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Frequently Asked Questions

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FAQ

We know you are busy and finding quality childcare is difficult. Instead of off-site daycare or babysitting services, Apollo’s Before & After Care Programs provide the convenient option of leaving your children in the comfort of their own school, from the moment you drop them off in the morning until you are ready to pick them up, at an affordable price. Our trained educators ensure your child’s regular school-day experience is continued in a fun, meaningful way. Our primary focus is to enrich our students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical development. Each day, we provide a safe and secure check in/out process, a healthy snack, homework time, physical activity, an enrichment experience, and supervised free play. Our project-based curriculum ensures your kids will be learning new skills and bringing lots of materials home. Your kids will love Apollo!

Our teachers are not just part of our program, they ARE our program. Finding and training successful teachers is essential for our success both inside the classroom and behind the scenes. We are looking for qualified individuals who can be kind to our students, maintain a safe environment, and make learning fun. All of our teachers are First Aid/CPR certified, undergo a criminal background check, and must participate in 40 hours of our practical training program. We provide ongoing training and workshops to keep them up to date with our curriculum development and industry standards.

We have provided a sample schedule below. Actual times will vary depending on your school bell times and will be included in both your program flyer and your parent handbook. The “Daily Clubs” section refers to our enrichment content, which focuses on 5 of our 20 different curriculum topics. This will vary from school to school and rely heavily on parent input during the selection process. It is also something we can change during the school year – Check out more information below and let us know if there is a topic, you would like us to offer!

Before school care schedule

Morning arriaval
Time
7:00 – 8:00
Morning stretching
Time
7:25 – 7:40
Homework review
Time
7:40 – 7:55
Homework review
and academic activities
Time
7:45 – 8:15
Physical Activities & Supervised Free Play
Time
8:40 – 9:25
Transition to classes
Time
9:30 – 9:45

After school care schedule

Dismissal, Attendance & Snack Time
Time
3:00 – 3:20
Physical Activity Time
Time
3:20 – 3:45
Homework & Quiet Time
Time
3:45 – 4:15
Enrichment Activities
Time
4:15 – 5:00
Physical Activities & Supervised Free Play
Time
5:00 – 6:00

Homework time is an important part of each day at Apollo. Our staff dedicates a set portion of the daily schedule to ensuring kids get the help they need. Through checking their work and answering directed questions, Apollo educators keep our students on the right track of completing their tasks. We know how precious family time is during a busy week – it feels great to have your child show you their homework is done!

Our core program consists of a safe and secure attendance process, a healthy snack, homework time, physical activity time, an enrichment activity, supervised free-play, and a safe and secure check-out procedure.If you have been reading the whole FAQ, you might recognize some of the information from above but please let us know if you have any additional questions – Our team will be happy to answer them! Here is a sample schedule. Actual times will vary, depending on your school bell times, and will be included in both your program flyer and your parent handbook. The “Daily Clubs” section refers to our enrichment content which focuses on 5 of our 19 different curriculum themes. This will vary from school to school and relies heavily on parent input during the selection process. It is also something we can change during the school year – Check out more information below and let us know if there is a topic, you would like us to offer!

Before school care schedule

Morning arriaval
Time
7:00 – 8:00
Morning stretching
Time
7:25 – 7:40
Homework review
Time
7:40 – 7:55
Homework review
and academic activities
Time
7:45 – 8:15
Physical Activities & Supervised Free Play
Time
8:40 – 9:25
Transition to classes
Time
9:30 – 9:45

After school care schedule

Dismissal, Attendance & Snack Time
Time
3:00 – 3:20
Physical Activity Time
Time
3:20 – 3:45
Homework & Quiet Time
Time
3:45 – 4:15
Enrichment Activities
Time
4:15 – 5:00
Physical Activities & Supervised Free Play
Time
5:00 – 6:00

A healthy after school snack for kids is provided with tuition, but you’re welcome to send an additional snack with your child. We require snack-time to be peanut free and will let you know if there are any specific allergic safety concerns with the group. Check out our sample menu!

Sample Weekly Snack Menu:

At Apollo After School, we provide healthy after school snacks (and before school as well) because it is a great opportunity to help students practice healthy eating and promote a healthy eating environment. The sample after school snacks menu below is based on the nutritional needs of children ages 6 to 12 years.

All of the served snacks are PEANUT FREE. Please refer to the page with grocery items that are not allowed to be served during any Apollo program.

According to the USDA Child Nutrition Program, the three different components from the listed, and recommended serving sizes should be served: Water, fluid: 1 cup (8 ounces)Fruit or Vegetable: ¾ cup (6 ounces); Grains / Breads: 1 serving. ** 8 oz. cups of water are always available and recommended.

 

Weekday Beverage Fruit/Veg Grains
Monday Water (1 cup) Apple slices (1/2 cup)
Grapes (5 pieces)
Carrot sticks (3/8 cup)
Multigrain Muffin (2 oz.)
Tuesday Water (1 cup) Celery sticks (3/8 cup)
Grapes
Orange wedges (1/4 cup)
Pretzels (.75 oz.)
Wednesday Water (1 cup) Raspberries (4 pieces)
Carrot sticks (3/8 cup)
Celery sticks (3/8 cup)
Bagel (.9 oz.)
Thursday Water (1 cup) Orange wedges (1/4 cup)
Celery sticks (3/8 cup)
Granola (2 oz.)
Friday Water (1 cup) Raspberries (4 pieces)
Apple slices (1/2 cup)
Whole grain crackers (1 oz.)

 

Apollo staff will collaborate with parents and school staff regarding any students with disabilities and other special needs. It will be the responsibility of the parents to bring any issues to our attention. Site Directors, Regional Directors, and parents will discuss a plan to incorporate the student into our regularly scheduled activities. Certification to work with children with disabilities is not a requirement we place on our staff. However, we are happy to assign additional staff to help the student participate and will make familiarity with the disability a pre-requisite during the selection process.

If a principal requests a bilingual instructor for your school, we will make this a requirement for applicants during the hiring process.

Apollo has a strict attendance and sign-out procedure. Each day, our Site Director will compare the Apollo roster with the school absence list and report any irregularities to Apollo Administration and the head office of the school upon taking attendance. If a child is scheduled to be in Apollo but is not on the official absence list, Apollo staff will call the child’s guardian and work with the school administration to ensure they are accounted for.

Each day, Site Directors plan their activities with safety in mind and inspect the program areas for hazards. Head counts are taken before and after any transition which involves the group moving to a different area on the campus. Strict boundaries are put in place for our students during activities such as recess and gym time, and violations are managed through our discipline protocol. If available bathrooms are in a different area of the school, group times are established so the transit to the restroom will be supervised by an adult.

Only authorized adults are allowed to sign children out. A photo ID is required until our staff and the parents have developed a relationship. A late-pickup fee of $15/15min is assessed for parents after being late for the final dismissal time. Parents are called and texted at this time. 30 minutes after the final dismissal time, local police will be called, and the parent will be informed that this step has been taken.

Our educators and Site Directors employ a variety of positive classroom management techniques to keep the students engaged and prevent negative behaviors from occurring by addressing them before they become bigger issues. Our staff will provide positive reinforcement for good behavior to encourage students to be on their best behavior. If a problem is elevated to the point where it is in clear violation of school rules and general standards of behavior, then our step-by-step process is as follows:

Removing the children involved from the environment where the problem occurred and discussing the issue in a way that all parties get to voice their concerns. Students are encouraged to put themselves in each other’s place and understand each other, apologize, and return to class after the educator has reiterated the expectations of behavior. Parents will be notified of the incident after class.

· If negative behavior is repeated, a meeting is arranged between the parents and the Site Director where the behavior is discussed and a plan for addressing the behavior is established. Parents are notified of the next steps that can be taken if the behavior should fail to be corrected.

· If the behavior still continues to affect the course of the class, students can be suspended from the program for a period of time.

If all of the above steps fail, the student will be removed from the program. Site Directors will create Incident Reports for all behavior actions taken and submit them to the parents, school administration and Apollo management for their records.

Just go to our registration page. From here you can select your school, enter the required information for you and your children, select the services that fit your schedule, and handle all of your payments. Billing is processed on the same day of each month. Your bill is due 10 days after the bill is issued. Your account homepage will have all the information you need regarding deadlines, payments, and instructions.

Yes. You can manage your drop-in needs from your account page. If you will have need of our drop-in service, even if it is only a few days a month, you will have to register and create a profile with our registration portal. We will accommodate emergency situations, provided we have permissions and prior notice, which may incur a higher fee.

No credit will be issued for missed days, but if you need to cancel, you can do so in advance before the next billing cycle. Requests to cancel after the billing cycle has begun will be reviewed and refunds issued on a case-by-case basis. Our administration department would be happy to speak with you about your situation and guide you through the process.

We offer a 10% discount for additional children in a household. Apollo offers one full scholarship for every fourteen students enrolled, to be used at the principal’s discretion. Apollo is currently not underwritten by any outside funding, and we do everything we can to keep our costs low. We do offer a special discount for school and district employees – please contact our Administration staff at +1-855-543-7277, ext. 1 or office@apolloafterschool.com for more information.

46-1188928. Receipts are emailed to you upon registration, but you can always retrieve one from your account page on our website. If you need a special letter to receive a reimbursement, please send your request to office@apolloafterschool.com with your requirements for our official letter listed in detail.

You may register for the program at any time. There is a one-time registration fee of $25 for early registration and $50 after the early registration period ends.

Yes! Please give us a call or email office@apolloafterschool.com and we will make required adjustments for you!

If the school district is closed, or has cancelled school, Apollo will not be in session. If the school remains open but children are not in attendance, or with special cooperation with the school district, we may offer special one-day camps, or vacation camps, on the basis of demand and availability. These will be special events which we will notify you of and advertise for registration separately.

If the event of a non-scheduled school cancellation exceeds 3 days, we will credit your account or issue a refund for the missed day(s).

To keep things simple, our tuition model takes the number of days in the school year and divides it by the number of months when school is in session. This is multiplied by the base day rate which is the hourly rate X the number of hours of care. This will be slightly different for each school depending on revenue sharing or facility usage fees. In trying to keep things simple, we do not have a “clock in, clock out” procedure, although we do record what time you pick up your child. We do this so our educators and staff can focus their resources on the kids and your tuition covers the entire day of programming. You will not be charged for scheduled non-attendance days – If class is cancelled due to inclement weather or other reasons, the difference will be removed from your next bill or offered as a refund.

Extended programming for scheduled early dismissal days is included in your tuition. On Federal Holidays or days where the district is closed, Apollo will not be in session. If the school remains open but children are not in attendance, or by special cooperation with the school district, we may offer special one-day camps or vacation day camps (on the basis of demand and availability). These will be special events which we will notify you of and advertise for registration separately.

Yes. There is a $50.00 registration fee if you register after the early registration deadline (an increase from $25). Late pickup fees are $15 for every 15-minute increment you are late. If a parent or other emergency contacts cannot be reached and the child has not been picked up 30 minutes after the scheduled program ending time, we will contact the local police and the child will be turned over to their custody.

Apollo After School administrative personnel can be contacted directly by families during operational hours of 7:00am – 8:00pm CST by calling +1-855-543-7277. You will be provided with your Site Director’s direct contact information, and they will be available by phone 1 hour before and after the start of the program to discuss non-pickup related issues. Please feel free to email us anytime for non-emergency questions. Our Site Directors and on-site staff will be available in person every day to answer your questions. We encourage you to speak with us early and often!

Of course! They will be available every day of programming for your questions. We even train them to seek YOU out and get to know you. They will be spending a lot of time with their students- almost as much as their regular schoolteachers – and having family involvement is critical to our success as educators. As mentioned above, you will be provided with your Site Director’s direct contact information, and they will be available by phone 1 hour before and after the start of the program to discuss non-pickup related issues. Please feel free to email us anytime for non-emergency questions. Our Site Directors and on-site staff will be available in person every day to answer your questions. We encourage you to speak with us early and often!

Yes. All adults picking up children will require your verbal and written permission, along with a photo ID. This includes you, during the first week, when our staff are getting to know you. Please do not take it personally!

Yes! It will contain all the information specific to your school, along with our expectations for our students and their parents (you!). You will get details on our billing policy and the best way to resolve any issues or questions you have. While the information may strike you as common sense, and “read it if you need it,” you will get a full picture of our program that will inform you for years to come.

We can help you with that! Please call +1-855-543-7277 ext. 2 or fill out the online consultation form to speak with our Outreach Team for more information. We will have a quick discussion about your school’s needs and work out a path forward. As thanks for your help, scholarships are available for parent liaisons who can assist us with setting up successful programs with their school administration.