Childcare at South Leaside Monday Group (SLMG)

The South Leaside Monday Group (SLMG) is a non-profit community group that has been running since 1972, and is intended for parents and their own babies, toddlers, and/or preschool age children. The aim is to provide parents with an interesting lecture and to enjoy conversation and a cup of coffee while the children are taken care of by caregivers in designated infant, toddler and preschooler rooms near by.

Attendance: Every child in SLMG childcare services must be accompanied by their parent, who is present in the building. Though exceptions are made, in practice children are not permitted in the main lecture room for safety concerns and to allow parents a much needed break.

Childcare Expectations: SLMG provides childcare that consists of babysitting in the infant room, and babysitting with some age appropriate activities and toys which may include free play, songs and stories in the toddler and preschool rooms.

The childcare givers are experienced workers who have often been with SLMG for years and often work for several other groups that meet on different days of the week. They try very hard to keep your child happy, comfortable and safe. Sometimes however your child may need your attention, either for comforting or nursing, at which time the childcare giver will come to the speaker room and ask you to attend to your child.

You are welcome to nurse your infants while enjoying the speaker but after nursing, or comforting, we encourage you to return your child to the childcare rooms and for you to rejoin the speaker. It makes everything go smoother too if parents keep visits to the childcare rooms to a minimum.

Labeling: Please ensure you label all items accompanying your child (e.g. Diaper bag, clothing, car seats etc.). Please write your child’s name on the provided masking tape and place on your child’s back for easy identification.

Sign In/Out: It is important each day that you sign your child/children into their childcare room(s) when you drop them off, and sign them out when you pick them up. In the unlikely event that there is an emergency, we need to know that all children are accounted for.

Fire: There is a fire exit in or beside each of the childcare rooms and the caregivers will be responsible for ensuring all children exit the building by the closest and safest door. Parents are asked to meet their children outside the building as this is the safest place for a reunion to take place. Use of exit doors other than the main/front door is prohibited, for security of the children, unless of an emergency.

Sickness: Hand sanitizers are provided near the Trace Manes building entrance and in the childcare rooms. Everyone (parents, caregivers and children) is encouraged to use them to help control the spread of sickness.

Sickness Continued:

We ask you to please follow the following Toronto Public Health¹ guidelines:

• Runny eyes,

• Rashes,

• Persistent cough,

• Green-coloured mucus,

• Fever (even low grade), within the last 24 hours, and/or

• Diarrhea within the last 24 hours, and/or

• Vomiting within the last 24 hours¹
  
  
  3. Wash or sanitize your hands frequently (note the hand sanitizers at the entrance and in the childcare rooms),
  
  4. Cough or sneeze into a tissue, and
  
  5. If you don't have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve or arm – not your hands.

A SLMG Childcare team member will check the Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MoHLTC) website for Flu updates on a regular basis and will relay any updates to the SLMG Executive for communication with the group (e.g., H1N1). SLMG will suspend meetings immediately if advised to by Toronto Public Health and/or MoHLTC and will only resume meetings once it is safe to do so.

Snacks and Allergies: In an effort to protect those children with allergies we ask that no food or drink be brought into the childcare rooms. SLMG will respect any allergies that are brought to our attention to the best of our abilities. However SLMG rents rooms from Trace Manes community center and therefore has no control over the people who use the same rooms before we meet, so we can not guarantee an allergy free environment. Please notify the SLMG childcare team leader of any known or suspect allergy by means of this form (see below) and with a brief conversation. Parents will be responsible for the administration of any EpiPens.

Preschool room (walking to age 5): SLMG will provide a simple snack of apple juice and/or water, cheerios and/or crackers, or the equivalent, which are nut free.

Toddler room (sitting to walking): SLMG will provide cheerios and/or crackers, or the equivalent, which are nut free. Parents may leave a sippy cup of juice or water for their toddler provided it is well labeled.

Infant room (newborn to sitting): To avoid mix ups, please do not leave any bottles in the infant room. If a babysitter thinks that a baby might be hungry, they will ask the parent to come and provide the bottle to the babysitter (which should be clearly labeled with the child’s name), or breastfeed the baby. The baby sitter will feed the baby with the provided bottle if the parent would like to rejoin the speaker.

Special Parental Instructions: Should you have any special instructions concerning your child (e.g. Allergies, feeding, special needs, breast feeding) please talk to one of the childcare givers or someone on the childcare team and they will note your instructions and make every effort to follow your wishes.