Conference Childcare FAQ

Our preference is, and our experience shows, that having younger children mixed with older ones disrupts staffing ratios, is more stressful for the younger child and is generally inappropriate for care. With that said, we always try to accommodate the wishes of parent/guardians provided we can do so without disrupting the overall program.

Only if we’ve made special arrangements ahead of time with the both the clients and the parents. When “teen-release” is arranged ahead of time, we provide an additional consent form to the parents of teens who wish to allow their children to leave the program on their own recognizance. Parents must sign this form at check in. With a signed release form, your teen will be allowed to leave our program, but will not be allowed to check back in without an authorized parent/guardian.

In general, no, but if you have a requirement for babysitting or other very small group services in conjunction with one of our programs, be sure to let us know. At the very least, we can probably facilitate an arrangement between parents and individual staff members.

Absolutely. We have long-term relationships with a number of prominent special needs groups and organizations, including the National Hemophilia Foundation, National Eczema Association, National Alopecia Areata Foundation, Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia, and many others. We are familiar with the unique requirements and challenges inherent to many special needs programs, and we work closely with our special needs clients to provide qualified, experienced staff and to create a positive and supportive experience for the children and their families.

With well over two decades of experience in group childcare, we have developed a thorough, multi-level security process designed to ensure a seamless and controlled transition of custody from family to caregiver and back to family. We utilize a number of techniques including sign-in/sign-out, digital pictures, and physical identification to ensure that each and every child is assigned to a specific caregiver, carefully monitored and cared for throughout the program session, and returned safely to the custody of authorized family members.

CKE programs include veteran Program Managers who often travel regionally to manage our programs, as well as Room Leaders and Childcare Staff, who are generally hired locally. In most mid-to-large sized population centers, we have returning staff who have worked with us many times. Applicants to our childcare positions must demonstrate previous childcare experience, quality professional references, and must pass a criminal/sex offender background check. Good examples of the type of people we recruit to staff our programs are classroom teachers, camp counselors, professional day care providers, and volunteers in organized youth activities such as sports coaches, social/mentoring programs, and church or school day care settings.

We utilize one of the largest and most well-regarded employment background screening companies in the US to run a comprehensive Criminal and Sex Offender background check on each and every staff member.

We have extensive experience managing VERY large programs featuring many hundreds of children. Our security and management processes can scale up to cover and care for large numbers of children in almost any type of host facility while maintaining rigorous quality and security standards. Of course, most programs are much smaller than that and we can adapt our program content and services to fit your particular needs.

We have yet to encounter a program location we cannot accommodate! We have provided programs in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as internationally in Canada, Spain, Monte Carlo, and other locations.  With sufficient notice, we can handle just about any hamlet, village, resort destination, or rural location. And, of course, we’re always ready to go in any urban locale.  Program location can affect pricing, so be sure to contact us for a quote today.

Newborn to 17 – age-appropriate programming for all. We can also accommodate special-needs adult care. Please contact us for details.

In most circumstances, we endeavor to adhere to the following child to staff ratios:

• 0-3 no more than 2 children per staffer
• 4-7 no more than 4 children per staffer
• 8-12 no more than 6 children per staffer
• +12 – no more than 8 children per staffer

This is a very difficult question to answer quickly, because so many variables factor in to program pricing. In general, we charge between $5-$25 per hour per child. If this seems like a wide range, it’s because so much depends on those variables: number of children, childcare hours, location, activities, special needs, event planning assistance, etc. Another general rule of thumb is that the per-child cost goes down the more children you have in your program – but don’t let that scare you off! The majority of our programs are smaller in number and we will work with you to manage to any reasonable budget.  Contact us, or Submit an RFP to provide some details, and we can provide you with a much more accurate quote.

CKE was an early adopter of preventitive measures during the COVID pandemic. We can deploy a wide range of social, physical, and sanitation procedures for clients seeking added levels of security from COVID or other infectious diseases. Here is a sample list of the types of measures we can take, and be sure to contact us with any additional requirements or questions.

Our supplies are sourced from a number of different companies, most of them familiar to teachers or other folks who work with groups of children in educational or recreational settings.

Swimming, along with field trips or other excursions, must be arranged ahead of time with both the client and the parent. Additional consent forms will be provided, and the environment/facilities must meet with the approval of CKE.

Certainly! Many of our programs feature trips to local attractions such as zoos, parks, museums, etc. We can also take the kids to movies or other entertainment venues. Like swimming or any other special activity, this must be arranged ahead of time with both the client and the parents, and additional consent forms will apply.