TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY
Safe and Secure
Each of our centers has both a secured exterior door and an electronic attendance station. Our parents love the piece of mind they gain knowing that it takes an entry code to access the building and to check-in and check-out any child. The keypad system also gives us an electronic record of each child's arrival and departure.
The parent or guardian is the only person who can authorize the Center to release their child to another individual. A photo ID is required before any child will be released to an unknown individual.
Licensed child care centers are, by definition, safety-conscience. State regulations and quarterly audits insure that the minimum standards are in place and enforced. (www.dss.state.va.us)
Even before they can open their doors; facilities must demonstrate compliance on over 113 issues for a safe, clean and uncluttered environment.
In a recent independent study of Roanoke Valley parents;
12% of parents polled said that CHILD'S Safety
was the most important thing when looking for child care.
Safety procedures are enforced daily with visual inspection, checklists, practice drills. Although minimal, child care staff members are required to have eight (8) hours of training before they enter the classroom. Training includes first aid, CPR, conflict resolution, child development and child safety. Incidents must be reported to the parents and the state and are tracked. Frequency and resolution of safety issues are important to the renewal or non-renewal of state licensure.
NECPA Accreditation Requires 95 Additional Compliance Issues
Only about 110 centers have been accredited by the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) -- the highest standard around. (www.necpa net)
Centers that choose to comply with this more stringent standard in addition to state licensing agree to a 12 to 18 month period of self-study and improvement, are continuously self-policed, and audited by an independent team. Accreditation is refreshed each year at no small cost. Conservative estimates for on-going implementation and facility modifications are $8,000 to $10,000 per year. For example, staff at the centers must complete an additional 16 hours of early childhood training as a condition of employment and within a certain time period of being hired.
At present, there is only one child care provider with open-enrollment holding the NECPA Accreditation in the Roanoke Valley -- HoneyTree Early Learning Centers.
Transportation
Transportation is provided for school age children to and from over 50 area schools.
Our drivers are at least 21 years old with a clean driving record and pass a written test demonstrating their knowledge of our in-house Safe Child Transportation procedures.
Each child is secured with the proper child restraint required once on the van. Children are assisted on/off the van and are never left unattended. Our vans are inspected every month for safety by our own vehicle maintenance staff and are checked before each trip by our drivers.