Who We Are

Little Raiders Childcare Center is bridging the gap between childcare and elementary education. The School District of Arcadia took on the responsibility of providing the community with a childcare option that was previously not available. This center is a newly remodeled and updated facility that is located in a wing of the Arcadia Elementary School. This center will encourage young children to participate in a comfortable, fun environment that is preparing them with the foundational skills needed to transition to elementary education one day. Parents can count on Little Raiders Childcare Center to care and prepare their children for their future academic journeys. 

 

Mission

At Little Raiders Childcare Center our mission is to provide childcare that meets the needs of each child and family in a safe, educational environment. We strive to provide a high-quality facility with focus on our children to be independent thinkers through a play basic Childcare environment and ability to stimulate social, cognitive, physical and emotional growth. 

 Philosophy

 At Little Raiders Childcare Center, we believe that the environment plays an essential role in the success of children development in an early childhood program. We believe that every child has a different way of learning and the environment they have access to should consider social skills, communication skills, physical abilities, and the differing learning styles of each child. Children are agents of their own learning and should be given choices, responsibilities, and opportunities to learn and explore the world that they live in. With our high-quality facility and extensive teacher education, we provide a space for children to develop self-esteem and encourage the growing need for independence. 

Attendance: 

Little Raiders assumes your child will be here everyday. We ask that you notify your child’s teacher if your child will not be attending so we can ensure proper staffing and meal counts. If your child is not here within an hour of their typical arrival time, we will be contacting you via Procare or phone call. 

Procare/Check In Station: 

We ask all parents to download and use our Procare app to stay in contact with your child’s teacher and classroom. I also post notes in Procare about important events. If you do not have access to Procare and you need assistance setting it up, please let me or Taylor Everson know so we can help you. 

Please remember to check your child in and out at drop off and pick up on our parent computer. (Summer school age children will be checked in by their teachers so they are excluded from this). Let us know if you do not know how. 

Drop Off/Pick Up (Late Charges): 

We understand that drop off in the morning is not always easy depending on how your child slept the night before and more. If you need assistance with getting them to their classroom, please let us know. Otherwise you are welcome to take them directly to their room after checking them in. 

When picking up your child, please remember to check their cubby and art folder for any things that need to go home like wet clothes, home toys, notes, etc. All sleeping stuff must go home every Friday to be washed and returned on Mondays. Our washer and dryer is not equipped to wash 100+ sleeping bags and blankets. 

Late Pick Up: We are only licensed to have children in care until 5:45 PM. Your child must be out of the building by 5:45PM. We are obligated to charge a late fee per minute your child is here after 5:45PM; the fee is $2 a minute. We understand life happens and sometimes late pick up occurs, please notify us so we are aware of what is going on. If your child is still here by 6:15PM (30 minutes after we close) and we cannot get ahold of anyone. The local Arcadia

Police Department is obligated to be called 30 minutes after we close and if we cannot get ahold of anyone. 

Home Toys: 

We know that kiddos have so many cool toys they want to share with their friends. Little Raiders asks that you talk with your child about keeping their home toys in their cubbies or leave them in your vehicle (sleep toys/snuggle buddies not included). We have had a couple lost toys that you all spend your hard earned money on and while we try our best to look out for those things, they can easily be mixed in with our toys. 

Diapers/Wipes: 

Licensing regulations require us to change diapers at least every two hours; there are no exceptions to this rule. If a child is here 8 hours, they will go through a minimum of 4 diapers a day which is 20 diapers a week. Teachers do their best to remind you when the diaper stock and wipes stock is getting low. Please be timely with getting us diapers and wipes for your child. After 5 days of using our center diaper supply, we are required to charge a $20 diaper fee. I have not had to do this yet and hope to never have to do that, thank you. If you or anyone you know are having trouble purchasing diapers, please let me know. We are happy to help. 

Toilet Training/Pull ups: 

It is the parents choice to use pull ups instead of diapers when toilet training or just switching to underwear. Each parent’s perspective on toilet training is different and we understand that. We ask that you refrain from sending your child in pull ups unless they are in the process of potty training. Pull ups are not absorbent and not developmentally appropriate unless they are potty training. 

Appropriate clothing: as we help your child learn how to use the potty, we ask that you send them in clothing that is easy for them to pull down and up themselves. Jeans, khakis, or tight fitting pants make it very difficult for your child to get to the toilet quickly when they are learning. After they are nearing potty trained, we would love to teach them how to button and zip their pants. 

Lost and Found: 

Clothes that are not labeled end up in our lost and found bucket. If you are looking for clothing or lost items, please let us know after you check the lost and found bucket in the lobby. 

Sick Policy: 

Keeping your child home when they are sick helps us and especially helps the other children in their class. We strongly promote hand washing and disinfecting but sick kids will always end up making other kids sick. We are not set up to care for ill children.

Fevers: if your child has a fever of 100.4 or higher, they must go home within 30 minutes of us contacting you. If you cannot pick up within 30 minutes, you are required to notify us so we can make arrangements to separate your sick child from the other children longer term. 

We cannot and will not give medicine to keep down a fever. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), teething has not been medically proven to cause a true fever. There can be a slight elevation in your child’s temperature but any temperature over 100.4 degrees should be assumed as a sick child. 

FAQ’s Fevers: 

Common scenarios:	Attend Daycare?	Rule
My child had a fever last night of 100.6 at 8pm.	No	They cannot return for 24 hours after their fever breaks WITHOUT the use of Tylenol or fever reducing medication.
I can feel my 1 year old’s tooth popping through their gums but they have a low grade of 99 degrees.	Yes	As long as you are not using Tylenol to keep their fever down and their fever isn’t over 100.4, they can return to daycare.
My child’s fever broke at 8:30am without the use of medication  Monday, when can they return?	Yes	They can return Tuesday morning no earlier than 8:30am. (24 hour rule)

Vomiting: you will be contacted and required to pick up within 30 minutes if your child is throwing up. If you cannot pick up within 30 minutes, you are required to notify us so we can make arrangements to separate your sick child from the other children longer term. 

Diarrhea: if your child has two loose/liquid bowel movements you will be notified via Procare or phone call. If your child has the third loose/liquid bowel movement, they are required to be picked up within 30 minutes of the second time we notify you. Diarrhea is a sign of a sick child and can be very contagious to others even with adequate sanitization and cleaning. 

FAQs Diarrhea:

Common scenarios:	Attend Daycare?	Rule
My child was sent home with three diarrheas on Monday at 2pm, can they return Tuesday morning?	No	Your child can return 24 hours after their last diarrhea whether that was at daycare or if it was at school If 2pm was the last one, they can return Tuesday at 2PM. Not before.
My child is under 1 and is teething. They get loose stools.	Yes	This is a common symptom that occurs when young children are given Tylenol repeatedly for teething.

 

Leaving Little Raiders/Disenrolling 

We require a minimum of a two weeks notice if you decide to disenroll your child or leave Little Raiders. Two weeks gives us time to fill your child’s spot. You are financially responsible for two weeks of tuition after you let me know you are disenrolling. You must verbally notify me and confirm via email or paper of the final date your child will attend. 

Payments 

Tuition charges are posted on Mondays and accounts are charged on Tuesdays each week. This is a reminder that we only accept withdrawal from a checking account, credit/debit cards, or money orders. Weekly payment is due at the LATEST on Friday at 12pm of each week. Any payments received after 12pm on Friday is a $45 fee. Any return checks or card payments returned will also result in a $45 fee. We understand that life happens so if there's an issue with payment, please let me know as soon as possible. 

Rate Increases 

Little Raiders follows the school district's billing cycle that goes from July 1st to June 30th of the following year. At the end of every June, we will make the decision on whether to increase our weekly rates depending on inflation, costs to operate, and staff. We want to make it clear that any income Little Raiders makes goes directly to paying our staff and operating expenses. 

Our process for notifying parents about rate increases is: From June 30th to July 8th we will look at our budget and make a decision; we will notify parents via email and print two weeks after June 30th at the latest. Rate increases will go into effect on our opening anniversary of August 30th. Increased tuition rates are not optional and we will not always increase rates. Our goal is to remain as low as we can in order to adequately pay our staff and cover operational costs. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please reference it anytime you are in search of a center policy. I want to remind everyone that there is a center policy book and licensing rules book on the black mesh wire shelf to the left of the parent board. We require families to follow these policies to ensure we can remain open and do not violate any licensing rules. 

Sincerely, 

Jolynn Bourland, Center Director