Preschool, Afterschool & Summer Camp
Policies and Procedures
Welcome to The Learning Station Preschool, Afterschool and Summer Camp programs. We are so happy
that you have chosen our facility as a learning environment for your child. We hope to make your child’s transition
into a new environment an exciting adventure for you and your little one. This information packet was developed
to answer as many questions as possible. We hope to keep you well informed and make this experience a pleasant
one for your family. Communication is very important. Please do not hesitate to ask questions about anything that
is important to you! Always feel welcome to discuss any concerns or ideas with your child’s teacher or
administrator.
HOURS OF OPERATION-It is very important for you and your child to arrive for class on time and for your
child to be picked up on time. This will help with classroom structure, discipline and separation anxiety. Children
realize quickly when they are the last to go home, especially when a parent arrives late. It is very important for
your child to establish routines and be able to participate in all activities done during structured preschool class
time. Please be sure that a teacher is aware that you are leaving your child or picking up your child. Children
should be walked into the facility and left with a staff member. Please do not drop children off in the parking lot,
even if they are school age.
Morning Preschool
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Morning preschool enrollment is open to children who turn 2 years old or older on or before September 1st.
3/4 Day Preschool
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Full Time Infant, Toddler & Preschool & Summer Camp
Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Afterschool
Monday through Friday 2:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
WITHDRAWAL-In the event that you decide to remove your child from our facility, a two weeks written
notice is required. You will be obligated to pay for those two weeks whether your child remains in the program or
not during this two week period. A form is available in the front office for this purpose. No exceptions will be
made to this policy.
The Learning Station reserves the right to end a student’s enrollment at any time for any reason not prohibited by
law, for non-payment of tuition, behavior issues, if we feel that we are not meeting the child’s needs, or if a child’s
parents or guardians are uncooperative or abusive to school directors or staff.
REGULATORY VISITS -DSS, DHEC, Horry County First Steps and other agencies will visit our center
unannounced in order to insure safety and adherence to regulations. During these visits, both children and staff
may be interviewed, without prior notification, by the representative of the agencies.
The Learning Station Parent Policies
CAMERAS-Our facility is one of the few in the state that offers state of the art technology. We have cameras
throughout the facility so that you can view your child online throughout the day. Parents/Guardians are given
passwords and access codes once their children start in our program to view the website.
COMMUNICATION-Your satisfaction with our program is critical to us. We are open to questions, suggestions
or concerns at any time. If you are unsure about anything, please speak with your child’s teacher. Teachers often
forget the anxiety parents may have because they spend time with the children and know how things are going in
the classroom. Younger children often will not communicate what they do in class. The teachers will be sending
home daily reports about your child’s activities. You are also welcome to visit the facility at any time.
Monthly facility newsletters will be emailed to all parents to keep you updated on happenings at our school.
Please make sure we have a current email address for you.
If, at any time, you have a concern or comment, please speak with your child’s teacher or a director. In the event
that a concern is not handled in a satisfactory manner with the teacher, please inform a director immediately.
File folders are provided for each child either in the classroom or at their classroom door. Please be sure to check
the folders on a daily basis for daily sheets, art work, newsletters and other important school information.
POSTINGS-If you wish to have any item (advertising, etc.) posted in our facility, please submit them to a director.
Items will only be posted after they are reviewed and approved.
SCHEDULED HOLIDAYS AND CLOSINGS-The Learning Station will be closed on the following holidays
and training days. If the holiday falls on a weekend, a Monday or Friday will take it’s place. In the event of an
unscheduled closing, you will be given as much notice as possible.
~NEW YEAR’S DAY
~GOOD FRIDAY
~MEMORIAL DAY
~INDEPENDENCE DAY
~LABOR DAY
~THANKSGIVING & FRIDAY
~CHRISTMAS EVE
~CHRISTMAS DAY
~2 STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS PER YEAR
The Learning Station will close on the first Friday of every month at 6:00 p.m. for staff training.
CLOTHING-Please remember that most of your child’s day is spent learning through play and often messy hands-
on experiences. With this in mind, please send your child to school in clothes that can get messy. Please be
prepared for your child to get messy or have accidents. It’s all part of growing up! For the purpose of modesty,
girls should have shorts on under their dresses for when they are sitting criss, cross, applesauce during circle time
or when they are climbing on outdoor equipment.
ABSENCES-Children who attend programs on specific days may not switch days without consent. Example: A
child who attends M-W-F preschool and is absent Monday, may not attend on Tuesday or Thursday to replace the
day~without the consent of a director. If your child is enrolled as a ful time student, they may not switch back and
forth between daily or part time and full time. Full time students receive discounted tuition because we depend on
their consistent payments. We are staffed based on the number of full time children and we cannot change staffing
on a week to week basis.
The Learning Station Student Policies
CONFIDENTIALITY- All of the children’s files at The Learning Station are kept confidential. Only staff
members and licensing agencies will have access to these files. Parents are allowed access to their own child’s
files only. Children’s information will not be copied, posted on a website or disclosed to unauthorized persons
without written consent from the child’s parent.
PERSONAL BELONGINGS-All personal belongings should be clearly marked with your child’s name. Please
keep two seasonal changes of clothes here at all times. Nap blankets and pillows are to be taken home weekly to
be washed.
Please let us know if you have lost an item. We will do our best to find it. However, we are not responsible for
lost items.
Please do not bring toys from home unless they are for comfort or security reasons. There are plenty of items to
be played with in our classrooms. Bringing toys from home only invites fighting over sharing. The only time it is
appropriate to bring toys from home is when they are requested by the teacher for show and tell activities or other
special events.
Because preschool children are gaining their independence, they need to have clothes that they can take off and put
on in the event of an accident or when going to the restroom. Please put children in clothes that they can manage
themselves. Clothing with complicated buttons or closures, especially overalls, do not help them with these tasks.
DISCIPLINE-Because discipline is actually a form of teaching, we will use positive reinforcement to accomplish
this task. We do not consider physical punishment or emotional and verbal abuse to be our place. Our staff will
not use these as means of discipline. Other means of unacceptable discipline include withholding, forcing or
threatening to withhold or force food, sleep or toileting, isolation of a child, the use of children to discipline other
children and the use of mechanical restraints or drugs to restrain a child.
Any staff member or parent who observes an infraction of this rule is asked to inform a director
immediately. All parents and staff members shall sign a facility agreement in regards to the discipline policy.
We will strive to lessen discipline problems by:
~Not having unrealistic expectations of the children
~Having creative learning centers and activities to keep children engaged in learning
~Giving lots of recognition for positive actions, no matter how small
~Defusing a crisis before it happens whenever possible
In the event that redirection does not help the discipline problem, the child will be given a short time out based on
the age of the child. If a child has excessive discipline problems including, but not limited to aggressive behavior,
he will be sent home for the day and the behavior will be documented at the facility. If a child is sent home from
the program more than three times, it will be decided, at our discretion, if the child will be dismissed from the
program.
PARTIES-When your child has a birthday, you may bring in cupcakes or a special snack for your child’s class.
Please do not bring soda or other drinks with a high sugar content. If “goodie bags” are brought in, they will be
handed out to the children when they leave for the day.
On special holidays, your child’s teacher may post a sign up sheet for goodies for their party. We ask that all
parents participate to the best of their ability. Children love to be a part of special occasions.
The Learning Station Financial Policies
TUITION-Tuition for all programs is due in advance. If you are paying weekly, payment is expected on Fridays
by closing time for the following week. Any payment plan can be made (monthly, bi-monthly etc.) as long as
payment is made in advance. Full tuition payments are due each week regardless of how many days the child
attends. You are obligated to fulfill full payment for the program your child is attending if your child is absent or if
the center is closed for severe weather, holidays, etc. There are no exceptions to this policy. Staff members are
still paid and overhead remains the same even when children are absent. Tuition rates are reviewed and may be
increased before the beginning of each fiscal year. We will give plenty of notice before rates increase.
PAYMENTS-We accept cash, checks and all major debit and credit cards. There is a 2% credit card fee for all
debit and credit card transactions. For your convenience, we have a Tuition Express program which will
automatically withdraw tuition from your checking/savings account or credit card each Friday.
RETURNED CHECKS-There is a $30.00 fee if there are insufficient funds from a check or Tuition Express
withdrawal. After two returned checks, payments must be paid by cash.
LATE PAYMENTS-There is a $20.00 late fee for tuition paid after Friday at closing time. There will be a $5.00
fee per day thereafter. There are no exceptions to this policy. If tuition is not paid in full that Friday, your child
will not be able to return to our facility until payment is received and your account is current. We understand that
circumstances arise from time to time, however, we cannot allow children to attend if payment is not made for
services. It is our goal to operate a fiscally sound business and we must have payments to keep our budget
obligations current.
LATE PICK UP-Pick up time for Full Time Preschool, Afterschool and Summer Camp is 7:30 p.m., allowing for
time to gather your child and their belongings before 7:30 p.m. Our facility is staffed until 7:30 p.m. A fee of
$10.00 per child will be charged for pick up after 7:30 p.m. After 7:40 p.m., there will be an additional charge of
$1.00 per minute per child. This fee may be paid at the time of pick up or added to the next week’s tuition.
REGISTRATION FEES-Registration fees for our program are paid upon enrollment and then yearly in
September of each year, regardless of original starting date. Registration fees are not refundable. There will be
a registration fee of $60.00 for families enrolling only in the morning preschool or afterschool. Families enrolling
for full day preschool is $120.00.
FINANCIAL AID-Financial assistance for child care is available to qualifying families from the following
agencies:
~ABC Voucher Program - (800) 262-4416
~First Steps - (843) 236-5402
~HGTC Perkins Grant - (843) 349-5295
Emergency financial assistance may be available to families currently enrolled in our program if a situation arises
that effects their financial situation. Please see a director if a need arises for your family. The approval for this
financial assistance will be based on need and resources for assistance.
The Learning Station Medical Policies
NO SHOTS~NO SCHOOL-A South Carolina Certificate of Immunization for day care attendance (DHEC 1148)
must be kept on file for your child at all times, except for children over the age of six. Immunizations must be kept
current. Your child will not be able to attend our program unless a current immunization is required.
If you have moved here from out-of-state, you need to take your immunization to a local pediatrician or the local
health department and have it transferred to a South Carolina form.
You will have ten business days, after your child’s first day, to provide a proper immunization form to our facility.
ILLNESSES-We can only accept WELL CHILDREN at our facility. This is for your child’s benefit as well as
the being of other enrolled children. We depend on you to help us maintain this policy. If symptoms of illness are
observed (fever over 100B, vomiting, diarrhea, discharge from the eyes, lice etc.) during the school day, you will be
notified to pick up your child immediately. Please do not bring a child with fever or any communicable disease.
If your child is not well enough to participate in day to day school activities including going to the playground, they
should be kept at home until they are well.
YOUR CHILD MUST BE FEVER AND SYMPTOM FREE WITHOUT MEDICATION FOR 24 HOURS
BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOL. This policy is mandated by the Department of Health and
Environmental Control (DHEC). The DHEC Exclusion List is posted on the lobby bulletin board. There are no
exceptions to this policy.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION-It is imperative that you keep your emergency contact information up to date.
Please notify the office of any changes to your phone numbers, address or employment. This information is vital in
the event of an emergency.
MEDICATION-At the strong recommendation from the South Carolina Department of Social Services, The
Learning Station does not administer medication. Please ask your child’s doctor to make prescriptions for two
times per day so that you can administer the medication before and after school.
In the event that a prescription medication must be given during school hours, written, signed parental consent and
a doctor’s note is required before medication will be administered by our staff. Prescription medication must be in
the original prescribed bottle and can only be given to the child for whom it is prescribed.
Staff will administer medication only in the prescribed dose, not in excess, and will initial the Medication Sign-In
Log located at the front desk stating the time the medication was given and the amount. All medications are kept
in a locked cabinet and must be signed in at the office.
Children are not allowed to have any kind of medications in their possession while they are in our facility. These
medications include vitamins, cough drops, medicated creams and throat lozenges.
OUTBREAKS-The Learning Station requires all parents to report outbreaks of any contagious disease or
condition including Head Lice. Once an exposure is reported, the school will post a notice to all parents informing
them of the situation. Final authority in all medical issues is DHEC.
ALLERGIES-In the event that your child has a severe, life-threatening allergy, you will need to provide us with
Benedryl and an Epi-Pen to keep here in case of an anaphylactic reaction.
The Learning Station Safety Policies
CLOTHING-For safety sake, please put rubber soled, closed toed shoes on your child. Sandals and flip-slops are
responsible for most accidents in the classroom and on the playground.
INCLEMENT WEATHER-In the event of inclement weather, we will follow the Horry county School’s
decisions. If the public schools are closed, we will be closed. If they are on a delayed opening, we will do the
same. All major television news stations and radio stations as well as the Horry County School’s TV channel
announce school closings and delays.
In the event of a pending hurricane, we will close if we fall under a HURRICANE WARNING. Children will need
to be picked up immediately. Staff members will remain with the children until all of them have been picked up.
Tuition payment is still due if we have to close for inclement weather or any other act of nature.
EMERGENCY DRILLS-Evacuation drills are conducted at least once a month. Children are taught to line up at
the appropriate exit door in their rooms and follow the teacher to their designated meeting place when an alarm is
sounded. Children are also encouraged to have emergency drills at home with their families.
Children are also taught that the red pull boxes on the walls are not toys. If the fire department wastes a trip to our
facility because a child has pulled the alarm, they may miss an opportunity to help someone that is truly in need.
CLASSROOM/OUTDOOR SAFETY-Classroom teachers and floaters are required to keep a list of the children
present each day so that they know who is in their room and on the playground at all times. When children arrive
and depart, the list is adjusted accordingly. Please make sure your child’s teacher knows when you are dropping
off your child or picking them up.
TRAVEL SAFETY-When classes are participating in field trips, a book is taken with each class that includes
emergency contact information for each child, field trip emergency procedures, directions to the location and a
check list to record when each child gets on and off the bus.
INJURIES-All of our staff is certified in Infant/Child/Adult CPR and First Aid. If a child obtains a minor injury
while at school, we will inspect and care for the injury. We also may call you to let you know about the accident
instead of waiting for pick up time. This call does not mean that you will have to pick up your child. You will also
receive an “accident report” detailing what happened when the injury occurred and how it was treated and the
signature of the teacher who was with the child. A copy of this report will be placed in your child’s file.
More serious injuries will be cared for by the teacher and a director. The director will notify the parents by phone
to determine the best course of treatment. An “accident report” will be given to the parents and a copy will be
placed in the child’s file.
For serious emergencies, we will call 911. After this call, we will notify parents by telephone. If the child requires
transportation to the nearest emergency room, a staff member will stay with the child until the parents arrive. Any
injuries requiring medical attention are reported by the director to DSS within 24 hours of the occurrence.
RELEASE OF CHILDREN- It is a requirement of our facility that all children be signed in and out on the keypad
each time they come and go, even if they leave and return in the same day.
Children will only be released from the center to persons authorized on the form found in your registration packet.
Please advise anyone that is picking up your child that they will be asked to present a photo ID. This is to insure
the safety of your child as well as all of the children in the facility. Also, photos will be taken into the software
system that we use. Please let us know when someone other than you will be picking up your child.
The Learning Station Meal Policies
FOOD PROGRAM-Our facility participates in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). We
provide breakfast lunch and snack for your child. Breakfast is served from 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. If your child
needs to eat breakfast here, please have your child here during that time. Regular classroom activities start after
breakfast is over and food will not be served after this time.
Infants enrolling in our program must fill out an Infant Statement regarding infant formula and food preferences.
ALLERGIES-If your child has allergies to any type of food product on our menu, you need to bring them food
from home. On the CACFP program, we have to serve what is on our menu. No substitutions will be made. Milk
and juice will not be watered down.
If your child is allergic to cow’s milk, you must provide a comparable milk alternative like soy milk or rice milk.
Water or juice will not be substituted for milk.
It is a CACFP requirement that children have a balanced, nutritional lunch every day. This meal includes meat or a
meat alternative, milk, 2 fruits or vegetables and bread or a bread alternative. Please keep these requirements in
mind when packing your child’s lunch if they cannot eat what we serve.
Food that needs to be heated must be sent in containers suitable for microwave heating. If food needs to stay cold
before serving, place an ice pack in the lunch box. Refrigerator space is not available for lunches brought from
home. In the event that you forget to bring lunch, a turkey sandwich will be served as a main course.
NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT-This institution participates in the Child and Adult Care Food
Program (CACFP), a program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, and adheres to the
federal Civil Rights Compliance requirements for the CACFP.
These regulations require all institutions participating in the CACFP to be in compliance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or
disability.
Any person alleging discrimination who wishes to file a complaint of discrimination can write to: USDA, director,
Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or
(202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. The Civil Rights Discrimination
Complaint form can be used when filing a complaint. Please note that any complaints must be filed within 180
days of the alleged discriminatory action.
CACFP APPLICATION-In the registration packet, there is an application for free and reduced priced meals. We
request that all parents complete this application, even if you do not qualify. The Learning Station receives partial
reimbursements for some of our food and supplies, per child, even if their family does not qualify for a free or
reduced price meal.
The Learning Station Staff Policies
TRAINING-All of The Learning Station staff are required by regulating agencies to have 20 training hours per
year in the early childhood field. They all must also have current certification in Infant/Child/Adult CPR & First
Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens and AED.
Upon hiring, every staff member must have taken ECD 101 through an accredited college. If they have not taken
this class, they must take it within one year of their hire date.
BACKGROUND CHECKS-All staff members have background checks completed by the FBI, SLED and Central
Registry.
When staff members are first hired, they are hired as provisional staff. They will work under a regular co-teacher
until all of their paperwork and background checks are processed and completed as per section 20-7-2727 of the
South Carolina Code of Laws.
HEALTH-We can only accept well staff at our facility. Staff members must follow the same guidelines set forth
by the DHEC Exclusion List just like the children. This list is posted on the lobby bulletin board.
The Learning Station Biting Policies
Here at The Learning Station our staff has been trained in all areas of early childhood education. One of the
biggest issues that distresses parents and staff alike is biting. Biting is a natural behavior that occurs in very young
children for several different reasons including stress, frustration, gaining an adult’s attention, lack of language
skills or a means of persuading another child to give them something that they want.
Because biting is so distressing to everyone and children have the right to be safe, we have developed the following
plan of action:
-Staff will give hugs and encouragement to every child every day to help reduce stress.
-Staff will respond to and reinforce positive behavior.
-Staff will avoid any immediate response that reinforces the biting or calls attention to the biter, while
providing caring attention to the child that has been bitten.
-The biter will be removed from the situation to regain self control
-Staff will not over-react to biting.
-The staff will never bite a child back. We strongly encourage parents to never bite back or teach their
children to bite back
-The bite will be washed with soap and water. If possible, the biter will help with this process.
-If the skin is broken, we will call the parent. It will be at the parent’s discretion whether or not to go to the
doctor.
-Parents of both the biter and the child that was bitten will receive an incident report.
-Staff will shadow the biter to prevent more biting as much as possible.
-Staff will teach children socially acceptable behavior.
-Staff will teach non-biting responses and reinforce acceptable behavior.
-Staff will provide language which includes “biting hurts” or “teeth are for chewing food.”
-Staff will provide teething rings for children that need something to chew.
-Where possible, no child will be excluded from attendance at The Learning Station because of biting.
If you ever have a concern or question, please speak to your child’s teacher or to a Director in the office. We will
strive to make every child here have a safe and happy experience. We have a full 3-ring binder with full of many
professional articles on biting available in the office.