be at work. This is vital in your support system. It helps ease the stress when your children are ill and shouldn’t be at daycare and the parents are still required to go to work.

We value our outside play! We go outside in all weather- please make sure your children have warm outdoor clothing that is waterproof! Layers is always great as the weather changes so much- little fleece sweaters are great to add under outdoor wear when its extra chilly- You can always label and leave in your child’s cubby!  Mittens!! Little finger ones and waterproof ones- the children tend to switch depending on the activity they are engaging in.

As always- LABEL- LABEL- LABEL!!! You can buy a whole booklet with your child’s name on these cute little stickers for so much cheaper than it is to replace all the things that go missing! Labels can be washed etc… They are durable! We put them on coats, shoes, mittens, sweaters, lunch boxes, containers, you name it and it can be labeled!! Labeling your things helps you get all your items back and helps the educators be able to return these items!!

I’ve found the best prices and variety at www.emilypress.com/bbmunchkins we also have a fundraiser set up there too- if you choose to order from here- just put in our school “Blind Bay Munchkins Childcare”

We require that children are dropped off before 9:00 am- this is beneficial to the children and the educators. Our programming is well on its way by 9:00 am, we have specifically planned out our routines & activities of the morning so children benefit from the programming that has been developed around their interests and routines. It is disruptive to the group when they are engaging in an activity and children are being dropped off late or having a hard time transitioning into the group. The educator is then not able to give her full attention to either child– a child who may be having a hard time transitioning— or the group that is engaging in a planned activity–.  This situation isn’t ideal for anyone.

The morning (7:30 am to 8:30 am) is ideal and set up for educators to be able to help with children transitioning in to the program. Activities in the early morning are set up with this in mind. They are flexible and an educator is not essential for children to partake in them.

We understand that sometimes things go unplanned but on the regular please be mindful of everyone in the program and plan to arrive by 8:30 so that YOUR CHILD can benefit from all their day has to offer.

Child care is essential for most families that need to work- but remember your children are thriving from their day to day activities!

The first 5 years of development are the most critical in a child’s brain.

Children who attend child care tend to have better communication skills, problem solving skills, enthusiasm for lifelong learning, ability to follow direction and work independently.  Just to name a few!!

We strive to offer high quality child care that meets the needs and developing minds of the children in our care.

As always we are closed at 5:30pm- we should be able to lock the doors at 5:30 as everyone should be on their merry way home! Please be mindful of everyone and pick up your children before closing. Daycare is hard work and just as you are excited to go home from work- your child(ren) is too- they are excited to kick back and share their day with mom and dad.

Please use caution on the driveway and walking up to the center- it has been very icy!

Please note our days of closure that are posted at the center. Family day weekend is coming up and there are some great activities you and your family can join in on!

We hope that you all enjoy this time with your loved ones! We live in an amazing area to get outside and enjoy being active as a family!

Love those around you and know that we are so grateful to have such an amazing group of children that we love spending time with.

We love all their ever curious minds and developing a program that engages them fully.

To all our new families that joined us in September you all fit right in and we are so happy to develop relationships with your children and thank you for choosing us for that important job of caring for your littles! All the children are developing new relationships with each other and are blooming in their environments!

At the end of September we headed to Pete Murray’s corn farm. What a blast! The kids enjoyed riding behind the tractor, feeding the sheep corn and picking the perfect pumpkin.

We will be continuing to go on field trips for the next little bit until the snow fly’s! We will be doing local hikes, parks and walks. If anyone knows any fun little farms in the area that wouldn’t mind a bunch of cute children visiting please let us know!

We would like to thank all you amazing parents for sending your children prepared for the weather! We have been so delighted that all the children have the appropriate gear for the weather! The children are also super excited to go splash around and make mud slides & pies in their outside gear! THANK YOU!

As the weather gets colder please think about sending some warmer outside stuff. Fleece coats or sweaters to go under muddy buddies and little gloves and hats are always nice for the colder mornings. We continue to play outside for the majority of the day and want everyone to be toasty warm!

At the dollar store you can find little packs of finger mittens that the children love to wear- it keeps their hands warm but they can still play to their hearts content!

On a sad note we will be saying goodbye to Quinn as she heads in another direction. Quinn has been a creative, kind and fun educator- we will all miss her but wish her all the best on her adventures ahead!

With all bad news comes a ray of sunshine! We have the great pleasure of having Stacey join us, Stacey has been working in childcare for many years but most recently at some local farms as she enjoys traveling and seeing the world! We welcome Stacey with open arms- her fun, free flowing and kind personality shines as she plays and develops relationships with the children. She has been coming in and playing for a couple hours for most of September and will be joining us for full days after Thanksgiving.

*****Reminder ****

We will be closed Friday October 11^th and Monday October 14^th for the Thanksgiving weekend.

We hope you all enjoy this time with your loved ones.

We are so thankful to have such an amazing group of children; having the pleasure of spending our days playing, exploring and learning together!

We have had such an amazing, fun filled summer with so many activities being done in this beautiful Shuswap weather we are so fortunate to have! The children have enjoyed themselves exploring a variety of engaging activities over the summer!

As September approaches we would like to wish all our “big kids” well on their adventure into Kindergarten. We will miss them dearly but we are all so excited for their next step! Have fun Kindy’s and never stop playing!

If you need after school care at Sorrento Elementary  you can register for Shuswap Explorers on our website. Our program is conveniently located within the school. Spaces are limited.

On that note, I would like to welcome all our new families starting in September! We are so happy to have you join our Munchkin crew and can’t wait to develop relationships with your little ones.

We will be starting to head out on field trips again towards the end of September- we will be venturing our local area- heading out on hikes, checking out some local farms, parks and exploring our area! As always the bus is equipped with car seats and everything else we might need

Reminders:

• Please have your children dropped off by 9:00am so they can get the most out of our program. We also like to head out early on field trips- if your child has not arrived by 9:00 am we can assume they are absent for the day.
• Please text us to let us know if you will be absent for the day.  250.463.KIDS
• Schedule changes or withdrawal as stated in the Parent Handbook require 30 days notice. Please call or text Sam 250-803-2996
• Apply sunscreen before drop off and send children with hats, sunscreen and bathing suits.
• Pack large nutritious lunches and snacks. We are active during the day and work up quite an appetite!
• Remember to send extra clothes and dress to play!

Fees are due on the first business day of each month for that month. You will be invoiced prior. Failure to make payment arrangements will result in a loss of your child care space until fees are paid.

We look forward to another fun fall- this is one of my favorite times of the year- the weather is still warm, there is so much changing as the season progresses which leaves the children with so much to explore, wonder and be inspired to learn.

“Education begins the moment we see children as innately wise and capable beings. Only then can we play along in their world.”   -Vince Gowmon

Wow, it’s July already. We have been having so much fun, playing in the water, sand, baking, painting and adventuring outdoors-not to mention our little excursions we’ve been heading out on. With all that fun in the sun please remember to pack your children or leave at the center daily:

• Swim suits
• Labeled Water Bottle
• Sun Hat
• Sun Screen applied on children before arrival
• Change of clothes
• Big Nutritious Lunch and Snacks

We are outside for the majority of the day and the children need healthy snacks to fuel them throughout the day!

Thank you for sending your children prepared for their day of fun!

For those of you who have not been formally introduced- we do have a new adult around the center lending some extra support services. Lori-Ann is from Sorrento and will be helping out around the center over the next few months- she is here from Supported Child Development and we are so happy to have her join us. The children have really warmed up to her and taken a liking to her You might see her a few mornings a week! Please help us make her feel welcomed!

This summer is bittersweet as we spend our last weeks with our 9 children that are headed off to Kindergarten in September! We are so excited for their new ventures and will enjoy our time playing and learning with them over the summer.

Please remember to pull in the top of the driveway and park parallel to the fence- this leaves room for others to come and go

The warm weather is finally here!! We are ecstatic. We have been starting the majority of our days outside so please:

• apply sunscreen on your child(ren) before drop off.
• Send a hat and appropriate outside clothes (we are outside all day)
• Sandals or quick dry shoes (Not flip flops)
• Change of clothes (or several!) we play in water/mud/sand regularly
• Swim gear can be left in cubbies as well or a sun shirt!
• Water bottle (labeled)
• June to Aug there will be an additional $5.00 monthly charge for sunscreen. If you have a specific preference on sunscreen and prefer to send your own labeled bottle to stay in your child’s cubby just let us know!  

We have started our weekly bus trips and are having some great adventures! We mainly stick to our little Blind Bay/Sorrento area and have enjoyed some nature hikes and park adventures. Our trips are spontaneous and change weekly so that everyone gets a chance to head out. Please make sure your children are dropped off by 9:00AM.

Keep an eye for upcoming event days posted on the door- from pajama day, baking special snacks to share, picking our local produce and creating. We will post a heads up on the door ahead of time.

Some children really benefit from having a special stuffy or blankie from home. If your child is one of these and you don’t already- please bring an extra stuffy they can leave in their cubby to comfort them

We are looking forward to planting a fun, edible garden with the children in the upcoming weeks. So much learning happens during this process over the next few months!

 The children will be able to develop new skills such as:

• Responsibility- from caring for their plants.
• Understanding- as they learn about cause and effect (plants die without water, or too much water/sun etc…)
• Self confidence- from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown.
• Love of nature- a chance to learn and explore the outdoor environment
• Reasoning and Discovery- learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction.
• Co-operation & team work- as we work together as a team to achieve an end goal
• Nutrition and Creativity as we learn about where fresh food comes from and find new and exciting ways to grow food!

We have some available spaces coming up in September- if anyone would like to add a day- please let Sam know by June 1st. In house families get first priority. 250-803-2996

We look forward to each day we get to spend with your amazing little people and thank all our families for raising such special, beautiful children.