This handbook covers daily life at In Space Universe — the rhythm of our days, our policies on illness and behavior, how we communicate, and what to do if something feels off. Read it once when you join us, and use it as a reference whenever you need it.
If your child is starting with us — or you're considering it — this handbook is meant to make life easier. We've written it as plainly as we can, the way we'd explain things in person at a tour. Where the language has to get formal (legal stuff, regulatory stuff), we've tried to translate alongside.
Our philosophy is simple: children are capable, curious, and worthy of respect. The way we structure days, train educators, design rooms, and respond to challenges all flows from that. If anything in this handbook seems out of step with that, please tell us — we'd want to know.
Each program runs on its own schedule:
We are closed on statutory holidays. Pro-D days, when public schools are closed for staff development, are service days for our school-age program — care continues as normal so families don't have to scramble.
Mornings begin with arrival, settling in, and child-led play. We move into focused exploration mid-morning, share a family-style snack, then head outside for a long block before lunch. Afternoons start with rest or quiet activity, followed by another outdoor block and a closing meeting. The exact times shift slightly by classroom and age group, but the rhythm holds.
We post each classroom's daily schedule in the family communication app on Sunday evening for the week ahead.
Every child must be signed in and out by the adult dropping off or picking up. We use a digital sign-in tablet at the entrance — tap your name, confirm the time. This is a licensing requirement and how we know who is in the building during a fire drill.
Only adults named on your child's authorized pickup list may collect your child. The list lives in the family app and you can update it anytime; just let us know before that person arrives. Anyone we don't know will be asked for photo ID and we'll call you to confirm before releasing your child.
If you're running late, please call — we always answer. After 5:30pm, a late fee of $2 per minute applies for each educator who has to stay past their shift, billed in your next monthly invoice. We don't apply the fee for genuine emergencies (traffic accident, medical situation), but we do ask you let us know what's happening so we can make plans.
If we can't reach you or any of your emergency contacts within 30 minutes of closing, we are required by our childcare licence to contact the Ministry of Children and Family Development. We'd much rather not, so please keep your contact list current.
Please keep your child home if they have a fever (over 38°C/100.4°F) within the last 24 hours, vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours, a rash with fever, or a cough that prevents normal participation. We follow Island Health's "Sick Child Guidelines" and may contact you to pick up if a child becomes too unwell to participate during the day.
For confirmed cases of any reportable illness (chickenpox, strep, hand-foot-and-mouth, COVID-19, etc.), we follow Island Health's exclusion guidelines — this is a regulatory requirement, not a judgment about your family. We'll tell you when your child can return.
If your child needs medication during program hours, we need a signed medication form (available in the family app) for every prescription. Over-the-counter medication requires the same paperwork. All medication must be in its original container with your child's name on it, and be handed to an educator at drop-off — not stored in cubbies. We administer per the form's instructions and log every dose.
Tell us about any allergy or dietary restriction at enrolment, and update us when things change. We post allergy alerts in each classroom and review them daily. We are a peanut-aware environment — please don't send any food containing peanuts. For severe allergies, an EpiPen kit must be on-site and educators trained on its use.
Our approach to behavior is grounded in respect, predictability, and skill-building. Children's challenging behavior almost always communicates something they don't yet have words for — tiredness, sensory overload, social confusion, hunger, big feelings. Our job is to help them find the words, not to suppress the behavior.
We use positive guidance — clear expectations stated calmly, choices when possible, redirection when needed, and time alongside an educator (never alone) when a child is overwhelmed. We do not use physical discipline, shame, withdrawal of food, isolation, or any kind of corporal punishment. These are prohibited by BC's Child Care Licensing Regulation and they're inconsistent with how we believe children learn.
If your child is having a hard time, we'll talk with you early and often. We may invite an outside professional (occupational therapist, behavior consultant) into the conversation when it's helpful, and we'll never make those introductions without your knowledge.
We go outside every day, in nearly every weather. Children need rain gear, snow gear in winter, sun hats and sunscreen in summer, and labelled spare clothes year-round. If your child arrives without weather-appropriate clothing, we have loaner gear — please return it washed.
A comfort object for naptime is welcome — a small soft toy or blanket, labelled with your child's name. Otherwise we ask you to leave toys at home. They get lost, fought over, or broken, and managing them takes time away from the children.
We celebrate birthdays simply — a song, a special chair, the birthday child as helper for the day. If you'd like to send a treat to share, please check in advance about classroom allergies. Store-bought items in their original packaging are easiest for us to verify.
We acknowledge a wide range of cultural and religious observances throughout the year, with families invited to share what's meaningful in their household. We don't centre any one tradition over others. If your family has something to share — a story, a food, a song — we'd love to hear about it.
The family communication app is our main channel for daily updates — classroom photos, naptime and meal logs, weekly observations. It's also the fastest way to send us a message about anything routine (sick day, schedule change, who's picking up).
Email (info@inspaceuniverse.com) is best for anything that needs a paper trail — enrolment changes, billing questions, formal requests. Phone (250-797-2471) is best for urgent matters during program hours.
Educators offer two formal conferences per year (fall and spring) to walk through your child's portfolio, share observations about development, and listen to your hopes and concerns. We can schedule additional check-ins anytime.
Current fees and any applicable BC childcare subsidies are detailed in your enrolment agreement. We participate in the Affordable Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative — ask us for help if you'd like to apply.
Tuition is billed monthly, on the first business day of each month, via pre-authorized debit. Receipts for tax purposes are issued in February for the previous calendar year.
We understand things happen. If a payment is going to be late, please email info@inspaceuniverse.com as soon as you know — we work with families on payment arrangements. Payments more than 30 days overdue without communication may result in suspension of services, and 60 days may result in termination of enrolment.
To withdraw your child, please give us 30 days' written notice. This lets us offer the spot to a family on the waitlist and gives our educators time to prepare a proper goodbye. Tuition is owed through the end of the notice period.
Most of our exploration happens within walking distance — nearby parks, the beach, community gardens. For walking outings within our standard radius, your enrolment agreement covers consent. For driving trips (rare, and not for the youngest children), we send a separate consent form for each outing with the destination, transportation, time frame, and educator-to-child ratio.
We don't take photos of children we don't have media release for during outings, and we never share location-tagged photos publicly while we're still on site.
We run fire drills monthly, evacuation drills quarterly, and shelter-in-place / lockdown drills twice per year. Every educator is trained in early childhood first aid and CPR, recertified every three years. Each centre has a posted emergency plan, and we maintain emergency supplies sufficient for 72 hours.
In an emergency, we contact you first using the numbers on file, then move down your emergency contact list until we reach someone. Please keep this information current — you can update it anytime in the family app.
Under BC's Child, Family and Community Service Act, our staff are required by law to report any reasonable suspicion that a child needs protection. This is not optional, it is not a judgment, and it applies to anyone who works with children. If we ever make a report involving your family, we will be transparent with you about it unless doing so would put a child at risk.
In Space Universe is committed to inclusion across abilities, cultures, family structures, gender identities, and faith backgrounds. We don't tolerate discrimination from staff, families, or visitors. If your child has additional support needs, please tell us during enrolment so we can plan well together — we'd rather be honest about what we can and can't do than try to figure it out on the fly.
We acknowledge that our centres operate on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as, and Stz'uminus people, and we take seriously our responsibility to teach and learn about Indigenous histories, presents, and futures.
If you have a concern, the fastest path to resolution is talking to your child's lead educator. Most things get sorted out in that conversation.
If a concern can't be addressed at the educator level, or if you'd rather start higher, please contact Matthew directly at founder@inspaceuniverse.com. We aim to respond within two business days and to have a path forward within five.
For concerns that we can't resolve together, you may also contact our licensing officer at Island Health (the agency that licenses our childcare programs) or the Provincial Director of Licensing. Contact information is posted at each centre and available on request. Filing a concern with the licensor will never affect how we treat your child or family.
Effective: May 2026