Frequently Asked Questions
Twenty-two answers, and the phone number for anything not covered here.
About the center
Are you licensed?
Yes. United Sunrise Center is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) as a day care center. The certificate is displayed at the center, where you can read it on your tour.
You do not have to take our word for it. OCFS's Division of Child Care Services answers questions about any licensed day care from parents directly, on (631) 240-2560 or (800) 732-5207.
What ages do you accept?
Children from 6 weeks to 4 years 10 months, in four groups: infants, toddlers, preschool, and pre-kindergarten. Each group has its own room and its own rhythm.
What are your hours?
Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We close for ten holidays a year.
Where are you, and is there parking?
52 Hawthorne Ave, East Islip NY 11730 (opens in Google Maps in a new tab), with free parking on site.
Can I visit before enrolling?
Yes, and we would rather you did. Tours run about 30 minutes. You will meet the teachers, walk through the room your child would actually be in, and get straight answers on schedules, meals, and openings. Bring your child if you can.
Or call +1 (631) 581-0194 and we will find you a time.
Do you have openings, or a waiting list?
Availability changes through the year and by age group. Call +1 (631) 581-0194 and we will tell you what is open for your child right now, and add you to the list if nothing is.
How do I enroll?
Book a tour first, so you have seen the room and met the people before you decide anything. Enrollment is completed with the center, through the enrollment agreement and the paperwork New York State requires.
Programs and learning
Do you provide education, or only childcare?
Both. Our curriculum is play-based and changes with a new theme every month. Children learn logic, early math, reading, phonics, and writing by exploring and doing, and we keep a portfolio of each child's progress aligned with New York State standards.
What is a typical day like?
Every day includes:
- Activities built around the month's theme
- Hands-on learning centers the children move between
- Outdoor play, weather permitting, on our own playground
- Meals and snacks, catered and prepared fresh
- Rest time
- Photos and updates to you in the Brightwheel app
The order and the timings differ by age group. Ask on your tour and we will walk you through a full day for your child's room.
Do the children go outside every day?
Yes. Outdoor play and learning are part of every day's routine, weather permitting, on our own playground. When the weather is against us there is an indoor gym on site, so running and climbing are not cancelled by rain.
Do you take field trips?
No, we do not take the children off site. We have a large playground and our own gym here, so the running, climbing and gross motor activity that a trip would be for happens on the premises, every week.
Will you help with potty training?
Yes. We follow the method you are already using at home, so your child gets one consistent message rather than two.
Do you offer part-time schedules?
Yes. We offer both full-time and part-time enrollment. Tuition is quoted per family based on the days you need, so call +1 (631) 581-0194 and we will work it out with you.
Meals and what to bring
Do you provide meals?
Yes. Meals and snacks are catered by Lessing's Catering Company and prepared fresh each day, and every one is designed to meet children's nutritional needs.
The menu changes every week. Our director writes it herself, around what OCFS requires of a children's menu and the suggestions parents send in, and enrolled families get each week's in the Brightwheel app.
What if my child has a food allergy?
We are a nut-free school, so no nuts come into the building at all. Beyond that: tell us before you enroll, and tell us again straight away if anything changes during the year. Allergies are recorded in writing at enrollment, not carried in someone's head.
How your child's allergy is handled day to day depends on what it is: what the kitchen can and cannot serve, whether food comes from home, and what paperwork we need from your doctor. Call +1 (631) 581-0194 and we will go through the specifics for your child and give them to you in writing before their first day.
What do I need to bring?
- Diapers and wipes
- A full change of clothes
- A crib sheet, for infants
- A blanket or sleeping bag, for toddlers and up
Food from home is allowed if your child does not eat the school food. The one rule is that it contains no nuts, because the building is nut-free for every child in it.
Ask us on your tour whether anything else is needed for your child's room.
Health and safety
How do you keep children safe?
- Every member of staff is certified in CPR and first aid
- Staff are trained to recognize communicable diseases and the signs of child abuse
- Background checks on every hire, without exception
- The center is licensed by New York State and inspected against its standards
Ask us on your tour for anything more specific: emergency procedures, medication handling, drop-off and pickup. We will show you rather than describe it.
What happens if my child gets sick at the center?
We contact you straight away, tell you what we are seeing, and agree with you what happens next.
When a child can come back after an illness is set by New York State's rules for licensed day care and by the center's own policy, and it is covered in your enrollment paperwork. Call +1 (631) 581-0194 and we will tell you exactly how it works before you need it.
What are your immunization requirements?
All children must meet New York State's immunization requirements, with current records on file before their first day. The only exemptions are the ones New York State allows.
Send us new vaccination records as your child receives them, so what we hold stays current.
What days are you closed?
We close for ten holidays each year, all of them federal holidays.
Staying in touch
How will I know how my child's day went?
Through the Brightwheel app: photos and updates on activities, meals, naps and milestones during the day, and a growth portfolio that builds over your child's whole time with us. Aligned with New York State standards, so it is also documentation a future school will recognize.
You can also message the office or your child's teachers directly in the app, at any point in the day, rather than waiting until pickup.
Do I need to download an app?
Yes, once your child is enrolled. We use Brightwheel, which is free, and it is where the daily updates, the messages, the lesson plans and each week's menu live. It is one app for iPhone and Android, and there is a web version if you would rather not install anything.
We set your account up when your child starts, so you are not signing yourself up for anything.
Tuition
How much is tuition, and are there ways to lower it?
Tuition depends on the schedule you choose and is quoted per family, so call +1 (631) 581-0194 for a quote rather than a range that will not match your situation.
Federal child care tax credits, a dependent care FSA through your employer, and subsidies for eligible families can all bring the cost down, and our director can walk you through eligibility and the paperwork.
Still have a question?
Ask us. We answer every message, and we are here Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.