What age groups do you serve? Open Arms Christian Child Development Center is open to children of any race, color, or creed from the ages of 6-weeks through 5th grade. We offer full-day programs, half-day programs, after-school programs, and summer camp programs. To see descriptions of our programs, click here.

Do you have tours of your school? Yes! To arrange a tour, click here, or call us at 703-729-9144.

How do I get on your wait list? To add your child’s name to our wait list, email our Enrollment Coordinator at enrollment@openarms-ccdc.org. After doing so, you will need to submit a completed registration form and $50 non-refundable wait list fee.

What does my child need to enroll? To enroll your child, email our Enrollment Coordinator at enrollment@openarms-ccdc.org, schedule a tour, or call us at 703-729-9144. Upon receiving acceptance, you will receive and submit a completed enrollment folder containing a $150 non-refundable registration fee, medical form, doctor’s physical, copy of immunization records, and an original birth certificate.

Do we have to be a member of Our Savior’s Way for our child to attend your school? You do not need to be a member of Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church for your children to attend Open Arms. Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church members receive a discount on registration fees for re-enrollment.

What are your rates? Our rates vary by program. For more information, send an email to enrollment@openarms-ccdc.org.

What is the timeline for tuition and fees payments? Full-day programs are billed weekly on Monday and payment is due by noon on Wednesday. Half-day programs are billed monthly and payment is due by noon on the first Wednesday of the month. If payment has not made according to the payment schedule, late fees are assessed accordingly. A charge of $35.00 will be applied for all returned checks.

Can I pay my tuition online or through an automatic draft? Yes, we offer a FREE electronic funds transfer payment plan. To download the form, please click here and submit to the Billing Department.

Do you offer discounts? Yes, we offer a sibling discount, a LCPS Educator discount and an Active Military discount.

Is Open Arms accredited? Our school is accredited through the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation and is recognized by the Virginia Council for Private Education.

What qualifications do teachers hold? Open Arms strives to not only meet the Virginia Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers, but ensure that our teachers are professionally trained and experienced in working with children in an early childhood/educational setting. Many of our teachers have or are currently obtaining an Associates or Bachelors degree in Psychology or Early Childhood/Elementary Education. In addition, teachers are required to continue their annual professional development by attending trainings throughout the year.

What is your class size and teacher-to-child ratio? Open Arms follows the Virginia Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers and maintains mandated ratios based upon your child’s age.

Do you teach religion as part of your curriculum? Yes, religious education is part of our curriculum. Children learn Bible stories in their classrooms, pray before meals, sing Chapel songs, and participate in weekly Chapel as part of our mission to provide a loving, Christ-centered, Bible-based child care, preschool, and after school program.

Does Open Arms have specialty teachers? Yes, Open Arms has a Curriculum Extension program that offers music, physical education, and Chapel each week. Our music teacher offers music to each classrooms, toddlers and above, weekly for 15-30 minutes. Our physical education teacher leads gross motor activities daily in our “Big Room.” All children in programs Infant 2 and above attend weekly Chapel led by our Director of Christian Education and our music teacher.

Do you offer any summer programs? Our full-day programs continue with their regular schedule during the summer. We offer a summer camp for our school-age children, as well as a half-day camp for children ages 3-4. For more information please visit our Summer Camp page.

My child has special needs. Can you accommodate those needs? Open Arms is open to all children. As part of the enrollment process, your child’s IEP will be reviewed by the Director to ensure that Open Arms is able to meet your child’s specific needs. Accommodations to the environment and modifications to the curriculum are made on individual basis in collaboration with the teaching team,  Director, and parents. For specific questions, please contact our Director.

How can I keep up with what’s going on with my child at school? A parent board is located outside your child’s classroom for classroom specific information such as lesson plans, curriculum themes, teacher schedules, and menus. Each of our programs utilize the Tadpoles website and app to communicate lesson plans, newsletters, child specific daily reports, and progress reports. In addition, all classrooms utilize a classroom email on a daily basis and is a great tool to communicate information with your teaching team.

How do you handle discipline? Open Arms implements positive guidance strategies in all of their programs. Children are not expected to immediately understand or fully comply with all expectations; rather children are to be gently taught, reminded, and when necessary, redirected. An emphasis is placed on what the child is doing correctly, while diminishing negative behaviors. Our staff use Bucketfillers for positive guidance and Second Step for emotional support.

What are your hours of operation? The center operates from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, year round, except for the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Presidents Day (February), Good Friday, Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Independence Day (July 4th), Labor Day (first Monday in September), Indigenous Peoples Day (October) Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. The half-day preschool program operates on the Loudoun County Public School system’s school year, including holidays and breaks.

What is your inclement weather policy? The half-day program follows the inclement weather policy of Loudoun County Public Schools. The full-day program follows the federal government’s weather-related delayed opening or closing recommendations. Open Arms reserves the right to close or alter scheduled hours in cases of severe local weather conditions or emergency situations.  Click HERE for our Inclement Weather Schedule.

What is the sign in policy? All students are checked into and out of Tadpoles daily by their teachers. Access to the building can only be obtained through the security doors using a parent access code.

Who is allowed to pick up my child? If another adult, over 18 years of old, will be picking up your child an Authorization for Pick Up form must be completed and given to the reception desk. This form can be found at the main reception desk, or click here. Should you require an unexpected pick up, phone permission will be verified and accepted. Proper identification is required at the time of pick up.

What if I am late for picking my child up? If you are going to be late, please call the center and let us know when to expect you. The first late pick-up fee will be waived, but afterwards, a late fee of $20.00 will be charged for every 15 minutes late. Chronic lateness will be dealt with on an individual basis and may result in dismissal from the center.

Do you provide bus service? We provide bus service for LCPS Kindergarten – 5th grade students at select elementary schools.

Do the children take naps? Open Arms follows the Virginia Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers and therefore provides rest times for all Infant 2-Pre-Kindergarten programs. Children in the Infant 1 program follow an individualized program consistent with home.

What should I do if my child is sick? Open Arms follows the Virginia Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers. Please do not bring your child to the center if he/she is showing any signs or symptoms of illness. Some potential signs and symptoms are:

• Temperature of 100.4 degrees within last 24-hour period
• Unusual spots or rashes on the skin or in the mouth
• Continuous mucus from the nose accompanied by upper respiratory symptoms
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Unusual behavior
• Child is lethargic
• More crying than normal
• General discomfort

As a reminder, students must remain out of the center for 24 hours after being symptom and fever free without the use of medication. Any communicable disease that your child may contract may require a doctor’s note with a clearance to return to school. Examples are Hand, Foot, and Mouth, RSV, Flu, Strep, Pink Eye or any other highly contagious illness. It is important that children are symptom free before returning to school so the illness will not spread.

What if my child requires medication? Open Arms follows the Virginia Department of Social Services Medication Authorization Training Program (MAT) procedures. All medication must be accompanied by a Medication Authorization Form and approved by the Medication Coordinator. This form can be found at the main reception desk, or click here.

What if my child has a food allergy? Open Arms is a peanut-safe center, meaning that any products containing peanuts or made in a facility that processes peanuts may not be brought to the center. If your child has another type of food allergy, an Allergy Alert Form must be on file and appropriate food will be served. This form can be found at the main reception desk, or click here. With a doctor’s note, children are allowed to bring their own, clearly labeled, food to the center.

Do you offer lunch/snack? Open Arms provides morning and afternoon snack, as well as lunch (if applicable to your child’s program) to all children in programs Infants 2 and above.  A vegetarian or gluten free lunch plan is available on request. Parents who wish to enroll in this plan should contact the Enrollment Coordinator.  All meals and snacks meet the nutritional standards as set forth by the Child Care Food Program of the USDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) guidelines are followed to promote optimal growth and development.

For all children in the Infant 1 program, parents provide breast milk, formula, cereal, and/or baby food. All items must contain your infant’s name and date. In addition, we ask that parents provide a feeding schedule, indicating the type of food, amount, and time to be fed. When your child is able to consume school food, we ask that you provide your child their first exposure before checking the food off on their Infant Feeding Form.

Can my child bring a snack from home? Children should not bring food into Open Arms. Adequate meals and snacks are provided. Food exceptions are not made for individual children except in the case of allergies or a special written diet prescribed by a physician. Please send to the center the necessary food your child must have in these cases. Please feel free to discuss any specific concerns with your child’s teacher.

How can I help as a parent? Open Arms has an open door policy which provides many ways for family members to be involved in their child’s education such as reading a story to the class, helping prepare crafts in the evening, or even helping to run a center. In addition, you may volunteer to be the “Room Parent” and coordinate classroom holiday parties and Teacher Appreciation week. We strongly encourage participation for our restaurant spirit nights and special events (Fall Fest and Spring Fest), and buying books at our Scholastic Book Fair.