The safety of children is of paramount concern to Childspace Day Care Corporation. To track all drop-offs and pickups of children, parents/guardians are required to sign children in/out on the daily attendance sheet or infant chart sheet. Staff are not permitted to sign these sheets on behalf of parents/guardians.

Generally, persons picking up children must be at least 18 years of age and bring a valid photo identification. In exceptional circumstances, and only with the parent/guardian’s written consent, a younger individual may be permitted to pick up a child.

When children are being picked up from the Centre, staff will ensure that the person doing the pickup is authorized to do so and does not appear to be unwell or intoxicated. Additionally, if parent(s)/caregiver(s) arrive after 6:00pm to pick up their child(ren), late pickup procedures will be applied due to safety concerns and staffing costs(see below Late Fees).

Pickup by an unknown person
If the person picking up the child is not known to a staff member, the staff person will consult with other staff members to determine if any other staff knows whether or not this individual is authorized to pick up the child. If still unfamiliar to staff present, the child’s file will be checked for the individual’s name, and photo identification will be required. If the unknown person is not authorized to pick up the child, the parent must be contacted for permission. Should the parent(s) be unavailable, the child can not be permitted to leave with the unauthorized individual.

If an attempt is made to take the child or if the individual does leave with the child, 911 (police) will be called by staff. Describe to the 911 operator/police:

  • the name of the person
  • the appearance of the person
  • the appearance of their car (if driving)
  • the direction they left
  • the appearance of the child, and inform operator/police that you have a photo of the child

The Supervisor and Chair of the Board of Directors are to be immediately informed and staff will continue to make attempts to contact the parent(s)/guardian(s). The Supervisor will follow the Enhanced Serious Occurrence Reporting procedures (see Enhanced Serious Occurrence Policy).

Pickup by a person who appears unwell
If a parent/authorized person appears to staff to be unwell/intoxicated when they arrive to pick up a child and staff is concerned for the safety of the child, staff will suggest that the parent/ authorized person not leave with the child. Staff can offer to call a cab or call another authorized contact person to assist. The Supervisor/designate will be involved to deal with this situation. Should the unwell/intoxicated person agree to a cab when the centre is closing, a staff person will remain with the parent/authorized person until the cab has arrived.

If the unwell person insists on leaving the centre with the child, staff can not prevent the parent/authorized person from taking their child, as only CAS or a certified court order can
permit this. In the event that safety concerns for the child are present, staff should call CAS and document the event including:

  • time of incident
  • location
  • people involved/staff on duty
  • your concern and details about the conversation
  • any other relevant information
  • your name and position

If the unwell/intoxicated person is driving the child and staff is concerned, staff should make note of the car, license number and probable destination, then call the police at 416-808-2222. The Supervisor/designate, who will follow the Enhanced Serious Occurrence Reporting procedures (see Enhanced Serious Occurrence Procedures), is to be contacted and staff should make a note in the child’s file of any agency persons contacted.

Late child pickup procedure
Childspace Day Care Centres close at 6:00 p.m. Parents are asked to plan sufficient time to dress their child, collect the child’s clothes, artwork, speak to a staff (if necessary) and leave the centre by 6:00 p.m. If the parent/guardian is aware that they are going to be late, they should call the Centre to advise staff of this and of their plan to pick up their child/ren. Due to the operational and staffing costs incurred when a parent/guardian is late, a late fee will be charged.
When a child is not picked up by 6:00 p.m., two staff will remain at the day care until the situation is resolved.

When the parent/guardian is late:

  1. Contact the parent/guardian at the numbers on the child’s file card
  2. If contact with parent/guardian is not established, call the emergency contact(s) on the child’s file card and make arrangements for the child to be picked up.
  3. Contact the Supervisor/designate.
  4. In the event that the parents/guardians/emergency contact(s) are not available and it is 7:00 pm; contact the appropriate Children’s Aid Society and follow their instructions. Under no circumstances is the staff to remove the children from the Centre.
  5. If the parent/guardian is repetitively late, staff will notify the Supervisor/designate who will meet with the parents/guardians regarding the situation.

Late Fees
The late fee schedule is as follows:

  • From 6:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. the fee for the first time late is $1.00 per minute until 7 p.m. (maximum charge: $60.)
  • The fee for the second time late is $3.00 per minute until 7:00 p.m. (maximum charge: $180) and any time late after that in a 30 calendar day period, the rate will be $3.00 per minute.
  • If late six times in any seven-week period the family faces removal from the centre.
  • The day care clock is the time used to determine the late payment. Late fees not paid within 48 hours are added to your statement. (See Inclusion & Withdrawal policy for repeated lateness)
  • At 7 p.m., if we have not heard from you or we have not been able to reach you or your emergency contacts, we will call the appropriate Children’s Aid Society that you have indicated on your application form.

Staff on duty will complete a late fee payment form, which is to be signed by the parent/guardian. By signing the form the parent/guardian acknowledges that they are late and agrees to the amount due. The fee is payable to the staff member(s) on duty.

The Supervisor will compensate the staff that has not received payment from parent from Childspace’s petty cash.

This policy will be reviewed with all staff annually and the staff will sign to demonstrate they have read and understood the policy.