We love a snowy day!
General Policy
Delayed Openings Details
Closing for the Day Details
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. 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.
We use several methods to issue notices:
Text Message, Email Notifications, Social Media Platform
- All staff and parent phone numbers and emails are automatically entered in our Kaymbu service, and we will use this to send notices of unexpected closings for any reason.
- You will also be able to sign up to receive text messages through Kaymbu as well
- We post a notice on our facebook page.
When the Ann Arbor Public Schools close due to inclement weather, Gretchen’s House will
- have a delayed opening,
- open at our usual time or
- be closed all day.
In the event of an unexpected closing or delay, staff and families will be notified by email and/or text by the Kaymbu service. In addition, closing information will be posted on the Gretchen’s House Facebook page.
When we have a delayed opening:
- Lunch will be prepared as usual, though the menu items may differ from the schedule if necessary.
- Care for School Age children will begin at noon. 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.
- All centers will close at the regular closing time of 5:00. Parents are asked to pick up their children at their own regular pick-up time (many children are picked up before 5:00) since those staff who normally leave by 5:00 may still need to leave at their scheduled time to meet other commitments (college classes, second job, etc.).
- 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:
- Parents will be notified by the Kaymbu system. Please speak to your center Director to receive the information and link on how to sign up for specialized settings.
- 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.
- 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.
Inclement Weather — Little Huskies
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.