Childcare FAQ

We are open Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., year-round at our Lansing Avenue, Laurence Avenue, and Jackson College Campus locations. The Dibble Elementary location follows the Jackson Public School calendar. The Hunt Elementary location follows the Jackson Public School, Hunt Elementary calendar.

Yes

Our centers located on Jackson College Campus, 800 Laurence Avenue, and 3210 Lansing Avenue are licensed to care for children 2 1/2 weeks to 12 years of age. Each of these locations offers Infant, Toddler, Preschool, GSRP, Before and After School Care, and Summer Camp Programs.

Our programs located at Hunt Elementary School and Dibble Elementary School are licensed to care for children 4 and 5 years of age, enrolled in the GSRP program.

Yes, families must pre-register in our Drop-in Care Program prior to using this service. Drop-in Care is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Schedule your child ahead of time. Our ability to meet your Drop-in Care needs is based on spaces available on the days requested.

The programs located in Dibble Elementary School and Hunt Elementary School follow the district calendar.

ABC Academy programs located on Jackson College Campus, at 800 Laurence Avenue, 3210 Lansing Avenue will be closed to honor the following holidays:

In addition to state-mandated training requirements, teachers also receive professional development opportunities throughout the year to ensure we stay current with the latest trends in early childhood education.

All employees of ABC Academy are provided and trained in First Aid and CPR.

At ABC Academy, we believe the same level of safety and security expertise that protects the President should be called upon to keep your child safe. This is why we partnered with Secured Education Consultants, a company owned and operated by former U.S. Secret Service Agents, to help us take our safety and security to the highest level possible. SEC is a group of highly skilled security and protection experts. The SEC team specializes in analyzing facilities, developing Emergency Preparedness Plans, and preparing faculty and staff to appropriately confront emergencies of all kinds.

In addition, our classrooms are equipped with security cameras and key-coded access doors, keeping our children safe. Upon enrollment, each authorized pickup person for your child will be assigned a security code by the center Director. The access codes are required to assess the classroom area of our centers.

ABC Academy follows OSHA guidance for mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

No! We take pride in the learning environment provided at ABC Academy. Math, Art, Reading, and Language Arts, guided reading are a part of our program for our children. Music, Science, Yoga, Sign Language, Technology Centers, and fun activities are provided in our program. We follow a researched-based curriculum in our classrooms.

The intellectual, physical, social, and emotional progress of each child will be documented in the child’s record and conveyed to the parents during conferences, which will be held in the fall and in the spring. Open communication is very important and is well-respected. Our infant and toddler programs provide daily information reports regarding your child’s day. We also place quarterly “Parent Connect Calls.” This gives us an opportunity to address any concerns, what you like about the classroom, if we are meeting your expectations, how we can improve, and anything you would suggest to assist with making things run more smoothly for your family.

We believe parents are the most significant adults in a child’s life. We do everything possible to ensure parents’ involvement in our programs.

Parents of enrolled children may visit the center at any time during the hours of operation. We encourage you to visit, unannounced, at any time. Stop in, visit your child, and join us in our activities. We simply ask that you take into account the times when your child may be eating or napping before a visit.

We welcome all families to be a participant in our Program Advisory Board. Watch for announcements for meetings.

To ensure the best possible care for all children in our center, it is requested that you do not bring your child to ABC Academy when they are too ill to participate comfortably in routine activities or when your child needs more care than the classroom teachers can give while they care for the whole group. Our teachers will contact you if your child becomes ill midday and is unable to comfortably participate in activities, notifying you of the need for early pick-up. Children with temperatures of 99 degrees or higher are asked to refrain from attending the center until they are fever-free for 72 hours.

Below is a list of items to bring to the center to help your child be comfortable while in our care. Please label every item. Parents are responsible for laundering their child’s extra naptime bedding and extra change of clothes when used, these will be sent home regularly. We encourage you to provide a family photo prior to your child’s first day of school. The photo will be attached to your child’s cubby area to identify his/her personal space and to help your child with transitioning into our program by having a picture of their loved ones nearby.

Infants

Toddlers

Preschool & PreKindergarteners

• Complete change of clothes
• Lunch labeled with your child’s name and the date
• Special blanket (optional)
• Seasonal clothes for outdoors
• Family Photo

Great Start Readiness Program

• Complete change of clothes
• Special blanket (optional)
• Seasonal clothes for outdoors
• Family Photo

School Age

• Lunch labeled with your child’s name and the date for the days that your child will not be attending the public schools.
• Seasonal clothes for outdoors
• Family Photo

Seasonal Items