Safe Arrival and Departure of Children policy

Policy Type: Programming
Date Revised: December 22, 2023
Supercedes: January 15, 2019
Originally Issued: September 15, 2004

1. POLICY: Safe Arrival and Departure of Children
   
   1. RisingOaks Early Learning Ontario (hereafter referred to as ‘RisingOaks’) strives
      to ensure the safe arrival and departure of the children in its care.
   2. This policy will provide parents/guardians, staff, students, and volunteers with a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for ensuring the safe arrival and departure of children receiving care, including what steps are to be taken when a child does not arrive at the child care centre as expected, and the steps to follow to ensure the safe dismissal of children. 
   3. Parental Responsibility: Parents or guardians are encouraged to maintain up-to-date contact information with RisingOaks via the Digibot Parent Portal to facilitate effective communication. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to inform RisingOaks of any changes to their own contact or that of emergency contacts and/or authorized to pick-up persons. Parents are also responsible to notify the center in advance of any absences and changes to arrival and departure timeframes. 
   4. Departure of Children: Unless otherwise stated and authorized in writing, all children must be released to a parent, guardian or authorized contact/emergency contact listed in the child’s file. 
      • An authorized pick-up person must be a minimum of 12 years of age.
      • Pre-approval is required to add a youth aged 12 to 14 years of age to the authorized pick up list.
      • The approval of a supervisor is required for a RisingOaks employee to be listed as an Authorized Pick-up Person or an Emergency Contact for a child that is not their own.
      • A child may only be dismissed without supervision if they are 10, 11 or 12 years of age and have written authorization, via the required form(s), from a parent/guardian prior to their dismissal.
   5. Courtesy Notifications: Notifications regarding the safe arrival and departure of
      children are provided as a courtesy to parents or guardians.
   6. Errors and Omissions: RisingOaks Early Learning acknowledges that, despite our best efforts, errors and omissions may occur in the notification and follow up process. These could include, but are not limited to, delays, miscommunication, or failure to provide notifications. 
   7. No Guarantee of Accuracy: Notifications are provided based on the information available to RisingOaks at the time of the notification. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of such notifications. 
   8. Limitation of Liability: RisingOaks uses several Digibot technological tools and features to support the implementation of this policy. Some factors may affect the implementation of these procedures, the accuracy of the information dispatched and/or the triggering of these automated processes - including power outages and/or network failures, equipment malfunction, other immediate program needs, and manual oversights or errors. RisingOaks and Digibot shall not be held liable for any consequences arising from errors, omissions, or delays in the notification process, whether due to technical issues, human error, or other factors. 
   9. Continuous Improvement: RisingOaks is committed to continuous improvement in our processes and will make reasonable efforts to learn from any errors or omissions to enhance the safety and communication procedures. Furthermore, as this policy stems from brand new requirements of the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (Regulation 325/23 section 5, Regulation 137/15 section 50), RisingOaks and Digibot reserve the right to modify the policy and procedures at any time with reasonable notice. 
   10. By enrolling your child in a RisingOaks’ program, parents or guardians acknowledge and accept the terms outlined in this Safe Arrival and Departure Policy.
        
2. Related Documents:
   1. Safe Arrival & Departure procedures
   2. Parent Policies
      
      
3. APPROVALS: original documents are signed at head office

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Date Revised: January 5, 2024
Supercedes: December 22, 2023
Originally Issued: September 15, 2004

1. PROCEDURES – GENERAL:
   1. For children of split families, a copy of the current court order or agreement must be on file at the centre and all staff must be informed by the centre supervisor of its contents relating to access to information, access rights and custody arrangements.
   2. A brief note shall be added to the Daily Journal or DigibotGO for the following circumstances: 
      • Failure to Notify, in general
      • A school-age child is expected but did not show up and the parents were expecting them to arrive to RisingOaks.
      • Late Pick Up (just to reference someone had to stay late and to check the tracking form)
      • A parent calls in indicate that someone other than those on their Pre-Authorized Pick-up List will be picking up that night.
      • Pick-up person appears intoxicated or under the influence.
        
        
2. PROCEDURES – Accepting Children into Care:
   1. When accepting a child into care, educators and other staff will:
      • greet the children and parents upon arrival at the centre.
      • if shared by (or discussed with) the parent/guardian, document any one-time change to pick-up procedure during the child's check-in process on DigibotGO;
      • check-in the child on DigibotGO (or a printed attendance) and complete the required health check.
      • note any future absences in DigibotGO if informed of them by the
        parent/guardian.
        
        
3. PROCEDURES – Infant, Toddler, Preschool Child has not arrived in care as expected 
   
   1. If the parent/guardian has not reported the absence in advance via the parent portal, educators will receive a notification on the DigibotGO staff app requesting confirmation that the child has not arrived.
      • This notification will be triggered 180 minutes (3 hours) after the centre opens 
   2. If they do not respond within 15 minutes, or their device was offline, the site supervisor will be prompted to confirm the child's absence.
   3. Once the child's absence has been confirmed:
      • Level 1: Authorized parents/guardians will receive a courtesy notification from Digibot asking them to confirm the child's presence or absence for the day.
      • Level 2: If parents/guardians do not respond to the notification in a timely manner (e.g., within 20 minutes), the educator may attempt to contact parents/guardians/emergency contacts and/or leave a message. The timing of this will depend on program needs and availability. The educator can reach out to their supervisor for support with this task. 
      • Level 3: If no parent/guardian or emergency contact can be reached, the site supervisor will assess the situation, considering past communication from the family and patterns of arrival and departure. The supervisor may contact the director of operations or CEO for assistance in determining next steps based on the situational factors.
        
        
4. PROCEDURES – Before School child has not arrived in care as expected
   1. If the parent/guardian has not reported the absence in advance via the parent portal, educators will receive a notification on the DigibotGO staff app requesting confirmation that the child has not arrived.
      • This notification will be triggered at the school start/bell time. 
   2. Educators will receive a notification on the DigibotGO staff app requesting confirmation that the child has not arrived. If they do not respond within 15 minutes, or their device was offline, the site supervisor will be prompted to confirm the child's absence. 
   3. Once the child's absence has been confirmed:
      • Level 1: Authorized parents/guardians will receive a courtesy notification from Digibot asking them to confirm the child's presence or absence for the day.
        − If a parent/guardian prefers not to receive these notifications, they can mark the child as absence for the day in Digibot. Absences can also be pre-scheduled in the Parent Portal.
      • Level 2: No further action will be taken.
        
        
5. PROCEDURES – After School child has not arrived in care as expected
   1. If the parent/guardian has not reported the absence in advance via the parent portal, educators will proceed with attempting to locate the child.
      • The educator or supervisor will reach out to the school to verify attendance.
      • If the child did not attend school that day or the school reports that the child was picked up early, educators will note this in Digibot and proceed with their program.
      • This notification will be triggered 15 minutes after the transition from school.
   2. Educators will receive a notification on the DigibotGO staff app requesting confirmation that the child has not arrived.
      • This notification will be triggered 15 minutes after the transition from school. 
   3. Once the child's absence has been confirmed:
      • Level 1: Authorized parents/guardians will receive a courtesy notification from Digibot asking them to confirm the child's presence or absence for the day.
        − Send this even if the school has verified that the child was not in attendance or picked up early.
      • Level 2: If the child was in school and is still expected but has not arrived, and if parents/guardians have not responded to the notification in a timely manner, the educator may attempt to contact parents/guardians/ emergency contacts and/or leave a message. The timing of this will depend on program needs and availability. The educator can reach out to their supervisor or, in their absence the director of operations for support with this task. 
      • Level 3: If the parent/guardian or emergency contact could not be reached, the educator will contact Police to report the child as missing no more than 30 minutes after the child was expected to arrive.
        − Notwithstanding the foregoing, if there is reason to believe that the child has been abducted, the educator will immediately contact the police.
      • If at Level 2 or 3, you reach a parent or emergency contact and they indicate that the child was expected to be at RisingOaks, the educator will offer to contact the Police to seek assistance in searching for the child.
        − If a supervisor is available, he or she may assist with this search. The educators will remain with the other children.
        
        
6. PROCEDURES – Safe Departures / Releasing a Child from Care
   1. Educators (and other staff) will acknowledge children and parents upon pick-up/departure from the centre. An educator will check-out each child in DigibotGO (or on a printed attendance) as they leave the program.
   2. Educators supervising the child at the time of pick-up must only release the child to a parent or authorized contact listed on the child's Digibot contact listing available in the DigibotGO staff app or on the child's printed emergency card.
      • An authorized pick-up person must be a minimum of 12 years old.
      • To add a youth between the ages of 12 and 14 years to the Authorized Pick-up List, a parent/guardian will be asked to review and sign the “Request to Add a Youth to the Authorized Pick Up List” and submit it to the centre supervisor.
   3. If the person is not listed as an authorized contact for pick-up, and we were not notified directly by the parent in advance (which would be noted in Digibot), the educator must obtain authorization verbally (by telephone or text message) from a parent/guardian
      • the educator or supervisor will ask the parent the code question listed in Digibot and confirm their response matches the one noted in Digibot prior to agreeing to release the child to this new individual.
      • An automated email (SADP Incident Report) will be sent to parents/guardians to document the interaction and remind them to add the emergency contact via the Digibot Parent Portal.
   4. During the first three (3) interactions between a staff member and a parent/emergency contact, the DigibotGO staff app will require the staff to confirm the person's identity:
      • by checking with another staff member, or;
      • by checking the person's photo identification.
   5. At pick-up time, as appropriate, an educator will inform parents/guardians of their child’s day. Such messages and learning stories may also be shared via DigibotGO or a phone call to the parents when appropriate. 
   6. If a pick-up person appears to be intoxicated, see additional guidance under section 11.
       
7. PROCEDURES: Dismissing a Child Without Supervision
   1. If the parent/guardian has provided prior written authorization via the designated form(s), the educator may allow a child aged 10, 11 or 12 years of age to leave the centre unsupervised.
   2. Prior to dismissal without supervision, the educator will:
      • review specific instructions in DigibotGO (e.g., scheduled days, specific dates, and/or times for dismissal without supervision)
      • assess the child’s physical condition and mental wellbeing just prior to departure.
        − If the child is hurt or upset, address physical and mental wellbeing issue prior to the child departing on their own from the program. If concerns persist, contact the parent for guidance. Child must be in good physical and mental health prior to departing on their own.
   3. Document the unsupervised departure via the check-out process on DigibotGO, including a note on physical and mental well-being (i.e., good/no concerns, fair, poor for each).
      • The parent/guardian can login to Digibot to confirm the time the child was checked-out.
        
        
8. PROCEDURES: SAFE DEPARTURES FROM FIELD TRIP LOCATION
   1. All requests for a parent to pick-up their child from a field trip location (rather than the centre), must be pre-approved by the supervisor.
   2. If a request is made in advance of the trip, Parts A and B of the Request to Sign Child Out Directly from Field Trip form are to be completed prior to the trip. Part C is completed at the time of sign out from the trip.
   3. If an urgent matter makes it necessary for a parent to pick up their child without prior written notice, the supervisor will notify the lead staff while on the trip and request that the Parent completes Part A when they arrive, the educator completes Part B and together the Parent/Lead Staff completes Part C.
       
9. PROCEDURES: LATE PICK-UPS
   
   1. On days when there is inclement weather that may affect how long it takes parents/guardians to arrive at the centre, it is recommended that the supervisor (or an educator) email the families to point out the weather and remind them that the centre closes at 6:00 pm and of the Late Pick-Up/Safe Departures procedures.
   2. If a child has not been picked up 15 minutes prior to the centre closing time, educators will receive a DigibotGO notification as a courtesy reminder of any child still present.
   3. At the centre closing time, a notification will be sent to the centre supervisor to confirm if any children are still remaining in care.
   4. Once it has been confirmed that the child is still on site:
      • Level 1: the educators will attempt to contact the parent/guardian and each person listed on the child's emergency contact listing in the sequence identified in the child's file.
      • Level 2: If no parent/guardian or emergency contact can be reached, the staff or site supervisor will contact the director of operations or CEO. Together, they will determine next steps based on the situational factors.
      • Level 3: If the child is not picked up by 7:00 pm, (or one hour after a scheduled early closure), the educator will proceed to contact Family and Children’s Services at 519-576-0540 for direction.
   5. Educators will be paid by RisingOaks for times when they have to stay late due to a late pick-up. Payment will be done in 15-minute increments as verified on the Late Pick-Up form. For example: 
      • If parent picks up at 6:01 to 6:15 pm, educators will be paid until 6:15 pm.
      • If parent picks up at 6:16 – 6:30 pm, educators will be paid until 6:30 pm, etc.
        
        
10. PROCEDURES: SADP Incident Reports
    1. Every time the Level 1, 2 or 3 steps are engaged, staff will be prompted to generate the SADP incident report in Digibot.
    2. Incident reports will require an electronic signature from the supervisor and a parent/guardian.
    3. The supervisor will follow up with the family per RisingOaks’ Parent Policies:
       • First Late: A call or email from the supervisor reminding them of the service hours.
       • Second Late: A formal warning letter from the supervisor.
       • Third Late: A third late may result in termination of care from the child care program or camp.
         
         
11. PROCEDURES: Pick up person is or appears to be intoxicated
    1. In the event that a parent/guardian or authorized person arrives intoxicated or otherwise impaired, or an educator suspects this, the child is not to be released into this person’s care.
    2. The educator will seek assistance from the supervisor, assistant supervisor or designate. Together, speak to the individual calmly. Indicate that you have concerns about their ability to safely transport and look after the child. Ask the individual if an emergency contact or another person on the authorized list can pick-up and care for the child in the interim. 
    3. The educator can offer to call a cab for the individual to take home (without the child), at the individual’s expense. 
       • If the individual refuses this offer, inform them that you cannot release the child into their care and if they choose to drive now, that you will have no choice but to call the police to report the car’s make, model and license plate number. If they still choose to drive away, follow through in calling the police.
    4. If the individual is not cooperating and refuses to leave the premises the educator will immediately proceed into Lock Down and will call 9-1-1 for assistance.
    5. When appropriate, call the other parents or emergency contacts on the child’s enrolment form to inform them of the situation and request that they come to pick up the child.
    6. Whether or not alternative arrangements can be made, the educator is required to report this incident to Family and Children’s Services.
    7. Report this incident to your supervisor who will determine any additional follow up, including if a serious occurrence needs to be filed with the Ministry. 
       
       
12. Attachments/Related Forms
    1. Request to Add a Youth to the Authorized Pick Up List
    2. Request to Sign Child Out Directly from Field Trip
    3. Late Pick-Up Tracking Form
    4. Late Pick-Up Reminder Letter
       
       
13. APPROVALS: original documents are signed at head office