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Daily Arrival & Departure

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The center is open to children at 6:30 a.m. At times, staff may arrive earlier than that time to set up for the day; however, they are not authorized to unlock the doors until the opening time of 6:30 a.m. Upon arrival at the Center, each child must be taken directly to his/her assigned classroom/teacher. Under no circumstances is a child to be dropped off outside the building, left at the main entrance, or permitted to enter/exit the building alone. Parents/Guardians are expected to assist the child with removal of coats, boots, hats, etc. prior to departing. Each teacher keeps a class attendance roster with him/her to document your child’s arrival and departure. Parents/Guardians should be sure that the staff member in charge has acknowledged the child’s presence during drop off and recognized the child’s departure during pick up, to ensure the constant supervision of your child.

Children will only be released to their parents/guardians or persons who have been authorized in writing by their parents/guardians at the time of enrollment. A child will only be released to persons sixteen years of age or older, except when parent or guardian permission is on file. Any changes in authorization must be done in the parent’s handwriting and submitted in advance to the office. Under no circumstances will a child be released to an unauthorized person. Be aware that any person picking up your child may be asked to show some form of picture identification before your child will be released. Children who are not picked up by 6:00 p.m. will be charged late fees according to the fee schedule outlined in the Late Pick-Up Policy. Please be courteous and call in advance to notify the Center if you will be late and/or make other arrangements for someone to pick up your child(ren). If the Center has not been notified and a child remains after 6:30 p.m., the Columbus Police Department and Children’s Services will be contacted.

If a custody agreement is in effect, Play & Learn must be provided a copy of the agreement to maintain on file. A parent/guardian of a child enrolled at the Center who is not the child’s residential parent/guardian shall be permitted unlimited access to the Center and be afforded the same rights as the residential parent/guardian unless there is court documentation limiting access and conditions of the nonresidential parent/guardian. Under the laws of the state of Ohio, both parents/guardians may have the right to pick up their child, unless a court document restricts that right. The enrolling parent/guardian, who chooses not to include the child’s other parent/guardian on the authorized pick-up list must file an official court document (e.g. current restraining order, sole custody decree, divorce decree stating sole custody). Without that document on file, the Center may release the child to either parent/guardian, provided that parent/guardian shows legal documents verifying his paternity/her maternity of the child.

Children transported in vehicles must be buckled securely into car safety seats/seatbelts that meet state requirements. Parents/Guardians will take whatever steps are necessary to maintain and use car safety seats. Play & Learn does not maintain extra car seats on sight to loan to parents/guardians. Additionally, Play & Learn staff members are not permitted to install car seats in parents’ vehicles. Play & Learn reserves the right to contact another person on the authorized pick up list if this requirement is not met. When a staff member believes that the safety of the child is better served if the parent/guardian does not drive, parents/guardians agree to either leave the program by taxicab and reimburse the Center for the cost of the cab or have another person on the authorized pick up list be called to pick up the child.

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