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The Presbyterian Center for Children is housed in the First Presbyterian Church, 200 West Mansion Street. You may call the Church at (269) 781-5162 to speak with the Director, Jennifer Uldriks, for more information, or to schedule a tour.

The Presbyterian Center for Children provides responsible, quality care for children and support for families, in a loving, Christian atmosphere. The Church wishes to minister to it’s members and the community through this much needed service. While we are a church-related Center, we are not involved in instructing in any denominational religious doctrine. The Center’s main concern is conveying God’s love to children and their families. Opportunities for meaningful play to help children grow and learn are provided through developmentally appropriate curriculum. Children are involved in activities to encourage social, emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual development. A warm, loving, safe environment in which children can progress at their own pace is provided at the Presbyterian Center for Children.

Our Center is handicapped accessible.
Our Center provides care for children six weeks through 5th grade.

Hours

The Presbyterian Center for Children offers care for children Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Fee Policy

The Center is dedicated to providing consistent, high quality care for children.

Parents come to us with a variety of needs and schedules which we do our best to accommodate. When agreement is reached as to the specific times children will attend and what fees will be paid, the Center organizes and staffs according to that agreement. It is the Center’s responsibility to be ready and able to care for children at the agreed upon times. Sudden changes, such as illness or snow days, etc., do not relieve the Center’s responsibility to it’s Staff for a stable work environment or for salaries. Conversely, such changes do not relieve parents of the responsibility for payment for the time and agreed to amounts, including sick days and Holidays. The only way for the Center to remain a viable childcare facility for this community is for everyone to understand this. It is hoped that everyone can understand the mutual obligations within the “big picture” of PCFC childcare.

Payment Policy

Fees are to be paid a week in advance. Therefore, payments should be made to the office no later than Monday afternoon at closing time for that week. If payment is not received by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., a late fee of $5.00 will be charged. If payment is not received by Friday, you will need to make other childcare arrangements for the following week.

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Vacation Policy

One week’s fee credit will be given per year for family vacations (anniversary date to anniversary date), if the Center is notified in writing, in advance. This vacation must be taken as five consecutive days, due to bookkeeping and Staffing concerns.

Late Pick-Up Policy

The Center closes at 6:00 p.m. If you are late picking up your child, you will be charged $5.00 for every 15 minutes you are late, beginning at 6:01 p.m. After 15 minutes without parental contact, back-up emergency numbers will be called with a request to pick up the child. Consistently late pick-ups may result in dismissal of your child from the program.

Nutrition

The Center will provide a nutritional breakfast until 8:00 a.m.

The Center will provide nutritional snacks mid-session in the morning and afternoons. They consist of foods from at least two food groups.

The Center will provide a warm, nutritious lunch. The Center will serve food of a sufficient quantity and nutritional quality to provide for the dietary needs of each child according to the meal requirements of the Child Care Food Program as administered by the Michigan Department of Education.

Health Policy

The Center is only prepared to care for children who are well. It is the parent’s responsibility to determine their child’s state of health while still at home. Staff has the right to refuse to admit children to the classroom for health reasons.

Do not send your child to the Center if he/she is sick, even if it is only a sore throat or a mild fever.  Keep your child home if he/she has: a temperature of 101 degrees. The child should be without fever for

24 hours before returning to the Center; a communicable disease (e.g. diarrhea, conjunctivitis, strep infections, etc.), a heavy nasal or optical discharge, or an unexplained rash.

If the Center feels that any of these requirements have been ignored, they reserve the right to deny admittance to a child that is deemed sick.

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Guidance Policy

Guidance can be defined as the on-going process of helping children develop inner control so that they can manage their own behavior in a socially acceptable manner. We hope to create an environment where this can happen and children can experience this kind of growth.

The Center will apply positive methods of guidance, utilizing reason, self-direction, and self esteem. The Staff will use reasonable, non-severe guidance or restraint, when deemed necessary, to prevent a child from harming themselves or another person or property.

Caregivers will: explain and enforce the rules in a positive, encouraging manner to make them understandable and acceptable to the child; redirect an uncooperative child to another activity or redirect the entire activity in a more wholesome direction; allow child of comparable size and ability to work out their own solutions; help children understand one another’s actions; explain what behavior is unacceptable, why, and what he/she should do; ask children over 2 1/2 to sit in a “thinking” chair when they have lost control of their actions, words, or when a caregiver feels it would be in the best interest of those involved (sitting in the ”thinking” chair generally is determined as one minute per year of age). A staff member will discuss the problem with a child and help him/her to understand; notify parents if the above measures do not effectively deal with the child’s behavior problems. Serious guidance problems will be resolved through parent, teacher, and Director consultation.

PCFC is mandated by the Child Protection Law (Act #238) and will report to the DSS any suspected cases of child abuse, child sexual abuse, or child neglect.

Registration Fee

There is a one time, non-refundable registration fee of $35.00 per family.

Deposit Fee

In order to ensure a place is held for your child in the Center, a deposit equal to one full week’s tuition must be paid in advance. This deposit will be applicable toward your tuition fees, but is non-refundable if your child never enters the Center.