Castleton United Methodist Nursery School

CARE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Quality Care

Play-Based Learning

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Low Ratios

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Philosophy

We are dedicated to providing quality ministry and care to all children and their families without regard for socio-economic, racial, or religious background.

Mission

We provide all children with developmentally appropriate learning experiences in a nurturing Christian environment.

Programs

We offer a flexible schedule for children from 6-weeks old to PreKindergarten.

What our families are saying about CUMNSKids!

“We are so grateful for the care that our daughter receives at CUMNs. We had experience with several other daycare providers prior to beginning at CUMNs, and our experience there has far surpassed our expectations and previous experiences. All of the teachers and staff are so friendly, patient, and committed to the children. It truly feels like a community and we are so happy to be a part of it.” 

The Schaecher Family

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions our prospective families most often ask our staff when considering CUMNS Kids for their children.

Q: What are your hours?

We are open Monday thru Friday from 7:30am to 5:30pm. We close for about a week at Christmas, a week for Spring Break, the day after Memorial Day, and most holidays.

Q: Do you offer part time care?

CUMNS Kids has a 2 day minimum for infants, toddlers, twos, and threes.  A 3 day minimum is required for fours and fives, during the school year session.  Our Junior Kindergarten class has a 4 day minimum.

Q: Do you provide year-round care?

CUMNS Kids offers two sessions:  School Year and summer.  We do take days off throughout the year, similar to an elementary school.  These days include:  holidays, Spring Break, a professional development day, and a week between summer and School Year Sessions.  

Q: What ages do you serve?

CUMNS Kids offers care for infants, starting at 6 weeks of age.  Our oldest children are typically 4 to 5, receiving pre kindergarten instruction.  During the Summer Session we also offer care for students entering 1st or 2nd grade. 

Q: Do you serve lunch?

We are a sack lunch school. Families pack lunch daily.  Microwaves and refrigerators are available in every classroom.  CUMNS Kids provides:  breakfast, snack and milk for all meals.

Q: What safety protocols are in place?

The only doors that are open to the public are doors 3 and 4.  Once inside, a biometric scanner is used by parents and staff to gain access to the school.  A video intercom system is used for guests and visitors.

Q: What is your daily cleaning procedure?

Toys are cleaned daily.  Tables are cleaned between activities.  Hands are washed before and after each new activity or transition.  Cots and cot sheets are washed daily.  When a diagnosed illness is present, parents are notified by a bright pink sign, hung in the doorway of the classroom.  An antimicrobial fogger is used, after hours, when multiple illnesses are present.  Infant and Toddler carpets are cleaned monthly.   

Q: What is CUMNS Kids illness policy?

Children must be fever free, without the use of fever reducing medication for 24 hours to attend school.  Children must also be: vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours.  Illnesses, like strep throat and pink eye, require 24 hours of antibiotic treatment before attendance can resume.  Undiagnosed rashes require a doctor’s note to prevent the spread of diseases like:  Roseola, measles, chicken pox, and fifth disease.

Q: What type of communication is used?

CUMNS Kids uses an app called Daily Connect.  This app has a 1 time fee and can be purchased from the app store.  Or parents can wait for a free email provided at the end of each day.  Infant and Toddler parents tend to buy the app to use the messaging feature and to receive live updates.  While most preschool families tend to wait for the daily email.  Monthly newsletters and weekly lesson plans are posted outside each classroom.

Q: What are the teacher’s qualifications?

Over 50% of teachers have at least a CDA credential or higher.  A CDA is equivalent to 12 college credits in Early Childhood Education.  Most preschool teachers have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.  The staff that do not meet these qualifications have a high school diploma and extensive experience in childcare.  There are things you learn through real world experience in Early Childhood that you just can’t learn through formal schooling, and we value what these individuals contribute to our learning environment.  CUMNS Kids is also a professional development school with Ball State University and partners with Ivy Tech to offer placements for teachers in training.

Q: What does PTQ Level 4 mean?

Paths to Quality is Indiana’s child care rating system.  It is a 1-4 scale, with level 4 being the highest.  Level 4 means that a childcare center meets the highest level of professionalism and is nationally accredited.  CUMNS Kids has been nationally accredited, by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, since 1988.  NAEYC is known for promoting high-quality learning by connecting practice, policy, and research.  

Q: How do you manage the wait-list?

CUMNS Kids wait-list is free of charge.  We send monthly wait-list placement emails.  Unfortunately, placements do fill quickly.  Since, we do not promote children to different classrooms year round, spots typically only become available if a child leaves our program.  Once we say, “Yes, we have a spot”, and a family accepts, there is a $150 registration fee for the School Year Session and/or a $75 registration fee for the Summer Session.