Frequently Asked Questions
General
Where is the Center located?
The Center is located at 14370 Newbrook Drive Chantilly, VA 20151. The center occupies a portion of the ground floor of the office space.
To view a floor plan of the center, please visit the downloadable forms section of the website.
What is the name of the Center?
CACI Child Care Center.
What types of enrollment schedules are offered?
The center offers full time care for infants and toddlers. For Twos through Fives the center offers full-week and part-week (MWF or TTh) schedules as well as part day schedules (9:00am – 3:30pm). Please see the tuition sheet for complete information on the schedules offered and the related costs.
Why are infant and toddler schedules offered as full time care only?
As a standard practice in the industry, infant and toddler programs are offered as full day and full week. This is to provide our youngest students with the consistency needed to be successful in our programs and to develop a strong bond with the infant and toddler caregivers.
What age groups does the center serve?
Children ages 6 weeks through five years of age year round.
Who operates the Center?
The center is operated by Childrens' Creative Learning Centers (CCLC).
Enrollment
What is the enrollment process for this center?
All forms needed to be considered for enrollment can be found on the forms section of this website. Contact the center with any questions.
Who is eligible to use the center?
First priority for enrollment is for full-time and part-time employees of CACI and their legal dependents. If spaces remain available after all first-priority personnel have been accommodated, the available spaces are filled by the second priority.
Second priority spaces are for the legal grandchildren of employees. Employment status and eligibility will be verified before the enrollment process can be completed.
Do I have to pay a fee or deposit to enroll?
Yes. There is a $75 non-refundable registration fee for infants and toddlers, and a $50 non-refundable registration fee for children two and older.
What happens if I am not enrolled right away?
Families who are not enrolled immediately will be placed on the waitlist in the order they submitted paperwork and will be notified as soon as a space becomes available.
Programming
What are the child-to-teacher ratios and group sizes in each classroom?
The center offers programming designed to meet NAEYC Accreditation standards.
The child-to-teacher ratios are as follows:
Teacher to Child Ratio & Group Size Comparison | ||||||||||
|
Age Group | CCLC Group Sizes | CCLC Ratios |
Infant | 8 | 1:4 |
What are the Center hours and holidays?
The center follows the CACI US holiday schedule as well as being closed twice a year for staff training days. The center is open from 7:00am – 6:30pm Monday through Friday.
Can children attend the center part-week?
Yes, parents can choose to enroll their child(ren) who are two and older in a part-week schedule (i.e. MWF or T TH). There is not a part-week schedule available for infants and toddlers.
Curriculum & Accreditation
What kind of curriculum is offered?
The CACI Child Care Center curriculum supports learning in a developmental-based, thematic and multicultural manner for each age group. CCLC views learning as a process that requires a balance between child-initiated and staff-initiated activities. Activities are designed to fit the developmental needs of each age group while ensuring that children are properly prepared for kindergarten.
CCLC uses its exclusive Guided Discovery Curriculum ™. Guided Discovery is a "whole child" approach to learning that incorporates different aspects of a child's physical, social, linguistic, cognitive, and emotional development into a variety of daily activities. Guided Discovery is rooted in educational philosophy and theory as well as practice. It relies heavily on Erik Erikson's stages of socio-emotional development, Jean Piaget's theories of how children think and learn, and on principles of physical development. The curriculum reflects the criteria set by the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Accreditation process.
What enrichment programs will be offered at the center?
The CACI Child Care Center offers a number of enrichment programs to enrolled families at the center.
Will there be a focus on the environment at the center?
The CACI Child Care Center has an Eco-Healthy focus. Environmental practices are incorporated into the center curriculum and daily routines. Children will learn to care for their environment, to not be wasteful and participate in environmental classroom projects. Check your child’s classroom curriculum sheet for more details on what your child is learning in regards to being environmentally friendly!
What is CCLC’s discipline policy?
At CCLC, we encourage children to learn to control their own behavior. We use positive language by telling children what they should do instead of what they should not do. Our goal at CCLC is to provide a safe and positive environment for every child.
The following steps outline our discipline process:
- We set clear and consistent limits
- When conflicts arise, we speak with both children and find out what has occurred
- We guide children in problem solving by encouraging them to use their words
- Give children alternative activities
- At no time will any child be subjected to corporal punishment, confinement to cribs, or the withholding of food or drink as forms of discipline
- Time out is not used at the center, we encourage children and staff to discuss issue
What is NAEYC accreditation?
NAEYC accreditation means that an early childhood program voluntarily applied for accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The program then engages in an extensive self-study based on the Academy's Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs. The accuracy of the program's self-study is verified during a site visit to the program by a team of trained validators.
The validated self-study, including the program director's responses to the validation visit, are reviewed by a 3-member national commission composed of recognized experts in childcare and early childhood education, judged to be in substantial compliance with the Academy's Criteria, and granted accreditation for a three-year period. The early childhood program agrees to act upon the commission's suggestions regarding areas needing improvement and to submit annual written reports documenting improvements and continued compliance. Less than 8% of all child care centers nationally have received NAEYC Accreditation. The CACI Child Care Center plans to begin the process of applying for accreditation within the standard timelines following opening of a new center.
Are meals and snacks offered and included?
All meals are included in published tuition rates. Meals will be prepared by a professional catering service and will include breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and beverages for all meals. The hot lunch program is available starting in the toddler classroom. To view our monthly hot-lunch menu, click here. We ask infant families to provide all formula and foods for their child in order to ensure each child receives what is needed at this age. All children will have the opportunity to request either a regular or vegetarian/special diet lunch option.
Meal times include a tasty, appealing, low in fat, high in fiber and high in protein. We serve hormone-free, antibiotic-free milk and many of our foods are organic. Meals will include items such as fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers and breads, yogurt, 100% juice drinks and milk.
Tuition
What are the tuition rates?
To see a current tuition schedule, click here.
Are there any requirements for parent participation at the Center?
There is no requirement from families to participate in the program. There will be opportunities for families to volunteer through a new voluntary parent committee which will be formed after the center opens. Families can also participate at the center during special events. CCLC has an open door policy, enrolled parents are welcome in the classroom at any time.
More Information
Who do I contact with additional questions?
For programming questions, please contact CCLC directly via email and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.