5 young children running in grass

Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center

The Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center is a 10,000 sq. ft. center located 2 blocks east of Rt. 159 near the Glen Carbon Wal-Mart. This center offers full day child care throughout the work week. We allow parents the opportunity to go to work knowing their child is in good hands.

Facility Features

WAITLIST
If a classroom is full, you can be placed on a waitlist. We will contact the family who is next in line by phone when a space becomes available. After we contact about an opening, all paperwork is due in 1 week with $75 registration fee and 1st week payment. To be placed on the waitlist, please email lkeiser@edwymca.com. We will send an email the first week of each month to all people on the waitlist. If you wish to remain on the list please respond. Anyone not responding by the 15th of the month will be removed from the list.

Childcare Services

The purpose of the YMCA Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center is to facilitate a full day child care program that provides opportunities and experiences to stimulate a child’s physical, social, intellectual and emotional development. The program is licensed and follows a constructive philosophy with open-ended art activities, science, fine and gross motor skills and hands-on discovery in an enriching environment.

  • Infant (6 Weeks To 12 Months)
  • Toddler (12 Months To 24 Months)
  • 2 Year Old
  • 3 To 5 Year Old
  • Licensed Full-day Childcare
  • Nurturing Environment
  • Low Child-to-Teacher Ratios
  • Healthy Meals & Snacks
  • Outdoor Playtime
  • YMCA Membership Not Required

All Included In Your Child’s Day

  • Creative Art Play Class – Bringing Art To The Children Every Day!
  • Creative Curriculum
  • State Of The Art Playground
  • “The Imagination Library” – One Free Book Each Month
  • Music
  • Spanish
  • Gymnastics

Information

Arrival & Departure Times

The center’s hours are 6:30am to 5:30pm. We cannot accept children before 6:30am. Any child not picked up before 5:30pm will be assessed a $1 per minute late fee (per child) for the first 5 min, then it jumps to $5/min/child. That fee is due as soon as the child is picked up. After 5:40pm the staff will attempt to reach the parents and/or any designated emergency pick-up individual.

At 6:00pm if no one has been reached and the parents have not made contact with the center with a pickup plan, the staff will call the appropriate child welfare authorities. There will be no exceptions to this plan. We recognize that emergencies do arise. In the event of those, please have a backup plan ready.

Unplanned Closings

If the center needs to close due to inclement weather or other emergencies, parents will be notified as quickly as possible. We recognize the need for parents to get to work and thus the need for their planned child care arrangements to be available. Efforts will be made to minimize the number of unplanned closures. Please have a backup plan in place for your child’s care should the center or your child’s classroom need to close.

Communication

Good communication is of the utmost importance. When a new family joins us we want to be sure that we can share any concerns or questions that may arise. It is important that there be a similar child care philosophy between the center and
the parents. We welcome questions, feedback or discussion of any kind that are oriented towards a positive outcome for the children. Parent/Teacher Conferences are held yearly in the Spring. We also email monthly newsletters and utilize our Facebook page among other forms of communication.

Each classroom has a Chromebook to utilize our parent communication app Procare. Parents should utilize this platform to communicate with their child’s teacher throughout the day and receive their child’s daily log.

The ACECDC staff are not permitted to make connections with parents/guardians outside of approved communication platforms including phone calls, social media, emails, texts.

Approved platforms of communication include:

  • Face To Face At The Center
  • ACECDC Phone
  • Procare App
  • YMCA Email Addresses

Meals

We will participate in the USDA Food Program. All parents are required to fill out a USDA eligibility form annually regardless of their eligibility. Meals will consist of breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. Our monthly menu is created by our cook. Copies of the menus will be posted on the bulletin board in each room and on Procare app.
Breakfast 8:00 – 8:30am • Lunch Noon – 12:30pm
Snack Time 10:00am & 3:00pm
Any child that arrives after their room’s meal time should be fed before they arrive. Other than infant formula (or breast milk) and infant food, no food item from home is permitted without a doctor’s note. We will never force a child to finish a meal, but we encourage them to try a bite or two. Sometimes they are surprised by what they like.

Special Needs Children

Parents should disclose any special needs their child may have, the Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center will make all reasonable modifications to our policies and practices to accommodate children with special needs, unless to do so is not in the best interest of the child or of the center. Each child will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine eligibility.

You can call us at (618) 288-3232 or email us at lkeiser@edwymca.com

Fee Structure & Policies

Weekly Fees

The Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center has three schedule options for all children ages 6 weeks to 2 year olds and 5 days a week for the 3-5 year olds. Our current tuition fee schedule took effect on August 2024*. Tuition is charged each Friday for the following week. *Price structure subject to change on an annual basis.

5 Days A Week

Infants/Toddlers: Member $337 | Non-Member 378
2 Years Old: Member $273 |  Non-Member $308
3+ Years:  Member $253 | Non-Member $287

3 Days A Week

Infants/Toddlers: Member $232 | Non-Member $256
2 Years Old: Member $184 | Non-Member $211

2 Days A Week

Infants/Toddlers: Member $165 | Non-Member $182
2 Years Old: Member $132 | Non-Member $154

DCFS and CHASI Payments

The YMCA is happy to accept third party payments from organizations such as DCFS and CHASI. All approvals must be received before the child attends the center. Please contact the Director if you have any questions about this process. Payments are taken out the first day of the month. If expired/no payent has been received from the agency, the parent will need to pay for days attended based on CHASI/DCFS daily rates or above what the child is approved for by the agency.

Holiday Closures

The YMCA Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center will be open every weekday of the year from 6:30AM to 5:30PM with the exception of the following:

  • New Year’s Day •  January 1st
  • Martin Luther King Day •  January 20th •  Teacher’s In-Service
  • President’s Day •  February 17th
  • Teacher’s In-Service •  March 14th
  • Good Friday • April 18th
  • Memorial Day •  May 26th
  • Juneteenth •  June 19th
  • Independence Day •  July 4th

Note: Holidays & Building Closures will no longer be prorated.

Teacher In-Service Days

As a part of investing in our staff, we will be closing two days a year for staff in-service training. Each year we will hold one in January or February and the second in the late summer.

Time Off/Holiday Policies

A full week of tuition per month fee (2 month max) will be collected to save your child’s spot if they are not at the center for a long period of time (ex. Summer Break) and intends on returning.

Payment Info Continued

Discounts
The Y member rate (listed above) is only available to members of the Edwardsville YMCA. In addition for members, there is a 10% discount for the second oldest child if you have more that one child attending the center.

Registration Packet
A completed enrollment packet will include child information & history, emergency numbers, medical form, birth certificate, annual contract, and all required signatures.

Registration Fee
There is a $75 registration fee for all children to cover individual supplies and records. Registration fee and first week’s child care fees must be turned in no later than noon on the Wednesday before the week the child is to start.

Payment Policy
Childcare payments are auto drafted on the Friday before the week of attendance. Payments are drafted each week even if your child does not attend all or any of their contracted days that week. If the auto draft payment is delinquent by more than one week the child will not be allowed to return to the center until the account is paid in full. A $10 per day late fee will be incurred each day your account is delinquent.
Payments can be made automatically through your checking or savings account or by credit card. The method of payment must be set up at the time of registration but can be changed with a consultation with the center’s Director or designated staff.

You can call us at (618) 288-3232 or email us at lkeiser@edwymca.com

Edwardsville YMCA