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Sign In/Out Sheet Manual for

School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten and CSC Scholarships (CTC)

Providers

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Table of Contents

Sign In/Out Sheet Rules…………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Sign In/Out Sheet……………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

VPK Short Form ……….……………………………………………………………………………….. 7

VPK Long Form………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Provider Responsibilities………………………………………………………………………….... 9

Compliance Guidelines……………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Post Audit Attendance Monitoring Outcome Report………………………………….. 12

Attendance Review……………………………………………………………………………………... 13

Tips for Sign In/Out Sheets…………………………………………………………………………. 14

School Readiness Parent Letter………………………………………………………………….. 15

Voluntary Prekindergarten Parent Letter…………………………………………………. 16

Sample Sign in/out Sheets ………………………………………………………………………… 17

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SIGN IN/OUT SHEET RULES

The Coalition is responsible for conducting auditing activities to ensure the accuracy of the monthly payments/reimbursement requests. The Coalition or designee may audit sign in/out sheet records at any time. The Provider is responsible for maintaining original sign in/out records for each child’s daily attendance at the facility as well as cooperating with any requests related to auditing payments regarding School Readiness (SR), Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), and CSC Scholarships (CTC) funding. Failure to produce original documents when requested may result in disallowed payments. The following is a list of rules and regulations to assist providers in meeting this requirement. All children must be signed in and out daily, including time AM/PM. This includes school-age children, children transported by the Provider and children dropped off by their parent/guardian/person authorized. School Readiness In cases where a provider signs a child in and out, the parent/guardian/person authorized must sign and date a statement monthly verifying their child's attendance for the preceding month.

Voluntary Prekindergarten

• VPK Providers must ensure that in addition to daily sign in/out sheets, parent/guardian/person authorized verify, each month, the students’ attendance on the prior month’s certified student attendance, Short Form.

• VPK Providers that are licensed exempt and use a method other than a daily sign-in/out record, the provider must ensure that parents verify, each month, the student’s attendance using the Long Form.

• Short/Long Forms must be signed by parent/guardian/person authorized within ten (10) calendar days after the end of each month.

Afterschool Guidelines

• School-age children who are picked up at school and transported by the Provider must be signed in by the Provider upon arrival each day.

• Only an adult authorized by the parent to pick up the child may sign a child out. In no event may any officer, employee or volunteer of the Provider sign a child in or out except where it is logistically impossible for the parent/guardian/person authorized to physically sign the child in or out (such as where the child rides the bus) and where the parent/guardian has expressly consented in writing to an officer, employee, or volunteer of the Provider signing the child in or out.

• In cases where a provider signs a child in and out, the parent/guardian/person authorized must sign a statement monthly for verifying their child's attendance.

• Facilities that have a child care license must comply with all licensing requirements relating to sign in/out sheets.

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SIGN IN/OUT SHEETS: School Readiness and CSC Scholarship programs Sign in/out sheets must include:

• Name of Facility/Provider (must match name on issued license) • Month / Year • Name of child (must match name on the Family Central, Inc. Enrollment Certificate) • Dates • Time in (must be accurate to the minute, may not be rounded up or down) • Time out (must be accurate to the minute, may not be rounded up or down) • AM and PM must be specified if the provider offers night care • Full signature of the parent or person authorized by the parent to drop off the child • Full signature of the parent or person authorized by the parent to pick up the child

Parent/guardian/person authorized must verify the child’s attendance within ten (10) calendar days after the end of each month. Electronic sign in/sign out sheets may be used in lieu of manual sign in/out sheets.

• All of the above rules apply. All persons who sign a child in and/or out must be

named (first and last name) on the sign in/out sheet next to the electronic entry. The name that appears with the time in and time out must be the person dropping off and/or picking up the child. Providers may not enter parents’ codes for sign in/out purposes.

Parent/guardian/person authorized to pick up the child must review, sign and date a print-out of the electronic sign-in/sign-out sheet within ten (10) calendar days after the end of each month. The person signing children in and out must sign their own name. Under no circumstances

may one person sign the name of another.

White-out may not be used on sign in/out sheets. If an error is made, cross through it with one line and write the correction above it or where space allows.

Siblings must have individual sign in/out sheets.

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PROVIDER RESPONSIBILITIES:

Sign in/out sheets for the current month must be in use and on-site. All children who are present must be signed in/out. The Coalition can only authorize reimbursement for children who are signed in/out on a daily basis.

Sign in/out sheets for the prior three months must be on-site and

accessible for unannounced audits. All sign in/out sheets must be accessible during normal operating hours;

Providers must ensure that staff in charge in their absence has access to all sign in/out sheets.

Sign-in/sign-out sheets requested for Post Audit Attendance Monitoring

(PAAM) must be submitted upon request by the Coalition. In the event that the Provider does not provide sign in/out sheets during the onsite monitoring, a reimbursement adjustment will be made for any days for which a Provider was reimbursed and a completed sign in/out sheet was not submitted.

Sign in/sign-out sheets for School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten

and CSC Scholarship providers must be maintained for a minimum of five (5) years after the expiration of the Provider Agreement.

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COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES: The Coalition reserves the right to make inquiries about signatures, including requests for back-up documentation to substantiate that full signatures are being used. For School Readiness/CSC Scholarships/Voluntary Prekindergarten

Discrepancy, requiring an adjustment is in an inability to determine whether the child was present after reviewing the attendance sheet and sign in/out sheets. Examples of discrepancies requiring adjustment include, but are not limited to:

Child marked present on the attendance, but not signed in or out on the sign-in sheet;

Child marked present, but sign-in and sign-out signatures are crossed out;

Child marked present and signed in/out by the provider (may exclude: afterschool programs);

Using an electronic sign in/out system a child was signed in/out by the provider evidenced by use of the provider code;

Parent completed a verification of attendance prior to the end of the month;

Parent did not verify monthly attendance on electronic Sign in/out sheets;

Parent did not verify monthly attendance for CSC program participants; Any day(s) the provider exceeds licensed capacity; Any day(s) for which a sign-in sheet was not submitted.

For Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Only: Child marked present on the attendance sheet but is not indicated as

present on the VPK Long Form; VPK Long Form is not signed by the parent, verifying attendance as

indicated.

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An error occurs when a child’s attendance is not in question however there is an error/mistake in the completion of the forms.

Examples of errors include:

Child signed in but not signed out, child signed out but not signed in; Child signed in and/or out using initials or last name only; Time in and/or out is missing; White-out appears to be used on sign in/out sheet; Child signed in/out on a day coded as a holiday; Child’s name does not match records (nickname, or misspelling, “Jr.”

missing are some examples); Provider name is not on sign in/out sheets or does not exactly match

records; Year and/or month not on the sign in/out sheet; Parent did not verify monthly attendance in the allotted 10 day time

frame; VPK Long Form was not signed and dated by the tenth (10) day of

the new month; VPK Long Form and Short form is missing the parent’s printed name; Print-out of electronic sign-in/out sheets were not signed and/or

dated; AM/PM not on sign-in/out sheets for providers approved for night

care; Child was signed in/out, but the attendance sheet has a blank spot.

Not acceptable as full signatures are:

First name only; First name with last initial; last name only; Initials only.

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TIPs for SIGN-IN/OUT SHEETS

Know the requirements: “Sign in/out Sheet Rules” may be found on the Early

Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County www.elcpalmbeach.org website. Check our website for updates.

Ensure sign in/out requirements are included in the information packet provided

to all parent/guardian/person authorized at your center, family child care home, school, summer camp, and/or afterschool program.

Review procedures with parents, and other persons authorized for dropping off

and picking up children regularly. Advise parents/guardians that they are responsible for informing persons

authorized to drop off and/or pick up their children about the sign in/out requirements.

Assign staff to enforce requirements daily If you have a front desk person, you

might assign them the task; if not, you might have parents sign-in and sign-out in the classroom and have the classroom teacher or assistant review them each day.

Review sign in/out sheets to ensure:

o Child’s name matches the name on the child’s eligibility certificate. Using nick names may result in a reimbursement adjustment during a Post Audit Attendance Monitoring (PAAM).

o Times in and out are accurately documented. o Parent/guardian/person authorized verify child’s attendance within

the ten (10) calendar days after the end of each month o Review sign in/out sheets routinely to ensure that every child in

attendance was signed in/out. If children are present and not signed in/out, address it the same day with the parent/guardian/person authorized.

o VPK only: Ensure that the parent’s signature is within 10 calendar days at the end of each month on the Student Attendance and Parental Choice Certificate (Short Form or Long Form). You might assign this task to the VPK Instructor or VPK Secondary Instructor for each VPK class to ensure Short Forms/Long Forms are completed according to VPK requirements

Onsite records: Maintain completed sign-in sheets by month, including electronic

sign-in sheets. This will allow easy access to requested sign in/out sheets for Post Audit Attendance Monitoring (PAAM). Many providers also file a copy of their reimbursement report for the same month with the sign in/out sheets. This allows providers a convenient way to ensure that a sign in/out sheet for each child, for whom the provider was reimbursed, is submitted upon request to the Coalition for a

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Post Audit Attendance Monitoring (PAAM).

School Readiness Sign in/out Sheet Requirements

Parent letter

TO:

FROM: Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, Inc.

DATE:

RE: Sign in/out Sheet Requirements

The Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, Inc. is pleased to assist your family in providing childcare. A concern has arisen regarding the need for parents/guardians/person authorized to sign each child in and out daily. For the parent, this process is critical, as it ensures that an authorized person signs your child/children in and out each day. For the provider, this is a record that your child has attended their child care site that day.

It is a State requirement that both you and the provider ensure that daily sign-in and sign-out occurs. As a parent/guardian/person authorized, you agreed to sign your child/children in and out each day by signing the Terms and Conditions for Eligibility and Enrollment for School Readiness Services form. You are required to sign your child in and out each day they are in attendance at his/her child care provider. Please note that you must:

• Sign your child(ren) in upon arrival and out upon departure on separate sign-in

sheets for each day of attendance. • Sign with a full signature • Write accurate time in and time out to the minute, with no rounding up or down,

and include am and pm if you are receiving night care.

Due to funding requirements, the Coalition can only pay for children who are properly signed in and out on the sign in/out sheet. If these requirements are not met, the Coalition may not be able to pay for the days that your child is not properly signed in and out. If this happens, you may be responsible for payment to your child care provider if your children were in attendance but not properly signed in and out. If you have any questions, you may contact the Program Assurance Manager at 561-214-7426.

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Voluntary Prekindergarten Sign in/out Sheet Requirements

Parent Letter

TO:

FROM: FROM: Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, Inc. DATE:

RE: VPK Sign in/out sheet Requirements

The statewide voluntary prekindergarten program requires that parents verify their child’s attendance each month in the VPK Program. For VPK Providers that have a child care license, this means parents must sign their children in and out on a daily basis as well as certify their child’s attendance by the tenth day of the next month, on the Short Form. For licensed exempt VPK Providers, parents must review and sign the Long Form each month. The Coalition audits records to ensure this requirement is met. Due to funding requirements, payment can only be made to your VPK Provider when these requirements are met. You can assist in this process by ensuring you do the following:

• Sign your child(ren) in upon arrival and out upon departure on separate sign-in sheets for

each day of attendance. • Sign with a full signature • Enter accurate time in and time out each day (no rounding up or down) • Verify each month your child was in attendance by the tenth day of the new month on the

Short Form or Long Form, signing with full signature.

If you have any questions, you may contact the Program Assurance Manager at 561-214-7426.

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Sample Sign in/out Sheets Complete Sign in/out Sheet

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Incomplete Sign in/out Sheet