Age:
Edu-Care accepts children from the ages of 6 weeks to 13 years of age.

Hours:
Our daycare program is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, all year round except for the following holidays:
New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

The preschool class will be closed on the same holidays and vacations observed by the public school system (Christina School District). The daycare will remain open.

Elementary school children will be accepted for care prior to 9:00 a.m. and after 3:00 p.m.

POC+ Program
We accept children who are on the Purchase of Care Plus Program through Delaware Division of Social Services.

Professional Staff:
Each staff member at Edu-Care is fully qualified in early child education and sensitive to the needs of young children. Among our staff, 15% have worked at Edu-Care between 15-22 years, 15% have worked between 10-14 years and 48% percent have worked between 5-9 years. 78% of the staff has been at Edu-Care for 5 years or more. This is so important in providing consistency to the children and allowing them to feel more comfortable with the staff because they are more familiar with them.

All full-time employees are required to participate in at least 18 hours per year, and all part time employees are required to participate in at least 9 hours per year, of in-service education and studies of professional improvement. All staff members also have completed First Aid and CPR training. On average, there are about 4 state certified teachers on staff each day.

Open-Door Policy:
Guests are always welcome to tour or visit the school at any time. No appointment is necessary. A packet of information about the school and a tour guide will be made available to all guests when they arrive. (Due to COVID-19 health guidelines in place, tours of the center are by appointment only until further notice.)

Admission Procedures:

• Both parents and children are welcome to visit the school so that they may learn about the facility, the curriculum, and the program in general. At the time of your visit, you will be provided with written materials concerning curriculum, school policies, and a parent handbook.
• Edu-Care does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, religion, or national origin.
• Children are accepted for admission on a first-come, first-served basis. A place is reserved for your child upon receipt of the application form and registration fee.

Tuition Payment
Tuition payment is bi-weekly. Payment is due every other Monday.
Parents receive two vacation weeks each year (tuition free).
Preschool only students do not receive the two free vacation weeks.

Parent Involvement:

• Parents are welcome to visit the school at any time.
• Parent comments and suggestions are always welcome.
• Parents are invited to share their special talents with the school to enrich our program by giving speeches or demonstrations.
• Parents are encouraged to accompany us on field trips.
• Parents are welcome to assist in the classrooms, especially for holiday parties and programs.
• Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their child.

Parent’s Night Out:
Edu-Care provides babysitting services in addition to our regular school hours. This is offered 3 times a year:

1. Before Christmas
2. Valentine’s Day
3. Summer

Food:
Edu-Care serves three snacks per day: a breakfast snack, a morning snack (served during the preschool hours), and an afternoon snack (served after nap). A monthly “snack menu” is posted on the bulletin board in the foyer or in the classrooms. Parents must provide lunches for their children. Lunch is served in 3 shifts between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Transportation:
Transportation is provided by Edu-Care for school age children who attend Maclary, Linden Hill and Heritage. Wilson and Newark Charter will pick-up and drop-off at Edu-Care.

Snow Policy:
Daycare will always remain open on time unless a state of emergency is issued.

Preschool classes will meet except when major road conditions are hazardous.
Usually Edu-Care follows the lead of the Christina School District in snow closings.

The notices of cancellation of classes will be posted on the News page of our website and announced by the following radio stations:

• WDEL … 1150 AM
• WILM … 1450AM
• WSTW … 93.7FM
• WJBR … 99.5FM.

Delaware Stars:
Edu-Care is a proud participant of the “Delaware Stars for Early Success” program. Delaware stars is a quality rating and improvement system which is designed to improve the quality of daycare by helping the daycare to achieve a high standard in Delaware quality early care and education for young children. This is a program operated by the state of Delaware which provides technical assistance to help us each step along the way to reach the highest standard.