The Child Care takes every step possible to provide the best supervision for the children in our care. To do this, we stay aligned with Pennsylvania state child-to-staff ratios. Teachers have assigned groups of children for whom they are responsible. Teachers also do headcounts frequently throughout the day, especially when they move between areas or take the children outside.
We also send an additional staff person, trained as a lifeguard, with any group that is swimming.
We hold fire drills at least every 60 days and keep an updated emergency plan that is submitted to both the county and local Emergency Management Agencies.
We provide our meals, at no cost to families who choose to participate, with funding through the CACFP (Federal Food Program.) Upon enrollment and every August thereafter, each family participating is required to complete enrollment paperwork concerning this program.
We follow CACFP guidelines to ensure your child is receiving everything they need in a meal to stay active and healthy. Our lunches always contain a protein, carbohydrate and two servings of fruit/veggies along with the recommended milk for that age group. We post monthly menus that include a mix of both hot and cold meals that contain all recommended components for a healthy meal. Our meals range from sandwich days to meals such as roast turkey, roast ham, homemade pizza or baked chicken. We strive to include many and varied seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables in order to expose our children to as many healthy options as possible, serving everything from apples, oranges, cucumbers and carrots to pineapple, mango, cherries and red peppers.
We will also work with families to accommodate special dietary restrictions as much as possible under the CACFP guidelines. Families that decide not to participate in the CACFP program may opt out and provide their own, eaten as-is, meals daily.
**The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usdr.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office or call (866) 632-9992 to request a form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or by email at program.intake@usda.gov.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact the USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)877-8339 or (800)845-6136 (Spanish.)
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
At Cynthia K. Franck’s Child Care, we take every precaution to ensure your child’s safety when transporting by the center. We use our company School Vans to transport children age four years and older to and from schools, field trips and centers. We may also contract with an outside transportation company to use school busses for some School Age Summer Camp field trips.
All drivers of our School Vans are trusted staff whose driving records are screened to ensure good driving records before receiving training in order to safely operate our vehicles.
All Child Care School Vans are equipped with the appropriate safety restraints as defined by PA State regulations for your child’s age group. Cynthia K. Franck’s Child Care follows all PA State safety restraint guidelines and PA State child-to-staff ratios while transporting your children.
If children that are in preschool or younger need transported by the center for any reason, the child-to-staff ratio divides in half, with at least two adults in the vehicle.
All staff employed by Cynthia K Franck’s Child Care, Inc. are required to obtain and keep current all safety clearances mandated by the state of PA. This includes a current Act 33 (Child Abuse) clearance, Act 34 (Criminal Record Check) clearance, FBI fingerprinting clearance and NSOR (National Sex Offender Registry) clearance.
All staff are required to take at least a certain number of clock hours per year. They receive initial and continuing training concerning such topics as supervision, curriculum, child observation, discipline, Health/Safety, cultural/ linguistic diversity and child development.
The staff are all required to attend the following safety courses either by the state or by the child care: Fire Safety, Water Safety (for any staff swimming,) First Aid/CPR, and a 6-hour Health and Safety Basics class within their initial 90 days.
Each staff person is also responsible for obtaining a health assessment every two years with a TB test upon initial employment.