


Parent's Portal

Any parent who has failed to pick up their child by 6:30 will be accessed a late fee of $1.00 per minute per child. Late charges are due and payable at the time of late pickup. Re-admission to the facility will be denied until and unless the late fee has been paid.
Your individual weekly fee is outlined in your financial/contract agreement. All tuition/fees are due on Mondays before 6:30pm of pay week regardless of your child’s attendance for the week. If it is later than this, the total must include a $30.00 late fee. As owner and operator of a small business, I have no way to accommodate cost of living increases in a fluctuating economy. Therefore, I reserve the right to review EMLC rate structure at any time and or increase fees at EMLC discretion.
EMLC have a policy/fee regarding over time, $1.00 per minute per child for every minute over 11 hours. We have an 11 hour per day max. Example if you drop your child off at 6:30am they will need to be picked up by 5:30pm. Please pay close attention to your child sign in and out time. Over time only applies to parents who drop their child/children off before 7:30am.
Any field trips that require a fee will be considered extra and a notification of calendar activities will be sent home. This calendar will be distributed at the beginning of each month and is also posted on the Parent board in the center.
Effective 09/08/2020 all students from 2- 5 years will be required to wear uniforms to remain in our program.
Baby blue shirts (button down or pull over)
Navy blue bottoms (pants, shorts, jumpers, skirts)
Black, White, or Navy-blue shoes. (no sandals, flip flops are open toe shoes)
We will wear our uniforms EVERY Monday – Thursday with Friday being a free day (dress down day).
Director Helen G Hyde will be responsible for the day to day operation of the licensed childcare center. In Helen G. Hyde absents Sherrel Givens will be the designee she is oriented on the policy and procedure of the licensed center, trained and capable of caring for the children and running the daily operation of the Licensed childcare center.
Helen G. Hyde will be responsible for maintain all records of children and staff. All current enrolled children records will be updated annually, and all phones numbers will be updated every 6 months. All staff records will be updated annually, and phone numbers updated as needed.
All new hires will be required to pass a back ground check and oriented on policy and procedure including but not limited to handling of emergencies and how to recognize signs of abuse, and the importance of reporting such abuse to the proper authorities. EMLC train new employees to do visual health checks and identify, document, and report any type of suspected abuse. All new hires will receive a copy of the operation policy and procedure during orientation. Background checks will also be required every two years from date of hire. This will also be maintained and updated by the director annually. Staff will be required to maintain their training hours yearly the director will train staff and make available other resources for training purposes. All employees, upon being hired and prior to regular assigned duties will receive training relative to the fire safety/emergency evacuation plan, its procedures and employee specific duties. Additionally, all employees are required to receive annual training as a contingency for continued employment.
In order to provide your child the best possible care, I must remain in good physical and emotional health. Therefore, the following holidays will be observed as PAID holidays: New Year’s Eve and Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after. Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the day after. In the event one of these falls on a weekend, it will be observed either the Friday before or the Monday after.
The daycare will also reserve five paid personal days a year that will be used for occasions such as workshops for furthering education, medical emergencies, important family events, jury duty etc. These days will not routinely be used and held in reserve to use as needed EMLC will operate as usual and the designee will be responsible for daycare.
EMLC will be CLOSED 5 days of our choosing per year UNPAID VACATION. This is the only time tuition will not be due.
Exploring Minds Learning Center has an open-door policy. Parents are welcome to drop in any time during regular business hours without securing prior approval to observe their child and/or the program. However, please remember that younger children have a difficult time when parents come to visit and leave without taking the child with them.
As the Director of EMLC, my door is always open to discuss the concerns or needs of any parent of Exploring Minds Learning Center without an appointment. Please understand in certain situation I may not always be immediately available to address your concerns however I will always get back with at EMLC earliest convenience or you can speak with the assistant director.
Parents must provide a list of persons authorized to pick up a child who is in EMLCcare. Parents must provide the following information in Bright Wheel App for each person on that list:
- Name, address, and telephone number
- Person’s relationship to the child
A child will not be allowed to leave with anyone other than the parent or person authorized by the parent whose information is included on enrollment form. A person whose information is not on the form can be allowed to pick up the child under the following conditions. The parent calls me or notifies me when the child is dropped off and lets me know the following information:
- Name and description of the person,
- The person’s driver’s license number or ID card number (which will be copied and kept in child record)
- The person’s relationship to the child
Under no circumstances will a minor child be allowed to pick up another child from this facility.
Bottles, wipes, formula, diapers, and ointment if applicable, change of clothes. Children do get dirty and have accidents; it is recommended each child have a change of clothes. Please note, children are NOT allowed to bring toys, pets, iPad, tablets, or objects of interest for show and tell, I cannot be responsible for missing or broken items.
Prescribed Medications ONLY:
- Parents must sign an authorization and include times for caregivers to administer each medication according to label directions.
- The medication must be in the original container labeled with the child’s full name, and the date brought to EMLC child-care center.
- I will administer the medication in amounts according to the label directions or as recommended by a physician.
- I will administer the medication only to the child for whom it is intended; and I will not administer the medication after its expiration date.
All children enrolled at EMLC are required to have vaccinations. In the event your child has not be vaccinated a sign affidavit that you decline immunizations for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs as described by section 161.0041 health and safety code must be provided upon enrollment.
I must provide a healthy environment for all children participating in EMLC program. For this reason, you child will not be allowed to attend if he/she is ill or begins to exhibit certain symptoms of illness.
An ill child must not be admitted `if one or more of the following exists:
- The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in all activities, including outdoor play.
- The illness results in a greater need for care than caregivers can provide without compromising the health, safety, and supervision of the other children in care.
- The child has one of the following, unless medical evaluation by a health-care professional indicates that the child can be included in the child-care activities:
- Oral temperature of 100.1 degrees or greater, accompanied by behavior changes or other signs or symptoms of illness
- Armpit temperature of 99.1 degrees or greater, accompanied by behavioral changes or other signs or symptoms of illness.
- Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness, such as lethargy, abnormal breathing, uncontrolled diarrhea, two or more vomiting episodes in 24 hours, rash with fever, mouth sores with drooling, wheezing, behavioral changes, or other signs that the child may be severely ill; and
- A health-care professional has diagnosed the child with a communicable disease, and the child does not have medical documentation to indicate that the child is no longer contagious
If your child becomes critically ill or has an injury that requires immediate attention of a physician, I will:
- Contact emergency medical services or take the child to the nearest emergency room.
- Give the child first-aid treatment or CPR if needed.
- Contact the physician identified in the child’s record.
- Contact the child’s parent; and
- Ensure supervision of other children in the group
- Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan (see Attached)
If your child becomes sick while in EMLC care, I will:
- Contact the parent to pick up the child
- Care for the child apart from other children
- Give appropriate attention and supervision until the parent arrives to pick up the child.
- Give extra attention to hand washing and sanitation if the child has diarrhea or vomiting.
- Expect the parent or authorized person to pick up the child within 1 hour.
Behavior problems will be handled with firm guidance in cooperation with you, the child’s parent/guardian. The usual form of discipline is time-out or redirection. If your child is so disobedient or disruptive that it jeopardizes his/her welfare or that of the other children in the program I will work with you to resolve the situation. If undesirable behavior continues, we do not suspend or expel any child. I reserve the right to terminate services to your child, if that is in the best interest of the overall program and your child. Termination notice will be in writing. Under these conditions, the usual two weeks’ notice of termination is waived at the caregiver’s discretion.
Discipline is:
- Individualized and consistent for each child.
- Appropriate to the child’s level of understanding; and
- Directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self-control
- The staff of this child-care center uses only positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage self-esteem, self-control, and self-direction, which include at least the following:
- Using praise and encouragement of good behavior instead of focusing only upon unacceptable behavior.
- Reminding a child of behavior expectations daily by using clear, positive statements.
- Redirecting behavior using positive statements; and
- Using brief supervised separation or time out from the group, when appropriate for the child’s age and development, which is limited to no more than one minute per year the child’s age.
- There is no harsh, cruel, or unusual treatment of any child. The following types of discipline and guidance are prohibited:
- Corporal punishment or threats of corporal punishment.
- Punishment associated with food, naps, or toilet training.
- Pinching, shaking, or biting a child.
- Hitting a child with a hand or instrument.
- Putting anything in or on a child’s mouth.
- Humiliating, ridiculing, rejecting, or yelling at a child.
- Subjecting a child to harsh, abusive, or profane language.
- Placing a child in a locked or dark room, bathroom, or closet with the door closed; and
- Requiring a child to remain silent or inactive for inappropriately long periods of time for the child’s age.
If you have ointments, creams, lotions or sprays that you would like me to apply to the child’s skin (including but not limited to: sunscreen, insect repellant and diaper rash ointment), the ointment, cream, lotion or spray must be in the original container and the child’s full name must be on the container. The ointment, cream or spray must be labeled to indicate that it is appropriate for the child. You must fill out a written permission form for that medication but not necessarily for each individual application. I will not apply any ointment, cream, lotion, or spray that is past the expiration date.
Meal times are as follows: Breakfast from 7:30am-8:00am cut off time for breakfast is 7:45(Children must be here and in class by 7:45am) Lunch is served 12:00-12:30pm and P.M. Snack is 3:00pm- 3:30pm Dinner 5:00-5:30pm.
If your child is not in attendance early enough to be served at any of these mealtimes, please make sure he/she is properly fed before arriving at the center. All meals are nutritious and served according to federal nutrition guidelines. Children are never expected to clean their plate but are asked to try everything once. If your child has allergies, a written note from the doctor is required to be kept in their file.
NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR SNACKS NO EXCEPTION!!!
Animals or pets of any kind are not allowed on premises. NO EXCEPTIONS
Transportation is provided and parents are required to have a signed permission slip on file with the licensed childcare center. The director is responsible for having all emergency medical consent forms, emergency contact information for each child in attendance, and a 1st aid kit for all excursions away from the licensed center. All staff, children and parents attending field trips are require wearing an “EMLC” t-shirts NO EXCEPTION. There is also a 1st aid kit located in the licensed center van. The director and all staff are trained in CPR/1st AID.
Visual Health checks are conducted when we receive your child every morning, and document findings if any. EMLC must report any signs of abuse or suspected abuse.
