Policies & Procedures

Communication

Once your child has been enrolled, you will receive an invitation to our messaging platform, where you can chat directly with the teachers. Our messaging platform will also be where any information, including location, will be given.
For any initial questions or concerns before enrollment, please contact us at hillandcreekoc@gmail.com or call/text us at 417-335-1185.
We will also use our Facebook and Instagram accounts to share session highlights and photos.
In case of illness, injury, or emergency situations, families will be notified immediately by call or text.

Sick/Absent Policy

At Hill & Creek Outdoor Classroom LLC, we want to provide a safe, healthy environment for all students and staff. In order to do that, please follow the below guidelines when dealing with illness.

Families must keep children home if they have any of the following:
- Fever within 24 hours of your child's session
- Vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours of your child's session
- Contagious illness (examples: strep throat, pink eye, lice, flu, COVID-19, etc.)
- Illness that will prevent safe participation outdoors
If you feel like your child does not meet any of the above criteria, but is still not feeling 100%, please communicate with us through email at hillandcreekoc@gmail.com or call/text us at 417-335-1185. If possible, we can modify the upcoming session's activity so your child can more easily participate and keep transference of germs to a minimum.
If your child will not be able to make a session (examples: illness, vacations, appointments, family emergencies), please communicate the absence in as much advance as possible. Please email, call/text.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up Policy

A week prior to each session, parents will be informed of the location via our messaging platform. Along with the location, we will provide a drop-of/pick-up spot.

During drop-off, please make sure your child has connected with the staff before leaving.
During pick-up, your child will only be released to the parent(s) or any other pre-approved adult.

For the safety of all participants, if someone other than a parent or guardian will be picking up your teen, we require prior notification via call, text, or email. Please provide the name of the individual authorized to pick them up, and be aware that our staff will request a valid photo ID from that person upon arrival. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a secure and safe environment.

Late Pick up Policy

It is the parents' responsibility to ensure their child(ren) are picked up at their scheduled times. We ask that you communicate with us if you are not going to be there by the scheduled time. We allow a five minute grace period. However, if you have picked up your child after the five minute grace period more than once, we will implement the following:

A verbal warning will be issued.
After the verbal warning, the next late pick-up will result in a $10 late pick-up fee.
If you are charged two $10 late pick-up fees, your child may be unenrolled for the duration of scheduled sessions. No refund will be granted.

Cancellation, Make-Up Policy

We will make every effort not to cancel our scheduled sessions. In instances of unsafe weather conditions, we will utilize Dewey Short, The Hatchery and the C of O Museum. These locations are free to the public and indoors. If we have utilized all of those options during a season, we will cancel the next session if it is unsafe to be outdoors. Examples of unsafe conditions include: lightning, severe weather warnings, flooding, icy conditions, high winds with falling-limb risk, or extreme temperatures (below freezing and above 100 degrees). If we decide to cancel, we will communicate through our messaging platform as quickly as possible.

If we do have to cancel a session, we will make every effort to offer a Bad Weather Makeup Day. Information on where and when that Makeup day will take place will be sent out through our messaging platform. If you are unable to attend the makeup day, we cannot guarantee an alternate date or offer a refund.

Conflict & Big Emotions

Conflict and big emotions are natural parts of being human. We view these moments as opportunities to practice problem-solving and emotional growth. Our teachers will:

Stay calm and model self-regulation.
Validate children's feelings.
Guide problem-solving with clear language and choices.
Support making amends with a full apology process: say sorry, take responsibility, make it right, and commit to do better.

If behavior escalates (such as continued tantrums or aggression), we follow a clear step-by-step process:

Redirection and reminders.
Calming support in a quiet, designated spot in nature.
Reflection and accountability with teacher guidance.
Restorative actions to repair relationships or help with group.
Temporary removal from activity if safety is at risk.

If conflict and aggressive behavior continues, we will privately have a conversation with parents about further techniques and possible solutions that might be helpful. Every person benefits from nature, and we will make every effort to help create a safe and nurturing space for each of our students. If every consideration has been made, and a child is still having struggles, we may have to discuss whether Hill & Creek's structure and philosophy is the perfect fit. No refunds will be given if Hill & Creek teachers feel they have made every effort to help resolve conflict and aggressive behavior.