Registration and Enrollment Process

UFCC is committed to providing a transparent and consistent registration and enrollment process. The following policy outlines the steps to join one of our child care programs including placement on our waitlist(s), offer of space, and completion of all necessary registration requirements. Families are encouraged to review this policy carefully to ensure timely and successful enrollment.

1. Care Request Submission

Families must begin the registration process by submitting a Care Request on our website’s ‘Locations page’ at  umbrellafamily.com/locations. Upon submission, the child will be placed on the selected program’s waitlist(s). Please note that each location has its own waitlist and families must register for each site individually.

Centre staff will contact families as they approach the top of the waitlist. Families are responsible for ensuring their contact information is up to date.

For more information on our waitlist process, please refer to the Waitlist Policy section of this handbook.

2. Offer of Space and Centre Tour

When a space becomes available, it will be offered to the next eligible family on the waitlist. Prior to acceptance, families or their designate will be invited to tour the centre with the Supervisor.

If the space is accepted, a full registration package will be issued through Kindertales, Umbrella’s parent communication and registration platform. At this stage, families must also schedule one (1) orientation/play visit with their child.

3. Orientation Visits and Observation

Orientation visits allow the child to familiarize themselves with the program environment and interact with peers and educators. Educators will observe the child during these visits to assess how they adjust to the setting and determine any additional supports the child may require.

4. Registration Fee

Upon acceptance of a space, a non-refundable registration fee of $50.00 per child is required.

If a family withdraws and later wishes to re-register the same child, a non-refundable administrative fee of $25.00 will apply.

Note: These fees do not apply to families who are approved for Child Care Subsidy or who are enrolled under the CWELCC program.

5. Required Documentation

All registration forms must be completed in full through Kindertales before a child’s first day in the program. Families will be notified of any new forms introduced during the school year and provided with a deadline for submission and/or acknowledgement of policy changes or updates made to the Parent Handbook.

Failure to complete required forms by the stated deadline may result in the suspension or termination of care until all forms are submitted.

Enrollment Completion Requirements

To confirm and finalize enrollment, families must complete the following three (3) steps:

1. Phone Intake Meeting: Must be completed within five (5) business days of accepting a space. This intake provides a program overview and gathers information about the child’s needs.
2. Submission of Registration Forms: All required forms must be submitted through Kindertales within 48 hours of the intake meeting.
3. Orientation Visit(s): At least one in-person orientation visit must be completed within five (5) business days of the phone intake meeting.

Failure to complete any of the above steps within the required timeframes may result in the space being offered to another family.

Maintaining Waitlist Status

When contacted with an offer of space, families will have two (2) business days to respond to the offer. If no response, staff will then reach out via email. Families will have two (2) business days to respond to the email. After both of these attempts, if there is still no response received, families will be contacted to be informed that they will be permanently removed from the waitlist and the next family on the waitlist will be contacted.

Reapplying After Removal

Families who are removed from the waitlist or who lose a space due to incomplete enrollment may reapply at any time. To rejoin the waitlist, please visit umbrellafamily.com/locations and select Request Care at the desired location.

Please note that reapplication does not guarantee placement, and all offers are subject to availability.

Waitlist

UFCC is committed to maintaining a fair, equitable, and transparent waitlist process that respects the privacy and confidentiality of all families. When all program spaces at Umbrella are full, families may request to be placed on a waitlist for future availability.

Families may inquire about their child’s general position on the waitlist at any time by contacting their centre’s Supervisor. However, please note that a child’s position on the waitlist is subject to change based on the needs and priorities of the organization.

UFCC does not charge a fee or require a deposit to be placed on the waitlist.

When offered a space, families may decline the offer a maximum of two (2) times. After two declines, the family will be removed from the waitlist.

Waitlist Prioritization

UFCC gives priority placement on the waitlist to the following groups:

1. Children of UFCC Staff (in accordance with the Collective Agreement between UFCC and CUPE Local 3491)
2. Child Welfare and Protection Referrals (as requested by child protection agencies or legal authorities)
3. Children transferring between UFCC Centres
4. Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) Transfers due to change in catchment area
5. Siblings of children currently enrolled in a UFCC Program
6. HWDSB French Immersion transfers

Group-Based Waitlist Management

UFCC has moved away from mixed-age groupings. This means that waitlists for all age groups are managed separately. Children will be offered placement based on the availability within their age-appropriate group, rather than in the order they appear on a single unified list. For example, Kindergarten-aged children will be enrolled in dedicated Kindergarten programs, while School Age children will be enrolled in School Age groups and will be placed in their respective waitlists accordingly. This ensures age-appropriate care and programming.

Exceptions to group-based placement may be made in consultation with the Program Manager, and only when location-specific waitlists do not support strict separation of age groups.

Part-Time Care

Priority for child care space is given to full-time enrollments. Part-time care is available on a limited basis. Whenever possible, Supervisors and Program Leaders will enroll children so that two children requiring part-time care share one full-time spot in the program. When staff are not able to assign a full-time spot between two children, parents will be responsible for paying for a minimum of three (3) days of care per week, despite their individual care requirements.

Requests to change from full-time enrolment to part-time will not be approved if the centre has a waitlist. An occasional or varied schedule for care is not guaranteed and can only be accommodated with a Supervisor’s approval, and if there is not a waitlist at the centre.

Enrollment Changes

Umbrella requires two (2) weeks’ notice to any enrollment changes. Please note, Umbrella does not accept any changes to enrollment from August 15 to September 12 of each calendar year.

Fees

Up-to-date information regarding our fees can be found on our website. If Umbrella fees change for any reason, parents will be notified at least four (4) weeks in advance of the change.

Please note that daily rates and registration fees are considered to be “base fees.” Late fees, NSF fees and/or any fees beyond the base fees are determined on an as-needed basis and are considered to be non-base fees. Non-base fees are not eligible for fee reductions through CWELCC.

Umbrella utilizes an age-based fee schedule. Our fees are based on your child’s age and may not reflect the group your child is placed in. This fee schedule reflects funding agreements with the City of Hamilton.

Child Care Fees are applied to age groups as follows:

• Infant – less than 18 months
• Toddler – 18 months to 30 months
• Preschool – 30 months to 6 years
• Kindergarten – 44 months to 7 years
• School Age – 68 months to 13 years

Fee changes will apply according to the following schedule:

• All infants will begin paying toddler fees at 18 months.
• All toddlers will begin paying preschool fees at 30 months.
• All preschool will begin paying Kindergarten fees as of the September when they enter their first year of Kindergarten at school.
• All Kindergarten children will begin paying School Age fees as of the September when they enter Grade 1.

Child Care Subsidy

The City of Hamilton provides child care subsidies to eligible families, depending on a family’s financial situation. To find out more about Child Care Subsidy, please call 905-546-4870 or visit the City of Hamilton website.

Fee Collection Policies

The following fee collection policies will apply to all families, including those on partial subsidy who are required to pay a daily contribution to cover centre fees:

Fee Payments

As part of the enrollment process, the daily fees will be explained by the Program Supervisor. All parents/guardians must add preauthorized payment information to their profile on Kindertales in the form of banking information or credit card. This preauthorized payment information can be modified or updated by parents/guardians at any time. Failure to provide preauthorized payment information will result in termination of care.

Once the documentation is in place, child care fees will be deducted from your account on a bi-weekly basis. All tuition fees are non-refundable. In certain circumstances, in the case of error, or should a family become eligible for fee subsidy, any prepaid fees would be adjusted.  Credits will be issued on a family account.  In rare situations a refund payment would be issued where a family has no user fee or the resulting credit would not be used up through regular billing within 3 months. Parents must register for school break programs (e.g., P.A. days, March Break) separately. These fees are non-refundable due to high demand for these programs.

Fees are due, a minimum of two (2) weeks in advance, for each day the child is enrolled in the centre. Full fees are charged for statutory/civic holidays; therefore, parents are expected to pay their regular rate each week.

Umbrella Family follows the implementation outlined by the province with respect to Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System. Please refer to our fee schedule for the current subsidy provided by CWELCC.

Absences from the Program

The expenses of the Umbrella programs continue during periods of absence and parents are expected to continue to pay for care when their child is absent from the program (e.g., illness, vacation, etc.). Subsidized parents are required to advise their subsidy worker of any prolonged absences or changes in their situation. Full fees are payable on all statutory/civic holidays or HWDSB closures.

Umbrella centres are closed on the following dates:

• New Year’s Day
• Family Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Civic Holiday
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve – p.m.*
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day
• New Year’s Eve – p.m.*

*Please note that in order to align with the HWDSB policy, the two half day closures may be combined for one full day closure. The date of the closure is determined by HWDSB each year and will be communicated to families. Full fees are charged for this date.

Occasionally, UFCC staff participate in the City of Hamilton’s Early Years Professional Learning Day. In these circumstances, UFCC programs close for the day. Parents are given advance warning of these dates when UFCC is provided the dates from the City of Hamilton.

Tax Receipts

Receipts for paid fees will be issued once annually, in February of each year.

Notice of Withdrawal

Parents are required to provide the Supervisor or Program Leader with two (2) weeks written notice of a child’s withdrawal from the program. Regardless of the last day of attendance, the child will be billed for the remainder of the billing period. Should the family wish to register the same child at a later date, a registration fee of $25.00 will be applied.

Umbrella staff will do everything possible to ensure that our programs work well for all the children who are registered. This includes making program adjustments and working with parents and members of other professions, when authorized by parents. In rare instances where it is not possible to accommodate a child’s needs using the steps above, staff will provide parents with two (2) weeks’ notice and work with them to find alternate and more suitable child care arrangements. Under certain circumstances, the two-week withdrawal period can be waived by Umbrella. These instances will be determined on a case-by-case basis where a family has extreme extenuating circumstances or where a family fails to abide by our Rights and Expectations of Care.

Umbrella staff strive to create an environment of mutual respect between themselves and families. Every effort will be made to accommodate family needs and work in partnership with parents. Parents and families are expected to treat staff with respect. Actions of parents and families that violate the Rights and Expectations of Children, Families, and Staff document, could also result in parents being asked to make alternate child care arrangements, at times, with limited notice (under the above-mentioned conditions).

Late Pick Up Fees

Children become anxious when their parents are late. Staff members have other commitments to attend to after work. It is your responsibility to arrive at the centre in time to collect your child and their belongings so that the centre can close promptly at 6:00 p.m

If you are late picking up your child, you will be charged a late fee of $5.00 per child, plus $1.00 per child for every minute expired beyond the centre closing time. The amount of the late fee will be billed to you by the Supervisor and must be paid within three (3) days.

This charge contributes to the overtime expenses paid to staff members who are required to stay beyond their regular shift.

If you are late picking up your child more than three (3) times, a meeting will take place with your Program Leader or Supervisor to discuss alternate child care arrangements.

Late fees apply to all families, even those whose care is fully subsidized.

NSF Charges

A fee equivalent to the amount the bank charges Umbrella for an NSF will be applied to your account when a payment is returned NSF, including late-fee charges. If your payment is returned NSF, funds in the amount of your account balance must be received within three (3) business days. Upon receipt of a second NSF, all of the above will apply. Outstanding accounts must be paid in full on the next scheduled PAP withdrawal date.

Accounts in Arrears

While the Umbrella recognizes that occasionally a family may find it difficult to pay fees on time, please be aware that an account in arrears is not acceptable. Failure to keep your payments up to date may result in your child(ren) being suspended from the program until outstanding account balances have been settled.

Accounts that have been in arrears for a significant amount of time will be referred to a collection agency

If due to extenuating circumstances you are unable to pay your fees on time, it is in your best interest to speak to the Program Leader or Supervisor immediately. In some circumstances, Umbrella may be able to set up a temporary, manageable fee schedule.

Emergency Closures

An emergency closure is defined as any event which is outside of the control of the Umbrella and requires us to close our centres. Examples of emergency closures include, but are not limited to snow storm, centre without heat/hydro, labour disruption, pandemic, etc. In the case of an emergency closure, fees will be payable for all closures not exceeding two (2) consecutive business days. This means that should a centre need to close for up to two (2) days, parents will be expected to pay for care, even though they needed to make alternate arrangements.