WELCOME TO CHILDREN OF AMERICA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Mission Statement
• Educational Philosophy
• Guiding Principle: “Putting Children First”
• The Premier Choice in Childcare
• About Your Employee Handbook
• Public Media
• Open Door
• Suggestions
• Our Shared Values

Mission Statement

To provide educational childcare solutions to working families through quality programming, flexibility, and value for the communities we serve.

Educational Philosophy

The cornerstone of our approach to early childhood education is the belief that active, participatory learning is fundamental to the development of a child’s full potential. Such active learning occurs most effectively in settings that provide developmentally appropriate learning opportunities

The active learning philosophy holds that learning is a process of engagement with resources and ideas that encourages problem solving to discover new things and contributes to the personal development and social change that most often occurs in collaboration with others.

We are centered in the belief that a well-rounded approach addressing the whole child — mind, body and spirit — is the core of active learning. With that in mind, we nurture children and partner with families to ignite creativity and cultivate lifelong learners.

Guiding Principle: “Putting Children First”

At Children of America (COA), our focus and commitments are “Putting Children First.” We recognize that to accomplish this we must support the professionals who guide and instruct our children and create the COA Experience. We are committed to creating a work environment that fosters productive learning where teachers can teach, learners can learn and people find meaning and satisfaction in their careers. COA is a family of committed professionals striving to provide high-quality early childhood education for all children. The policies and guidelines in this handbook are designed to support our mission and are the minimum expectations for our work environment.

The Premier Choice in Childcare

Founded in 1998, COA is one of the fastest-growing childcare providers in the U.S. The company operates schools in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. While we are proud of our growth and development, we believe our greatest accomplishment is the academic readiness we provide our preschoolers. COA children enter kindergarten with foundational readiness skills, an eagerness to grow and a love of learning.

About Your Employee Handbook

This handbook is the go-to guide for information on your work environment, benefits and policies affecting your employment. It describes many of your responsibilities as an employee and outlines the programs developed by COA to benefit every employee. It is our directive to create a safe, meaningful and value-driven work environment that is conducive to both personal and professional growth. We strive to recognize individual contributions and to make open, direct and personal communication the hallmark of our organization. Please take time to read the handbook and save it as a handy reference for policies and procedures.

Throughout this handbook you will see the icon “Additional Information About This Topic Available!”. This icon is an indicator to you that the section you are reading may not be the complete policy, guideline or procedure. It is your responsibility to use this notice as a prompt to familiarize yourself with the additional information available. Please see the Additional Information Reference Guide at the end of this handbook for locating those resources.

The provisions outlined in this handbook supersede all existing policies, practices and previous handbooks. The policies or guidelines contained in this employee handbook create neither an expressed nor implied employment contract with COA or any of its subsidiaries.

Please treat this handbook and the information in it as confidential. No portion of this handbook should be disclosed to others, except COA employees and those affiliated with COA whose knowledge of the information is required in the normal course of business.

Public Media

Under no circumstance should you, or any employee, give a statement to or answer questions from any member of the media, unless given permission and direction by an executive team member or our public relations firm. Media is defined as any broadcast system, i.e., radio, television, newspaper, social media platform, etc.

At the school level, any employee who receives a call or is visited in person by a member of the media is to contact the Home Office for direction.

Open Door

We welcome and encourage visits by families at any time. COA welcomes open communication between employees and management. An open-door policy is provided to encourage an exchange of information. You are invited to share your concerns and provide input to your supervisor at any time.

It is the supervisor’s responsibility to address your concerns and provide appropriate follow-up. If, however, your immediate supervisor cannot adequately answer the question or solve the problem, contact Human Resources.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions or ideas that you feel would benefit COA, we encourage you to tell us about them. We are always looking for suggestions that improve methods, procedures,

working conditions, reduce costs or errors and benefit the company and its employees. The best way to make suggestions is to contact your executive team member.

Our Shared Values

Accountability

Empower self-decision making by not dwelling on but accepting responsibility and learning from one’s mistakes that will move the organization forward by serving the company’s mission, vision and values.

Collaboration

Aligning on solutions that understand the needs of our stakeholders to serve the organizations mission, vision and values.

Growth Mindset

Think generational, where obstacles are viewed as opportunities for the company’s growth while accepting feedback to enhance the development and growth of both employees and the organization.

Integrity

Going beyond honesty and loyalty by considering the impact of decisions and doing what’s right for all stakeholders.

Consistency

By ensuring continuity of care, the organization can uphold its brand and enable stakeholders to have clear expectations of its experience.