Frequently Asked Questions

While all childcare centers and preschools in New Jersey are licensed, this only assures that they are in compliance with the minimum requirements of the state of New Jersey. Since accreditation by a national agency is not required for licensing in New Jersey, the overwhelming majority of childcare centers and preschools in New Jersey have not applied for any type of accreditation. Evergreen is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which is regarded as the premier early childhood accreditation agency in the United States. Both the Wall Street Journal and Parent’s Magazine have termed NAEYC’s accreditation as “the gold standard in child care”. This accreditation is only given to childcare centers and preschools which demonstrate the highest degree of excellence in their programming, staffing, curriculum, equipment, facilities, health and safety and overall management, and only after a lengthy review process and on- site inspections by NAEYC personnel. The criteria for accreditation are more detailed, more rigid and more in depth than New Jersey’s licensing standards. Less than 6% of all centers nationwide are accredited by NAEYC, and only four of the eighty five licensed centers in Hunterdon County have been granted this accreditation. NAEYC accreditation assures you that your child is enrolled in one of the finest centers in the nation. For more information about NAEYC accreditation please click here..

Let’s face it; kids just want to have fun, but, who says learning can’t be fun. One of the requirements of NAEYC accreditation is a formal curriculum which focuses on age appropriate developmental goals and is implemented by a professional staff in a manner that children view as fun. At Evergreen, our NAEYC approved teaching staff works with the children on a daily basis to implement a fun filled curriculum that instills a lifelong love of learning. Click here to visit our curriculum page. NAEYC accreditation also means that you child will be cared for in a center that meets all NAEYC standards for Health and Safety.

The single most important factor in a childcare program is a staff that is properly trained in the area of early childhood development and you should ask about the qualifications of every staff member at any childcare center or preschool you are considering. At a NAEYC accredited center, you are assured that your children are being cared for by a highly trained and qualified staff. We require each and every staff member to possess the educational background that is commensurate with their responsibilities and meet NAEYC guidelines for the position that they hold. Our Director has a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education and has been a director for over 15 years. Our Assistant Director has a Bachelor's Degree in education and 12 years experience in Early Childhood Education. Our lead teachers all hold college degrees, several assistants hold college degrees in education and all other staff members hold, at minimum, the Child Development Associate (CDA) designation or are currently enrolled in this program. This level of Education and training goes well beyond the guidelines and requirements of the state of New Jersey. We are justifiably proud of our staff and feature them on our website's staff page. Please click here to view our staff profiles.

Your child’s health and safety is our primary concern. Our building is secure and can only be accessed by a driveway at the front of the building. Our main entrance is locked and can only be opened by a staff member or parent who has an electronic key. All classrooms are protected by a state of the art fire suppression system and all exit doors are alarmed and cannot be opened from the outside. Our playground is equipped with commercial grade equipment and the entire playground is covered by an artificial surface with fall zone protection. A six-foot high security fence surrounds the playground and the exit gates are locked on the outside. All staff members are required to attend training and become certified in CPR and First Aid. To allow you to periodically check in on your child, we offer a webcam system that you can access via the internet.

Young children feel most comfortable in smaller settings where they are familiar with all staff members. Unlike the mega centers of the chains and franchises, which are designed to hold 150 to 200 children and are subject to frequent staff turnover, Evergreen was designed to be smaller and more intimate. Our enrollment is limited to 85 children at any given time. This allows our full time Director to be fully involved in the development goals of each child. Our small size and low turnover rate relieves our administrators of daily classroom responsibility and allows them to concentrate on providing the children with a quality educational experience, implemented by familiar staff members, in a warm friendly environment.

Despite our NAEYC Accreditation, modern building and facilities, and highly educated staff, our overall rates are, in most instances, lower that the rates charged by the major competing centers in the Flemington area, sometime by a significant margin. Additionally, at most competing centers programs such as fitness, computer education and music are considered enrichment programs and require an additional charge of up to $30 per month per program. At Evergreen, these programs are taught by the same outside vendors that other centers utilize however there is no additional charge for these programs. We also offer a sibling discount that is applied to both children’s tuition. Most competing centers limit this discount to the second child’s tuition. When all areas are considered, our rates are among the lowest in the area.

We believe that we have the most flexible program in the Flemington area. We can arrange a program to fit most anyone’s schedule. We open at 7AM and close at 6PM (6:30 AM opening and 6:30 PM closing available for an additional fee). We offer one, two, three, four and five day programs that can be either half-day (ending at 1PM) or full day (ending at 6PM). We can combine these programs to allow you to drop off and/or pick up your child at different times during the week.

Snack and beverages are provided during the day. Parents may elect to provide their child with a packed lunch or may avail themselves of our optional hot lunch program which may be purchased for a nominal fee on a daily or monthly basis.

Evergreen closes the week between Christmas and New Years and for approximately seven holidays throughout the year. Click here to see our holiday schedule.