MONITORING SCHOOL AGE CARE
Many of the family child care providers that you conduct monitoring visits with will be providing before and after school care. This type of care offers challenges not only to providers but also to Monitors as well.
Reviewing attendance records for multiple part time children can be difficult. If a provider is not well organized and attendance records are not always accessible or reliable, this can create a big challenge for monitors. Here are some tips that can assist you:
SCHEDULE EFFECTIVELY
If you are visiting a provider who offers before and after school care, plan to visit at a time when you will have an opportunity to observe maximum attendance.
KNOW REGULATIONS
Make sure you fully understand the regulations governing child quota and quota exemptions.
For example:
• How are the provider’s own school age children factored into her after school enrollment?
• What about the neighborhood friends of the provider’s school age children?
• Is there a specific maximum amount of time the provider’s own children are allowed to be home in order to be exempt from quota requirements?
The better informed you are, the more effective your visit. Staying informed also allows you a better opportunity to assist providers in understanding the regulations governing their programs.
OFFER ASSISTANCE
Be prepared to offer assistance to any provider who is having difficulty organizing their records. The more organized the paperwork, the easier your job. It makes sense to focus on helping providers who have a problem staying current with their required records. Here are some tips you can share with your providers:
1. Color code your files. Have a different colored folder for each designation of required paper- work.
For example, child care folders for current enrollees can be in yellow folders, and folders for children who have left the program can be in red folders. Attendance records can be kept in blue and menus in green.
2. Try a “sign-in, sign-out” log for parents and make sure you collect that information and double check it with your own head count at the end of each day.
3. Create one area where all your required paper work can be stored. Make sure this is a protected area that allows for confidentiality, while at the same time allowing for easy accessibility when you need to retrieve a file. Think about investing in a file cabinet.
4. Make time each day to review your paperwork. A daily check of attendance and menus is a great way to keep on top of things and it helps you avoid major headaches at the end of a week or month. Remember that many of you are required to document observations regarding unusual behaviors, accidents, or any incidents that may occur in the course of a day. It is much easier to document effectively when it is done on the same day that the observation occurred.