When new child care locations join the Learning Jungle family, parents immediately want to know what is changing. Our rule is to never change anything until we first understand the community and the families we serve. Our job is to listen and observe. We aim to build on existing communities, not fit each into a cookie-cutter mold. Our intention is to keep what is working and identify opportunities to improve. This is something we ask all parents and staff to help us navigate. Your voice matters!

Of course! We cannot wait to meet Little Sprout families in person. Dates will be announced soon.

We generally follow a 4-month transition plan once the transaction has closed and Little Sprouts is officially part of the Learning Jungle family. However, given the current pandemic, our timelines may be extended.

Some highlights during transition include:

1. Assessment of staff and parent needs – Surveys, parent & staff meetings, review feedback
2. Assessment of facility operations – Ensuring facilities are up to code and meet our quality standards
3. Onboarding families – Changeover to a new account system, etc.
4. Staff training –12-week training focused on our pedagogical approach and learning environment, classroom management and documentation, customer experience and overall culture and inclusive practices
5. Building and classroom interior improvements (if required) – For example, replacing or repairing damaged furnishings, updating learning materials, etc.
6. Company brand changeover – New signage and integration of our website and communication channels
7. Integration of Learning Jungle Online (LJO) – management tool for educators and parents
8. Improvements to services, based on your feedback

Learning Jungle programs are play-based, Reggio-inspired. We strongly believe that children learn best through play. Our educators are co-learners with children. Educators document observations in the classroom and discuss children’s experiences with families as a basis for program planning. This allows a child to freely discover on their own but also ensures ‘whole child development’, consisting of skills in five domains: social, emotional, language, cognitive and physical.

Play-based activities are purposefully selected based on observations of a child’s development. Educators are essentially setting up environments and activities to support growth and development vs allowing children to roam around in the same environment every day.

Class sizes are dependent on physical classroom sizes and educator to student ratios. Once we assess the current state, we will make appropriate changes if required. If things are working well, we will keep as is!

Our infant, toddler and preschool programs have designated age ranges that are appropriate for child development. It is important for children to interact and socialize with younger and older peers so long as their learning experience is not inhibited, and we comply with the California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing.

Yes, nap times are based on what is recommended for each child’s age, even in classrooms with a range of ages.

A child will never be forced to stay awake or to stay in the napping area longer than the designated napping period. If a child continues to sleep past the scheduled nap time, we do not wake the child. The child is allowed to wake naturally unless parents have instructed otherwise. Children who do not require sleep during naptime are given books, puzzles, or appropriate calming activities to keep the child quietly engaged.

The look and feel of Learning Jungle classrooms are very much aligned with Little Sprouts. The design of Learning Jungle spaces is neutral and harmonious allowing children to be mindful and feel a sense of calm.

We have heard a few parents concerned with the use of plastic vs wood toys. The trend these days is to move towards more environmentally clean products. We absolutely agree this is important and we try to stock our classrooms with more open-ended natural and wood toys whenever possible. We also advocate nature play in our programming and our goal is to convert all our outdoor play areas to natural play spaces over time.

However, we believe some plastic toys provide beneficial learning, such as classic Lego blocks. Lego is an example of a brand that continues to evolve their product to be more sustainable and eco-friendlier. When we select our learning toys, we are very mindful of safety, usage and learning value. Educators are also provided with a yearly budget to expand/replace educational toys.

There are also a few reasons why we cannot completely remove all plastic toys from our classroom.

• The use of porous materials can be challenging to disinfect in a shared commercial environment vs in your own home where only your children play with the toys, and the frequency of cleaning is not as high. This issue was highlighted at the height of the pandemic when health officials in many regions mandated the removal of all porous materials from our classrooms.
• We are an inclusive child care and require learning toys that are able to accommodate special needs. Using loose parts can be challenging for those who have a hard time recognizing or associating objects with their imagination. If we cannot find specific toys available in natural materials, we will accommodate with a plastic substitute.

Yes. We have no plans to change Little Sprout’s vegetarian menu unless we have strong consensus from parents to do so. Our Parent Handbook outlines our general policies and procedures for our food program; however, based on parent feedback we are flexible on some policies provided changes meet government & health regulations. For example, some parents asked about vegan options. If only a few parents request this, we will not change the entire program to accommodate. However, we do allow parents to prepare their own meals for their children if they have strict diets.

Little Sprouts fees are staying the same for 2021-2022 school year (Sept 2021- August 2022).

Our general practice at the beginning of each year is to evaluate market conditions and operational costs which may result in a fee increase. In rare cases, market conditions may warrant mid-year re-evaluations. In the event of any increase, all parents will be notified in advance.

Fees for each Learning Jungle facility vary due to many factors including, wages, leases, competition, etc.

Great news, we have a multi-child discount and we will be offering this to families immediately. If a family has more than one child enrolled at Learning Jungle, we offer a 10% discount for each additional child. The discount is applied to the sibling(s) with the lower fees.

Our company growth strategy and profits normally do not come from cost-cutting at the facility level. If anything, we invest more into the centers we acquire to improve quality and provide support to our educators. We maximize profitability with economies of scale through IT, HR, financial management, procurement, marketing, etc., making us scalable and prepared to enter different markets.

Our global footprint allows us to experience and develop insights across different markets and regulatory regimes; empowering us to deliver the highest standards of education throughout our network. We want to make a difference in children’s lives through learning and we believe every child, regardless of circumstances, deserves quality education.

 

Learning Jungle offers both full and part-time programs. This includes multiple days and half-days; however weekly schedules must be consistent. All full-time program enrolments are 100% guaranteed and secure. Although we make every effort to accommodate children enrolled in part-time programs, their continuation at the facility cannot be guaranteed if it starts to impede on our ability to serve those who are committed to full-time. In the event that this happens, the facility reserves the right to give parents up to two weeks’ written notice to find alternative care or to convert to a full-time program.

If your current program does not offer flexible programming, we will not implement any changes until we review family needs and staffing requirements for your location.

These two questions were raised multiple times in the chat thread. We understand your needs and will work with Little Sprouts staff to accommodate more convenient operating hours. We have also heard everyone’s concerns regarding closure dates. We have an obligation to listen to both staff and parent needs. We are reviewing and will share more information shortly.

Yes, the waitlist will be carried over and they will keep their spots.

The health and safety of families and staff are our priority.

Our COVID protocols are as follows:

• • Immunization – Vaccines are not currently mandatory.
  • Individuals exhibiting one or more symptoms of COVID-19 related symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea) are required to self-isolate for 10 days OR provide a negative rapid antigen or PCR test result. If the condition is pre-existing, and the staff or child has written documentation by a doctor, they can remain at the facility.
  • PPE regulations – Staff and parents are required to wear face masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Staff and children are not required to wear face masks outdoors. Children aged 2+ are reminded and encouraged to wear face masks indoors. Staff are required to wear gloves when serving food.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting – Staff will increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces, toys, and high-touch areas throughout the day. Any toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized will be removed from our programming. All staff and children will be required to increase frequency of personal hygiene including washing hands immediately upon arrival at our facilities and frequently throughout the day.
  • Daily screening and monitoring – Upon arrival, staff will perform a visual health check and verbally confirm with parents that their child is not ill. Staff will regularly monitor each child’s temperature upon arrival and throughout the day. If a child is exhibiting symptoms while in our facilities, staff will isolate the child immediately in a separate area. Parents will be contacted and advised to seek professional medical advice immediately.
  • Social distancing – Although this can be challenging with young children, educators will conduct programming two metres apart and child gatherings will be reduced to smaller numbers (e.g., meal times, classroom activities, outdoor play, etc.). We try to avoid cross-over of children and staff between classrooms whenever possible.
  • External visitors – Parents, vendors and delivery personnel are permitted entry into a facility, however, all persons will be screened prior to entry, i.e., temperature check and screening questions.
  • Ventilation – When weather and air quality conditions allow, windows will be open to increase fresh outdoor air circulation. We also encourage educators to move activities outdoors when possible.

Learning Jungle originated under Devhaus Corporation and was acquired in 2019 by people&baby, a leading child care operator in France with locations in Italy, Luxemburg, Dubai and China.

At this time, the product Learning Jungle licenses from Devhaus is their online tool for child care management, what we refer to as Learning Jungle Online (LJO). It’s safe and private, and your data will never be sold to third parties nor used for beta testing. We use this tool to be more efficient in our operations and as a communication tool for educators and parents to share account information and classroom documentation.

Devhaus has many exciting AI projects underway including one in the ECE space that is aimed to help learners produce better outcomes; however, this has yet to go to market. If parents are interested in learning more about Devhaus, we can arrange a webinar with a representative from their team.

Learning Jungle Online is a communication tool designed to help our educators and parents share information through a convenient mobile app*. With this tool you will be able to access your account information and easily view classroom documentation, including your child’s portfolio. Educators use LJO for classroom documentation so that you as a parent will be able to view photos, artifacts, and observations at your convenience.

LJO makes it easy and convenient for educators to document multiple children in the classroom. The interaction between child and educator is one of the most invaluable experiences a child can have during their early development years. The use of LJO is not meant to take away time educators have with children, but instead make it easier for them to manage individualized observations more accurately and efficiently.

In addition to daily classroom documentation, this tool also provides enhanced capabilities to help Directors better manage staff schedules, room capacity and other administrative tasks that can otherwise be very tedious and time consuming.

*LJO is also accessible on your desktop

LJO is expected to be implemented during the 4-month transition, however, it will take some time for educators to become familiar with the new routine. Learning Jungle will conduct formal training to ensure the transition is smooth. Once LJO is in use, the existing Instagram account will be redundant and no longer required.

As a side note: You would be surprised to know how much Instagram and Facebook use your data! Unlike these popular social applications, LJO is actually much more secure and we do not sell your information to advertisers or use data for purposes other than education.

The information we collect is private and confidential. Please review our policies in the Parent Handbook. Learning Jungle does not sell child information to any third party. Children’s personal information, including stories, photos, and videos are property of Learning Jungle and may be used for education purposes only.

Update 11/21

Regarding opting out, government regulation requires certain information be captured and stored. However parents can opt out of the two items listed below:

1. Individual and group photos/videos of children to showcase learning experiences and observations for the purposes of education and parent collaboration.
2. Photos and videos of your child to promote Learning Jungle’s child care services in either print or on digital channels, e.g., website or social media.

 

Little Sprouts staff are key to our success, and we will do our best to provide them with the support and training they need to be successful, not only at Learning Jungle, but also in their professional careers. Learning Jungle continually seeks quality staff throughout the year and retaining long-standing staff has always been our goal. Over the last year, we have been reviewing how important it is for staff to be engaged and to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits.

The child care industry has always struggled with trying to balance reasonable fees with operating costs to provide quality educational child care. As you may have seen in the news, the on-going pandemic has really brought to light the value of front-line workers, which includes child care. It’s been a challenging two years for staff, especially given all the added protocols, stress and health risks during this pandemic. They show up each day to serve our communities and we are continually grateful and appreciative for their commitment and dedication.

Absolutely! To continue offering quality educational child care, development days are extremely important for staff to refresh their skills and advance their careers. We are committed to keeping the existing 3 Professional Development days.

Learning Jungle is happy to share insights about Professional Development days as they occur.