FEE AND PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS
This center charges a set monthly rate for each age group. Your bill is due between the first and third of each month, unless a payment plan is filled out prior to the first of the month. After the fifth, your payment is considered late and we reserve the right to deny care until payment in full has been made. Additionally, you will be charged a $50.00 late fee starting on the 6th. PAYMENT IS REQUIRED to hold your child's spot, which means that if the child is absent, regardless of the reason, (vacation, illness, etc.) the parent is still billed for that time. Unforeseen circumstances do take place that can cause undue hardship on a family. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help, as we are more than willing to work with your family's situation in times of stress.
| |
6 weeks - 18 months |
19 months - 35 months |
3 - 5 years |
School |
| FULL TIME |
$800.00 |
$750.00 |
$680.00 |
$640.00 |
| PART TIME |
No PT |
$475.00 |
$440.00 |
$375.00/$240.00 |
| DAILY |
$48.00/day |
$45.00/day |
$43.00/day |
$40.00/day |
| HOURLY |
$9.00/hr |
$8.00/hr |
$7.00/hr |
$6.00/hr |
FULL TIME = Up to 10 hours in care per day
PART TIME = Less than 5 hours per day
Additional fees that may be applied
If you will need to pay your bill after the 5th of the month you will need to sign a "payment plan" with us. This just lets us know when to expect you payment without us having to ask you or keep dates in our heads. A discount of 5 % will be offered to parents who choose to use our automatic billing (Tuition Express). Payments must be made by the 3rd of every month to receive the discount. In order to conserve paper we will not send you a bill in the mail.
We do charge for the following issues, but for new parents to our facility there is a 30 day grace period. We are not talking about the occasional "oops, I forgot my child's blanket or their extra clothes." This is for the parents who forget something every week! It is very time consuming for staff to constantly make corrections to computer logs, to do extra wash (not to mention extra use of soap, water, electric and the wear and tear on machines)
- Extra clothes $5.00 each time
- Extra Blanket $5.00 for the week
- Forgetting to sign in/out $5.00 for every entry
- Missing a payment after a signed payment agreement is in place; $50.00 late fee.
- School transportation infractions $50.00 per event. (See transportation agreement for what is classified as "infraction").
If a child is 3 years old, but is NOT FULLY potty trained, (fully potty trained means: No accidents during the day, child can verbally tell caregivers they need to use the toilet, can wipe themselves and can get their own clothing up and down and occasional nap time accident does not necessarily mean we will charge the higher rate) it is our option to charge the higher rate of $750 per month until your child is fully potty trained. All children at IMS Express must be fully potty trained unless they are a special needs child. (A special needs child is classified "special needs" if: they have a valid IEP assessment or have physical disabilities which enables them to fasten or are unfasten their own clothing, are unable to wipe themselves or can not get themselves on or off the toilet) If your child is a special needs child Imagination Station and Imagination Station Express will make every effort to accommodate your child's individual needs.
If you use our automatic billing system (Tuition Express) and pay in full by the 3rd we will take 5% off your total monthly bill.
If you have more than one child enrolled full-time and pay full by the 3rd of the month using Tuition Express, we will take 10% off your total monthly tuition fees.
A signed payment plan will be in place if you pay after the 5th or pay bi-monthly. No discounts are available for payment plans.
OTHER NOTES
Parents needing their children in care over TEN hours in a day will be charged at the hourly rate after the 10th hour, IF prior arrangements have been made. With no prior arrangement, a late fee of $5.00 per minute will be assessed if your child is not picked up by the prearranged time. If your family receives assistance from any of the state agencies you will need to call your case manager and request that they pay for this your overtime when it is work related. Additionally, if you arrive to our building past our closing time of 6:30 pm, you will be assessed a fee of $5.00 per minute.
Children arriving to our center after 9:00 am (when classes begin) are a disruption to the children who are already here and engaged in learning activities. If your child will not be attending for any period of time due to sickness or for other reasons, please call us before 9:00 am so we can plan for the day's meals, staff, and activities. After 9:00 am, we may take drop in children to fill your child's spot if they are not there and you have not called to let us know your plans.
If the center receives an NSF check from you, you will be responsible for any and all penalties charged to the center in connection with that check. The center requires cash payment to replace a NSF check plus an additional $35 fee charged by our center.
Prices include all meals, snacks, and beverages. Other items included are all art materials, bottles (for infants), toothbrush with lid, furnishings, and holiday decorations. We may, on occasion, require parents to pay for extracurricular activities such as admission charges during field trips.
Either the parent or the center may terminate care with a written thirty day notice. This notice may be waived if done so in writing, signed by both parties. If a parent chooses NOT to give the required thirty-day notice, they will still be charged for the full thirty-day period.
Past due accounts with no payment arrangement in place will be turned over to Cornerstone Credit for further action. Your account will incur an additional 38% recovery fee. Those parents utilizing Daycare Assistance may be denied benefits at other centers until your account is cleared with us.
SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN
Supervision of children in our facility will meet or exceed municipal requirements.
The ratios are by age:
6 weeks through 11 months 1:4 or older if not walking
12 months through 18 months 1:5
19 months through 35 months 1:6
36 months through 5 years 1:10
6 years through 12 years 1:10.
These ratios are met during inside and outside activities throughout the day. Field trips are at lower ratios depending on parent involvement usually at 1:5.
DAY CARE ASSISTANCE/DAILY CARE CONTRACTS
If you receive assistance with your bill, you need to understand that while we expect to get paid a certain percentage or amount from daycare assistance, it is still completely your responsibility to pay for whatever portion they do not pay. If, at the end of the month (or whenever we actually receive the assistance check) they did not pay what we thought they would, the remaining balance will need to be paid by you.
If you are on an "attendance" based contract, or if you pay for care by the day, you are still charged by us for days that we plan for you to be here. For example, if your child is normally in care Monday-Wednesday and you go on vacation or the child is sick for Monday and Tuesday, daycare assistance is NOT going to pay for those 2 days your child was not here. YOU will need to pay the difference. This policy also holds true if you are not on daycare assistance, but still pay for care by the day. Because we still have to pay for our facility and our staff, we must still charge you for those days your child is absent.
2004-08 Imagination Station Daycare and Preschool 300 E. 56th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99518 (907) 563-8290 Fax (907) 563-8830 All Rights Reserved
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