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General InformationQ. When did you open?A. First Friends opened it's doors on April 8th 2002. Q. Are you accredited? A. It takes time to become accredited. We are working very hard to acheive that goal. We practice, from day one, all the procedures and do follow all the policies necessary to become accredited. Q. Is First Friends a part of a franchise? A. No, First Friends is independently owned and operated. More importantly, it is family owned and operated. Q. Do you have an outdoor play area? A. Yes, we have a play area that measures approximately 3400 square feet. Q. How are the children organized into classrooms? A. To properly manage child to teacher ratios all children will be grouped according to their age. Q. When will my child move to the next classroom? A. Your child will move to the next classroom based on their age as well as their development. Q. How can I get more information about your program? A. You can request information via email, give us a call or stop in to see us. License, Ratios & QualificationsQ. Is your center licensed for child care?A. First Friends is licensed in the State of Florida for child care. The license is posted in the reception area for your review. Q. What are some of the state regulated guidelines? A. First Friends complies with all State guidelines including fire and safety, health and sanitation, staff credentials and staff to child ratios. Q. What are the state teacher to child ratios? A. The state ratios are as follows: 0-1 year old: 1 to 4 1-2 year old: 1 to 6 2-3 year old: 1 to 11 3-4 year old: 1 to 15 4-5 year old: 1 to 20 School Age: 1 to 25 Q. Do you operate at state ratios? A. We believe that the state ratios in some age groups are too high for children to achieve proper care and education. Wherever possible, First Friends will employ “Floaters” or “Assistants” to reduce the teacher to child ratios. Q. What are the qualifications of your staff? A. All staff members are required to have 40 hours of state mandated training. First Friends requires that all staff members be trained in First Aid and CPR. All lead teachers will have a CDA or something equivalent in early childhood education. Q. Are background checks done on staff members? A. Yes, strict background checks are done on all staff members. This includes fingerprinting, affidavit of good moral character and local criminal history investigation. Safety, Nutrition & IllnessQ. What type of security system do you use to protect the children?A. Our security system consists of a keypad, which will allow only authorized parents and personnel to access to the building. First Friends encourages all family members to keep the code confidential. Q. What type of meals do you provide? A. First Friends provides children with 2 snacks and a nutritious hot lunch daily. We also include milk and juice at no extra cost. Q. How do we know our children are eating right? A. We will have a 4-week rotating lunch menu that will be approved and regulated by the health department. Q. Can you care for a child if they are sick? A. First Friends is not licensed to care for children who are ill. Q. When would my child have to stay home or go home? A. If you child shows any of the following symptoms: 101 degrees Fahrenheit temperature or higher Loose bowl movements Vomiting Undetermined skin rash Exposed, open skin lesions Difficulty or rapid breathing Severe coughing Communicable childhood disease Q. When can my child return to school? A. Children may return to school when they are symptom free for 24 hours or if the have a doctors note. Computers, Spanish & Exceptional ExtrasQ. Will my children be exposed to computers?A. Yes, there will be computers in the 3 and 4 year old classrooms. Your children will have an opportunity every day to use a computer. Q. Will my children be exposed to a foreign language? A. Yes, there will be staff members on site to help incorporate Spanish in the curriculum every day Q. Will my children be exposed to sign language? A. Yes, sign language starts with the infants and continues through our pre-k class. Q. Can you please tell me about the web cameras? A. First Friends will offer an internet viewing service which will allow families to securely and privately view their children from anywhere via the Internet. Q. Is it safe? Is it secure? A. Using secure camera technology, the service feeds live streaming video over the Internet to your personal computer. Only authorized persons such as parents and teachers can view the children in the center. Parents will be given their own secure, private password. Q. Do you offer field trips to the children? A. Yes, we do have field trips for the children that meet the State's age requirements. Q. Do you offer a “Parents Night Out” program? A. Our “Parents Night Out” program will be offered one Saturday per month. The scheduled time is from 6 PM to 10 PM. Please contact the center director for more details. Q. Kid*Lando is such a great place! Will you be offering any additional activities as a part of your curriculum? A. Yes, we have children that participate in karate and/or dance. Q. How will my children get to these wonderful attractions? A. We will have a staff member safely escort the children to their favorite destination. Tuition, Discounts & Additional FeesQ. Do you offer a sibling discount?A. Yes, we offer a discount for two or more children enrolled in a full day program. Q. When will my child’s tuition increase? A. We raise the tuition every year starting the first full week in January. Q. Why do you raise the tuition every year? A. Each year the center experiences an increase in operating expenses. To stay competitive with similar markets and to acknowledge a job well done, we increase the salary of each employee every year. Q. What additional fees may I expect to pay throughout the year? A. There may be small fees for the Kid*Lando attractions and field trips. |
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