Important Policies

Registration

A child will be considered for admission into Carol’s Learning Academy (CLA) once the registration form and registration fee of $50 is received. This fee is non-refundable. The application form and fee is required for each child seeking enrollment with CLA. Registration fees guarantee your child’s placement and will only be accepted if space is available for your child. The process of registration will include the requirement for the parent to read and accept all of the policies established by CLA. Other forms may be completed at the time of registration or when the specific needs during the school year require a completed form to be maintained on record by CLA.

Notice of Withdrawal

CLA requires a written notice of your intent to withdraw your child two weeks in advance. Without this two-week notice in writing, your registration fee will not be refunded.

Payments

Although CLA accepts checks and cash, checks are preferable. Unfortunately, we cannot accept credit or debit cards at this time. CLA requests that you write your child’s name on the memo line of the check for record-keeping purposes. Payments are due on the first day of the week of service and cover the entire week including days missed due to illness, vacation, or holiday. Parents may pay in advance on a multi-week basis.

Late Payments

A late fee of $10.00 will be assessed if payment is not received by 6:00 p.m. on Friday, prior to the week of care. If full payment, including late fee, is not received on Monday morning, the child will not be accepted for care until the fee is paid. Upon three incidents of late tuition payment, termination of services may result  and their registration fee will not be refunded. CLA reserves the right to take any and all legal action to necessary collect outstanding dues. Please keep your account up-to-date.

Refunds

Registration fees are non-refundable. Registration fees are only refundable only in the instance of withdrawal. A written notice of withdrawal must be provided two weeks in advance.

Returned/Void Checks

CLA will charge a $ 30.00 fee for each returned, void, or invalid check. CLA reserves the right to request that tuition be paid in cash should a check be returned.

Holidays

The following Holidays are observed during the year: New Year Eve and New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, and Christmas Eve, Christmas Day. Our Center is closed on these holidays. Please Note: Fees are based on a full year’s operating budget and consideration for holidays is already included. Accordingly, Weekly Fees remain the same regardless of holidays. During some Holiday periods, our Center may selectively close for maintenance and staffing purposes.  Parents will be notified in advance of any HOLIDAY CLOSURES.

Absence and Vacation

Weekly tuition fees are due regardless of family vacation or illness. There are no exceptions for missed days.

Medical symptoms requiring removal of child from day care

CLA recognizes a fever as a temperature of 100 F or higher, as taken from under the arm. A child must be fever-free for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to daycare. We request that temperature is naturally below 100 F and is not affected or reduced with the aid of any fever-reducers.

A Child will also not be permitted if the following symptoms are present:

• Sore throat, rash, vomiting, earachem, diarrhea- runny, watery, and/or bloody/ loose stools within the last 4 hours.
• Breathing trouble, sore throat, swollen glands, loss of voice, hacking or continuous coughing
• Runny nose draining eyes or ears.
• Lice, rash, or any other spots that resemble childhood disease including ringworm.

Medical Forms

State regulations require us to obtain a medical record for each child. A physical examination is required one month prior to admission to CLA. A physician should fill out the required medical record and have it returned to CLA on the day of registration. The Medical record must be current and updated.

Medical Alerts

If your child has any medical condition that requires our care and attention, please let us know by filling out the Medical Alert Form.

Prescription & Non-Prescription Medications

Parents must complete a Medicine Administration Form for us to administer medications. Only medications in their original containers (prescription or over-the-counter) will be administered. Certain medications will needs a doctor’s note.

Minor Injuries

Minor bumps and scratches are inevitable, but we make every effort to keep the children safe through supervision and childproofing. Minor injuries receive appropriate first aid, and if an emergency injury or illness occurs, you will be contacted as soon as possible. If necessary, your child will be taken to the nearest hospital where you will be asked to meet us

We open at 5:30 A.M. and close promptly at 5:30 P.M.

We ask that Parents respect our teacher’s time and arrive early to pick up their child and gather his or her belongings. If you want to speak with your child’s teacher, please set up an appointment with the director. If for some reason you are late to pick up your child, you must contact Carol’s Learning Academy (CLA) and notify the staff of your estimated time of arrival.

After 5:30 P.M., a $25 automatic fee will be enforced and added to the next bill. This late fee must be paid directly to CLA. CLA reserves the right to terminate enrollment to a family who is consistently late.

If a parent or guardian does not pick up or arrange to have someone pick up his or her child by 5:30 P.M. CLA staff will implement the following policy:

AGE APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES

The goal of CLA is to instill positive and respectful behaviors in our students. Discipline will be appropriately used to address unacceptable behaviors (which include, but are not limited to, hitting, biting, spitting, foul language, bullying, etc).

Discipline Policy

Discipline involves rules and correcting inappropriate behavior and is necessary for a child’s growth and the positive environment of a classroom. CLA’s goal in disciplining a child is to do so with empathy and understanding. CLA does not promote or tolerate any form of physical or emotional punishment under in any circumstance. Disciplinary actions taken by CLA may include removing a child from a negative situation but no form of “punishment” will follow.

Parents and teachers are encouraged to discuss the child’s behavior and disciplinary procedures in order to gain a level of consistency. To foster the communication process, the child’s teacher is encouraged to give verbal reports of the child’s behavior to the parent or guardian on a daily basis. Moreover, the child’s parent or guardian is encouraged to listen to these reports. This will allow the parent and teacher to correct inappropriate behavior and promote positive growth.

If a child’s behavior becomes a consistent problem, a meeting between the director, the child’s teacher, and the child’s parent or guardian is required to resolve the problem. If it is necessary to develop a specific plan for dealing with a child’s pattern of unacceptable behavior, all staff shall be notified of the plan and assist in implementing it.

State law mandates that, “any child who, after attempts have been made to meet the child’s individual needs, demonstrates inability to benefit from the type of care offered by the facility, or whose presence is detrimental to the group, shall be discharged from the facility.” Should the need arise, we will assist parents in finding suitable alternatives and will always keep the child’s needs paramount.

Biting Policy

We recognize that biting is, unfortunately, not unexpected when children are in group care. We are always upset when a child is bitten in our program, and we recognize how upsetting it is for parents. While we feel that biting is never the right thing to do, we know that children bite for a variety of reasons. Most of these reasons are not related to behavior problems. When biting occurs we respond accordingly. We provide care for the child who was bitten, and help the child who bit to learn other behavior, such as using their words, and work with the child who bit and examine our program so the biting will stop. Our staff expresses the disapproval of biting. They work very hard to keep the children safe as well as help the child who bite to learn a different more appropriate behavior. When there are episodes of ongoing biting, we develop a plan of strategies, techniques and a timeline to address the plan. We do not and will not use any response that harms a child. We give immediate attention and, if necessary, first aid to children who are bitten. We offer ice for the bite if the child is willing to use ice. If the skin is broken, we clean the area with warm water and soap. When children bite, their parents are informed personally and privately the day of the incident and an incident report is given. Parents of the child that receives the bite are also informed and given an incident report the day of the incident while maintaining confidentiality. A form is completed and signed by a teacher and a parent. One copy is given to the parents of each child and the other copy is kept in a file in the office.

** Please read the complete handbook for more information on disciplinary procedures and considerations.

Safety

CLA requires all staff to be trained in emergency techniques and CPR. Your child is our number one priority, therefore all entries are locked to maintain a safe environment for your child. Security cameras are present at all times.

Fire Safety

CLA practices and implements all fire safety. In addition to monthly fire drills, our school is inspected by state and local fire departments to ensure everything is safe and up to code. Our center is directly linked to the fire department. If an alarm is pulled, the fire department is immediately alerted. Fire extinguishers stations are located throughout the building.

Forces Beyond Control

In the event of a natural catastrophe, extreme weather, utility outage, or any unforeseen emergency, CLA may need to temporarily close. Full tuition is still due in the event of an emergency.

Emergency Contacts

Please make sure to keep phone numbers for parents and two other emergency contacts up to date. It is extremely important that we can contact someone on your child’s behalf in case of any type of emergency.

Emergency Care

In the event of an emergency, our first action will be to call 911 while our staff does its best to remedy the situation. Parents must agree to hold CLA not responsible for the nature, performance, and outcome of any medical treatment in the event of an emergency.
The determination an emergency shall be left at the sole discretion of our best judgment. Parents are responsible for any medical expenses that arise.

Good Hygiene

We promote frequent hand washing and good personal hygiene. Please help us by encouraging your child to wash his or her hands especially before and after meals, using the bathroom, and outdoor play.

Cleaning Procedures

The center is cleaned by a professional service on a daily basis. Toys and eating surfaces are washed throughout the day. The sheets on the cots provided to the students are washed once a week. The teacher is required to make sure that all sheets are clean.

Preschool /Kindergarten Conferences & Progress Report

Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year. In addition, a parent can request a parent/teacher conference at anytime. The teacher will prepare a progress report for the parent’s review at the time of the parent/teacher conference. This report will be kept in the child’s permanent records to assess progress in all school areas.

Hooks and Cubbys

Each child has his or her own hook and cubby for storage.

Clothes

Please provide us with an extra set of clothes for your child. This may be necessary in case your child has an accident. If a child needs assistance in changing his or her attire, two staff members will and must be present to assist.

Clothing for Play

We urge parents to provide simple, comfortable, and washable clothes for playtime. There will be plenty of outdoor play and we ask parents and guardians to keep weather conditions in mind. Please remember to label your child’s clothing to prevent mix-ups and lost goods.

Outdoor Play

We allow and encourage teachers and students to play outdoors on a daily basis. Outdoor play is not allowed when temperatures are below 20 F, there is excessive rain, and/or extreme heat.

Toys

CLA does not encourage children to bring their own toys from home. However, if they do, CLA is not responsible if the toy is lost or stolen. Children are not permitted to take home toys from the center.

Toilet Training

Children should be potty trained before attending CLA.

Rest Time

State licensing requires that the Center provide a rest or quiet period where a child can lie down to rest. We try to make rest time a relaxing time when children can listen to music or stories, etc. Most children fall asleep. If your child does not nap, please understand we do not insist that he/she fall asleep; we do require the child to play quietly so the other children are not disturbed. Each child is provided with a cot for napping. Cot sheets are provided by Carol’s Learning Academy and are laundered weekly. Parents may provide a small blanket labeled with your child’s name.

CLA is happy to accept financial aid from any authorized agency willing to assist a family in need. Any remaining balance that is not covered by financial aid must be paid. DHS and the State of Illinois Department of Human Services are among the major contributors to families in need. They can be reached at either of the following locations:

Action for Children
Child Care Assistance Program
4554 N Broadway Ave, Suite 320
Chicago, IL 60640
773-687-4000

YWCA Patterson and McDaniel Family Center
2055 West Army Trail Road, Suite 140
Addison, IL 60101
Fax: (630) 629-7801

Preschool /Kindergarten Conferences & Progress Report

Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year. In addition, a parent can request a parent/teacher conference at anytime. The teacher will prepare a progress report for the parent’s review at the time of the parent/teacher conference. This report will be kept in the child’s permanent records to assess progress in all school areas.

Photographs

CLA may take photographs of its faculty and students for projects, promotional, and/or advertising purposes. By your enrollment, parents and guardians give us permission to take photographs for the purposes listed above.

Religious Policy

CLA has no religious affiliation, and we do not discriminate against any religion or religious practices. We observe and celebrate various holidays through school closings, parties, and decorations. We aim to respect and celebrate various religions and cultures in the classroom.

Confidentiality/Privacy

All personal information given to Carol’s Learning Academy regarding your child and family is confidential. Carol’s Learning Academy does not share this information with any unauthorized agencies or individuals without your consent.