Parent Handbook

Our Classrooms

• Infants — Inchworm & Caterpillar (6 weeks–18 months). Visual development, sign language, verbal development, and motor experiences. Children eat, sleep, and play on their own individual schedules; parents provide an updated feeding schedule each month, and all bottles must be labeled and premixed.
• Walkers / Young Toddler (18 months–2+ years). Continued verbal development, sign language, fine and gross motor activities, and creative play. Children move to a single nap and self-feed at meals; art, music, language, literacy, and science are part of the daily routine.
• Transition Class (from 2½ years). Focuses on potty-training, language development, and cognitive growth to prepare children for the 3s program.
• 3s Program (age 3, fully potty-trained). Hands-on, developmentally appropriate activities across literacy, math, science, music, and art in classrooms organized for block play, manipulatives, art, dramatic play, and reading.
• Pre-Kindergarten I (early 4s). Prepares children for the transitional kindergarten curriculum.
• Transitional Kindergarten / Pre-K II (4+). Begins each school year in conjunction with Frisco ISD, for children who start Kindergarten the following year. Literacy, math concepts, and writing through hands-on, project-based learning in a child-driven environment.

Moving Up to the Next Classroom

Transitions are discussed with parents well in advance, and children “visit” their new class before moving. There is no formula: a child must meet the minimum age for the next room, and readiness — potty training, eating skills, motor development, and social/emotional growth — is always considered. A child still on a bottle, for example, isn’t ready to move up: beyond the toddler transition, bottles are discouraged so children can develop the oral skills that support speech. The Director approves every transition, also weighing current class sizes, ratios, and the ages of children in the receiving room.

Meals & Rest

• Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided daily (lunch catered by KidzCaters), with milk, water, and fresh fruit offered every day. Monthly menus are posted near the lobby.
• We are a nut-free school. Notify us in writing of any allergies or dietary restrictions; a physician’s statement and Allergy Action Plan are required for food allergies.
• If your child can’t participate in the school meal program, please provide a full, consistent substitution from home. Families of children on formula or baby food supply enough each day to meet their child’s needs.
• Children are always encouraged — never forced — to eat, and we’ll talk with you if any recurring eating concerns come up.
• Parents have the right to breastfeed or provide breast milk; a private nursing space is available.
• Children 12 months and older in care five or more hours have a supervised rest period after lunch — typically 2 hours, with at least 1 hour of rest (sleep is never required; quiet activities follow).

Infant Safe Sleep

Our infant rooms follow the safe-sleep standards of Texas child care licensing, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Infants are always placed on their backs to sleep, in their own CPSC-compliant crib with a firm mattress and tight-fitting sheet — and nothing else: no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, bumpers, or positioning devices for infants under 12 months. Heads and faces are never covered, and if extra warmth is needed we use sleep clothing such as footed pajamas instead of blankets. Sleeping infants are actively observed by sight and sound, infants who fall asleep elsewhere (a swing, a car seat) are moved promptly to their crib, awake babies enjoy supervised tummy time daily, and swaddling or alternate sleep positions require a health-care professional’s written recommendation (HHSC Form 3019 — available from our front office, or take this form to your pediatrician). Families enrolling an infant review and sign the full policy (HHSC Form 2550) as part of their enrollment paperwork.

Animals & Classroom Pets

In support of our curriculum, children get to experience a variety of animals at the center — classroom pets may include fish and other aquatic friends, gerbils, hamsters, and hermit crabs, and visiting animal programs (like a petting zoo) join us from time to time. If your child has any animal allergies, please let us know in writing.

What to Bring (and Leave at Home)

Dress children for active, messy, indoor-and-outdoor play in labeled clothing with closed-toe, rubber-soled shoes, and keep two full sets of extra clothes at the center. Please leave toys at home — one soft comfort item for nap time may stay in your child’s cubby. Water play (sprinklers, water tables) requires permission and is announced at least 48 hours ahead.

Drop-Off & Pick-Up

• Escort your child into the center, check in at the front-desk fingerprint system every day, and walk them to their classroom. Children arriving early may settle into the morning-care room until 9:00 AM. Please arrive by 9:00 AM so children don’t miss the core curriculum.
• Children are released only to parents and adults you have authorized — anyone unfamiliar must be authorized in writing and show photo ID.
• Sign out at the front desk before going to the classroom, pick up your youngest child first, and keep children with you once released. Please refrain from cell-phone use in the building.
• Every family receives a personal key fob (please don’t share it); doors stay locked at all times and visitors ring the bell.

Parking

Please drive slowly and cautiously near the building and in the parking areas. The short-term spaces at the front are for drop-off and pick-up only; you may also use the loading/unloading lanes on the west side of the building, where additional parking is available too. For everyone’s safety, please don’t leave your car running or leave other children unattended in the car while you come inside.

Tuition & Fees

• Tuition is charged monthly in advance — processed one business day before the last business day of the month, for the month ahead — and is based on your child’s age. Bank (ACH) payments typically settle in one to two business days and card payments the same day; timing may shift slightly around holidays. Returned or declined payments incur a $35 fee and may be re-initiated, in part or in full, until the balance clears; if tuition remains unpaid after one week, we may need to release your child’s spot. A one-time $1 account-validation test charge at enrollment is credited toward your balance.
• No credits or discounts are given for closures beyond our control, weather, holidays, absences, or illness.
• Vacation credit: with 2 weeks’ written notice, a $50-per-week hold replaces tuition for up to 2 full weeks away each year. Longer leaves need the Director’s approval and a $500 hold, applied toward your next month’s tuition and adjusted when you return. For extended/summer breaks, infants pay half tuition to hold their spot.
• One promotional discount per child at a time (sibling discount on the oldest child excepted). Replacement key fobs are $20.
• Creative Minds may periodically adjust tuition to reflect the cost of operation and market conditions — increases take effect on at least 30 days’ notice. When your child moves to a new classroom, program, or extended-care selection, tuition updates to the school’s then-current published rate.
• Family referral program: refer a new family and, when they enroll, both families receive $250 off tuition — credited after the referred family completes their first full month of enrollment.
• Graduated family referral bonus: families whose children have graduated or moved on from Creative Minds can still refer! A graduated family receives a $150 cash bonus for every referred family that enrolls and completes their first full month — and the newly enrolled family still receives their $250 tuition credit. There is no limit on referrals for either program. Create your personal referral link (and follow your campaign) at creativemindsmontessori.com/refer.

Withdrawal, Schedule Changes & Late Pick-Up

• Withdrawal requires 30 days’ written notice; tuition remains due through the end of the notice period. If the last day falls mid-month, the final partial month is billed at the lesser of $100 per day or the regular monthly fee — discounts apply to full months only, and enrichment class and camera fees don’t prorate for partial months. Re-enrolling later requires a new registration fee. Permanent schedule changes need 2 weeks’ notice, and we cannot offer make-up, substitution, or temporary-change days.
• In the rare case where our environment isn’t the right fit for a child’s needs, the Director will partner with the family to find the best path forward — which may include helping the family transition to a setting better suited to their child.
• Late pick-up: any time your child stays beyond their scheduled time, a fee of $25 per occurrence is charged. This applies after your program’s scheduled end — 4:00 PM for School Day programs, 11:30 AM for Half-Day programs — as well as past the 10-hour span or 5:30 PM. If you’re running late, please call with your estimated arrival so we can prepare your child (and reassure them!).

Safety & Security

Doors are locked at all times; each family receives a personal key fob and visitors must ring the bell. Parents check children in and out daily with the lobby fingerprint system. Video cameras cover the building and every classroom, with secure family viewing access, and teachers keep daily records (meals, naps, diaper changes) that are emailed to you each day. For every child’s privacy, photos that include other children may not be shared on social media, and parents may not take photos or videos in the school. The center is a designated gang-free zone under Texas law.

Positive Discipline & Guidance

Discipline is individualized, consistent, and directed toward teaching acceptable behavior and self-control, using only positive methods: praise and encouragement, clear expectations, redirection, and brief supervised calm-down time (never more than one minute per year of age). Corporal punishment, humiliation, punishment tied to food, naps, or toileting, and all harsh treatment are strictly prohibited. Teachers treat challenging behavior as communication — observing, documenting, partnering with families, and building individual support plans when needed. Under Texas licensing, children under two have no screen time; older children may have at most one supplemental, education-aligned hour per day, never during meals or rest.

When Extra Support Is Needed

Suspension or removal from the program is always a last resort. When a pattern of challenging behavior emerges, we start with what works: observation and documentation, positive-guidance strategies, close collaboration with the family, and an individualized behavior support plan. If, after those documented efforts, a child’s needs still can’t be safely met in our environment, the Director will meet with the family to discuss next steps — which may include a short break from the program or, rarely, help transitioning to a setting better suited to the child — always with as much notice as circumstances allow.

Health, Illness & Medication

• We cannot care for sick children. Children with a fever of 100.4°F or higher must stay home until fever-free for 24 hours without medication; uncontrolled diarrhea or vomiting requires 24 symptom-free hours with normal eating. Conditions like pinkeye, strep, impetigo, ringworm, chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, and head lice (we enforce a no-nit policy) have specific return-to-school criteria per the full policy.
• We may also ask that a child rest at home when their condition makes the day genuinely hard on them or the classroom — for example unusual exhaustion, persistent distress, or a temporary need for one-on-one care we can’t safely provide.
• Daily health observations: formal health checks aren’t conducted at arrival — children should arrive healthy — but our teachers watch throughout the day for signs like breathing difficulty, severe coughing, discharge from the nose or eyes, skin changes, bruising or swelling, and unusually warm or clammy skin, and we’ll always compare notes with you about sleep, appetite, toileting, and mood.
• If your child becomes ill at school, we’ll contact you for pick-up; any concerns are documented and shared.
• Medication (prescription or over-the-counter) is administered only with a completed Medication Authorization form (completed by the parent, as the state requires), in its original labeled container, exactly per the label, and only to the child it’s prescribed for.
• Current immunization records are required before care begins. A valid record shows your child’s date of birth, each vaccine with the number and type of doses and the date each was received, and the physician’s signature or stamp (a machine or handwritten copy is fine). Please provide an updated copy after each new immunization.
• Vision & hearing screening is required by the Special Senses and Communication Disorders Act, Texas Health & Safety Code, Chapter 36, for children four and older: first-time enrollees age 4+, and children who turn 4 by September 1st, must be screened before the end of their first semester or within 120 days of enrollment (whichever is longer) — or provide evidence of a screening within the past year.
• Per state requirements, we maintain a policy on protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases; staff members are not currently required to receive vaccinations.

Emergencies & Notifications

In an emergency our first responsibility is moving children to a designated safe area — our alternate locations are DUA Trattoria (5225 Warren Pkwy, 860-706-3879) and Tom Hicks Elementary School (3651 Compass Dr, 469-713-5981), with the Director bringing enrollment records along. In a medical emergency we contact you immediately (then your emergency contacts, two of whom must live or work within 15 miles), and in extreme cases transport to the nearest hospital or call 911. You’ll always be notified promptly of injuries, illness requiring exclusion, communicable-disease or lice outbreaks, policy changes (in writing), and pest control (48 hours ahead). Every caregiver completes at least 24 hours of training each year (30 for the Director), including dedicated training in preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect, as Texas law requires (confidential reports: 1-800-252-5400).