Parents are requested to have their children at school as close to 7:30 AM as possible, unless negotiated and agreed upon in advance with the Director. Arrival should never be later than 9:00 AM. Exceptions to this policy have been made for families with: elementary school age children at home who need to wait for a school bus with their child, parents who are school crossing guards, parents whose children are attending special schools and require that their parents drop them off at a specific time, etc.
Parents are requested to phone in advance if their child will not be attending class of a given day.
Parents are requested not to take their children out of school during nap time hours*. It is very difficult to create a calm and quiet atmosphere in order to get the many children to sleep. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
* Please see "nap time" link.
DROP-IN CARE
We do not offer any type of "drop-in care", only pre scheduled care. Families are expected to arrive no later than 9:00 A.M. (Please see page 3 of our contract, #2, under "Terms and Conditions") The earlier a child arrives (we open at 7:30 AM) the easier it is for them to become integrated into the classroom. When children come in earlier, they have more time to play, explore, etc. before our more structured part of the day begins with Breakfast. Please note that both of our Two Year Old Classrooms eat before 9:00 AM: our Yellow Twos eat at 8:30, and our Red Twos/Threes eat at 8:45.
POTTY TRAINING
There is a $3.00/daily charge for diapering. Diapering charges are automatically charged to each child under 36 months of age that is not yet documented as trained. The Lead Teacher records a child's potty training progress for seven weeks after enrollment or re- enrollment for the next year (regarding those children who are only 41 week children). By this time, the classroom diapering documentation should indicate that your child has shown progress and is now taking him/her self to the bathroom when they need to do so. If your child has been successful (including during naptime) your child's teacher will determine whether or not your child is potty trained* and accordingly authorize/or not authorize a credit to be posted to your account.
Families supply us with adequate numbers of LABELED diapers, wipes, ointment, etc. We do not use Pull-Ups here in any stage of "training". Pull-Ups typically do not absorb enough liquid, and we end up washing clothing, linen etc. We ask that parents support us in not using pull-ups at home and also continue to provide us with pampers. If your child is still dry when we change him or her, and the velcro is wearing out on the diaper, we will simply tape the diaper back together, regardless of how many times it happens a day. If you come in and your child's diaper is covered w/masking tape, it has been a GREAT DAY!
*Training is defined as the stage of development when your child alerts him/her self to stop what he/she is doing, to go and use the bathroom. Children also need to be able to awaken during naptime should they need to use the bathroom . We certainly will ask your child many times throughout the day, and always before nap time if they would like to use the bathroom. Success happens when children are ready and motivated to take themselves there. It makes no sense to force a child who isn't ready to "go potty". This can backfire and cause your child to react. Being ready/motivated involves personal readiness, which also involves time and maturation. We are not toilet training teachers here to get children to the bathroom in time--rather, we are teachers assisting families in toilet training their children.
EVENING ARRIVAL
Late Pick-Up Fees
The Center will assess a $15.00 late fee for every 15 minutes late, beginning promptly at 5:31 pm. Late fees are assessed based upon the parents arrival time based upon the wall clock in the front main office. Fees will be applied to your account from the Bursar's Office.
You may always request that additional days of service be negotiated and we will meet those requests if possible. However, the number of days contracted for may not be reduced.
Parents must make an unannounced visit in conjunction with our application process. The process of considering your applications will not proceed until you have made an unannounced visit. You are welcome to visit at any time with your child, except nap time: nap time occurs in different rooms at different times but essentially runs from 12:30 through 3:00 daily. (An unannounced visit typically involves looking at all classrooms, the Children's Library, the kitchen, th playground etc. If you choose to come without your child, you are welcome to come during nap time with the understanding that our access to classrooms is severely limited. We strongly suggest that you arrive early in the morning (7:30-9:00) during typical drop-off times. This will allow you the opportunity to ask other parents what they think about their choice of us as a child care option.)
INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LARGER UNIVERSITY
We are a university-affiliated program. Observations, participation, interactions and volunteering obligations are assigned by various university professors/advisors and occur here by students in all groups, everyday. Depending upon the subject matter, these interdependent exercises may occur in buildings other than the Center. Children are always accompanied to these classes by their Teachers and/or Teacher's Aides. University classes are led by professors who have been working with the University and the Center. We are very comfortable having our children in these particular settings, which provide numerous enrichment opportunities.
Our Teachers may also spontaneously decide to take their children to other spaces, especially if the weather is/has been keeping them indoors or if the children seem to need a change of pace. (Large, open spaces have an incredibly positive effect upon children who have been "confined" for too long.) The Towson Center and the Auburn Pavilion are two such close-by spaces.
ACCEPTANCE
Your child's acceptance into our program is contingent upon:
The availability of space in what the Center considers to be the appropriate age group
Your agreement to comply and conduct yourself within Center policy and procedures
Your cooperation in establishing all university required information for the process of creating billing processes etc. if you are not already a university affiliated family.
Your cooperation in securing all innoculations, tests, and medical forms required by law for a group setting in the State of Maryland.
Resolution of all prior financial obligations to the university
Our ability to explain to you what is involved in having your child be one of us. If language is an issue for either of us, you will need to provide us with the support to be able to adequately communicate. We are only fluent in English.
Availability of space and classroom placement is determined solely at the discretion of the center's director. This is the case with both initial entry into the center and in movement between classrooms after children have been enrolled. Children do not automatically move on their birthdays. We must have the room available for a child to be able to move. Typically, no one moves before June in any given year. Many years the "moves" stretch out over the summer, and some can not be considered until late August, as children must leave to be able to open up new spaces. Late August/ early September is when elementary schools typically start and is when our older children leave to begin anew in those schools.
When considering which children to move from classroom to classroom, we always give priority to a child that is here all summer over one who is gone for the summer or only here intermittently over the summer. It takes time to adjust to a new environment and we want everyone's adjustment efforts to have the maximum opportunity to "settle in", and not be disrupted.
The Center reserves the right to determine, at any time, that our cumulative skills and experiences do not meet what we feel are your child's needs or requirements. This decision will be made in consultation with your child's Lead Teacher and the Director of the Center. If such a determination is made, you will be given up to 30 working days to locate and place your child in another setting. You will not be held responsible for the balance of the term's charges after the last day of your child's enrollment.
8000 York Road | Towson, MD 21252 | 410-704-2000
Policies/Procedures