Safe Arrival & Absence Reporting

Safe Arrival & Absence Reporting Procedures

All families must strictly follow these reporting procedures whenever a child will be absent or arriving late. Please note that JCD and Jackman Public School do not share attendance reporting systems. Informing the school does not inform the daycare.

Preschool and Nursery School: Families must call their designated JCD program room by 9:00 AM if their child will be absent that day.
Kindergarten to Grade 6 (School Days): Families must call their JCD program room prior to 3:00 PM if their child will not be attending the after-school program.
PA Days and Holiday Breaks (Full-Day Care): Families must call their child’s JCD room by 9:00 AM if their child will be absent.
Physical Escort Requirement: Custodial parents/guardians must physically escort their child directly into their JCD program room and hand them off to a staff member, who will record the arrival time. JCD is not responsible for children who are dropped off at the school doors or walk into the building without a parent escort.

Note on Communications: Planned absences (such as vacations or recurring after-school clubs) can be reported to room staff in advance. Because JCD email accounts are not continuously monitored throughout the day for operational changes, always call the program room directly to report an absence.

Procedures When a Child is Unaccounted For

Morning and Full-Day Care Drop-Offs

If a child has not arrived at JCD by their expected time and the parent/guardian has not communicated an absence:

Phone Call: Classroom staff will call the custodial parents/guardians. If there is no answer, staff will leave a voicemail.
Email & Text Check: If phone contact fails, the JCD office will email both custodial parents/guardians, and a text message will be dispatched from the JCD emergency cell phone.
Emergency Contacts: If JCD is unable to reach the custodial parents/guardians by 10:30 AM, staff will call the listed emergency contacts. If all outreach fails, the child will be documented as absent in the daily written record.

After-School Care (Critical 15-Minute Window)

School-age children must report to their JCD room within fifteen (15) minutes of the school dismissal bell. If a child fails to arrive within 15 minutes and no absence notice was received, educators will immediately take the following steps in order until the child is located:

Check room phone messages and voicemails.
Call the custodial parents/guardians directly.
Coordinate with the child’s school classroom teacher and the school main office to verify if the child was absent from school or picked up early.
Request an emergency announcement over the school's PA system.
If parents cannot be reached by 4:30 PM, staff will call the emergency contacts.

Emergency Notice: If JCD receives confirmation from the school office or teacher that a JK–Grade 6 student was present in class that day but failed to report to daycare, and neither the parents nor emergency contacts can be reached by 4:30 PM, JCD will immediately contact emergency services and the police to report a missing child.