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Enrollment
Quality Child Care
Now
Enrolling!
We'd LOVE to Show You Around
We are the place for you!
Our tours, are very comprehensive and typically last between 40-45 minutes.
Please come with any questions you may have regarding your families specific child care needs.
We believe that children thrive in an environment which values their own uniqueness, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. By building on each child’s strengths, interests and curiosities, we guide each child to explore the world around them as well as develop new abilities and form close relationships.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the enrollment requirements for children?Before we accept your child in our center, we need to have the following forms completed: *Enrollment Packet *Medical history form *Personal Health Care Plan (if needed) *Financial agreement contract *Enrollment/Income Eligibility Form (USDA food program) *Parent agreement form and disclaimer *Consent for emergency treatment *Immunization records (within 14 days) *Copy of child’s birth certificate *Permission to transport
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What are the center’s operating hours?Our centers are open Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Children should not be in our care for more than 10 hours per day. The latest drop off time is 9:15 a.m. unless pre-arranged with management.
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What holidays is the center closed?If your child’s normally scheduled days fall on a holiday that the center is closed, regular charges will apply. We will be closed the following holidays. -New Years Eve -Thanksgiving day -New Years Day -Friday after Thanksgiving day -Memorial Day -Christmas Eve -Independence day -Christmas Day -Labor Day * If any of these holidays should fall on a Saturday, the center will be closed on the Friday before. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, we will be closed on the Monday after. If Independence day falls on a Tuesday or Thursday we will also be closed the Monday or Friday of that same week.
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What ages of children do you accept?We are dedicated to providing a loving and nurturing environment for children ranging from one year of age through Pre-Kindergarten (5 years old).
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Do you offer part-time or drop-in care?We do offer part-time care at our center. Part-time is defined as anything less than 24 hours per week. We do NOT provide drop-in care.
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What does my child need to bring with them to school?Please make sure all items are labeled with your child’s first and last name! 1. An extra outfit to keep in his/her cubby every day. This should include shirts, pants, underwear, and socks. Have seasonal clothing available. 2. A small blanket for nap time. We will provide blankets for those who do not have one. 3. If your child is in diapers or pull-ups, please provide one sleeve of diapers/pull-ups per week (or a sleeve that lasts longer), two packages of wipes per month, one can of formula per week, and one extra on hand at all times, infant baby food, etc. as directed.
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How does the organization ensure compliance with licensing regulations?ELC conducts Comprehensive Center Assessments monthly. This comprehensive assessment not only contains state licensing requirements, but it also includes the company’s personal requirements that ensure centers are in compliance with both. Having this item in place allows for optimum center function.
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What is the teacher to student ratio per class?Infants and Waddlers is 1:6 Toddlers is 1:8 Preschool and Pre-K is 1:12
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What extracurricular programs do you offer?We offer many extracurricular programs in our center. We offer Spanish bi-weekly. We offer Music weekly through the Northwest Academy of Music. The songs learned are performed at the end of the school year during our Pre-K graduation and Spring Social. We offer a 5-week course of Gymnastics through Basic Balance three times per year. We have a Library teacher come into the center to read books to the children and get them excited about reading! We also bring in police officers and firefighters to teach our students about safety and emergency procedures.
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How often do children go outside?We feel that it is important to go outside every day. We try to give our kids the opportunity to go outside at least two times per day (three if curriculum and weather allow).
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What are weather policies for recess?Children will be outside unless the temperature is: -Below 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter or -Above 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
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Does the center provide child assessments?We have a set curriculum for all ages of children. We use Pinnacle Curriculum for children ages birth through three years old. This is a play-based curriculum. We use Preschool Palace for all children ages three through five years old to prepare the children for Kindergarten. We conduct assessments three times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring).
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Does the center have nap time?Yes! Children in our facilities nap every day. Nap time is from 12:00pm-2:00pm. If your child has outgrown the need for a daily nap, he or she will be required to rest quietly on their mat while the rest of the children sleep. Infants will sleep according to each child's individual needs
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Does the center help parents with potty training their child?Yes! Toilet training will begin when the parent and caregivers agree that the child has the necessary muscular maturation and desire. We will use positive reinforcement to encourage children to sit on the toilet, but will not rush them to do so. It is important that you dress your child in easy to remove clothing. We will follow a routine to help reinforce potty training. For children who are not toilet trained by the time they reach preschool, they will move to preschool but the price will remain at the toddler tuition rate. (Parents need to provide extra clothing during this time period of toilet training.
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What is your policy on child sickness?Every effort will be made to keep contagious illnesses out of our center. Children will be denied care if they have any of these symptoms within the last 24 hours: *Fever of 100.4 or higher *Diarrhea or vomiting *Earache or ear drainage *Signs of irritability or confusion *Sore throat *Fatigue that limits daily abilities *Unexplained rashes *Discharge and/or redness in the eyes *Lice or nits *Severe cough, difficult and or rapid *Open or oozing sores, unless breathing properly covered We will use our best discretion when we feel a child is too sick or tired to be at the center. If a child becomes ill during the day, he/she will be isolated immediately until parents are contacted. We will keep the child as comfortable as possible until parents arrive. Immediate pick-up is required after notification. Any child on prescribed medication must be on it for a full 24 hours before returning to the center or until a doctor releases them.
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How often are diapers/pull-ups checked and changed?Diapers and pull-ups are checked and changed every two hours. Diapers and pull-ups are also changed in between the two hour blocks if needed.
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What are the sanitation procedures for center cleanliness?
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What is your behavior management policy?Behavior management at ELC is developed with support and encouragement of positive behavior through a planned environment which provides a variety of activities from which the children may choose. Methods include reinforcement such as verbal praise, smiles, and pleasant attention for appropriate stated alternatives when a conflict situation occurs.
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What is your incident protocol?Incidents, injuries and accidents shall be documented. Documentation shall include name of child, date and time of incident, location where incident took place, description of how incident occurred, part of body involved, and actions taken. Documentation of all incidents/injuries/accidents shall include time of parental notification and signature of person notifying the parent.
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Who provides food for the children?Prairie Learning Center families need to bring a packed lunch. Our other centers participates in the child and adult care food program. All meals are provided by the center. All meals prepared will be USDA approved. If the need arises for a child with allergies or a special diet to have a separate meal, we will accommodate the parent providing the meals and snacks they need.
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How much does tuition cost?Thank you for asking about the cost of tuition. We do not post our preschool tuition rates online but we welcome you to contact us to request an information packet that includes the price of our tuition. This packet also highlight many of the reasons that make us so special. Don't worry, we're likely not out of your price range. In fact, we are VERY competitive with the preschools around us. We just strongly feel that there is so much more to the care of your child besides price. In fact, if you are only looking for the cheapest school, we are probably not for you. We attract parents who feel strongly about organic foods, natural environments, happy staff, clean facilities, extra-curricular offerings such as nature lab science, art and tinkering, and the highest quality of learning. We do all that and more for a very affordable rate. Please feel free to explore our website and schedule a tour to get a better idea of what makes us extraordinary.
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What’s included in the tuition cost?Our tuition costs cover childcare, meals and snacks, classroom supplies, activities such as Music, Spanish, Gymnastics, and any items that may be forgotten by parents (such as extra clothes, blankets, nap mats, diapers, etc.)
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What forms of payments do you accept?Parents can pay online through the Procare Connect App (transaction fees may apply) or with cash/check at the center.
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Does the center provide a sibling discount?We do not provide sibling discounts at our center.
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Is there a separate rate if my child is not potty trained?Yes. For children who are not toilet trained by the time they reach preschool, they will move to preschool but the price will remain at the toddler tuition rate. Once they are potty trained, the tuition rate will change to the appropriate Preschool rate.
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Do teachers have background checks?Yes! All of our teachers must complete a comprehensive background check through the State of Idaho. They are only allowed to work at our center if it comes back clear.
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Can someone other than myself pick my child up?Yes! If you have authorized a pick-up by someone other than yourself, please make sure to communicate with the director and staff. Do NOT share your door code with the other person. Have them ring the doorbell and our staff will let them in the facility. The Director or a staff member will check their ID to make sure the child can be released.
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Who has access to security cameras?Directors / Owners are the only individuals who have access to the video footage. The cameras do not save footage for more than 24 hours. The cameras are solely for the purpose of staff training and observation.
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Do you have a disaster/emergency plan?We have developed a Crisis/Disaster Response Plan, detailing step-by-step procedures that we will follow in the event of an emergency. All staff will be properly trained for each event, such as: a missing child, kidnapping, child abuse, assault on child or staff, fire alarms/emergency, earthquake, tornado, flooding, building evacuation, field trip incidents, power outage, storms & snow, external hazardous materials accidents, internal hazardous material accident, shelter in place procedure, bomb threat, emergency lock down/intruder alert, crisis response and suspicious mail.
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