Discover Little Cubs Drop-in Childcare

Some children are prone to separation anxiety and some are not, however, our staff is awesome! Our centers are clean, furnished for fun. The first time you drop them off to play, the might be a little nervous, but by the time you come to pick them up, they won’t want to leave!

Woohoo!! We are as excited about your child’s next step as you are. Our team members are well trained and equipped to be the helping hand while you are away relaxing! It would be our pleasure to help you and yours! Please just bring pull-ups/change of clothes with you.

We accept all children from newborns to 12 years of age.

Because we have children coming and going literally every few minutes all day long, our child to staff ratio is constantly changing too. In our center, we strive to maintain a maximum ratio of 10 children per 1 staff member. We are generally way under this ratio for most of the day. We do schedule extra staff for the busiest times.

Yes! We have a separate area for the older children ages 7 years and older to play video games, watch tv, and hang out.

We do have a toddler area tucked off of the main play area that is a softer area with toys appropriate for younger ages. However, this is open to the main play space, and children may easily come and go from this area. We do have a separate area for school age children, that is a privilege for the older kids to be able to play games and play with other school age children. In general our center is a large open play space where all ages play together. We are very accustomed to this set up and do a great job monitoring the whole space to be sure that all of the children are playing together safely.

The NC definition of drop in childcare has a four hour maximum per day. NOTE: School aged children can go over the 4 hours on occasion for school holidays and teacher work days or seasonal breaks. So, if you have a need for more than four hours on one day, it’s allowed.

In order to provide a safe and clean environment for all children at Little Cubs we ask that you PLEASE do not bring an ill child to our center. Little Cubs reserves the right to refuse ill children, and if a staff member notices signs of an ill child, the parent will be called and asked to pick up the child. Children with lice are not permitted to stay and we do have a “no-nit” policy” The following are guidelines of symptoms of children considered ill: (a child must be free of these symptoms 24 hours prior to a visit in our centers) • a temperature of 100 degrees or higher • Red, watery eyes (pink eye) • Undiagnosed rash • 3 instances of Diarrhea We ask that all children are up to date on their immunizations. *****We do not administer medication of any kind***** (With the exception of an EpiPen in a life-threatening emergency)

We request that you bring diapers and wipes for children that need them as well as a change of clothes for any child that is in diapers, is potty training or is recently potty trained. Please bring snacks or a meal for your child unless you plan to purchase one from Little Cubs. Bring a sippy cup or drink bottle for your child. Please label all food and drink items with your name. If you have a small child that may have separation anxiety, it is a good idea to bring a pacifier or lovey to help calm them. We respectfully ask that you please DO NOT bring other toys from home as they can get lost, cause conflicts among other children or pose a choking hazard. In the summer, we ask that you bring sunscreen for your child as we spend a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

Our limited entry system means that the doors of the facility are locked at all times and only parents dropping off or picking up children are allowed in. We also have sensors on all exterior doors which will sound an alarm when opened. We adhere to strict pick-up procedures. Staff check photo I.D. if needed when a child is picked up. Please do not be offended if you are repeatedly asked for I.D. It is for the safety of your child. Children will only be released to those persons listed on the registration form. Please be sure to let the staff know if your child is to be picked up by someone other than the person dropping him/her off. We do headcounts every half hour to ensure that all children are present and accounted for.

Little cubs takes great pride in providing a clean environment for your child. We use hospital-grade sanitizer on a daily basis to clean toys and surfaces in the center. We also ask that children use hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the center. Our staff and children wash their hands on a regular basis, including before and after meals and after every diaper change. The changing table and potty are sanitized after each use.

Upon your first visit, we ask that you complete the registration form and release form as well as thoroughly read our policies. It is very important for the health and safety of all children at little cubs that you abide by our policies. Because Little Cubs is a drop-in only childcare center, parents must be easily accessible, able to return within 15 minutes and able to be reached by cell phone at all times. Please note that the last drop off time is 5PM Monday-Friday and 8PM on Saturdays. There will be a late fee of $1 every two minutes that a child is picked up after closing. Please be aware that if a child is not picked up 1 hour after closing and we have not made contact with a parent, the police will be alerted. Please be sure to contact us if you will be late. Services are billed based on the time your child visits the center. There is a one hour minimum for the first hour. After that, the billing is in 30 minute increments. Reservations are not required to use Little cubs but are encouraged as we do fill up fast!

We closely monitor and inspect all toys to be sure that they are safe and appropriate for the children in our center.