Parent/Guardian Grievance Procedure:

Purpose:
To define a procedure for parents/guardians to follow in instances where they have a concern or complaint about the program or any service that they are receiving from Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc.

Policy
Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. has the legal and ethical responsibility to provide parents/guardians with a progressive procedure to follow in instances where they have a concern or complaint that relates to any part of the program, it’s operation or staff or if they feel they have been subject to discrimination based on legally protected categories (race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disability or homelessness).

Informal Procedure
Parents/guardians have rights as outlined in the Parent/Guardian Handbook. The handbook is distributed to Parents/Guardians when a student is admitted and any time upon request.

In the event that a Parent/Guardian feels that the student’s rights have been violated or compromised by a specific staff member or group of staff members, or in any other way while in the program, the Parent/Guardian should follow the steps outlined below:

• Discuss complaint/concern with the student’s Clinician.
• Should the Clinician not respond in a timely manner or should this present unusual discomfort or appear threatening to the Parent/Guardian, the Parent/Guardian should contact the Clinical Coordinator.

 

Formal Procedure
If the Parent/Guardian is not satisfied after the informal procedure listed above, they have the right to file a formal complaint/grievance. The following procedure is the mechanism provided to do so.

All parents/guardians are informed at the time of student admission that they have a right and formal method for formally filing a complaint or grievance. This information is presented verbally and is also written in the Parent/Guardian Handbook.

Step 1:
The Parent/Guardian will submit a written complaint/grievance to the Program Director. The document will state the name of the student, staff (if this is a staff issue), and date and time of the incident that led to the grievance. The Parent/Guardian will also outline the specifics of what happened which gave the Parent/Guardian cause for concern and will also list the informal steps taken before pursuing the formal procedure.

The Program Director, or designee, will meet, or have a phone conversation with the Parent/Guardian within 5 working days of receiving the written complaint. The Program Director, or designee, will communicate a response in writing to the complaint within 5 working days of the meeting or conversation.

Step 2:

If the complaint is not satisfied at Step 1, the Parent/Guardian may send a copy of the original complaint, along with the response from the Program Director, to the Senior Vice President, requesting that the matter be further investigated. The Senior Vice President, or designee, will meet, or have a phone conversation, with the Parent/Guardian within 10 working days of receiving the written complaint. The Senior Vice President, or designee, will communicate a response in writing to the Parent/Guardian within 10 working days of the conference.

Step 3:
If the complaint is not satisfied at Step 2, the Parent/Guardian may send a copy of the original complaint and the response from both the Program Director and the Senior Vice President, to the President/CEO requesting that the matter be further investigated. The President/CEO, or designee, will meet, or have a phone conversation with the Parent/Guardian within 10 working days of receiving the written request.
The President/CEO, or designee, will communicate a response in writing to the Parent/Guardian within 10 working days of the conference.

Step 4:
If the complaint is not satisfied at Step 3, the Parent/Guardian may send a copy of the original complaint, along with the responses from the Program Director, Senior Vice President, and President/CEO, to the Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC).

At any time in the process, the Parent/Guardian has the right to communicate their concern or complaint to his/her attorney or a representative of his/her custodial or funding agency.