1.1 Welcome to the LUMS Daycare Centre

The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and its Daycare Centre staff welcome you and your child to our Daycare facility. We appreciate your confidence in entrusting your children to our care and are committed to providing a safe and happy environment for your child.

This handbook provides you with important information concerning our Daycare Centre. Please keep it with you for reference on any matter regarding the Centre.

1.2. Our Mission

Our mission is to deliver exceptional childcare that ensures the safety and well-being of every child. We foster engaging learning experiences that inspire curiosity and creativity, empower personal growth, and strengthen our community through collaboration with families.

1.3. Introduction

1.3.1. Daycare Centre’s Role

We welcome you to the LUMS Daycare Centre, where we strive to provide our community with loving and secure care for their children. We hope that by providing this service we will relieve our community of their concern for their children during their hours of work or study.

Before you enroll your child, we encourage you to visit the Centre so that you can meet our staff and see our facilities. To facilitate you in making the right decision, we have a three-day trial period free of charge.

1.3.2. Parents’ Role

Sending your child to Daycare can be a difficult time for both parents and children. We are here to help you and your child adjust to us and our environment. We have an open-door policy so we encourage you to drop in whenever you wish and visit your child especially during the first three days where parents can stay with their child and the assigned nanny to help the child feel comfortable and adjust easily. Visitors cannot stay in the play area while all the children are inside during the hours of operation due to daycare SOPs. However, we encourage parents to take part in any activities that the Centre organizes following the Daycare SOPs.

In a situation where a child finds it difficult to adjust and this is causing stress for other children, the parents will be asked to sit in for the first three days (2-3 hours) until the child adjusts. If even after two weeks the child does not settle in, the parents may be asked to take their child out from the Centre.

1.3.3. Daycare Team

The Daycare Centre is managed by the Daycare Lead, who oversees an eleven-members core team comprising a supervisor, an associate, a nurse, seven nannies and a female janitor. Daycare team also includes up to ten instructors for Early Childhood Education (ECE), value-added program and extracurriculars.
 

Each nanny is responsible for taking care of up to eight children at a time including an infant, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children.
 

The Daycare Supervisor monitors the routine Daycare operations, communicates with the parents, assists in adjustment/transition phase, supervises Daycare activities.
 

The nurse examines health and hygiene measures, maintains SOPs, trains caregivers on healthy practices and keeps track of child’s medication if prescribed.
 

The Daycare Lead manages the learning programs, admissions, communications, events, operations, and is in charge overall.

1.4. Admission

The Daycare Centre enrolls only children between the ages of 3 months to 12 years (till 13^th birthday). The admissions are on an availability basis. Parents have the option of sending their child full-time, part-time or on an eight-visits package.

• Full-time is defined as 8.00 am to 5.15 pm daily
• Part-time is defined as up to five hours daily
• Eight-visits package is defined as a maximum of 8 visits per month

Note:

In months with 31 days, and February with less than 30 days, the respective full-time, part-time, and eight-visits packages will be prorated based on the actual number of days in the month.

In an event that the Daycare Centre is full, the child's name would be placed on a waiting list and parents will be contacted as soon as a slot is available. Preference on the waiting list will be given to requests for full-time,
followed by part-time and then daily users. In addition to this, first preference will be given to LUMS employees, followed by LUMS students and then alumni. Parents can register their child by filling out an online Daycare registration form, located at https://Daycare.lums.edu.pk/

The enrollment form contains the following sections:

1. Child’s Information
2. Parent/Guardian Information
3. Emergency Contact
4. Medical Information
5. Acknowledgement of reading the Daycare Handbook

The information provided will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be released or shared without the consent of the parents. Please notify us immediately of any changes in the information provided by you.

Only children (including legally adopted children) of LUMS community members (staff, faculty, students and alumni) are eligible for enrollment. In case both parents are LUMS employees, Daycare registration will be done in the name of the parent with the higher salary (for discount calculations). If one parent is an employee and the other a student, registration will be done in the name of the parent which is an employee. Any change in the child’s registration from one parent to the other will be subject to review and approval by HR.

Registration type can only be changed by cancelling the previous registration through emailing the Daycare Administrator with the information of required registration status. Confirmation of admission will depend on the availability of seats.

1.5. Switching Seats

Parents have an option to switch seats for another child. For example, if Daycare is no longer needed for an already registered child, the seat can be availed for his/her sibling without paying registration fee. However, the same registration procedure will be followed.

1.6. Timings

Monday – Friday (8:00 am-5:15 pm)

The Centre will remain closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (when LUMS is closed). Please note that while LUMS aims to keep the Daycare Centre open and running during the time mentioned in the handbook, the Daycare Centre might be temporarily shut down due to unforeseen situations, maintenance purposes or Daycare staff training. In such circumstances, parents will be informed in advance by the Daycare administration, enabling them to make alternate arrangements.

1.7. Attendance

Parents are required to enter check-in and check-out time for their child regularly. Missed attendance for the day will result in default timings for the child, i.e. the Centre’s opening and/or closing time.

1.8. Arrival and Departure

One of the parents named on the general information form must be responsible for dropping off and picking up the child. The parent will sign the daily attendance sheet when dropping and picking up the child and inform the staff about the child’s arrival and departure. A written statement should be sent to the Daycare Administrator if someone other than the people designated in the application form takes this responsibility. The child cannot be released to anyone under the age of 16 years. If a parent has authorized a maid/servant/driver to pick up the child from the Daycare Centre, ID card copy of the individual will be required.

1.9. Late Pickup Fees

Please inform the staff a day earlier if your child is to stay after the regular operational hours. If your child is picked up after 5:30 pm, a fixed late fee of Rs. 200 will be charged per hour. The same rule applies to overstay for the children registered Part-time. Stay after 5 hours will cost Rs. 200 per hour.

1.10. Late Fee Submission

For LUMS employees, fees are deducted from the monthly salary. For others, if the fee is not paid by the expiry date on the voucher, a penalty of Rs. 200 per day will be charged. Furthermore, failure to pay the second voucher on time will result in cancellation of registration and the child will have to be registered again for the daycare, with submission of registration fee.

1.11. Registration Fee

Daycare registration fee will be Rs. 2,000 per enrollment. This amount will be charged only once at the time of registration.

1.12. Per-day Fee (for non-registered children)

In special circumstances children who are not registered may attend Daycare on a full-day or half-day basis, after approval from HR. Rs. 600 per child will be charged to utilize the facility for half a day and Rs. 1000 for a full day.

1.13. Discounts

1.13.1 Student Discount

All Daycare subscription fees are discounted by 25% for enrolled students, other than Ph scholars. PhD scholars may apply for financial aid as per Daycare policy. However, they will be eligible for a 25% discount if they are no more receiving a stipend or RA/TA salary.

1.13.2 Sibling Discount for Employees, Students and PhD Scholars

Daycare offers discounts to siblings as follows:

1. 25% for the second child
2. 50% for the third (and any subsequent) child

Sibling discount is applicable for LUMS employees and students, but not alumni.

1.13.3 Financial Aid for Employees and PhD Scholars

LUMS provides financial aid in the form of fee waiver, as follows:

If the applicable subscription fees per child (after any sibling discount) exceed 10% of the gross salary, the remainder fee amount is waived off.

In the case of PhD scholars, this is calculated on the total earning from LUMS, for example, the sum of the PhD stipend and any RA/TA (or other) roles for which they get paid (if applicable).

Examples:

Employee A has a gross salary of 60,000 per month. 10% of 60,000 is 6,000. He has two children enrolled in Daycare. The first child’s fees are 7,000 per month, so he will only pay 6,000 for the first child. The second child is an infant whose fees are 9,800 per month. However, he gets a sibling discount of 25%, which reduces the fee to 7,350. However, once again, since 10% of his gross salary is 6,000, he will only pay 6,000 for this child as well.

PhD Scholar B gets a stipend of 40,000 per month and earns 25,000 as an RA –a total of 65,000 income from LUMS. 10% of 65,000 is 6,500. This is the amount she will pay if the subscription fee for that child exceeds 6,500.

1.14. Charges and Payments

For LUMS employees, payment of fees will be deducted from the monthly salary. Students and alumni are required to pay through voucher which can be submitted online, while one copy of the receipt is submitted to HR and one is kept by the parent.

If a child is enrolled on a part-time basis but comes to Daycare for full-time, an additional Rs. 500 will be charged for that day. Requests for changing registration type need to be sent at least 10 days before the change is required. HR will check if the slots are available, in case they are not available the request will not be accommodated.

Note: The above charges are subject to revision every July.

1.14.1 Alumni Fees

LUMS Alumni must pay a premium of 25% on top of regular subscription fees and are not eligible for sibling discounts and financial aid.

1.15. Trial Period

Please note that if, after the three-day trial period, the Daycare Centre refuses admission of a child, a committee will be formed to decide the case. The committee will comprise 3-4 staff members from different departments including HRD. The decision of the majority will be considered final regarding the admission of the child in such cases.

1.16. Leaving the Daycare Centre

If you decide to take your child out of the Centre, you must give HR a two-week written notice stating that you wish to terminate the contract. The last date the child will be coming to the Daycare Centre should be mentioned in the letter. If you do not give two weeks’ notice, you will be charged for two weeks.

1.17. Health and Safety

1.17.1 Accidents and Emergencies

We aim to always provide a safe and secure environment for your child. Our full-time nurse is available at the daycare to handle any minor cases that may arise. However, in the unfortunate event of a more serious accident or emergency, we will notify you immediately. If we cannot reach you, and if necessary, your child may be taken to the LUMS Medical Centre or National Hospital. We will continue to try to get in touch with you throughout the process. Therefore, please ensure that your personal and business contact numbers are always up to date.

1.17.2 Nursing

The purpose of nursing room in the Daycare is to provide a secure and comfortable space for nursing mothers which can be used only to express breastmilk or nurse an infant. It is managed by the Daycare nurse and to ensure comfort of our infant members and the privacy of their mothers, the following SOPs must be followed keeping in view the best international practices,

1. Only nursing infants with their mother are allowed inside the room
2. Daycare team member(s) can only go inside to hand over the baby and are not allowed to linger under any condition
3. Nursing room is a quiet zone; therefore, all discussions related to childcare / meals, etc. must take place in the Daycare lobby.
4. 30 minutes will be allocated for nursing per session where mothers can coordinate with the Daycare nurse to have multiple sessions in a day without any inconvenience.
5. Non-nursing children and auxiliary staff members are strictly prohibited from entering the nursing during operational hours.

1.17.3 Illnesses

To prevent our children from catching illnesses and protecting those who are already ill, the following SOPs have been designed by a team of pediatricians to clarify when a child should and should not attend Daycare if they are not feeling well.

Children should not attend Daycare:

1. If they have fever above 100 Fahrenheit along with a runny nose, cough, rash, and/or a headache; they may return if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours.
2. If they have greenish/yellowish nasal secretions, which usually indicate a bacterial infection.
3. If they have a rash, cough, and fever or any behavioral changes.
4. If they have a sore throat with fever, swollen lymph nodes (glands on the side of the neck), or mouth ulcers with drooling.
5. If they have a cough, fever, conjunctivitis (red eyes), and a red rash spreading from the face to the trunk, which may indicate measles.
6. If they have fever with swelling on one or both sides of the face below the ear, which could be indicative of mumps.
7. If they have fever with blister-like eruptions ail over the body, which could be a sign of chickenpox.
8. If they have thick mucus and pus discharge from the eyes.
9. If they have lice.
10. If they have mood swings resulting in extreme tantrums and non-stop screaming

Children may attend Daycare:

1. If they have a rash but without cough, fever, or behavioral changes.
2. If they have a night time/early morning cough and a history of allergies and eczema in the child and family.
3. If they have been taking antibiotics for more than 72 hours and are showing improvement,
4. If they have non-specific rashes (red spots) that resolve within 72 hours.
5. If they have already had measles, chickenpox, or mumps and are verified by a child specialist to be non- infectious.

1.17.4 Quarantine

If the child is exposed to someone who has been found COVID positive, he/she is required to complete a three-day quarantine period and a physical examination at LUMS medical Centre. Rejoining of the child will be based on doctor’s approval after a detailed check-up.

1.18. General Information

1.18.1 Activities

We have a few sessions a day including Early Childhood Education (ECE, two sessions), Physical Education and Arts & Crafts. ECE comprises of phonics, rhymes, general knowledge, learning Numbers and Haroof e Tahajji and storytelling. We also have supervised indoor and outdoor playtime for the children to interact with one another and develop their communication and social skills. The Daycare staff will not be responsible for ensuring the completion of homework. This is the responsibility of the parents.

1.18.2 Website and Social-Media

From time to time, pictures/videos of Daycare activities/events are shared with LUMS Communications for use on official websites and social media forums. If you are not comfortable with any coverage of your child/children, please write to the Daycare team at your earliest.

1.18.3 Use of Mobile Phone, Tablets, Games

Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones, tablets, electronic games or other electronic devices to the Daycare Center.

1.18.4 Use of Computers at Daycare Center

Use of computers at the Daycare Center is prohibited for games and entertainment. Computers can only be used for educational purposes with consent from both parents and daycare administration.

1.18.5 Birthday Celebrations

Birthdays are a cherished tradition at Daycare. Parents who wish to celebrate their child’s birthday at the Daycare are welcome to bring a cake, basic decorations (such as 5-10 balloons), and goody bags. They may also bring up to two guests from their immediate family (children, spouse, or parents) or from within the LUMS community. Please note that Daycare staff are not allowed to help with birthday decorations and/or goody bags – these must be pre-arranged by the parents. Other than cake, no food is allowed from outside.

1.18.6 Meals

The Daycare Centre does not provide any meals for infants or children. Parents are requested to provide any baby food or snacks they want their children to eat during their stay at the Daycare. Parents are reassured that no staff member will provide any other food items to the children without their prior consent. The staff will not cook any meals as per rules set by LUMS for health and safety reasons, nor will the staff wash any food boxes or bottles belonging to the children. To inculcate healthy eating habits, children are discouraged from bringing junk food to daycare.

1.18.7 Baths/Toilet Training

The staff members will not toilet train children nor will they give baths to any of the children at the Daycare for health and safety reasons. The staff will only change diapers or clean up the child.

1.18.8 Rest Periods

Time is set aside each day for a rest period. The children will not be required to sleep but will be expected to rest quietly so as not to disturb those who choose to sleep. Please provide a small blanket/comforter for your child so they don’t have to share blankets with other children. We discourage pillows for safety reasons.

1.18.9 Maids

Maids are not allowed to accompany children inside the Daycare Centre under any circumstances. In case of emergency, maids will be allowed up to 3 days after getting special approval from HRD.

1.18.10. Clothing and Personal Items

Please dress your child in comfortable clothes and tennis shoes rather than flip flops so that the child can move around easily. For safety reasons, please limit the use of bows, beads, earrings, or other small, potentially hazardous items. Please provide the following items as the Centre does not provide them:

1. Two changes of clothing for use in emergencies
2. Personal toys, but please keep in mind that the Centre does not take responsibility for any loss or damage to the toys. Children should not bring money, small items, toy guns or swords to the Centre. Toys will not be washed or sterilized by staff members.
3. Blanket/bed linen for the child’s use
4. Baby snacks and any other food items
5. Disposable diapers and baby wipes
6. An extra set of sterilized bottles with the brand of milk your child takes. The Centre staff will not wash/sterilize any bottles. Written instructions on when and how to give the milk should also be provided. Please label all items with your child’s full name including bottles, caps of bottles and jars, baby foods, diapers, diaper supplies and clothing.

1.19. Suggestions / Comments / Concerns

If a parent has any suggestion/comment/ concern regarding the management of Daycare, it should be sent directly to the HR Department and the department will act accordingly.

1.20. Reasons for Termination

We believe in working together as a team with our parents. However, if a parent does not abide by the terms and conditions of the contract and policies set forth in this handbook, the registration of the child may be suspended, and parents may be asked to take their children out of daycare.

The following reasons can be a cause of contract suspension or termination:

1. Non-payment for more than one month
2. Bringing a child with a contagious disease into the Centre
3. Asking the staff for special favors for a child
4. Making requests that go against the policies mentioned in this handbook (e.g., cooking, staying back late, washing, bathing)
5. Mood swings and tantrums causing distress for the staff and children
6. Non-cooperation of parents
7. Not providing required items after repeated requests by the staff, such as clothing, diapers, food and bottles

We have a limited number of staff members and we aim at giving an equal amount of time to all our Daycare children. Therefore, the Daycare reserves the right to refuse admission to a child after the three-day trial period if we find that the child is difficult to handle and requires more time and attention than the rest of the children. This step will be taken in the best interest of that child as well as other children.

1.21. Revision of Rules

The University reserves the right to amend or modify these rules when considered expedient in which case the approval of the HRD will be mandatory.

1.22. Location and Contact Information

1.22.1 The Daycare Centre Location

The Daycare Centre is located behind Faculty Apartments, Block 1, LUMS

1.22.2 Daycare Contacts

Maryam Mohsin      
Daycare Lead
Ext. 8559      
Email: maryam_mohsin@lums.edu.pk

Amra Irfan      
Daycare Supervisor
Ext. 8556      
Email: amra.irfan@lums.edu.pk

Noreen Murad  
Daycare Associate
Ext. 8556      
Email: noreen.murad@lums.edu.pk

Appendix A