Health & Safety

Health and Safety is of the highest importance here at Cowlicks and Pigtails! 

We follow all Massachusetts EEC (Department of Early Education and Care) regulations to ensure the safety of our children and families.

Illness Policy

We kindly ask for families to keep their children home if they are not feeling well.

Please keep in mind we are not licensed to care for ill children, and we do not have the available staff to give the 1 on 1 sick/ill children need. 
Please be mindful of other families by adhering to our illness policy to ensure contagious illnesses are not spread. 

We may require a physicians note and/or viral illness testing for your child to return to care.

Please see below for a list of symptoms that may require to keep your child(ren) home, or pick them up from care. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Playground Safety

At Cowlicks and Pigtails, we take great care in adhering to the Department of Early Education and Care's standards for Playground Safety.

We have various play areas with a variety of surfaces for the different age groups to ensure materials offered are developmentally appropriate.

We perform a playground check each morning, even during winter months or rainy days, to ensure children's materials are safe and ready at all times!

During this playground check we:

*Look for and remove any broken toys

*Look for and remove any fallen sticks, acorns, or other items that may pose choking hazards to younger children

*Check that our gates are latched properly and unable to be opened by children

*Ensure all entrances and exits to the playgrounds are open and accessible

and more!

We apply family provided or school sunscreen and bug spray to protect children during the warmer months (permission slips go out yearly).
We ask for families to be diligent in dressing their children for the weather, as we try to go outside as much as possible! This includes exchanging extra clothes in your child(ren)'s bags to be seasonally appropriate. We also ask families to send in 2-3 outfits at all times.

We follow the Child Care Weather Watch for guidelines for heat and cold temperatures to ensure it is always safe to go outside.

We offer shaded areas to ensure children can stay cool and water play frequently during the summer!
We also ensure all children 1 year and up have water to drink available at all times when outside to ensure hydration!

Take a peek at our Playgrounds!

We believe in natural play!

Children are encouraged to play with natural materials. We often use nature's materials for art, science, sensory, and exploration. Whether it be making a nature collage, collecting acorns, or making roadways with twigs!