Enrollment

To be eligible for enrollment, a child must be at least twelve months old when he or she begins attending Roots and Wings on the day after Labor Day. However we are able to enroll children under 12 months of age on a case by case basis. Please contact us for more information.

Children attend Roots and Wings for the full day. Roots and Wings does not provide a half-day program, and a minimum enrollment of two days per week is required. If a child requires early dismissal prior to 6:00 pm, tuition remains the same.  Roots and Wings will only admit children who are up to date with their immunizations.

Program Schedule

The doors at Roots and Wings open at 8:00 am and close at 6:00 pm, five days a week, year-round, except for holidays and a summer recess during the month of August. The schedule for a typical day is:

8:00-8:45: Free-play as children arrive
8:45-9:00: Diapering, toileting and hand-washing
9:00-9:30: Snack
9:30-10:00: Group activities (Yoga time, music and movement)
10:00-10:30: Circle-time (songs, games, learning Spanish, story-telling)
10:30-11:00: Group activities/arts and crafts/cooking
11:00-12:00: Outdoor activities (visit playground, outings, backyard, etc.)
12:00-12:15: Diapering, toileting and hand-washing
12:15-1:00: Lunch
1:00-3:30: Nap (quiet play as children wake up)
3:30-3:45: Diapering, toileting and hand-washing
4:00-4:30: Snack
4:30-5:00: Outdoor play/group activity/arts and crafts
5:00-6:00: Free-play as parents arrive to pickup children

You will often find the results of your child’s activities (art, etc.) in his or her bin at the end of the day. Outdoor activity is strongly encouraged unless it is raining, snowing, or bitterly cold. The children take outings to the playground or park, or for walks along Fifth, Sixth or Seventh Avenues. The backyard will also be part of the children’s daily outdoor play time as available.

Holidays

Roots and Wings Kids, Inc. observes the following holidays:

  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Presidents’ Day
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following
  • Christmas/Winter Recess (December 24 – January 1, 2013)

Roots and Wings is closed on these days.  If a holiday falls on a Saturday, Roots and Wings will typically be closed the preceding Friday.  If it falls on a Sunday, Roots and Wings will typically be closed the following Monday. Tuition will remain the same.

If the Mayor declares a snow-day, Roots and Wings will also be closed.  Make-up day(s) will not be provided.  Tuition will remain the same.

Roots and Wings is closed for a summer recess in August.  There is no tuition payment for this time period.

Adjustment and Probation Period

Typically, children attend the Roots and Wings program for half a day during their first week.  The 2014-2015 program starts on Tuesday, September 1, 2014.  This week will be a time for new children to transition from a home care environment to a group child-care program.  It will also be a time for returning children to meet their new friends and be re-introduced to the program after the summer recess.  They should be picked up no later than 1:00 pm.  Tuition remains the same.

There is an initial six-week probationary period for each new child.  During that period, parents and staff evaluate each child’s adjustment and the way in which he or she functions and contributes to the program. If after six weeks the staff feels that a child cannot benefit from Roots and Wings at this time, the staff’s recommendation will be considered grounds for the child’s removal.  If the child is withdrawn, the deposit will be refunded and sufficient time granted for the parents to make other arrangements.