Houdini Academy for Children

 

 

Admission

Open Door Policy
The Academy maintains an Open Door Policy; families are welcome and encouraged to visit at any time. All Academy policies are available for viewing by families, upon request.

Who Can Enroll at the Child Care Academy?
The Academy is open to all children. When a space becomes available, the first child on the waitlist with the appropriate age and schedule will be enrolled. The families of these children must embrace our developmental approach to learning. No child shall, on the basis of race, color, religious belief, national origin, or gender, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination during any program or activity. Children with special needs will be considered on an individual basis, and will be accepted as long as we are assured that we can fully meet the child’s needs and the needs of other children in the group with reasonable accommodation. In all cases, the child must be able to participate and substantially benefit from our program without risk to himself/herself or to other children.

Enrollment

What Happens When I Enroll My Child?
Upon acceptance to the Academy, you will be given an intake packet to be completed, and a parent intake appointment will be arranged with the Primary Caregiver to begin the enrollment process. During the parent intake, we will review the completed forms from the intake packet and will cover a number of topics:

  • Welcome and introductions to office/management staff and appropriate teaching staff

  • Tour of the child’s classroom (and remainder of the Academy, upon request)

  • The Family Handbook

  • Child Enrollment and Health History Form (and explanation of emergency notification, authorized pick-up persons, and safety and security practices)

  • Media Release Form

  • Payment Policies and Enrollment Agreement (explanation of tuition, enrollment fee, and all other fees included in the Payment Policy)

  • Scheduling Policy

  • Intake Form / Forms that describe the practices currently being followed by the families in regard to eating, sleeping, diapering, comforting, topical medications, allergies, etc.

  • Health Form to be completed by the child’s physician (must be maintained according to state regulations)

  • Immunization records (must be maintained according to state regulations)

  • Model Health Care Policies

  • Letter of welcome from the child’s teacher

  • All other forms mandated by the State of Wisconsin

All forms must be completed and brought to the Academy at the time of the intake.

Some of these, like the Child’s Enrollment Record and the Health and Immunization Records, are required by the state agency that monitors and licenses child care Centers. Other forms are specifically designed for our use. These forms will help the primary caregiver gather needed information to help your child adjust to out-of-home care.

At this time, you also will be provided with the opportunity to ask questions, tour the Academy and your child’s classroom, and meet the teaching staff and management team. The time spent with your child’s teacher provides for a sharing opportunity between you and the teacher. This will provide us with the information we feel is necessary to truly offer a developmentally appropriate program for your child. This is an important first step in launching the supportive relationship we hope to develop.

 

Ongoing forms
Completion of other forms also will be requested at enrollment and on an ongoing basis, as needed. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Medication Authorization form(s)

  • Daily Experience Sheet(s)

  • Permission to Pick-up form(s)

  • Field Trip permission form(s)

  • Family-Teacher Conference Documentation form(s)

  • Specific documentation regarding the care of your child

  • An Individual Education Plan (IEP) for special needs children

  • Additional Media - Release form(s), as needed

Updating Your Child’s Emergency Information
If any of the following information changes at any time, please notify us so we can update your records:

  • Phone numbers where you can be reached during the day

  • Addresses for at home and work

  • Names of persons you have been authorized who may be contacted in case of your child’s illness or injury

  • Names of persons you have authorized to pick up your child in the event that you are unable to do so