Frequently Asked Questions
We care for children from 6 weeks old through Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), with summer camp for children up to age 11. Ages and programs vary by location, so please check with the center you’re considering.
Find us in the Daniels Parkway area of Fort Myers, Estero, Lehigh Acres, and Cape Coral. Visit our Locations page for addresses and center details. We can help you find a location that offers the care your child needs.
Our regular hours are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Holiday and weather closures may affect this schedule. An updated holiday closure calendar is posted at each center; please review it when planning your family’s care.
Part-time care may be available, depending on the center and available space. Contact your preferred location with the days and hours you need. If you need occasional or drop-in care, please ask about availability before making plans.
Choose your preferred location on our Schedule a Tour page to book online, or call (239) 399-5099. A tour is a chance to see the learning spaces, talk about your child’s needs, and ask about schedules, availability, and tuition. Bring the questions that matter most to your family.
Start by contacting the center you’re interested in or scheduling a tour. Tell us your child’s age, the schedule you need, and your preferred start date. Before you make plans for the first day, review classroom availability, required enrollment forms, health records, and all applicable fees with the director.
Contact your preferred center to ask about upcoming openings and whether a waitlist is available for your child’s age group. Share your preferred start date and any flexibility in location or schedule. An inquiry does not guarantee a space or a start date.
Tuition depends on your child’s age and the care you need and is billed weekly. Contact us today to discuss tuition options. We also share current tuition information during your tour so you can review the options for your family. Ask for the full fee information, including any registration, optional activity, or schedule-related charges, before enrolling.
Yes. We accept childcare assistance through the School Readiness program, administered locally by the Early Learning Coalition (ELC). The ELC determines eligibility and the assistance available to your family. Contact the ELC here to apply, or call them at 1-866-357-3239, and let your chosen center know if you have an approval or are waiting for one. Assistance and a center opening are separate considerations.
Yes, we offer Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK). Florida’s VPK program is available to eligible Florida residents who are 4 on or before September 1 of the school year, regardless of family income. Apply through Florida’s Early Learning Family Portal, then contact your preferred center about openings and schedules. Funded VPK instruction is free; optional care before or after those hours is separate and may have a fee. Purchasing wraparound care is not required for VPK enrollment.
Please contact us to ask whether an Early Head Start or Head Start placement is currently available through the center you’re considering. These are separate from VPK and School Readiness, with their own eligibility and application processes. Confirm the program and location before making care arrangements.
We use Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum® alongside nature-based learning. Children learn through hands-on exploration, meaningful play, and experiences built around their interests. Activities support language and early literacy, math, physical development, creative expression, and social and emotional growth. Learn more about our curriculum here.
Each classroom’s day includes a balance of active and quiet experiences, individual and small-group activities, and opportunities to make choices. Children explore interest areas such as blocks, books, dramatic play, and sensory materials, along with stories, art, movement, and outdoor play. Teachers plan hands-on experiences that support language, early learning, physical development, and friendships. Nature-based learning may include gardening, observing insects, or exploring natural materials. Classroom schedules and lesson plans help families see how these experiences fit together, and activities are adapted to the children’s ages and interests.
Learning to express feelings, take turns, share space, and solve problems is part of early childhood. We support these skills through positive relationships, calm guidance, clear expectations, and redirection. If behavioral concerns continue, we involve families in discussing solutions, developing a support plan, and reviewing progress. Strategies may include additional support or accommodations based on the child’s needs. Your observations about what helps at home are part of that conversation. Our Child Guidance and Discipline Policy is included in the enrollment packet for families to review and sign.
Families can take part in school events, parent meetings, conferences, and classroom activities. Volunteer opportunities include helping in the classroom or at an event, donating materials, or sharing a cultural tradition or skill. Volunteers must follow school policies, sign in, and complete background screening when working directly with children. Special events are posted in the classroom. Ask your center about current enrichment activities and special visitors, since offerings vary; confirm eligible ages, registration, and any optional fees before signing up.
We welcome a conversation about your child’s strengths, routines, and any support that would help them participate. Together, we can review relevant care plans, therapies, or accommodations and discuss what support would be needed. Each child’s situation deserves an individual conversation.
Potty-training expectations depend on the classroom and program, so please confirm the requirements before enrolling or moving to a new classroom. Tell the teacher or director where your child is in the process, including their usual routine, how they communicate that they need the bathroom, and what works at home. This gives you a starting point for discussing the next steps, the support available in that classroom, and which supplies or extra clothing to bring.
Please review your child’s classroom rest routine during enrollment, including the schedule, what to bring, and the arrangements for children who do not sleep. Share your child’s usual routine and anything that helps them settle. Infant sleep is handled separately: infants are placed on their backs in their own cribs, and the cribs are kept free of blankets, bottles, toys, and bumpers. If an infant falls asleep outside the crib, they are moved to their crib. The infant-room team can explain the permitted sleep items and daily arrangements.
Yes. Meals are provided through the Florida Child Care Food Program, and a weekly menu is available for families to review. Each child needs a completed meal application and participation form, which are updated annually. Confirm which meals and snacks fall within your child’s scheduled hours and whether you need to send anything from home. If your child has a food allergy, provide the required doctor’s documentation and discuss the feeding plan before the first day. Infant bottles, formula, breast milk, and baby food should be reviewed separately with the infant-room team.
Before your baby’s first day, discuss their feeding routine with the infant-room team, including breast milk or formula, bottles, and any foods they have started. Ask for the center’s preparation, labeling, and storage instructions so you know what to bring and how to pack it.
Tell the director about any food allergy or dietary restriction before your child starts. Share relevant written instructions and discuss the menu, emergency needs, and any proposed substitutions. Food arrangements should be agreed on before your child’s first day; please do not assume a particular substitute or an allergen-free environment is available.
Staffing depends on the children’s ages and the program. Our age-based classroom ratios are one teacher for every 4 infants, 6 one-year-olds, 11 two-year-olds, 15 three-year-olds, or 20 four-year-olds. Ask your director to explain the staffing and class size for your child’s classroom, including VPK.
Families provide an approved pickup list, and staff check a person’s identity and authorization before releasing a child. Please keep your pickup permissions and emergency contacts current and bring photo identification. Ask the director how to update authorizations and what to do when pickup plans change.
Cleaning is part of the classroom routine, including toys, shared surfaces, and care areas. Materials that need cleaning are taken out of use until they are ready to be shared again. Please ask your director about the cleaning and hygiene routines used in your child’s classroom.
Keep your child home when they have symptoms covered by our illness policy, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or a suspected contagious illness. If your child becomes ill at school, they are brought to the designated rest area in the front office, and we contact you promptly to arrange immediate pickup. Please keep your phone numbers and emergency contacts current. At pickup, you receive a written record of the symptoms observed. A medical referral may also be provided when pediatrician authorization is needed before returning. Review the current return-to-care requirements with the director before your child comes back.
Before admission, please provide your child’s current Florida Certification of Immunization, Form DH 680, and completed health examination form, DH 3040, as listed in our enrollment requirements. Keep these records updated and provide new documentation when it changes or is requested. If you have questions about an applicable exemption, an alternative record, or a pending appointment, discuss them with the director before the planned start date. Allergy information and other care instructions may require separate documentation from your child’s health care provider.
Only emergency medication may be given when necessary. We do not administer routine medications during the school day. If your child may need emergency medication, speak with the director before attendance to review your child’s emergency care plan, the required authorizations, and how the medication should be provided and kept available. Please do not send medication in your child’s bag or mix it into a bottle, cup, formula, milk, or juice.
Florida’s Gold Seal Quality Care designation recognizes programs that go beyond minimum licensing standards through accreditation by a state-approved organization. For families, it is a meaningful sign that a program has taken additional steps to demonstrate the quality of its care and supervision.
The standards behind Gold Seal address important parts of your child’s experience, including staff qualifications and training, curriculum and learning experiences, health and safety, and relationships with families. An outside accrediting organization reviews the program, and providers must maintain their accreditation and continue meeting that organization’s standards to retain Gold Seal.
Licensing provides the regulatory foundation, accreditation adds an independent quality review, and Gold Seal is Florida’s recognition of eligible accredited programs. During your tour, we welcome questions about the center’s current accreditation and Gold Seal status, and how quality standards are reflected in its classrooms, teaching, and family partnerships.
Before the first day, tell your child’s teacher about familiar routines, interests, and the ways you help them feel comfortable. Talk through the arrival routine and how you can check in after drop-off. A calm, predictable goodbye can make the transition feel more familiar. Each day, an adult must accompany your child to the classroom, complete sign-in, and make sure the teacher knows your child has arrived. Share changes in sleep or home routines that may affect the transition. Every child settles in at their own pace.
Ask for your classroom’s supply list before the first day. Check which changes of clothes, diapering supplies, feeding items, or rest items your child will need, and label personal belongings. Choose clothes suitable for play and ask about footwear, outdoor supplies, and items that should stay at home.
Our parent communication app provides daily updates about classroom activities and care routines, including meals, diaper changes or potty times, and photos. You can also message your child’s teacher through the app. Teachers prioritize supervising children, so replies may not be immediate; please call the center directly at 239-303-1944 for urgent matters. Spring and fall conferences give us time to discuss observations, assessments, and your child’s progress together. Additional conferences can be requested, and your insights help teachers plan for your child’s learning and development.
Please call the office if your child will be absent or arrive after 9 a.m., and let us know in advance about extended absences and the expected return date. Any tuition you are responsible for under your enrollment agreement remains due during absences, including vacations and sick days. Tuition is not reduced for planned or unplanned center closures, including holidays. If your child participates in School Readiness or VPK, review the attendance requirements that apply to that program before planning time away.
Schedule changes must be approved in advance by an administrator and depend on available space. To withdraw, submit written notice to the office at least two weeks before your child’s last day. If the required notice is not given, charges for the notice period apply. Review your final balance and the effective withdrawal date with the office. Eligible tuition paid beyond the withdrawal date is handled under the refund policy; refunds do not apply to registration or other non-tuition fees.
Contact our Lehigh Acres or Cape Coral locations to ask about transportation and school-age care. Please confirm the schools served, eligible ages, current routes, available space, and any fees directly with the center before relying on it. Services depend on the location and program.
Yes. We offer summer camp for children up to age 11. Contact your preferred center for the upcoming season’s ages, dates, schedule, and availability. Ask what activities are included and whether any optional trips or special activities have separate permission forms or fees. Learn more about summer camp here.