FAQ

We understand that you have plenty of day care choices in Raleigh and surrounding North Carolina communities. However, we have created Appletree to be different because we offer the following:

• Excellent child/staff ratios. Ratios for infants up to 12 months are 4:1 while ratios for toddlers range from 7:1 to 8:1. Pre-school and school-aged children enjoy child/staff ratios of 10:1 and 15:1, preparing them for the school experience. Plenty of staff at our day care ensures safety as well as plenty of personalized attention for every child
• Different programs for infants, young toddlers, transitional toddlers, preschool children, and school age children. We understand that children at different ages have very different needs, which is why our infant programs focus on sensory and social development while our toddler programs focus on language skills and other needed skills. Pre-school and school age programs focus on the learning skills children need to succeed in the classroom.
• A structured program that focuses on fun and learning. We balance fun and social time with teaching time that helps students excel both in and out of school.

If a child is ill, we ask that parents keep their child at home so that they may provide the medical care and comfort needed for the child to get healthy soon. If a child becomes ill while at the center, a member of our team will contact the parents/guardians so that the child can be picked up. The nature of the illness will determine the length of time before the child can return to the center. In specific cases, a note from a health care professional may be required to ensure that the child does not pose a further health risk to themselves or others by returning. We do this for the wellbeing of the children, families, and staff of our facilities alike.

Parents/Guardians will provide diapers or pull-ups for their child. The staff will notify the parent a day or two in advance, via the daily diaper chart, when additional diapers, pull-ups are needed. Wipes will be provided by the program.

Medications will be administered to children only if the “Authorization to Administer Medication” form is current and on file at the center. All medications must be in their original container with a current date, the child’s name, name of the medication, dosage and mode of administration and name of prescribing physician or dentist on it. Please give the medication directly to a staff member. All medications are stored in a locked container out of the reach of children.

Administration will be recorded on a medication log sheet by authorized staff. Any unused medication will be returned to you or properly disposed.

Consent of a health care provider is not required if the medication meets all of the following criteria: is over-the-counter and is one of the following: antihistamine, non-aspirin fever reducer/pain reliever, non-narcotic cough suppressant, decongestant, ointment or lotion (intended specifically to relieve itching or dry skin and has instructions and dosage recommendations for the child’s age and weight duration), and bug spray. All over-the-counter medications must still be provided with: a completed “Authorization to Administer Medication” form, be in their original container with a current date, the child’s name, name of the medication, dosage and mode of administration dosage, and the amount and frequency specified on the consent form does not exceed label instructions. The written consent will cover only the course of illness or specific episode, after which the parent must take the medication home.

Infants/Toddlers: A health care provider’s signature is required to administer prescription and over-the-counter medications to children less than 2 years of age.

Appletree Day Care, Inc. 56-1719379
Appletree Child Development Center, Inc. 87-0806494

Yes absolutely. Given the individual does not pose a risk of harm for themselves and others or pose any viable issues in regards to supervision and/or flight risk. Our centers welcome all children and families living with developmental and physical disabilities, to benefit from the enriching and nourishing environment that we provide at Appletree Day Care, Inc. and Appletree Child Development Center, Inc. It is our goal to provide the highest quality level of child care for our families, with a focus on making sure that all developmental and physical needs are being met to the highest of our abilities. Each of our locations is handicap and wheelchair accessible, including entrance/side ramps and handicap accessible bathrooms. Our highly trained staff has cared for children with many of life’s challenges from Autism to hearing impaired, physical limitations, etc. Our primary concern is the emotional and developmental wellbeing of the child.  If we feel we are not able to meet their specific needs we would be more than happy to share our resources and knowledge of state and local agencies to help you in any way we can. You are not alone in this, and we do more than just provide care we do care!

We take pride in being able to say we have both! We have four different facilities in the Southeast Raleigh area, so we are able to offer both large and small facilities. This can be a great advantage for our many parents/guardians with different schools of thought on what size facility can be more beneficial for the socialization and development of their children. Our larger centers provide an environment with larger classroom’s and greater number of children throughout the building. This can really help in the aspect of social development and spatial awareness, so that when the time comes to transition into elementary school they are not so overwhelmed with size and volume of their new school setting. Our smaller facilities can help in providing a more personal and individualized learning environment for children. This allows our teachers to provide even more of a one on one childcare experience so that the children receive as much attention as needed to ensure the success of the child.

It will be the responsibility of the Parent/Guardian to bring their child’s bottles during drop off each morning. We have temperature controlled mini fridges in each of the infant rooms for the parent to store their child’s bottle, labeled with the child’s name and date bottle was made. At the end of the day or at pick up the parent/guardian will need to take all bottles home for sanitizing and preparation for the next day’s feedings.

We start toilet training on the parent’s request, typically when the child has already entered the two year old/ toddler room. It is our wish for the staff and the parents/guardians to maintain open dialogue and communication throughout this process. There is an overwhelming amount of research and evidence that suggests consistency both at home and the child care center regarding praise, exposer, and actual practice to toilet training ensures the greatest success of the training. This can be a trying time for the parent and child and we are committed to helping you any way we can including tips, techniques, and motivational support.

Yes, our School Age programs go on many different fieldtrips and scheduled special guests/events each month. We strive to maintain a healthy mix of educational and enriching fieldtrips so that our children can enjoy fun and creative new experiences with a focus on learning outcomes and expanding their young horizons. We do not limit this to only summer programs, for we believe that our year round and track out schedule children should be involved in developmental and learning rich activities and settings even when they are only out for a few weeks. A calendar of the monthly activities and outings can be found under the Calendar tab at the top of our site.