Genius Garden Club was born out of the absence of the village.  Modern motherhood is evolving as more and more families choose to take on more aspects of their child’s education and personal development, there is a greater need for support and community outside of the old systems. These memberships are designed to serve the mother by providing her with direct support through rest, nourishment, flexibility, connection and high-quality short-term childcare. More than childcare, this is a community with mental, physical and spiritual health at its core—when mom is healthier, the family is healthier.

Curriculum

Since we are not meant to replace the efforts of the parents in terms of parenting and education, we have play and study areas intended to encourage imagination, connection and creativity with guidance and supervision from our trained care providers. Our ratios require 1:5 to ensure our caregivers can properly tune in, listen, help mediate, encourage and fully engage with children as challenges or opportunities arise.

Positive Discipline

Care givers are trained that children experiencing anger, frustration and pain is a normal part of the human experience and they need acknowledgement, guidance and compassion while they learn natural consequences, how to self-regulate and guidance on how choose better next time.

Steps for de-escalation:

1.     Acknowledge that we can understand that they’re upset and want to help.

2.     Listen to individual child or all children involved in a disagreement/situation ensure ownership with “I” statements when age appropriate.

3.     Offer empathy for everyone’s perspective.

4.     Clearly identify the correct and incorrect ways of dealing with each other.

5.     Comfort and Offer Alternative and effective ways of addressing a difficult situation in the future.

6.     We will all practice together to handle hard things better next time. 

7.     Encourage repair.

Meals & Nutrition

Breakfast and Lunch must be cold and provided by the mother if her child will be at the club longer than 2 hours.

Snacks are served throughout the day along with whole fruit that is always available with supervision.

The quality of the food served is critical to the Genius Garden Club vision.  Healthy fresh food directly impacts how minds and bodies carry us through life and the higher quality our food, the more efficient our bodies. Especially our sweet children as they are so rapidly developing both physically and cognitively each day!

Parent Information and Responsibilities

Since mothers and children drop in when they please, all updates and events will be sent out through the email list so everyone can access relevant information as it becomes available and is easy to access or seek out. For individual issues like Code of Conduct violations or more specific issues the parents will be contacted directly about course of action or a change in expectations.

Admission and Release Procedures

To check in we will pull up your membership information and confirm which activities you’re choosing for the day.  Once you choose from quiet rooms, dropping off, hanging out or all the above we’ll confirm your preferred times for your day and your child(ren) will be assigned a caregiver, then listed on a roster for the time of care.

No one can pick up unless they are listed as an “Approved upon request” person on your membership. In this case, we still confirm with you at drop off that this person is approved to pick up your child on that day at that time. If there is a last-minute change, we will not release the child to anyone until we get direct confirmation from you or a trusted individual you have designated.

Enrollment Procedure

No enrollment!  Sign up whenever you want.

Cancel or change your membership whenever you want.

We’re here to serve your family and that can look different for different seasons of life.

Holiday and Vacation Time

We’re closed on Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.

Otherwise, we’re here regular hours unless indicated otherwise.

Sick Policy

Since your membership is designed to give you flexibility and support on a regular basis, we ask that you use your best judgment and rest assured you can rest and catch up at the club once everyone is well. 

 Symptoms that would tell you, it’s a good day to stay home:

* Fever of more than 100 degrees

* Unexplained Rash or Sore

* Discharge from eyes, ears or nose

* Vomiting or Diarrhea

* Productive cough or dry cough lasting more than 1 week

* Any illness or injury that keeps a child from participating in regular activity

Termination of Membership

Every situation that arises will be handled directly with patience and grace alongside an honest consideration of our code of conduct and the way the individual’s actions affect the experience for other members. Constant, unaddressed or problems that show no progress will result in the termination of your membership.

Medical Administration/Emergency Procedures

Since most children will be with us for short periods of time, we are committed to apply emergency procedures like CPR, calling 911 or basic first aid when necessary.  Otherwise for pains or allergies we leave all decisions for treatment and direct treatment up to the parents to perform.

Insurance

The state of Arizona requires $300,000 of general liability and we are insured at $2 million in general liability.

Pesticide Application

We do not apply pesticides and take natural preventative approaches to keep the premises pest free.