Beyond Expectations Child Development Center

These Terms and Conditions are incorporated into and made part of the Enrollment vs. Attendance Agreement between Beyond Expectations Child Development Center, referred to as the “Center,” and the child’s parent or legal guardian, referred to as the “Parent.”

References to the Center include the Director, Site Supervisor, or another authorized administrative representative acting on behalf of the Center.

ARTICLE 1 – APPLICABILITY
1. These Terms and Conditions apply to the enrollment, admission, placement, attendance, care, tuition, withdrawal, and continued participation of a child at Beyond Expectations Child Development Center.
2. The Enrollment vs. Attendance Agreement is entered into between the Center and the Parent.
3. The Enrollment vs. Attendance Agreement includes:
a. These Terms and Conditions;
b. The completed enrollment forms;
c. The Parent Handbook;
d. The Center’s current tuition and fee schedule;
e. The child’s health and emergency information;
f. Brightwheel attendance and communication requirements;
g. The approved block hours for the child; and
h. Any additional written agreement signed by the Parent and the Center.
4. Enrollment is subject to space availability, licensed classroom capacity, staffing availability, required staff-to-child ratios, program eligibility requirements, and the Center’s ability to safely and appropriately meet the child’s needs.
5. If a provision of this Agreement conflicts with applicable federal law, Michigan law, childcare licensing requirements, or Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requirements, the applicable law or requirement will control.

ARTICLE 2 – INFORMATION PROVIDED TO FAMILIES
1. Before or during enrollment, the Center will provide the Parent with information regarding its childcare programs, services, policies, and expectations.
2. Information may be provided through the Parent Handbook, enrollment forms, printed notices, electronic communication, Brightwheel, the Center’s website, or documents available in the Center’s office.
3. Information provided to families may include the Center’s contact information and hours, ages served, available programs, tuition and fees, approved block hours, admission and withdrawal requirements, health and medication policies, emergency procedures, food-service information, transportation and field-trip information, closure policies, child-guidance policies, Brightwheel requirements, and other required policies.
4. The Parent is responsible for reviewing all information and asking questions before signing the Agreement.
5. The Center may provide notices and documents electronically through Brightwheel, email, text message, or another approved electronic system.

ARTICLE 3 – APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION
1. A Parent may apply for childcare by completing the Center’s enrollment application and submitting all required information and documentation.
2. An application does not guarantee enrollment or reserve a childcare space until the Center confirms placement in writing.
3. The Parent must provide complete and accurate information, including the child’s legal name and date of birth; parent and guardian information; emergency contacts; authorized pickup persons; health, immunization, allergy, dietary, developmental, behavioral, and medical information; custody documents when applicable; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services authorization information when applicable; and any other required records.
4. The Parent must immediately inform the Director or Site Supervisor of changes to contact information, employment, emergency contacts, authorized pickup persons, custody arrangements, health information, or childcare subsidy eligibility.
5. Providing false, incomplete, misleading, or withheld information may result in delayed enrollment, suspension of care, termination of enrollment, or referral to the appropriate agency when required.
6. If space is unavailable, the Center may place the child on a waiting list. Placement on a waiting list does not guarantee future enrollment.

ARTICLE 4 – OFFER OF ENROLLMENT
1. When space is available, the Center may offer enrollment to the Parent.
2. The enrollment offer may include the child’s name and date of birth; proposed start date; assigned classroom or program; approved days; approved drop-off and pickup times; agreed block hours; tuition or co-payment amounts; payment due dates; registration, deposit, or supply fees; withdrawal-notice period; required documents; and any special conditions of enrollment.
3. The Parent must accept the offer by the stated deadline and submit all required forms and payments.
4. If the Parent does not accept the offer by the deadline, the Center may offer the space to another family.
5. A proposed start date may be changed if required records, payments, health forms, or authorizations are incomplete.

ARTICLE 5 – ENROLLMENT VS. ATTENDANCE
1. Enrollment becomes effective after the Parent signs the Agreement, the Center accepts the enrollment, required documents and payments are received, and the Center confirms the child’s start date and block hours.
2. Tuition is charged for the child’s reserved enrollment space and agreed schedule, not solely for the days the child attends.
3. The Center does not prorate, reduce, refund, or credit tuition or co-payments when a child is absent because of illness, medical appointments, vacation, family emergencies, transportation problems, weather-related absences, a Parent’s decision to keep the child home, temporary work-schedule changes, or any other personal absence.
4. Tuition remains due because the child’s childcare space, classroom placement, staffing, and services remain reserved during the absence.
5. The Center may make reasonable changes to classroom assignments, staffing, daily routines, activities, meals, schedules, or program operations.
6. The Center does not guarantee that a child will remain with a specific teacher, staff member, classroom, or group.

ARTICLE 6 – TUITION, CO-PAYMENTS, AND FEES
1. All tuition and Parent co-payments are due every Monday morning.
2. Payments received after 5:00 p.m. on Monday will be charged a $25.00 late fee.
3. A late fee may only be waived or adjusted when the Parent discusses the situation with the Director or Site Supervisor before the deadline and a payment arrangement is approved.
4. Any payment arrangement should be documented in writing or through Brightwheel.
5. A verbal conversation with a teacher or staff member does not change the payment deadline or waive the late fee.
6. Parents receiving Michigan Department of Health and Human Services childcare assistance remain responsible for required co-payments, amounts not covered by the subsidy, charges caused by inaccurate attendance reporting or loss of eligibility, late fees, late pickup fees, and other applicable charges.
7. Failure to pay tuition, co-payments, late fees, or other charges may result in suspension, termination, collection activity, or other lawful action.
8. Suspension or termination does not eliminate charges already owed.

ARTICLE 7 – APPROVED BLOCK HOURS AND LATE PICKUP
1. Each child will be assigned specific approved childcare hours, referred to as the child’s block hours.
2. The Parent agrees to bring and pick up the child within the approved block hours listed in this Agreement.
3. Approved block hours are based on the family’s childcare needs, staffing, classroom ratios, licensed capacity, program operations, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services authorization when applicable.
4. Parents must receive approval from the Director or Site Supervisor before making a permanent schedule change.
5. Children must be picked up no later than the approved pickup time.
6. A late pickup fee of $1.00 per minute, per child, begins immediately after the approved pickup time.
7. The Parent must contact the Center as soon as possible when an emergency or unavoidable delay occurs. Contacting the Center does not automatically waive the fee.
8. Late pickup fees are due before the child returns unless another arrangement is approved by the Director or Site Supervisor.
9. Repeated late pickups may result in a Parent conference, changed block hours, suspension, or termination.

ARTICLE 8 – BRIGHTWHEEL COMMUNICATION AND ATTENDANCE
1. All Parents and legal guardians must download and maintain access to the Brightwheel application while their child is enrolled.
2. Brightwheel is the Center’s primary form of communication between the Center, Director, Site Supervisor, classroom staff, and Parents or legal guardians.
3. Parents are responsible for regularly checking Brightwheel for Center announcements, messages regarding their child, tuition and account information, payment reminders, emergency and illness notifications, classroom updates, closures, schedule changes, special events, and forms requiring completion.
4. Failure to read a Brightwheel message does not remove the Parent’s responsibility to follow Center policies, deadlines, notices, schedule changes, or instructions.
5. Parents and authorized adults must electronically sign each child in and out every day using Brightwheel or the electronic device provided by the Center.
6. The Parent must ensure the child is signed in immediately upon arrival and signed out before leaving, times are accurate, only authorized adults sign the child in or out, login information is protected, and errors are reported immediately.
7. Children may not be dropped off without being signed in or leave without being properly signed out.
8. Brightwheel attendance records may be used for licensing compliance, emergency accountability, tuition and attendance verification, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting, ratio documentation, and other lawful administrative purposes.
9. Parents must immediately notify the Director or Site Supervisor if they cannot access Brightwheel or experience application problems.
10. Repeated failure to properly sign a child in or out may result in a warning, Parent conference, administrative charge if listed in the fee schedule, suspension, or termination.

ARTICLE 9 – ABSENCES, VACATIONS, AND MEDICAL LEAVE
A. General Absences
1. Parents must notify the Center through Brightwheel when a child will be absent.
2. Tuition and co-payments will not normally be reduced, prorated, refunded, or credited because of an absence.
3. The Parent remains responsible for payment during illness, vacation, family emergencies, temporary schedule changes, transportation problems, and other personal absences.
B. Vacation Requests
1. Parents planning a vacation must complete the Center’s Vacation Form in the office.
2. Verbal notice to a teacher or staff member does not replace the required Vacation Form.
3. The Vacation Form must include the child’s name, vacation dates, anticipated return date, and Parent’s signature.
4. Completion of a Vacation Form does not automatically remove or reduce tuition or co-payment obligations.
C. Extended Medical Absence
1. Tuition and co-payments generally continue during a child’s illness or medical absence.
2. If a child is unable to attend for more than two consecutive weeks because of a documented illness or medical condition, the Center may temporarily stop charging tuition or co-payment.
3. The Parent must notify the Director or Site Supervisor, provide a written statement from a licensed physician or healthcare provider stating the dates the child cannot attend, and remain in communication regarding return.
4. Charges will not stop until the child has been absent more than two consecutive weeks, required documentation has been received, and the Director or Site Supervisor approves the medical absence.
5. The Center may require written medical clearance before the child returns.
6. The Center cannot guarantee that a childcare space will remain available during an extended unpaid medical absence unless approved in writing by the Director.

ARTICLE 10 – PLACEMENT MEETING AND CHILD INFORMATION
1. Before care begins, the Director, Site Supervisor, or designated staff member may conduct a placement or pre-enrollment meeting with the Parent.
2. The meeting may address the child’s daily routine; eating, sleeping, toileting, and comfort needs; allergies and dietary restrictions; medical conditions and medications; developmental, behavioral, learning, or communication needs; emergency contacts; authorized pickup persons; custody restrictions; adjustment period; attendance expectations; block hours; Brightwheel requirements; field trips and transportation; photography and video permissions; and other information needed for safe care.
3. Parents must disclose all information reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the child and others.
4. The Center will consider reasonable individual requests when consistent with licensing requirements, available staffing, program resources, safety requirements, and the needs of other children.
5. Individual care arrangements or accommodations must be approved by the Director and documented when appropriate.

ARTICLE 11 – TERM, CONTINUATION, AND WITHDRAWAL
A. Term of Enrollment
1. Enrollment begins on the confirmed start date and continues until the Parent withdraws the child, the Center terminates enrollment, the child is no longer eligible, the agreed period expires, or the program permanently closes.
2. Enrollment does not automatically guarantee placement in a future classroom, summer program, school-age program, or before- or after-school care.
3. The Center may require annual or periodic reenrollment.
B. Two-Week Withdrawal Notice
1. A Parent who wishes to disenroll or withdraw a child must provide at least two weeks’ written notice.
2. The Parent must complete the Center’s official Withdrawal Form in the office.
3. The Withdrawal Form must include the child’s name, requested final day, reason for withdrawal, forwarding contact information when requested, and Parent’s signature.
4. A Brightwheel message, email, or letter may provide initial notice, but the official Withdrawal Form must still be completed unless waived by the Director.
5. Verbal notice given to a teacher or other staff member does not satisfy the two-week notice requirement.
6. The two-week notice allows the Center to close records, adjust staffing and classroom placement, offer the space to another family, update attendance records, notify Michigan DHHS when applicable, and allow adequate time for subsidy payments and records to be processed.
7. Tuition and co-payments remain due during the full two-week notice period whether or not the child attends.
8. Failure to provide required notice may result in charges for the full two-week notice period.

ARTICLE 12 – SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION
A. Suspension of Care
1. The Center may temporarily suspend care when necessary to protect the child, other children, staff, families, licensing compliance, or Center operations.
2. Reasons may include unpaid charges; missing health records; failure to provide medication or medical plans; failure to follow illness policies; unsafe behavior; threatening, harassing, or abusive conduct; failure to follow custody or pickup requirements; repeated late pickup; repeated failure to use Brightwheel; or another serious violation.
3. Suspension does not automatically eliminate payment obligations.
B. Termination by the Center
1. The Center may terminate enrollment for a lawful and substantial reason, including nonpayment, repeated late or returned payments, missing records, false information, failure to follow this Agreement or the Parent Handbook, repeated attendance outside block hours, repeated late pickup, failure to cooperate with meetings or care plans, threatening or disruptive conduct, safety risks, inability to safely meet the child’s needs, loss of eligibility or funding, insufficient staffing, loss of capacity, classroom or program closure, government order or emergency, or another serious violation.
2. When reasonably possible, the Center will provide written notice before termination.
C. Immediate Termination
1. The Center may terminate immediately when the Director or Site Supervisor determines immediate action is necessary because of threats or violence, weapons, dangerous or illegal conduct, suspected abuse or neglect on Center property, an impaired pickup person, falsified custody or subsidy information, unauthorized removal of a child, serious harassment, serious nonpayment, or another immediate health, safety, licensing, or operational risk.
D. Notice
1. Notices may be delivered in person, through Brightwheel, by email, written letter, mail, or another approved method.
2. Electronic notice is considered received on the date transmitted unless delivery fails. Parents are responsible for keeping contact information current.
E. Payment Obligations
1. Suspension, withdrawal, or termination does not eliminate tuition, co-payments, late fees, late pickup fees, or other charges already owed.
2. The Parent must satisfy all outstanding financial and administrative obligations.
F. Effect of Termination or Withdrawal
1. The Parent must retrieve all of the child’s personal belongings within two weeks of the child’s final day of attendance.
2. The Center does not have the storage capacity or available space to hold children’s belongings for an extended period.
3. Belongings not collected within two weeks may be discarded, donated, or otherwise removed at the Center’s discretion. The Center is not responsible for items left after the collection period.
4. The Parent must complete the official Withdrawal Form before the enrollment file is closed unless waived by the Director.
5. The Parent must satisfy all outstanding obligations, including tuition, co-payments, late fees, late pickup fees, returned-payment charges, and other authorized charges.
6. The Center may apply deposits, credits, or prepaid amounts toward an unpaid balance when permitted by Center policy and applicable law.
7. Child records may be released when authorized by the Parent or required by law.

ARTICLE 13 – ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
By signing below, the Parent acknowledges and agrees that:
1. The Parent has received or been given access to this Agreement, the Parent Handbook, the tuition and fee schedule, and applicable Center policies.
2. Tuition is charged for the child’s reserved enrollment space and is not based solely on daily attendance.
3. Tuition and co-payments are not normally prorated, reduced, refunded, or credited because of illness, vacation, personal absences, or a Parent’s decision to keep the child home.
4. Tuition and co-payments are due every Monday morning, and payments received after 5:00 p.m. are subject to a $25.00 late fee unless an approved arrangement is in place.
5. The child must be picked up within approved block hours, and a $1.00 per minute, per child, late pickup fee will be charged after the approved pickup time.
6. The Parent must download and regularly use Brightwheel, which is the Center’s primary form of family communication.
7. The Parent or authorized adult must electronically sign the child in and out every day.
8. Parents must complete a Vacation Form for planned vacations and a Withdrawal Form when disenrolling a child.
9. At least two weeks’ written notice is required before withdrawal, and charges remain due during that period.
10. A medical absence lasting more than two consecutive weeks requires documentation from a licensed physician or healthcare provider before charges may be temporarily stopped.
11. The child’s belongings must be collected within two weeks of the final day because the Center does not have space to store unclaimed belongings.
12. The Parent must satisfy all outstanding financial and administrative obligations.
13. The information provided to the Center is complete and accurate, and the Parent agrees to comply with all Center policies and procedures.