Our policies

1. Positive Guidance Strategies

Our staff utilizes proactive, positive techniques to guide children’s behavior:

• Redirection: Gently guiding a child away from an undesirable behavior and toward an engaging, positive activity.
• Clear Expectations: Setting consistent, age-appropriate limits that are explained to children using positive language (e.g., “We use walking feet inside” instead of “Don’t run”).
• Modeling Behavior: Staff members model kindness, patience, and respectful communication at all times.
• Praise and Encouragement: Recognizing and reinforcing positive behaviors, sharing, and helpfulness when they happen naturally.
• Co-Regulation: Helping children identify their emotions (e.g., “I see you are feeling frustrated”) and teaching them healthy ways to calm down, such as deep breathing or visiting a quiet reading corner.

2. Steps for Handling Challenging Behavior

When a child struggles to follow expectations or displays disruptive behavior, we follow a progressive series of supportive steps:

• Verbal Reminder: The teacher will offer a private, gentle reminder of the rule and discuss alternative choices with the child.
• Redirection & Choice: The child will be offered a choice of two different activities or areas to play in to help reset their focus.
• Cool-Down Time (Time-In): If a child is a danger to themselves or others, they may be asked to take a brief break with a teacher in a quiet space to regain composure. This is not isolation; a teacher remains with the child to offer comfort and help them process their feelings.
• Parent Partnership: If a behavior becomes a persistent pattern, we will schedule a meeting with the parents to collaborate on a consistent behavior plan between home and the childcare environment.

3. Prohibited Practices (MSDE Compliance)

In strict compliance with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) regulations, the following practices are absolutely prohibited by any staff member, volunteer, or substitute under any circumstances:

• Any form of corporal or physical punishment (including striking, shaking, biting, or pinching).
• Humiliation, verbal abuse, shaming, or threatening language.
• Punishing a child for lapses in toilet training.
• Withholding food, water, rest, or outdoor play as a consequence.
• Binding, restraining, or isolating a child in a locked room or dark space.

4. Expulsion and Dismissal Policy

Expulsion is always viewed as a last resort at our facility. Every effort will be made to resolve behavioral challenges through parent conferences, environmental modifications, and behavior intervention plans.

However, Little Roots Daycare reserves the right to terminate enrollment immediately if:

• A child’s behavior poses a continuous, severe safety threat to themselves, other children, or staff that cannot be reasonably mitigated.
• A parent or guardian exhibits abusive, threatening, or uncooperative behavior toward staff or other families.

Hours

Little Roots is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

Late pickup

We offer a 5-minute grace period after 6:30 PM. After 6:35 PM, a late fee of $1.00 per minute is added to your next tuition invoice.

Closures

Tuition reserves your child’s place year-round. We observe the following paid closures:

• U.S. federal holidays, plus the Friday after Thanksgiving.
• 2 paid MSDE professional development days per year, announced at least 60 days in advance.
• Up to 3 paid provider sick days per year. Any unplanned closure beyond 3 days in a year is 100% credited to your next invoice.
• No paid provider vacation weeks are charged to families.