What are your hours of operation?

We are open Monday through Friday for twelve months a year. Most of our locations are open 7am to 6pm. Please consult with your school’s management team for specific times.

What days are you closed?

We are closed the following days each year: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If one of these days falls on a weekend, it will be observed on either Friday or Monday.

In addition to holiday closures, we dedicate two days each year for professional development and open late for staff trainings. Please speak with your school’s management team for specific information regarding the professional development dates for your school, as you will need to make alternate child care arrangements for those days.

What is your policy for closure due to inclement weather?

Because many of our families have professions that require them to be at work regardless of weather, it is our policy at Kinderberry Hill to remain open during inclement weather.

How does weather impact outdoor play?

We value the benefits of outdoor play. Outdoor play occurs on a daily basis, weather permitting. If excessive temperatures (both too hot and too cold) or inclement weather prevents children from playing outside, our teachers provide alternative indoor large motor activities. Please see your school’s management team for more details.

Are meals and snacks provided?

We serve hot meals (breakfast and lunch) and nutritious snacks. Our schools are equipped with a full-service kitchen, and meals are cooked onsite by our school chef. Our school chefs are trained in USDA guidelines and food safety. Additionally, our school chefs follow allergy restrictions for those children who have diagnosed food allergies.

What is your policy on using breast milk?

We support breastfeeding mothers by allowing breast milk in our infant classrooms. We also encourage mothers to nurse at our schools whenever that is an option. Please speak with your school’s management team or consult our Family Handbook for specific information—including policies—regarding breast milk.

What is your medication policy?

When it comes to administering medication, we follow local and state child care licensing regulations. When available, our onsite school nurse dispenses medication. When the school nurse is not available, a member of the management team or a classroom teacher will administer the medication.

What role does the nurse play in your program?

Our school nurses are the primary health and safety monitor of our schools. They regulate exclusion guidelines and monitor the health and safety of the children as well as the physical safety of our spaces. While our nurses do not diagnose illnesses, they will provide guidance and potential action steps.

What happens if my child becomes ill at school?

Unexpected illness happens during the early childhood years. When your child becomes sick at school, we notify families by a phone call from the school’s nurse, management team, or classroom teachers. During the phone call, the staff member will keep you up to date about the situation as well as give you instructions on when you need to pick up your child and what exclusion guidelines we need to follow.

Are your programs accredited?

Yes, all seven of our schools are nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Are there opportunities to communicate with teachers?

Thoughtful and outstanding communication is essential to a family’s experience in our program. Expect face-to-face interactions with your child’s teachers every day. Families are invited to stay connected to their child’s daily activities via the Procare Connect app. This app gives families real time updates with their child’s activities throughout the day. If at any time you’d like to call and speak to your child’s teacher during the day, we encourage you do to so.

Is there an open-door policy?

We welcome family visitors at any time! We encourage families to stop by to breastfeed, share a meal, read a story, or even play. At Kinderberry Hill, we also provide several opportunities throughout the year to connect with other families at our school.

Do you require families to sign children in and out? If so, why?

We require all family members to use our sign in system every day to sign their children both in and out. The use of this system is of vital importance for the safety of the children entrusted in our care. We must know at all times exactly which children are in our care. Should we ever need to evacuate the building, the accuracy of our attendance system will help us ensure that all children are safe. This is our primary responsibility, and we need your consistent cooperation to make sure our daily attendance records are accurate.

How can I get more information about enrolling my child?

We are excited you are interested in learning more about our schools. Please use the contact form to provide us with your name, email address, and phone number. The best way to fully appreciate the advantages of Kinderberry Hill is to visit our schools in person. We would love to show your family our schools and classrooms.

What are your immunization requirements?

Kinderberry Hill follows the State of Minnesota recommended schedule of immunizations. Therefore, all children and staff must be up to date on their vaccinations. We do not enroll children that are not vaccinated because of conscientious objection. Our school nurses have access to the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection. This allows the nurses to keep track to ensure our enrolled children are up to date on their vaccinations.

How do you support children with allergies or special food needs?

Our school nurse along with our school chef, management team, and classroom teachers partner closely with families to ensure your child’s allergy plan is followed.

What are the ages of the children at your schools?

We care for children 6 weeks to the year before kindergarten.

Year-End Tax Statements

Kinderberry Hill will provide you with your year-end statement when it becomes available.

How do I obtain a copy of my year-end statement?

Year-end statements are available by contacting your Executive Program Director or Operations Coordinator.

I need the EIN/Tax ID number for my school. How can I obtain this information?

Tax ID/EIN numbers are available by contacting your Executive Program Director or Operations Coordinator.

Why does your program cost so much?

There are many unique advantages to Kinderberry Hill. We invite you to visit our web page to read a list of these amenities and accommodations. However, we encourage everyone to visit our schools and see the benefits of our programs firsthand.

What are the teacher to child ratios?

While our infant program runs at the Minnesota state ratio, you will find a smaller teacher-to-child ratio in the rest of our programs. Our classroom sizes are smaller than typical child care programs. Infants: Max class size of 8 Toddlers: Max class size of 12 Intermediates: Max class size of 16 Pre-K: Max class size of 18

What is your vacation policy?

Our vacation policy is only relevant when a vacation is greater than two consecutive weeks. Weeks three and four of vacation are at a 50 percent rate. For any vacation or absence beyond four weeks, you may choose to pay 50 percent of your tuition to ensure your spot is retained. Otherwise, you will need to re-enroll, and your spot cannot be guaranteed.

What type of curriculum do you use?

We have a child-led, Reggio-inspired approach to our curriculum. This means that we listen to the ideas of the children and let that determine what we will learn next. We take whatever theme has sparked the children’s interest and incorporate skills into our learning. While we include important skills such as handwriting and number and letter recognition, our classrooms will sometimes take a nontraditional approach to these concepts. For example, you might find us counting and sorting natural items and objects instead of doing worksheets at a table.

Do you offer part-time schedules?

We offer 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-day schedules. Schedule availability is based on current enrollment of the program. Please use the contact form to provide us with your information. Your preferred location will reach out with their current schedule availability.

How often should I expect my child to become ill?

Illness in an early childhood setting is unavoidable. Expect that your child may become ill 5-7 days throughout the calendar year. However, each child’s immunity and predisposition is different. Our school nurse and entire school staff are dedicated to keeping our schools as clean as possible. We keep toys sanitized and do extra cleaning during times of illness. We also encourage families to keep their child home when they are ill and implement our exclusion policies when necessary. We recognize that missing work for our families can be challenging, and we will work with you to get your child healthy and back to school.

How often do you have teacher turnover?

In this continuously changing job market and workforce, there inevitably will be turnover in our schools. We do our best to attract and retain quality early childhood educators. While industry standards can reach up to 50 percent turnover, we pride ourselves on maintaining an average in the 20th percentile.

How do your teachers handle discipline?

We believe behavior equals communication. By transforming everyday behavior issues into teaching moments, we can teach mindfulness, empathy, and communication skills. Fostering positive relationships while maintaining safety is our primary goal. Our schools are beginning to use Conscious Discipline®. Conscious Discipline creates a compassionate culture and facilitates an intentional shift in adult understanding of behavior.