Terms of contract with us


​HOURS OF OPERATION:
​
​We are open Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. You are agreeing to a 52-week contract, with the understanding that tuition is expected weekly to hold your child’s spot.

​PROGRAM FEES:

TUITION FOR CABOT & AUSTIN (tuition rates vary based on city demographics and other local childcare center costs):
$205 per child infants (6 weeks-17 months)
$195 per child toddlers (18 months – 35 months)
$185 per child PreK (36 months – 11 years)
$110 per child, after school care (Call For a list of schools we pick up from)
$50 daily drop-in rate (subject to space availability and staffing requirements. Please call in advance to ensure space and staffing).
$185 per child, school- age summer care

TUITION FOR BEEBE (tuition rates vary based on city demographics and other local childcare center costs):
​$195 per child infants (6 weeks-17 months)
$185 per child toddlers (18 months – 35 months)
$175 per child PreK (36 months – 11 years)
$110 per child, after school care
$50 daily drop-in rate (subject to space availability and staffing requirements. Please call in advance to ensure space and staffing).
$175 per child, school- age summer care

  • Tuition is expected on Monday mornings before your child is left in our care.
  • Please understand that your balance must be clear upon unenrollment, or you will not be allowed to re-enroll at any time in the future without paying off the balance and paying a 2-week advance deposit at re-enrollment.
  • Please understand that you are required to give a two-week notice prior to unenrolling your child or you will be responsible for the full tuition for those two weeks.
  • Your tuition amount is locked in for the contract year. If your child crosses over to a new age group in the middle of the year, you will have to wait until August for a class promotion and tuition decrease. Tuition rates will not be lowered mid-contract year, and promotions do not occur until the start of the new school year.
  • We offer $10 per week per family for military or multi-child discounts. Families receive one or the other, not both.

ALTERNATE CONTRACT TERMS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS:
In support of our teachers, special provisions will be made to the contract length. With documentation of employment from the district you are employed by, you will be offered a contract that coincides with your schools’ calendar. You are expected to pay for winter, Christmas, and spring breaks, but are allowed to unenroll during the summer months. You will need to let us know by spring break if you would like to enroll for full-time summer care as well.

SUMMER PROGRAM:
Children already enrolled in our after-school care program need to register for our summer care by spring break each year. Our summer contract will follow the Cabot Public School Districts calendar for our Cabot and Austin locations. Our Beebe location with follow the Beebe Public School Districts calendar for summer weeks. Spots are subject to availability.

REFERAL INCENTIVES:
If you refer a new family to our program and they enroll, you will receive a $50 credit on your tuition account after they have completed two full weeks in our program! Be sure they list your name on their enrollment packet. Please remind your site supervisor when this occurs.

REGISTRATION FEE: 
$50 per spot (a spot will not be saved for you until the registration fee is paid. A spot will only be saved for 2 weeks with the fee, after the two weeks tuition will be required to hold the spot).

LATE PAYMENT FEE:
There is a $25 late fee if you haven’t paid by 6:00 pm Monday, and you will not be able to drop off Tuesday morning without tuition and the late fee. Tuition is required whether your child attends a full week or not.

DROP OFF POLICY:
To ensure that our teachers can keep all children on a schedule, we require that everyone be dropped off prior to 9:00 am. Unless you have an emergency or an appointment of some kind, you will not be allowed to drop off after this point. As a courtesy, please text the center if your child is not coming or is going to be late. When children are allowed to be dropped off late in the morning, it is typically a major disruption to the schedule for other children, as these children fail to nap and keep the entire class up, which makes for a rough day for everyone when naps are missed. Schedules with young children are important for growth and development.

VOUCHERS: 
If your child receives vouchers from the state, please keep track of your absences. You are only allowed so many in each quarter. If you exceed the number of absences, you will be billed for the daily rate on page one of this contract. Excessive absences will be reported to the state.

LATE PICK-UP FEE:
$10 late fee for every 15 minutes you are late (3rd time can result in dismissal). If you discover that you are going to be late, please make alternate arrangements to have your child picked up.

RETURNED CHECK FEE:
$30 First offense. After 2nd offense, you will no longer be allowed to pay with checks.

PAYMENT METHODS:
Tuition must be paid with cash, check, or credit card. Cash payments must be placed in an envelope with the child’s name, date of payment, and the amount. Envelopes are opened in camera view for security purposes. Checks must be made out to Early Impressions, with your child’s name in the memo. A credit card fee is added at the time of transaction.


​CENTER POLICIES

HOLIDAY POLICY:
New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (2 days), Christmas (2 days). I am closed on these days, but you are still required to pay for the full week. If the holiday falls on a Saturday I will be closed on Friday, if the holiday falls on Sunday, then I am closed on Monday. I am closed Thursday and Friday the week of Thanksgiving.

IN- SERVICE POLICY:
We will be closed one week a year as an in-service week in which teachers will be allowed to prepare their rooms for the upcoming school year. We will hold team planning meetings and professional development for all staff members during this week. You are responsible for tuition for this week. This will occur the first week of August every year.

PICK UP POLICY:
We ID at pick up. Please ensure that you, your spouse, or anyone else that may be picking your child up comes in with ID in hand. You may be carded multiple times, depending on which teacher is at the door. This is for the safety of the children. If you have any custody issues that are of concern, please be sure to include a copy of the court orders for your child’s file. Please be aware that written authorization must be on file (you can send an email if it’s a last- minute change) if someone other than the people listed on their information sheet will be picking up.

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:
​In the event of weather conditions that result in the Beebe Public School District closing for the day, our center will be closed as well. Because these are events that are out of our control, you are still required to pay full tuition for the week regardless of how many days are affected by the issues pertaining to weather. Please watch the local news station and our Facebook page for school closings. Should the school have a late start, we will as well.

EVACUATION POLICY:
In the event of an emergency in which evacuation is necessary, all children will be safely transported to our Beebe location (1412 N. Beech Street) if you are in Austin, or to the Austin location on Allison Street if you are in Cabot. You will be notified and expected to have your child picked up from there immediately. This also is a state enforced plan to ensure the safety of the children in the event of fire, flood, chemical spill, or other disaster in which the well-being of the children may be in jeopardy. Please see our emergency management plan in the parent center for more information.

EDUCATIONAL PLAN & THERAPY POLICY:
If it is determined through assessment that your child needs intervention or therapy of any type, an educational plan will be established between the center administrator, the child’s teacher, the parent, and the cooperative service. Our referral will be to the Wilbur D. Mills Cooperative service for screening. If it is determined that your child needs services, you have the option of having these services provided for your child on site. We partner with Destination Education for speech, physical, occupational, and social related therapy. We are also willing to work with other agencies upon your request. Reports will be maintained of the child’s progress in their portfolio.

HEALTH POLICY:
Per the Arkansas Department of Health, your child will be excluded from care for
the following reasons:
  • A temperature of 101° (if you feel the fever is from teething, we will need documentation on file from your child’s doctor that states they are cleared to come to school despite the fever).
  • Diarrhea (you will be called when the child has a 3rd loose stool in a day)
  • Vomiting (called to pick up after the 2nd occurrence)
  • Rash (must have a doctor’s note that states when they are clear to return)
  • Any diagnosed viral or bacterial infection will require a doctor’s note to return
  • All children must be symptom free for 24 hours before your child may return to school.
  • Under no circumstance can medication of any kind be left in diaper bags or in cubbies. (teething tablets, gas drops, diaper cream, etc… Good rule of thumb – if it says “keep away from children” it should be removed from the bag).

MEDICAL CARE PLAN:
If your child has special medical needs (such as asthma, allergies, etc....that would require special treatment) you will need to complete a medical care plan to keep on file. All administrative staff and teachers will be instructed on how to handle any emergency that may arise with your child, as well as general care needed regarding the condition. If there is medication that needs to be administered while your child is in our care, you will also need to complete a medication form to keep on file. All medications must be in the original containers with the prescription label visible. The label must contain the child’s name, times to be administered, and dosing information. We will not administer any medication that is to be given only once or twice per day – you will need to give it before and after pick-up in this case.

f you would like us to administer Tylenol or Ibuprofen should your child start running a fever, you may leave a bottle with your child’s name on it in our office. These medications will NOT be administered if you don’t send a bottle, WE DO NOT PROVIDE IT.

If your child has a food or drink allergy or intolerance, I have a form you will have to have your doctor complete for me to send to the state. We receive USDA funding and are required to feed each child certain things, any alteration to our menu due to allergies or intolerances must be documented with this form. We do not honor special diets such as (but not limited to) gluten free, vegan vegetarian, kosher, etc., you may, however, provide pre-made meals for your child if they are on a restricted diet that requires more than minor supplementations.

IMMUNIZATION POLICY:
Per Arkansas Minimum Licensing requirements, all children enrolled are required to have a current record of immunizations on file. We follow the recommended schedule by the Arkansas Department of Health. By signing this policy, you are giving Early Impressions the right to access your child’s shot records via the WebIZ portal (state immunization tracking system) to print. If your child is immunized at a military facility, his or her records are not available on this portal, and you are responsible for getting me a current copy within 10 days of enrollment and each time new shots are administered.

We DO NOT take NON-MEDICAL waivers. Questions about state requirements can be directed to the Arkansas Department of Health.

SUNSCREEN POLICY:
Sunscreen will be applied as needed IF you send a bottle (labeled with your child’s name) to be left at school. We do not provide it. Please sign below giving us permission to apply it to your child. We will not be responsible for any skin reactions caused using sunscreen that you provide for your child.

COMMUNICATION POLICY:
You may contact the center at any time during business hours. You may also reach the Executive Director via email at any time at [email protected] If a teacher offers to share her personal cell phone number with you, please understand that they are not allowed to access their personal phones during times in which children are under their supervision. Do not expect them to communicate with you while they are caring for your child. This is a state regulation, not mine. We also ask that you respect their personal time and call the center during business hours (unless it is an emergency that cannot wait until the following day). Our main form of communication is our Facebook social media page. Please be sure to follow it for updates and announcements.

CONSISTENCY IN CARE PLAN:
Our goal is to implement procedures that will allow us to maintain consistency between the child’s home and the center. Please notify us of special circumstances such as special blankets, stuffed animals needed to nap, adjustments to nap schedule, or ideas on how you address/deal with challenging behaviors, potty training, etc... We want to work in partnership to bridge the care between school and home.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY:
We have a Facebook group. Once you enroll, remind me or your child’s teacher to add you! This is a private group for daycare parents and grandparents only. THIS IS OUR PRIMARY FORM OF COMMUNICATION. We post reminders for you guys, as well as pictures of things we are doing for you to see. We respectfully request that you don’t share these pictures, but if you do, we ask that you blur other children out unless you have permission from their family to post the picture.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:
  • We supply all food and drink. Your child will be supplied with a cup as well, so please do not bring one from home in the mornings.
  • We provide milk-based formula (brand depends on availability). If your infant is on something aside from this, you will need to provide it.
  • We provide infant cereal and baby food and follow the feeding schedule recommended by the USDA Child and Infant food program.
  • Diapers are checked hourly per state regulation. Please send enough diapers to get through a day depending on the length of time in care. You may send them daily or leave a bag at the center and be notified when low.
  • Unscented, hypoallergenic wipes are to be brought on the 1 st of each month. The large refill bag (minimum of 250 count) will be brought and left as class supply. It is too difficult to keep track of individual cases of wipes, so we create a class supply each month to use. The center will furnish any needed in excess of the class supply. Wipes are to be brought by all students, as they are used during messy art and outside play in addition to diapering and toileting needs.
  • All children need a crib sheet to be used on cribs and mats, as well as a small blanket. We will launder all bedding as required by the state.
  • Each child needs a season appropriate change of clothes left in his/her cubby in a gallon size bag with his/her name on it. Cubbies should be checked daily for soiled clothes, and a fresh change brought the next day. This is your responsibility to keep up with, so check DAILY.
  • Children potty-training will need enough changes to make it through a day, or you will be called to bring clothes to the center. We do not supply spares. You will need to follow our potty-training policy (please ask your child’s teacher for one).
  • Shoes must be worn every day by all children who are walking. House shoes are not considered appropriate.
  • Please remember that we do a lot of hands-on learning, self-feeding, etc … therefore we recommend not sending your child dressed in clothing that you do not want to be messed up.
  • Personal blankies, pacifiers, cuddle buddies, and any other item of self- comfort are welcome. Please be sure your child’s name is on anything you send.
  • No toys at all should be brought into the center. This is too much to keep up with and tends to cause issues between the children. Keep the toys at home. This goes for cups as well; we will supply individual cups for all children to use.
  • No pacifier clips allowed. No items shall be sent that go around the child’s neck. Bibs are allowed for drooling but will be removed when your child is sleeping.
  • We do not have a yearly supply fee; however, we do send home supply lists each August. All items are collected and stored in community buckets to share.
  • Please refrain from bringing diaper bags, unless your child is an infant and it is a small bag with only the necessities for the day.