Enrollment & Attendance

Enrollment Policy

All enrolled children are encouraged to start on a Monday of the week. However, if a child’s start date is mid-week, the tuition will be prorated.

QCC is required by State Minimum Licensing to have certain information about the child and family on file. Before a child is able to enroll in our program, an Enrollment Packet must be filled out and returned to the center no later than three (3) days before the child’s first day of attendance. Items that must be submitted include:

  • A completed Quality Child Care Early Learning Center Application

  • A copy of the shot record showing that all immunizations are current

  • Completed and signed Special Nutrition Food Eligibility Form

  • Doctor’s note stating any known allergies

  • Signed permission agreement form

  • Any court orders or legal documentation

  • Copy of parent/guardian’s Driver’s License

  • Signed Tuition and Fee Agreement

  • Signed acknowledgment that the enrolling parent received, read, and agrees to abide by the QCC policies, procedures

  • Proof of a current, working telephone number and email address

ABC Program

In addition to the items listed above, parents who wish to enroll their children in the ABC Program, must also have the following documents:

  • Completed ABC application

  • Completed Well Child Screening

  • A copy of their Birth Certificate or Social Security Card

  • Proof of parent/guardians’ income dated within the last 30 days

  • Signed ABC Parent Agreement Form

To be eligible for the ABC Program, the following requirements set by the Arkansas Department of Education must be met:

  • Children must be three years old on or before August 1st of the school year to enter the three year old class or four or five years old on or before August 1st to enter the four year old class. 

  • Gross family income shall not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level.

  • The child must reside in an area where an ABC program is in place and a space for the child to attend is available. (Note: to receive special education services, a child must reside within certain district/co-op lines.)

child Nutrition

Quality Child Care participates in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Admission is open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Any complaints of discrimination should be submitted in writing to the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. 20250. Parents of every child must complete the Free and Reduced Price Meal Application, which is included in the enrollment packet. In addition, parents of infants under the age of 12 months must complete an Obligation to Serve at the time of enrollment. These forms are mandatory and must be updated each July. • If

Attendance

In order for children to learn from our program, they need to be here on a regular basis. As participants in the USDA Special Nutrition Program and the state assisted voucher program, we are required to keep a record of attendance along with reasons for absences.

  • We will need notification if you know that your child will be out of school ahead of time. If you are not able to notify us prior to your child’s absence, please call as soon as you can. 

  • In order to follow our schedule and best meet the educational needs of your child, we recommend that children arrive around 8:00 a.m. 

  • If a child does not attend school for 10 consecutive days and no successful contact has been made with parents or guardians, the child will be dropped from our program. Please notify the director as soon as possible if there are circumstances in which your family may move or you may need to drop your child from our program.

ABC Program Attendance

Children in the ABC program will be allowed 10 absences (excused and/or unexcused) for the school year. An excessive number of absences will result in a conference. A failure to comply with our policy could potentially lead to dismissal from the program. Extenuating circumstances, such as a death in the family or long term illness will not be counted as an absence.

In order to follow our schedule and meet the needs of your child, arrival time will need to be from 8:00-8:15 a.m. If your child arrives after 8:30, he/she will be counted as tardy. Three tardies will equal one unexcused absence. We appreciate your cooperation to ensure your child arrives at school on time.

Hours of Operation

Monday through Friday from 6AM to 6PM

ABC Program Hours of Operation

ABC classrooms are open from 8:00am to 3:00pm, Monday through Friday. If your child needs care before or after these times, you may enroll him or her in QCC’s before and/or aftercare program. Please see the “School Age Programs” section on page 6 of this handbook for more details. Ask your center’s director for pricing information.  

IMPORTANT TIMES DURING THE DAY

  • 8:00am – 8:30am Breakfast

  • 11:00am – 11:30am Lunch

  • Naptime – 12:00pm - 2:00pm

  • 2:00 – 2:30 Snack

Please note that from 11:30AM and 2:00PM children are preparing for naptime and resting. Dropping your child off during this time is strongly discouraged. This is not only disrupts other children that are trying to rest, but it may also upset your own child if they have to lie down for a nap as soon as they arrive.

Holidays

  • New Year’s Day

  • Labor Day

  • Memorial Day

  • Thanksgiving Day

  • Independence Day

  • Christmas Day

Should any of these holidays fall on a weekend, we will be closed on the closest Friday or Monday. Tuition is not waived or altered for closings.

There will be other holidays, such as Black Friday, Christmas Eve, and Spring Break for which parents must sign up ahead of time in order for their child to attend. This allows us to plan the staff schedule and the children’s meals. Depending on the number of kids that sign up, directors will schedule staff for those children only and it is possible that the center will close early. Each center will have this information posted, so make sure you check with your facility about the closing time on these days.

Vacation Time

Families that have been enrolled in the program for six months are eligible for a week vacation at no cost. Enrollment must be full time for six months straight with no breaks in between in order to qualify for your first week of vacation. After two full consecutive years of enrollment, families are eligible for two weeks of vacation.

  • Vacation weeks must be five consecutive days. They cannot be broken up throughout the year. Those with two weeks of vacation time may use those weeks at different times of the year, but each vacation week must be five consecutive days.  

  • In order to adjust your account to reflect your vacation time, QCC requests that you give a written two week notice prior to your requested time off.  

  • The annual enrollment date will begin a new year for each child and vacation does not carry over to the next year and is forfeited if not used.

  • Children who attend only during the summer months or are part-time or drop-in only do not qualify for vacation time.

Children enrolled in the Abc Program do not qualify for vacation time.  

Withdrawal Policy

It is mandatory and critically important that parents/guardians give a minimum two (2) week notice upon deciding to withdraw their children from our program. This allows us adequate time to inform parents on the waiting list of the opening. Families not giving a two week written notice shall be financially responsible for those two weeks.