Weather Hotline: 734.480.8592

Gretchen's House has great concern for the health and safety of the parents, staff and children as they travel to and from the centers, particularly in winter. We are also concerned about the safety of staff and children while they are in the centers. Gretchen's House will, therefore, either close the centers or have a delayed opening on days that the Ann Arbor Public Schools close for inclement weather or dangerous temperatures, or if there is a power outage or other "disaster" beyond our control.

When the Ann Arbor Public Schools close for inclement weather, Gretchen's House will not be open before 10:00 a.m. If the weather conditions improve sufficiently by 9:00 a.m. to allow teachers and parents to safely drive to the centers, our centers will open at 10:00 a.m. On Delayed Opening days, parents will not be called.

If the centers are to remain closed for the day, parents will be notified by phone by their family group leader or director. In addition, any Gretchen's House closure or delayed opening status will be announced on WAAM radio (AM1600). Parents may also call our special Gretchen's House phone line: 734.480.8592 to get an update on delayed opening or all day closing status (after 9:15 a.m.).

When we have a delayed opening:

1. Lunch will be prepared as usual, though the menu items may differ from the schedule if necessary.
2. Parents will not be called by center teachers. It is the parents' responsibility to listen to WAAM or call our special phone line to get information.
3. Care for School Age children will begin at noon. Afternoon Kindergarten and School age children wishing to come to Gretchen's House on an inclement weather day for hours they are not normally in attendance must call the center after 10:00 a.m. to check for availability.
4. All centers will close at the regular closing time of 5:45. Parents are asked to pick up their children at their own regular pick-up time (many children are picked up before 5:45) since those staff who normally leave before 5:45 may still need to leave at their scheduled time to meet other commitments (college classes, second job, etc.).
5. If the weather takes a turn for the worse, the centers may call parents to require an early pick-up.

When the centers are closed all day:

1. Parents will be notified of the full day closing between 9:00-9:30 a.m. by their family group leader or center director.
2. Parents may also call the Gretchen's House special phone line (734.480.8592) to get a closing update.
3. Gretchen's House teachers are not permitted to care for children from the centers if we are closed due to inclement weather or dangerous temperatures. The teachers are being paid for this time and are therefore expected to do additional planning and preparation at home.
4. Parents who wish to share child care with other Gretchen's House parents on these days can put their names on our co-op list and coordinate this care themselves.

Because it is located in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District building, this site has a different policy. Click here to view it.

Little Oaks remains open whenever the Oakland County offices are open.

Little Huskies will close when Michigan Tech is closed. On mornings with inclement weather, please listen to local radio stations that announce school closings. If the Houghton/Keweenaw area schools close for the day, Little Huskies will automatically have a 10:00 a.m. delayed opening. Parents can call our Snow Emergency Hotline (906.487.1010) for updates on closings when inclement weather is expected or on-going.