CHILD CARE FAQ

A: Wow. Right off the bat. OK, this can’t really be answered in a single sentence, just as the question “What makes a good parent?” can’t. What we can do is identify and suggest some essential elements one should consider:

• Open Communication
• Genuine bonding between teachers and kids and the parents
• Sound Reputation
• Clean & tidy
• Safe & secure
• Visitors welcome
• Great staff skills
• Strong curriculum
• Monitored outdoor exercise in safe protected space
• License(s) and citations
• Ratios and class size
• Private tours/Open House/trials/waitlist/enrollment period/process
• Appropriate structure for all parties (children, families and staff)

There is so much more to identifying great childcare and early education centers. Read on to tailor your own personal hit list of questions that will assist in your research of Early Childhood Education & Care (ECEC) providers. You will find a lot of useful information online or through talking with friends and family. But we can’t stress enough the importance of visiting each facility in person to gain a true sense of the environment, ambience, culture, even the happiness/positive vibe etc.

• Very safe… think Fort Knox for kids.
• There is nothing in the world more precious than your children. So we take their security very seriously. Learn More
• Secure access to entry foyer
• Biometric check-in/out stations
• Fully enclosed 8ft fenced private playground
• Emergency evacuation drills monthly and separate drills as required for earthquake, tornado, lockdown & intruder.
• Internal security video cameras
• All staff to be certified in infant/child/adult first aid/CPR/AED
• Additional fire and security response monitoring systems
• Name to face head count procedures on leaving & arriving in new areas
• Routine sanitization procedures throughout the day
• Hygiene is a priority – gloves, hand washing, food prep, waste disposal etc.
• Physical condition of the premises, toys, and equipment
• All this inside a very warm, kid-friendly, environment

Yes. And you can peruse the relevant signage posted throughout the center.

Our Emergency and Evacuation Preparedness Plan is available for review (ScuttleBugs Boulder).

• The general rule of thumb is that children need to be fever/vomit/diarrhea free, un-medicated, for 24 hours before they can return to the center.
• Ask yourself is the child able to actively participate in the daily program?
• Children who become unwell onsite are separated when necessary, the parent is called and a teacher stays with the child until they are collected.
• We have acquired licensing exceptions to administer medications
• Yes, we do require up to date immunizations and we send out reminders to our families when the vaccination due dates are nearing

• Educational approach
• Caregiving practices
• Curriculum – the only TV we have onsite is in the teacher’s lounge, ‘cause we all know that sometimes you just want to tune out, by tuning in!

• We encourage children to share their own stories and avoid exclusive language.
• By reading inclusive books
• Our varied culturally diverse menu
• By offering diverse dolls and dress-up clothes
• It’s a big wonderful world out there and we try to help raise respectful, broad-minded children

• Positive redirection
• Teacher intercedes, distracts or facilitates the ensuing interaction based on the children’s developmental/age level.
• Any excessive or ongoing unfavorable behaviors are documented and addressed as needed
• We do not do “time-outs” as studies show this approach is less effective (read more humiliating) in large group settings. Plus essentially, it shouldn’t reach that level when you incorporate fairness, consistency, empathy, problem solving skills.

We try not to do it too much, as the kids don’t like it.

It’s a little different when they do it though… but in all seriousness (and without wanting to seem flippant on the matter), this is a common occurrence that isn’t fun for anyone involved.

ScuttleBugs does implement a biting policy which aligns with current pediatric recommendation and best practice.
Head over to our blog post all about biting , the social and emotional factors, and what you (and we) can do to prevent it [Let’s go!]

• Socio-emotional learning component is incorporated into our daily programs
• We believe that exposure to an inclusive program in a mainstream environment benefits everyone.

• Are you kidding? We are located in the heart of Silicon Valley and can safely say that way more than half of our families are not US born and bred.
• We love the variety of languages and cultures among and around us. Seize the moment! If a child is exposed to another language early in life, they gain an added benefit of accessing and utilizing the associated areas of the brain that are different from those used when learning a new language later in life. Read more about exposing kids to multiple languages at ScuttleBugs in our blog!
• We have many families who were new to the country and Bay Area, wanting to help their child’s language acquisition prior to Kindergarten. Smart call! But we also have the parents provide a phonetic list of basic, important words in their native tongue that everyone in the class can use. A task shared is a task halved!

• We first opened our doors in the U.S. in 2011 (San Jose).
• We opened ScuttleBugs Boulder in 2023.
• Learn more about parents’ and kids’ experience wtih Scuttlebugs

• We meet or beat Local regulations 1:4 /San Jose/ and 1:5 /Boulder/ (birth through 24 months) and 1:12 (2-6 years).
• Our average is Infants 1:4, Two’s 1:9 and Preschool 1:12
• Management and/or support staff on hand to cover breaks, staff outages etc.

• A study, conducted at Rutgers University found that three- and four-year-olds learn the most — socially, emotionally and cognitively — when their teachers have four-year degrees and specialize in early childhood education (ECE).
• Collectively, our staff have multiple years experience and a plethora of tertiary qualifications
• We prefer to limit the number of Teacher’s Aides we employ and train to 1 at a time for each program
• Learn more about our Staff

Of course. We are not only focused on your child’s growth, we are also dedicated to grow our staff’s knowledge and expertise.

• We want our kids to not only eat a balanced diet, but also to develop healthy eating habits.
• We’re really proud of our menu! We provide 5 wholesome, nutritious meals, prepared onsite.
• As our center is so multi-culturally diverse, we celebrate this by exposing kids to an array of global cuisines via homemade regional dishes. Fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients incorporated

• We send details of what each child eats during the day so parents are aware and also so they can take this into account when preparing their child’s meals at home. Click here to see an example

• ScuttleBugs Boulder participates in the “Farm to ECE” program and get lots of fresh veggies from Boulder County Farmers Market – which Chef Laura uses to prepare her fantastic dishes. 
• See some meals prepared at ScuttleBugs Boulder here.
• See an illustrated Sample Menu for ScuttleBugs San Jose here
• Learn More

• It’s terrible when you find out your little one has an allergy or intolerance. When it comes to any sort of dietary restriction, we post a list in each room that identifies the child, classroom, days of attendance, and specific foods/beverages they cannot have.
• For the younger ones whose fingers may stray onto a friend’s plate, we seat them together at their own table.
• We offer a vegetarian option for lunch.
• Families must provide us with a supply of any associated medications (e.g. Epiphen, Benadryl).

Apart from our British owner, we are a nut-free center. We don’t store or serve nuts of any kind. We don’t allow anyone to bring them in (this includes food items that may contain nuts or have been processed in a facility where nuts are present)

• All kids are different, and you can’t really dictate when a child should be ready to tackle toileting. And you know what? Accidents happen too.
• For this reason, we don’t have a rigid potty training policy. Our teachers are trained to read the cues and assist with this developmental process when the time is right.
• Quite simply we don’t believe it is fair to hold a child back or exclude them from a class, based on whether they are potty trained or not.
• Read Ms. Greta’s blog with Potty Training hints[HERE]

• Daily communication through our parent communication app. Parents can access the app conveniently on their phone, tablet, or computer. Teachers input information about each child throughout the day. Every day a “Daily Report” is sent to each parent which includes information on their child for the day.
• Child assessments are completed and corresponding parent-teacher conferences are held twice per year.
• Loads of regular updates and pictures (most parents love to see their kids having fun) on Facebook and Instagram pages etc.
• Plus, nothing beats good old fashioned verbal communications.

You bet. We strongly encourage parents to share their ideas and get involved. It’s an important part of the school-home connection. We never forget: you have trusted us with the responsibility to help raise your kids! But parent participation isn’t mandatory.

Short answer: ALL INCLUDED! It’s probably easier to ask what isn’t included!
See how ScuttleBugs All Inclusive Program stacks up against others [HERE]

During the application process we try to give a clear picture of ScuttleBugs’ philosophy, goals and processes while simultaneously we get to know the parents and their goals. This two-way getting-to-know-you exchange is vital for both future and existing parents and ScuttleBugs itself. If both sides move towards confirmation of enrollment, all parties can be sure goals and minds are well aligned and we can all turn our attention to giving the child the fullest social, emotional and cognitive development – with pots of love thrown in!

Therefore, having an opening available doesn’t automatically mean a commitment for enrollment from parents or from the Center: the tour, consequent communications and exchanges – including during the waitlist / registration process – are all a part of a process that allows for this mutual assessment.

It starts from filling out your inquiry form. Once you contact us, within 1 working day we will share our pricing and availability with you and send you the link to fill out our  Application Questionnaire to then book a tour. The next step is joining our waitlist or registering to start with us.

• Of course! We offer enrichment programs, field trips, and center events.
• Additional or optional classes, on and off site excursions, and community celebrations may be free of charge or incur additional charges.
• Music class and Soccer available at ScuttleBugs Boulder
• (Extracurricular activities are currently paused due to COVID in San Jose)

• Our business hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. We require children arrive by 9:30am. We ask parents to call us in the event your child will arrive later or be absent that day.
• Consistency is key here though. While they may buck against it, kids ultimately respond really well to routine.

No. In our experience, a child who attends full time is rewarded by swift progress in their growth and development.

Yes, we offer drop-in days at cost to our enrolled families only in addition to their main schedule.The availability needs to be checked with the center on a case by case basis, some days prior to the desired drop-in day (there may be no availability on the desired drop-in day).

We don’t accommodate swap or make-up days

For families who have been enrolled for 3 months, each year we offer 2 weeks vacation credit of 50% off their tuition to hold the child’s spot.

Yes, barring typically observed public holidays and professional development days. See our detailed calendar for this year.

Absolutely, in fact we recommend and will gladly point you in the direction of past and current parents open to discussing their experiences

We do. At the beginning of September each year we contribute from our pocket into 529 College Savings Schemes parents have set up for their own children. The only qualification is that the children are full time enrollees for the 12 months from Sep 1 to Aug 31 and of course we require the child’s 529 Account details before August 31st on the first year the child qualifies. (For subsequent years they qualify we won’t need parents to re-submit the details.) Naturally normal family vacation allowances don’t count against this. It’s our way of showing our ScuttleBugs families our complete commitment to helping their kids. We don’t know of any other center anywhere offering this. There is no direct benefit for us but our parents place a lot of trust in us. It’s like a family and the 529 scheme is just something solid we can give their kids for later. We get pretty attached to them you know 🙂
Read more about ScuttleBugs 529 here!

It is a very tax efficient way of saving for your child’s college education expenses. Take a look at our blog that explains it well.
We encourage all parents to set up their own 529 Fund for their children as early as possible. But at ScuttleBugs we could be helping you make the money grow for your child.

Our contract does not oblige you to stay with us a certain amount of time. However, we require a withdrawal notification one month in advance, so the minimum time enrolled is one month.

Our tuition fee is monthly, paid in advance at the start of each month. If a family starts in the middle of the month, the tuition fee for that month is pro-rated.