OUR POLICIES

PREFACE

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All parents and children have the right to have their child in a  SAFE, positive environment that allows children the ability to grow socially and academically while being free from stress or bodily harm.  We do not tolerate children who exhibit out of control, destructive, biting, hitting behavior or refusal to follow rules.  We must consider everyone's needs, happiness and family satisfaction.  While every child learns at their own individual level, we ask that parents consider their child's social and development level before considering them for preschool.  Safety is our top priority for all children and staff.

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You are paying for an enrollment slot and not for attendance, therefore Little Explorers Nursery does not refund paid child care services fees for holidays, staff development, illness, vacation, discontinuation of child care services or the delay, closing, cancellation of days or reduction of operating hours due to inclement weather, public health concerns (e.g., Covid-!) or staffing availability.  Little Explorers Nursery will not prorate fees for discontinuation of services within the academic term period or summer term period. More details may be found below, we ask that parents fully understand our transparent policy before proceeding with registration.   For further clarification, you may contact our administration team.

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PROGRAM TIMING

 

Just like adults, children feel more secure and confident when their daily activities are predictable and familiar. A consistent daily schedule and step-by-step routines give children a predictable day. While we are flexible within our daily routines once our day starts in nursery, we are strict in our timings at arrival and for dismissal.  Children enrolled in our program must not arrive later than 8.00 a.m. and those with late arrivals must provide advanced notice to our administration.  Late arrivals are disruptive to the children and staff. Our dismissal time is at 12.30 pm and the end of the day is just as important to us as the start of the day.  Early pickups must have a valid excuse and advanced notice given so our team may prepare the child for early dismissal.  Please note that Little Explorers Nursery reserves the right of non-admittance for unexcused tardiness.  

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REGISTRATION AND FEES

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Parents must submit all required documents and settle all registration / tuition fees before or on the day their child begins sessions at LEN.  Please note that all fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable for any reason including holidays, absences or enforced closures out of the nursery’s control.  

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Our nursery hours are 8.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.  We understand that working parents may require before and after hours’ care, therefore we have extended hours from 6.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Children not registered in the before / extended after hour program and are dropped off earlier than 7.30 a.m and /or picked up later than 5.00 p.m. will be charged additional fees.  Please refer to the nursery calendar to avoid any confusion on term dates and times.  We respectfully ask parents to follow our program start timing of 8.00 am and will not allow a child to enter later than 8.15 am unless administration has been informed in advance.  Late arrivals are a disruption to the child's class and may be a difficult transition if tardiness is a continuous habit.  A consistent schedule has been proven to reduce stress, increase confidence and give the children a sense of security.  It is a very important aspect to a toddler's day we all take seriously.

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Annual Academic Registration Fees (September to May) and Summer Registration Fees (June to August) are included for all children and must be paid in order to secure your child's seat.  These fees are due annually for new and returning students, are non-refundable and non-transferrable and due upon submission of your child's registration within 48 hours.  Failure to pay the fee will result in cancellation of the submitted application form.  

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Little Explorers Nursery charges an academic year tuition (term 1, 2 and 3 from September to May) with payments due at the beginning of each term.  Tuition fees may be paid for the entire year in one lump sum or through term payment installments.  You are paying for an academic enrollment slot and not for attendance.   Upon joining, the annual registration fee, term fee, term optional extra care and uniform fees are due in advance. Although we are open more days in some months than in others, there are no adjustments or transfers in fees (we close for a portion of some term for breaks, government announced holidays and staff development when declared necessary). 

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Children collected late from nursery will incur late fees as posted in our reception and are to be settled by the next day’s attendance.

Tuition fees exclude the cost of uniforms, curriculum, field trips, before / afternoon care, or evening baby sitting.  Tuition fees for each term must be paid via bank transfer.  We do not accept cash or cheques.  All fees including uniforms, curriculum, field trips and extra care are non refundable and/or non transferable for any reason, including and not limited to holidays, staff development, illness, vacation, emergency absence, cancellation of days or reduction/cancellation of operating hours due to inclement weather, public health concerns (e.g., pandemic),  staffing availability which would put the health and safety of the children at risk  and an enforced closure out of the nursery's control.    In case of a shutdown beyond our control for a period of 10 school days or more, learning packets for all age groups provided online will be substituted in lieu of fees paid for that period.  Fees will not be carried over into a subsequent term or year. 

 

Payment of the full term's fee is a confirmation of a place for your child(ren) at LEN. We ask that you are certain of your child attending our program as after payment is received, there are no refunds.  There are no reduction in fees for absences of any reason whatsoever as our fees are per the term and not on a daily / weekly / monthly basis, even if a monthly installment is accepted or by any other methods.* 

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If it is found that any information provided within the application form is misleading or false, Little Explorers Nursery reserves the right to withdraw the child from the nursery without refund.  Any known developmental or issues must be reported as this may have an impact on your child’s attendance within the program.  Little Explorers Nursery does not specialize or cater to children with special needs such as but not limited to ADHD, Autism, Cognitive Disorders, Physical Disabilities or Learning Disabilities. The Ministry of Social Development, Oman may provide a recommendation of reputable institutes that are able to cater to those special needs or cases.

 

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POTTY TRAINING POLICY

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All children 3 years and older must be potty trained to join or continue at Little Explorers Nursery.  Our assistants and teachers will work with your child up to the age of 3 to encourage them, however due to the nature of our program and the transitions to groups, it is essential your child is not in nappies, pampers or pull-ups at the age of 3.  While we will work with your child on training, we ask that the same consistency and plan is followed through at home for potty training success. 

 

TRANSPORTATION

Little Explorers Nursery does not coordinate or arrange any third party or private transportation services.  Little Explorers Nursery holds no liability for transportation for your child sought and utilized by a private or third party.  If you so choose to utilize this service, we recommend you have confirmed that the bus driver has appropriate children’s car seat or booster seat and is fully insured in case of any accident.  Drivers, nannies or bus drivers must collect the child from the gate for safety.

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LATE JOINERS

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​If a child joins anytime during the academic year and a place has already been reserved from the beginning of the year, the full tuition fees for the term unattended from the beginning of the academic year are payable.  If a child joins late in the academic year, the fees for the entire term are due and are not pro-rated.

 

WITHDRAWAL

 

If a child withdraws at any time or does not join LEN  for any reason during terms 1-3 or the summer term, the fees for tuition and other optional services are NON refundable.  The registration fee is non-refundable.  A written withdraw notice is required 30 days in advance via email: admin@littleexplorersoman.com and fees are required to be paid whether the child attend the final 30 days or not.  A verbal notification or telephone message / WhatsApp to any member of staff is not considered a formality. Upon receipt of the written withdraw notice, the child's seat will be made available to an alternate student.  If your child would like to rejoin LEN within the academic year in which the withdraw was made, a 50 OMR re-registration fee will be required and is subject to availability of seat.  Absence of 7 days without formal notification will be assumed as as a withdraw and seat will be made available to an alternate child.  

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NO AGGRESSION BEHAVIOR POLICY

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​LEN stands by a non-aggressive behavior policy, this includes any sort of bullying, physical abuse and biting.  If after all steps have been taken in the disruptive behavior policy without resolution  a notice of withdraw will be documented and sent in person or via email and the supervising authorities will be informed.  Tuition fees will not be refunded.  ​Aggressive parents or visitors will not be tolerated at any point and will be asked to be removed from the premises immediately.  We do not tolerate verbal or physical abuse at Little Explorers Nursery.  Repeated offense(s) may result in the child’s parent/family member to be denied access to any part of the premises.

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​UNIFORMS

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​Uniforms are mandatory for children 2 years and up.  The uniform is a pull-over shirt with LEN logo to be worn Sunday to Wednesday and a sports uniform to be worn on Thursdays.  Uniforms are non-refundable and may be exchanged within 24 hours of purchase, provided they are in brand new condition.  All children must wear socks and shoes that are easy to remove as we have a no-shoe indoor policy due to hygiene.  No flip-flops or beach sandals allowed!  Failure to comply by the uniform policy will result in children being sent home.

 

​HEALTH POLICIES

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Children who are ill should not be brought to nursery with any one of the following:  A cough or runny nose, a temperature of 37.7c, vomiting or diarrhoea occurring more than once in a 24 hour period, a contagious disease such as but not limited to:  chicken pox, pink eye, strep throat or hand-foot-mouth disease, an unidentified rash or constant thick colored nasal discharge.  Parents are responsible to inform administration of an absence with the reason (even if there is no illness, but the child is just staying home via messaging in the application used). If a child is ill, a 24 hour period of full recovery is required before returning from nursery.  Children brought with head lice will be sent home for treatment until the nits / eggs have been removed.  If any child with a sign of runny nose, cough or sneezing starts after being dropped off at nursery, they will be separated from their group and parens will be asked to come pick them up.

 

In the event of a medical emergency requiring urgent care, parents and any emergency contact person in your child’s file will be contacted.  In the event of no-contact, we will contact an ambulance to transport your child to the nearest health center or hospital. ​ Any incurred fees for transport / treatment / medication are the parents responsibility.  Little Explorers Nursery staff will not administer any medication (over the counter or prescribed by a doctor) unless a written consent form is submitted with specific instructions.  Staff will not administer any amount over the recommended dosage as specified on the medication prescription or bottle for the child's age/weight.  Medication prescribed by a doctor must be brought in its original container with the child's name and dosage information and instructions clearly marked.

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​NUTRITION

 

We hold a strict NO-Nut / NO-Nutella policy and ask that parents who do send in snacks to not send in any type of nuts or nut spreads, including sesame (sesame seeds, oil, tahina, etc).  All containers and bottles sent in are to be clearly labeled with your child's full name and containers and bottles are not to be glass.  Parents must notify us if their child has any specific food allergy. Please note that Little Explorers Nursery will not be held liable for any accidental  / intentional ingestion, skin exposure, etc. of foodstuff or other substances / allergens of a child with known or unknown allergies.  Our premise does not have a school nurse on staff, nor do we keep an epi-pen for such instances. In case of an emergency allergic reaction, 9999 will be called for an ambulance first and parents / emergency contacts will be called immediately thereafter.  

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INDEMNITY

Any members of Little Explorers staff, supervisors, teachers, assistants, caregivers, directors, shareholders, volunteers, nannies or owners of the nursery have no responsibility of any nature in respect of bodily injury to a child under any one of these circumstances during a free trial or after your child has been registered:

• Prior to actual delivery of our child into the custody of the said teachers or officials inside Little Explorers Nursery grounds, or after our child has been collected from the Little Explorers Nursery grounds by us or a person authorized by us to do so on a normal nursery day.

• While on the Little Explorers Nursery grounds before or after the official timings.

• At any other time, unless our child is in the direct custody or control of the one said teachers, or on a recognized Little Explorers Nursery outings or function arranged by Little Explorers Nursery.

• Unless the injury is cause by or resulting from: The neglectful act or omission of any employee, teacher or other person or persons authorized to act for or on behalf of Little Explorers Nursery or any defect on the premises of Little Explorers Nursery.

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​USE OF RESOURCES & EQUIPMENT

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​Parents will be charged for any lost or damaged Little Explorers Nursery resources including borrowed books and equipment. 

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TOYS / JEWELLERY

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Toys from home are not allowed, the nursery has plenty of toys and resources for the children that are sanitized daily.  Dangling earrings, necklaces rings, bracelets, ankle bracelets, pendants, etc. are prohibited.  CIM cannot be held responsible for the loss of any toy or jewellery nor will CIM Nursery hold any responsibility of a child being injured from wearing jewellery to nursery.  Your child's safety is a priority and we urge parents not to send children wearing jewellery. 

 

​MEDIA

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​Little Explorers Nursery may hire 3rd party photographers and/or staff to photograph and/or film children attending Little Explorers during his / her learning. These media files may be used for LEN’s online / social media and printed publications / advertisements / displays and  these files shall be deemed to be Little Explorers Nursery property.  Parents may submit a written request to info@littleexplorersoman.com should they decline to have photographs of their child shared on any social media platforms or Little Explorers Nursery website.  We are sorry, but if a post has been published on Instagram prior to your request to decline use of photos of your child on social media, we are unable to remove or amend that post.  Any other channel of communication will not be accepted as a formal request.

 

CCTV

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As per the regulations set forth by the Ministry of Social Development, all areas of LEN including the outdoor playground, outdoor parking lot and classrooms are monitored via CCTV.   The CCTV equipment is used to provide a safer, more secure environment for the children, parents and staff who use our setting; as well as protecting the property and equipment. The equipment is accessible by authorized staff only and images / videos are restricted.  Due to privacy laws, we do not allow access or share any videos for any reason whatsoever.   Digital recordings are made using a digital recorder operating in real time mode, monitoring the setting continuously 24 hours a day. Images will normally be retained for 30 days from the date of recording, and then automatically recorded over.  If a request is made to view footage of a child due to a concern, a formal request with justified reason in writing is to be presented to administration for approval. 

 

​STAFF

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Cash gifts or tips are prohibited to be given to any member of staff at Little Explorers Nursery. Our staff are prohibited in sharing their personal contact details with parents or students.  Any general form of communication or query may be done via our app, telephone, email or face to face with our administration. 

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AMENDMENT TO POLICIES

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Management and Shareholders reserve the right to change policies at any time.  

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