Families are required to notify the center director/designee by 8:30 AM if the enrolled child will be absent or tardy that day. If a child arrives after 8:30 AM and the center was not notified in advance, Hilltop Early Learning Center may not be able to accommodate your child that day. The decision as to whether or not we can accommodate the child is based on several factors, including staff schedules, programming requirements, etc. Families of children absent without notice will be contacted.

No child may ever be left unsupervised. Children may not be unaccompanied in the building and should never be sent inside the building or down the hallway alone. Children must be accompanied by an adult when they are outside the building, on the sidewalk, or in parked cars. Children may not be left unattended in a car.

The person bringing a child to Hilltop Early Learning Center must bring the child to the staff member who is responsible for the child’s care and ensure that the assigned staff member is aware of the child’s presence before departing.

Security: All families and visitors must enter through the secured, front entrance of the building.

Departure: People under the age of 18 are not permitted to receive a child from Hilltop Early Learning Center. No child may ever be left unsupervised. Children must be accompanied by an adult when they are inside and outside the building, on the sidewalk, or in parked cars. Children may not be left unattended in a car. The person who picks up a child from Hilltop Early Learning Center must alert staff and ensure that staff is fully aware of the child’s departure.

Authorization for Child Pick Up: The only people who may pick up a child from Hilltop Early Learning Center are those listed on the Authorized Release Form. Staff will ask to see photo identification of anyone who they do not recognize. Changes to a child’s Authorized Release Form must be made in person and in writing by the child’s legal parent or guardian. No changes will be made over the telephone, via text, etc.

Under the Influence of a Substance: Hilltop Early Learning Center is mandated to report any form of neglect to child protective services and/or the police. Picking up a child while under the influence of any substance that may affect one’s ability to properly supervise that child is considered to be neglect.Hilltop Early Learning Center will contact child protective services and/or emergency services if an adult who appears to be intoxicated attempts to pick up a child.

Late Pick-up Fees: Children must be picked up promptly before the center closes. A mandatory late pick-up fee of $2.00 per minute will be charged to the family when a child remains at the center after the closing time. A centralized payment box with envelopes is located at the front welcome desk. Cash is accepted. Continued failure to pick-up your child within our stated operation hours or non-payment of late pick-up fees may result in your child’s enrollment being terminated.

A child must be toilet trained before attending the Hilltop Early Learning Center. Toilet trained children no longer wear diapers or disposable underwear (pull-ups); can tell an adult when they need to go to the bathroom; and can attend to their own hygiene care. Please note, this policy does not apply to children with documented special needs or disabilities.

Accidents can and do happen, so we ask you to send a change of clothes for your child to school. Accidents, by definition, are unusual incidents and should only happen infrequently. If toilet accidents frequently occur at school, the staff will consult with the family to create an individualized plan to address the toilet training concern.

Hilltop Early Learning Center does not discriminate in the enrollment of children on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability or family composition. A child is considered to be enrolled at Hilltop Early Learning Center only after the Enrollment and Compliance Director confirms the availability of space, all enrollment paperwork is received, and an enrollment meeting is completed. Hilltop Early Learning Center does not charge any application or enrollment fees.

Hilltop Early Learning Center’s Enrollment and Compliance Director will assist families in the enrollment process and is available to answer questions about enrollment. You may reach the Enrollment and Compliance Director at 614-253-5525, ext. 225. Hilltop Early Learning Center uses an online enrollment system. Families will be provided with links to complete the application process. In addition, families must provide a completed Child Medical Statement for Child Care (JFS 1305) and a copy of children’s immunization records, birth certificates, and custody papers upon enrollment. Certain funding sources may require other documents, including proof of income. Enrollment is not considered to be complete until all of the paperwork is completed, and all necessary documents are submitted.

Hilltop Early Learning Center requires parents/guardians to grant permission for emergency transportation on the ODJFS Enrollment and Health Information form. Hilltop Early Learning Center does not enroll children who are not current on their immunization schedules unless the Medical Statement includes a written letter from a certified health care provider stating that the child’s health would be jeopardized by a specific vaccination. If a child is following the Catch-Up Immunization schedule, the family must provide Hilltop Early Learning Center with a copy of the child’s immunization schedule provided by a certified health care provider, and it is the family’s responsibility to give the Enrollment and Compliance Director a copy of the child’s immunization records each time the child receives a new vaccination.

Hilltop Early Learning Center may need to close for emergency situations or inclement weather. Hilltop Early Learning Center will be closed when Columbus City Schools close for inclement weather. If Hilltop Early Learning Center closes for other reasons, it will notify parents using the automated REMIND APP messaging system and/or posting the closing on Channel 10 WBNS news. We also ask parents who are unsure of the weather conditions to call the center to make sure it is open before venturing out in bad weather.

The Emergency Plan for medical, dental, and general emergencies is located inside all classrooms and licensed spaces. Hilltop Early Learning Center has procedures to follow in the event that an emergency would occur during operating hours. Written instructions are posted in each classroom, describing emergency evacuation routes and the procedures to follow. In order to prepare children for the unlikely need to evacuate, Hilltop Early Learning Center conducts monthly fire drills and periodic tornado and lock-down drills.

In the unlikely event we would need to evacuate for a period of time due to a fire, weather conditions, or the loss of power, heat or water, our off-site Evacuation Assembly Points are:

• Primary location: J. Ashburn Boys & Girls Club 85 Clarendon Avenue Columbus, Ohio

• Secondary location: Educational Academy for Boys & Girls 35 Midland Avenue Columbus, Ohio (special note: primary location for gas leaks)

Loss of Power, Water, or Heat at Center

If children do not have access to running water for more than one hour and are not able to wash hands or flush toilets, parents will be notified and required to pick up their child within one hour. Children will have emergency drinking water available during their time at the center. If there is a loss of power at the center, but the temperature does not fall below 65-degrees Fahrenheit or exceed 85-degrees Fahrenheit, Hilltop Early Learning Center will remain open and arrange for alternative meals/snacks to be brought in to ensure that children do not go longer than four hours without eating. If there is a loss of power or heat at Hilltop Early Learning Center that results in the indoor temperature falling outside ODJFS minimum/maximum guidelines, an Administrator/Designee will notify parents via telephone or cellphone of the situation and require them to pick up children from the center within one hour.

Unless it poses a safety risk, a sign will be posted on the front door of the school indicating that we have evacuated and noting the location where you can pick up your child. Parents will be contacted as soon as possible via the REMIND messaging system.

It is very important that families notify Hilltop Early Learning Center immediately of any new phone numbers, address changes, or changes to a child’s Authorized Release paperwork. In the event of an emergency, we need to have the correct contact information. Please see the front receptionist to make changes. He/she will forward the information to the enrollment coordinator to update your child’s file and to copy the classroom. Please check your cell phones to be sure the voice mailbox is not full so that we can leave messages if needed.

Hilltop Early Learning Center participates in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which assists child care sponsors in serving nutritious meals by providing funds to supplement food costs. Families help CELC receive these benefits by completing an income eligibility application every year.

Each meal served at Hilltop Early Learning Center meets or exceeds the standards defined by the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The meals and snacks provided are listed below.

Breakfast

• Served at 8:30 AM

• If your child arrives to the program after 8:30 AM, please provide him with breakfast before bringing him to the center.

• Includes 3 foods from the USDA Food Groups (Grain, Fruit OR Vegetable, and Liquid Milk)

Lunch

• Served at 12:00 PM

• Includes 5 foods from the USDA Food Groups (Grain, Protein, Fruit & Vegetable, Liquid Milk)

P.M. Snack

• Served at 3:30 PM

• Includes 2 foods from the USDA Food Groups

Special Mealtime Considerations

• All Hilltop Early Learning Center classrooms are nut-free. No nuts, food containing nuts, and/or nut butters are served. This includes nut beverages, such as almond or cashew milk.

• Meals and snacks provided by Hilltop Early Learning Center’s kitchen are pork-free.

• Religious and dietary restrictions are respected and CELC will make substitutions when possible. If Hilltop Early Learning Center cannot provide a substitution, it is the responsibility of the family to do so. Families must provide substitutions only from the USDA food groups.

• Vegan/Vegetarian Families will be required to provide a meat-replacement/protein, diary substitute, and/or grain substitute for all meals to include Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks.

• The elimination of an entire food group (for example: dairy products) requires written documentation from the child’s physician.

Families are encouraged to participate whenever possible in the activities of the center. Parents and guardians have access to all areas of the building used for child care during hours of operation. Noncustodial parents have the same rights of access unless limited by official court documentation. Visiting parents or guardians are required to notify the office and classroom staff of their presence and need to be escorted through the building for security purposes. For individual needs/conferences, parents are encouraged to arrange a separate time to meet with staff when students are not present.

Families should plan to visit the center before their child's first day and again after their child is enrolled. Visiting will help both you and your child feel more comfortable. Plan to come as many times and stay as long as you and your child need.

Hilltop Early Learning Center respectfully asks parents and family members to refrain from giving gifts to Hilltop Early Learning Center staff members.

The Remind App

Hilltop Early Learning Center uses the Remind Mobile Application as a tool to effectively communicate daily with families and in case of emergencies. Families are required to participate in this free alert system upon enrollment and provide the Enrollment and Compliance Director with a working email address and/or cell phone number so that CELC can contact families in emergency situations. Families will receive a text or email asking them to accept membership in one of the Hilltop Early Learning Center Partnership Classrooms. Families are required to accept this invitation prior to enrollment, as this is Hilltop Early Learning Center’s only mode of communication with families in the case of site or center-wide emergencies. Family members must keep the Enrollment and Compliance Director updated with any changes to their email or phone numbers so the center is able to contact families in case of emergencies.