Ensuring the individual attention they need.

Little Tot’s serves families with children ages 2 weeks to 6 years old, providing peace of mind, loving family relationships, quality childcare, and the highest standards in Preschool and PreKindergarten education today.

At Little Tot’s we are committed to fostering a culture where every person is accepted in a safe and inclusive environment. We have a non-discriminatory policy in relation to all applicants and embrace the cultures of all enrolled families.  Our program does not discriminate against any child, parent, or family on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or handicap.  

Children are enrolled based on the date requested and the availability of openings. Priority is given to currently enrolled families expecting the birth of a new child.  Little Tot’s does reserve the right to refuse enrollment to families who do not have the same parenting philosophy and goals as we practice within our close family childcare home.

What are the hours of your program?
The current hours of operation are from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday. 

Do you charge a registration fee or a materials fee?
No.  Your weekly tuition covers all needed expenses, you will never be asked to pay extra funds for curriculum materials, hired entertainment, field trips, or any other service provided here at Little Tot’s.  To enroll your child in Little Tot’s, a deposit is all that is required to secure your child’s space. The deposit is the amount of one full week of tuition.  The deposit is a good-faith gesture to help guarantee that families will remember to give a one-month notice prior to disenrollment.  This payment is due prior to the distribution of enrollment paperwork, before the first day of school. When termination notice is given, your deposit is fully refunded in payment for your last week of tuition.

How much is tuition at Little Tot’s, and do you offer family discounts?
Tuition is adjusted from 4-6% each year in September.

The 2022/2023 tuition for Full-Time enrollment (beginning September 2022):
$248.00 a week for a PreKindergarten through Kindergarten child (over 3½ years old)
$272.00 for a Preschooler (2 ½ years old to 3½ years old )
$288.00 per week for both Babies & Toddlers (2 weeks to 2 ½ years old)

Yes, we offer family discounts!  Multiple child enrollment is rewarded with family tuition discounts. These discounts apply to full-time families only.  For each full-time child in addition to the first, families will receive a $40.00 discount on their weekly tuition payment. That is nearly a 20% tuition credit for your older child just for having two or more children enrolled full time!
 

Do you offer Part-Time enrollment opportunities?
Part time enrollment is welcome!  Families can enroll for a minimum of two full days per week. Our program does not offer a partial day option. Days will be designated upon enrollment and cannot be substituted or changed without prior approval.  These spaces are limited, and due to the sharing of one full-time space between two children, part-time spaces are not flexible.

The 2022/2023 tuition for Part-Time enrollment is:
$62.00 a day for PreKindergarten through School-Aged Children
$68.00 a day for Preschoolers
$72.00 a day for Babies & Toddlers
There is no hourly rate.  Tuition is calculated as a daily rate regardless of hours in care.  All money paid is non-refundable, and there are no transferring of days or money for the following week.

Can families use services temporarily or just as needed?
No.  Because it often takes children quite some time to acclimate to a new environment, new friends, and new teachers, it is a policy of Little Tot’s that drop-in or temporary care, is not a service we provide.  At Little Tot's we strive to only enact policies that are healthy for a young child's emotional development.  Currently enrolled part-time families may, however, request additional days as needed and will be granted these days as long as we have space to accommodate the child(ren) for that day.

Do families provide food or are meals provided?
Little Tot's provides all meals and snacks for all of the children enrolled with exception of infant formula and (of course) breast milk.  Little Tot’s is on the USDA food program.  Our goal is to improve the health and nutrition of children in our care while promoting the development of good eating habits.  We purchase and provide nutritiously balanced meals, sugars, fats, and vegetable oils are kept to a minimum.  Mealtimes are as follows: 

7:00am - 8:45am  Breakfast 

11:00am – 12:00pm  Lunch

3:00pm -  3:30pm  Snack
 

What days each year does Little Tot's close?  
Little Tot's recognizes most state and federal holidays and has one professional development day per year.  Our school calendar includes the holidays listed below as well as one professional development day in the Spring.  Payment is required for holidays and planned school closures as well as business interruptions (weather, illness, catastrophe, etc.).   If your child is contracted to be here on the day of the week in which the holiday or closure falls, you will be required to make payment as usual.  If a holiday falls on a weekend,  Little Tot’s will observe the holiday either the proceeding Friday or the following Monday.  The one professional development day is on a Friday in mid-march through April to enable staff to attend the annual National Association for the Education of Young Children conference. This early childhood conference is the largest early childhood conference in Michigan. The 3-day conference is a wonderful morale boost for staff.  It features more than 150 workshops, 3 keynote presentations, and opportunities to learn from and network with other early childhood professionals.

Dec 23, 2022 – Jan 02, 2023

Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day Holiday

Jan 16

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Feb 20

Presidents' Day

Apr 7

Good Friday

April 21

Teacher Professional Development Day 

May 29

Memorial Day

Jul 03 – Jul 07

Independence Day Holiday Week 

Sep 04

Labor Day

Nov 23 – Nov 24

Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec 22 – Jan 01, 2024

Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day Holiday

What is the vacation policy?
After every six months of enrollment, each child’s space will be reserved at no cost for a one-week vacation period (two weeks per year). These weeks will mirror your current schedule. For example, a full-time child will receive ten days of vacation per year; a family that comes two days per week will receive four days of vacation each year.  Paid program holidays may not be used as a tuition free time.
Though it happens rarely, four times in 30 years to be exact, Lisa Boni reserves the right to close the business for up to two weeks of vacation time per year; this is unpaid vacation time.  Parents will be given ample notification prior to the closure.
Teachers, ask about special considerations for ensuring continued enrollment despite the teacher’s extended vacation time.

How do the teachers communicate with my family about my child's daily experiences and development?
Here at Little Tot’s we are committed to creating a strong family-like relationship with each and every child and family enrolled.  This relationship includes a partnership and a continual exchange of information between your family and our staff.  Although you will be communicating with teachers on a daily basis at arrival and departure, we encourage parents to attend our bi-yearly Parent / Teacher Conferences.  These meetings give you an opportunity to review your child’s assessments, and to collaborate with the school in planning and setting goals for the upcoming months.
 

If my child were to behave inappropriately, what kind of Guidance would be used?
We provide firm but loving guidance, which is aimed at giving the child choices to redirect misbehavior.  That way they feel like they took part in the decision, and we are showing them respect in allowing them to do so.  We also teach positive discipline which is to help children;
* Learn problem-solving skills
* Learn basic values of respect, trust, responsibility, honesty and caring for others
Sometimes misbehavior is just a child’s way of saying that they need a break from the stimulus of a busy classroom.  Just as adults, when upset, children too need space and we are very respectful of that here at Little Tot's. When we encounter a concerning behavior, it is imperative that families work with us to resolve it.  Children need consistency between home and school. Our mutual goal should be to help children to properly manage emotions and respond appropriately to events and circumstances that are an everyday part of living around others.  Our program is especially focused on loving, supportive relationship building as a child's social and emotional health is the most important part of learning in a group setting.

Do the children nap each day?
Yes, because naps are essential for the health and well-being of all young children, it is a policy of Little Tot’s that all children nap daily.

Do the children have the opportunity to experience Field Trips?
At Little Tot’s we have found that the little ones have difficulties when we disturb their schedules and do not benefit educationally from field trips as much as the Preschool & PreKindergarten aged children do.  By taking only our older children on the field trips it allows extra time for the teachers to further attend to the learning experiences for them.   All families will be notified prior to each field trip when and where it will take place.  If families of younger children would like their child to attend, then the parent should arrange for an adult family member join their child on our trip.  When parents do not give permission for their child to go on the field trip, the parent will be responsible for making alternate childcare arrangements during that time.  Although there will be a teacher staying behind to care for the infants and toddlers, from a child’s point of view it would not be reasonable to be left behind with the babies.
 

What is your Sick Child policy?
Little Tot’s Early Childhood Care & Education does not provide childcare for ill children. On a daily basis, every child will be observed for symptoms of illness. We follow the suggestions of the Macomb County Department of Health in excluding children with symptoms of communicable diseases.  Upon enrollment, parents are provided with a guideline of what is and is not considered a reason to keep your child home.  Understand that the health of all of the children as well as the providers family and staff is extremely important to the operation of our program. 

"As a mother myself, I know the helpless feeling of having a sick child.  It is my primary goal to keep our children as healthy as is possible to do so in a group setting.  As a team, my staff and I are extremely contentious of cleanliness.  We take that extra step to provide a safe sanitary environment for the children to live and play in each day." Lisa Boni
 

What measures do you use to keep illness at a minimum?
Cleanliness in a group setting is of utmost importance.  Little Tot's maintains conservative policies to prevent the spread of illness.  All children have their temperatures checked prior to coming to school, and are dropped off outside the building, shoes are removed and placed on a shoe rack and hands are sanitized.  Once inside the building children hang their backpacks and jackets and immediately wash their hands, and then dry with a disposable towel.

All toys are sanitized after being played with.  All floors are vacuumed daily, the bathroom is wiped down throughout each day, the kitchen is completely cleaned after each meal, and the entire classroom is clean and sanitized at the end of each day.  Along with this, we consistently open windows to allow a slight cross breeze, even in the winter.  Fresh air is definitely needed in the winter months.

In order to prevent the spread of illness, it is imperative that children are brought to school clean and well-rested. Because handwashing is the most important measure for preventing the spread of disease, we encourage the children frequently to wash their hands.  Children are taught to wash hands after using the restroom, after wiping their noses, after sneezing etc. Children will also be taught not to put fingers, toys, and other items in their mouths and noses, as this is also a common way that communicable diseases are spread.

Is It Easy To Enroll?
Absolutely!  There are essentially only a few criteria that need to be met in order to enroll your child here at Little Tot's Early Childhood Care & Education.   1. You must fill out an online waitlist application.  2.  We must conclude by phone (586-263-9787) that the availability we have to offer will meet your family's needs.  If so, we will schedule an interview.  We ask all interested families to bring their spouse and child in for the interview to introduce ourselves, see the classroom, review enrollment policies, and to discuss education, care, and any other concerns. 3. Our 'parenting philosophies' need to be similar.  It is essential for a good match between providers and parents, that we have the same goals and ideals for our children. In order for your child to transition smoothly, we should be practicing virtually the same parenting methods prior to enrollment.  It is when there is a discrepancy between parenting methods that children tend to have the hardest time adjusting to a new environment.

Wait-list:
Due to greater demand than capacity, most of the time it is necessary to be placed on a waiting list to secure a space at Little Tot's.  "I am happy to say that thanks to my 32 years experience, knowledge, education, wonderful families enrolled and terrific staff, that Little Tot’s  openings are not common."
However, please do not hesitate to call (586-263-9787).  Sometimes openings are easy to predict, such as in the Fall when we graduate our PreKindergarten students to elementary school.  However, every so often, a family may disenroll due to a job loss, birth of a new child, or a move.  For expecting parents, the best thing to do is to research and choose your provider long before the need arises.  Being on a wait-list is absolutely essential for securing your space in an ideal early childhood setting.

Termination Procedure:
The contract may be terminated by giving one month written notice in advance of the ending date.  Payment by the parent is due for the notice period whether or not the child is brought to the provider for care.  The provider may terminate the contract without giving any notice for parents disregard of contract, a dispute with the provider, failure to make payments when due, or an unresolved disciplinary issue with a child.

We have chosen not to publish the address of our program or any pictures of the children enrolled to preserve privacy and the safety of the children. Little Tot’s is located in Macomb Township Michigan, the crossroads are Hall Road & Romeo Plank.