Registration for Junior Explorers for the 2024-25 school year opened on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 7:30 am.

Minnetonka Community Education uses Eleyo for registering for Community Education classes, including Junior Explorers. All Junior Explorers registrations are done on the Eleyo website. Eleyo allows you to manage your Junior Explorers schedule online, register for all non-school days at once, pay with your credit/debit card or checking/savings account, view and print invoices, print tax and dependent care receipts throughout the year and sign up for text message notifications.

Using the steps below, you will create an account for yourself and a profile for all of your family members. Then you can register for Junior Explorers. This process should take approximately 25 minutes to complete.

First create an account for yourself and then create a profile for your child(ren). Click this link: https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com and use the steps below.

Eleyo Login and Set-up

1. Access the site by going to: http://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com . NOTE: Eleyo works best when using the Google Chrome browser.
2. Select in the upper, right corner of the screen. If you already have an Eleyo Account, enter your email and password to log in and skip to Register for Explorers and/or Junior Explorers below. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one by selecting Sign Up.
3. Complete the Register a New Account Form and select Create Account. Please note: The account should be created in the parent’s name.
4. Next, log in using your email address and password. NOTE: An email will be sent from Eleyo with a link to verify your account.
5. Once logged in, select Manage Relationships on the dashboard to add a family member.
6. Select Add Family Member/Relationship to add family members. If you have an elementary-aged child, select your child’s grade from the drop down menu then select the current (or upcoming school year depending on when you are registering) from the School Year drop down to indicate your child’s grade. If your child is preschool aged, you will select Kindergarten and the year they will start Kindergarten.
7. Select Create Person to complete the profile. Add all family members.
8. After you have finished setting up your account and created a Profile for your child, you have completed the Account set-up process and are ready to register in our system.

Junior Explorers Registration

1. From your dashboard, select Explore All Programs in the right hand corner, then choose Explorers Child Care and select Registration.
2. Select your child from the list on the left. After verifying your child’s information, select Looks Good, Start Registering.
3. Add at least 3 Emergency contacts for your child’s account and select Continue.
4. Please read and agree to the Terms and Conditions and select Continue.
5. Select your child’s start date and what days of the week they will be attending and select Continue.
6. Next, answer all questions and select Complete Questions and Continue at the bottom of the page.
7. Add saved Payment Method and enter your payment information. Please note: You will not be charged the registration fee until your contract is approved, usually in 2-3 days. Then, select Complete Registration.
8. You will be led to a confirmation page. If you wish to register for non-school days at this time, select Register for Non School Days. Non-school days will be approved closer to the non-school day dates. You may also register another child for Explorers/Junior Explorers from this page.
9. You will receive an email confirming your schedule and notifying you that your contract is waiting for review. Once our staff has approved the schedule, you will receive another email with a confirmation. Please note: During the school year, you may change your schedule at any time; however, changes must be made at least five school days before the effected change date and are accepted on a space available basis.

Currently enrolled Junior Explorers children have the option of attending on days for which they are not currently enrolled. Care is available on a space available basis. Requests must be made to the site supervisor at least 24 hours in advance. A cancellation of an Add-a-Day must be received with a 24-hour notice or charges will apply. Please call your child’s site with your request.

Junior Explorers Site Phone Number: 952-401-6825

Families can make request a change in their child’s schedule at any time via Eleyo. Please remember that five business days are required to make a schedule change.

Please note: Eleyo refers to a student’s schedule as their “Student Contract.”

1. Log on to  https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com/. Please note: Eleyo works best when using the Google Chrome browser.
2. Select Explore All Programs.
3. Select View Your Dashboard.
4. Under Your Accounts, select your Explorers Child Care account.
5. Under Current and Upcoming Contracts, select your current contract.
6. Select Change Schedule.
7. Select your new schedule and select Submit Contract Schedule Changes.

If you are looking to Add-a-Day, that can be done by calling the Junior Explorers office directly at 952-401-6825.

Explorers Daily Fees: 2024-25 School Year

^†Currently enrolled Explorers children have the option of attending on days for which they are not currently enrolled.

Care is available on a space available basis, and requests must be made to the Site Supervisor at least 24 hours in advance. A cancellation of an Add-a-Day must be received with a 24 hour notice or Add-a-Day charges will apply.  Please call your child’s site with your request.

Minnetonka Explorers does not offer financial assistance. However, the county in which you live offers ongoing financial assistance to those that qualify. Please contact the Explorers office at 952-401-6832 for more information.

Minnetonka Junior Explorers does not offer financial assistance. However, there is ongoing financial assistance through your county to those that qualify. Please contact the Explorers office at 952-401-6832 for more information.

Fees are charged based on the days and program components you registered for, not on attendance (see prolonged illness for exceptions). You will not receive credit for late arrival or early pick-up, nor when children leave Junior Explorers Club to participate in other activities.

An email will be sent mid-month indicating that invoices are ready to be viewed online. The monthly fees will be charged to the credit card or checking/savings account we have on file. 

A $15 fee will be added to your account if your payment method is declined for any reason. Please notify billing and enrollment or update your account online if there are any changes to your account. Past due accounts will be sent to collections and may incur legal fees.

Year-end payment summaries can be accessed online. Our Federal Tax Identification number is 41-6001402. This number is the number you need to complete your childcare expense forms.

If you are enrolled with your employer in a Flex Benefit Plan, forms will be signed only after payment has been received. Please contact Billing and Enrollment if you have any questions.

Junior Explorers does not offer scholarships. Financial assistance may be available to qualifying families through the county in which you live. Please contact the Junior Explorers Enrollment and Billing Department at 952-401-6832 for additional information.

Families can make a payment at any time to their Junior Explorers Account.

1. Log in to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com. Please note: Eleyo works best when using the Google Chrome browser.
2. Select Explore All Programs.
3. Select View Your Dashboard.
4. Under Your Accounts, select your current Junior Explorers Child Care account.
5. Under Latest Invoice, select Pay.

Explorers families can go into their Eleyo account at any time and update their auto payments on file.

1. Log into your Eleyo Account at http://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com. Please note: Eleyo works best when using the Google Chrome browser.
2. At the upper right corner, select Explore All Programs.
3. Select View Your Dashboard on the upper right side.
4. Under Your Accounts, select your current Junior Explorers Child Care account.
5. On your account page, scroll down to Auto Payments.
6. Select Choose a Different Payment Method.
7. Select Add Saved Payment Method, enter your information, and select Save the Payment Method.
8. Select the new saved payment method from the left side and select Use Selected Payment Method.

If your child is ill, there will not be a credit for absence. If your child will be absent from the program for an extended period of time due to illness; please notify Explorers Billing and Enrollment as soon as possible (952-401-6838) to request an adjustment to your monthly Explorers invoicing. Explorers continues to staff all sites. Therefore, if your child is absent from the program due to illness, we require payment as follows:

• 1 through 4 consecutive days missed from Explorers – parents/guardians will be financially responsible for 100% of the daily fees
• If 5 or more consecutive days are missed from Explorers - Day 5 and beyond parents will be financially responsible for 50% of the daily fees.

If your child will not be attending the program because of a scheduled appointment, or other planned absence, please call your site number below and leave a message. Please remember to call Junior Explorers before his/her normal arrival time.

Junior Explorers Site Phone Number: 952-401-6825

Illness or Emergency

If your child becomes ill while at Explorers, you will be contacted and asked to pick them up within one hour. We will try to provide your child with a quiet area to rest until you arrive. School district policy requires that children have no fever, vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning. Please contact us if your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease so we can alert all families that their child may have been exposed.

In the event of an emergency, parents will be notified as soon as possible. If the parents cannot be reached, we will call the person you have indicated for us to call. If necessary, children will be transported to Methodist Hospital by a local emergency unit for treatment. The child will be transported at the parents’ expense. Children who receive minor injuries will be given first-aid and parents will be notified. All staff are trained in emergency first-aid procedures.

Vacations and other Plans

If you know your child will be on vacation, at a play date, has a doctor appointment, or will be gone for any reason, please notify your Explorers site supervisor with the dates that s/he will be gone. There is no credit for missing regularly scheduled days of Explorers Club. However, you will not incur the additional $10 child search fee.

Junior Explorers families can log into their Eleyo account at any time and download previous invoices. If you need signatures for Reimbursement Plans, please contact the Explorers office at 952-401-6832.

How to view and download invoices:

1. Log into to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com. Please Note: Eleyo works best when using the Google Chrome browser.
2. Explore All Programs
3. Select View Your Dashboard in the upper right corner
4. Under Your Accounts, select your current Explorers Child Care account.
5. Under Account Management, select View under Latest Invoice. From there, you are able to view previous invoices and print them. You will see the Tax ID on downloaded invoices.

Junior Explorers families can log into their Eleyo account at any time and download year-end statements.

Procedure to view/print Year End Payment Summary:

1. Log in to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com
2. Select Explore All Programs
3. Select View Your Dashboard
4. Under Your Accounts, select your current Explorers Child Care account
5. Under Account Management, select Download Tax Information
6. Download, view and/or print your year-end statement. The Federal Tax ID Number will be on your downloaded year-end statement.

If your child is absent from the program due to illness, we require payment as follows:

• 1 through 4 consecutive days missed from Explorers - parents will be financially responsible for 100% of the daily fees (this includes non-school days)
• If 5 or more consecutive days are missed from Explorers:
  • Days 1 through 4 parents will be 100% financially responsible  
  • Day 5 and beyond parents will be financially responsible for 50% of the daily fees

During the school year, Junior Explorers is located in the Minnetonka Community Education Center at 4584 Vine Hill Road in Excelsior.

 Junior Explorers has been awarded the Parent Aware Four Star Rating.

Classroom newsletters are emailed to families weekly, posted in the classroom and can be requested. Conferences with your child’s teachers are held in the fall and spring and offer opportunities for you to ask questions and learn more about your child’s social and emotional growth and development. Teachers update parents throughout the day using Seesaw. Junior Explorers uses Creative Curriculum Assessments.

Our day will include a 30-minute body break each day after lunch. Children may nap longer, if needed. Body break is a required part of the daily schedule. Please bring a blanket and small pillow to help your child be more comfortable.

Children under the age of 4 (by September 1, 2024) do not need to be toilet trained to be in Junior Explorers. Families must supply all diapering materials. All diapering supplies should be labeled with the child’s first and last name

We require the following diapering materials*: 

• A large pack of diapers or pull ups**
• A self contained container of wipes. 
• Diaper cream as needed (over the counter medication form required for use)
• If your child is in underwear, you do have the option to bring in diapers or pull ups for body break if needed. 

*Staff will let families know via SeeSaw when a refill of diapering supplies is needed.

**If choosing pull ups, please bring the pull ups with velcro on the side as this helps staff with changing.

Children must be fully toilet trained by age 4 to enroll in Junior Explorers. We define toilet trained as having the ability to inform an adult that they need to use the bathroom, pulling pants up/down, wiping independently and cleaning hands after using the toilet. Our staff will encourage children to use the restroom as needed. Parents are asked to provide a change of clothing in case of accidents.

District transportation is not provided for Junior Explorers children.

Children must bring a bag lunch. No school lunch is provided. Lunches will not be refrigerated and cannot be heated up.

• A breakfast snack is provided for morning Junior Explorers.
• Explorers provides a variety of nutritious options including fruit and vegetable options.

If your child has a food allergy, parents must bring your child’s Allergy Action Plan, a Medical Release form and their medications to the site on their first day. Junior Explorers uses Nutrition Services and some processed snacks may include cross contamination at the manufacturing site. Please call Nutrition Services for additional information for Explorers snack options or encourage your child to always choose the fresh fruit option.

Junior Explorers is offered on most school/preschool release days from 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m. These days offer a variety of activities and field trips. These days have a separate registration to accommodate individual family’s schedule needs. Any Non-School Day is taken out of the regular Junior Explorers calendar for billing purposes and families that register for Non-School Days will be billed the daily Non-School Day rate.

How to register for non-school days on Eleyo:

1. Log-in to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com. Please note: Eleyo works best in Google Chrome Browser
2. Explore All Programs
3. Select Explorers Childcare
4. Select Register for Non-School Days
5. Choose the Attending Child and click on Continue
6. Select the school year (under Choose Season) that you are registering for and click continue
7. Select your Non-School Days or Late Start/Early Release Day and click continue. Please note: Eleyo denotes whether it is a non-school day or a Late Start/Early Release Day on the next screen.
8. Select the Location your Child Attends Explorers on a Daily Basis from the drop down menu for each date.

How to confirm/remove non-school days:

1. Log-in to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com. Please note: Eleyo works best in Google Chrome Browser
2. Explore All Programs
3. Select Explorers Childcare
4. Select Current and Upcoming Contracts and click on your child’s contract
5. Scroll down to Non-school Days

As long as they are still pending they can be removed. If they have been accepted, you will not see a “Remove” option and will need to call 952-401-6838 to have them removed as long as it is before the cancellation deadline.

Please note: You will not be charged the regular rate for any day that a student is regularly scheduled to attend that is also a non-school day. The system cannot take more than 1 daily rate and the non-school day rate overrides the regular rate. Therefore, a student has to register for that day in order to be able to attend (and charged the rate).

If your child will not be attending the program because of a scheduled appointment, or other planned absence, please call your Junior Explorers site number below and leave a message. Please also call Junior Explorers before his/her normal arrival time.

Junior Explorers Phone Number: 952-401-6825

Extended Absence Policy

If your child is absent from the program due to illness, we require payment as follows:

• 1 through 4 consecutive days missed from Explorers - parents will be financially responsible for 100% of the daily fees (this includes non-school days)
• If 5 or more consecutive days are missed from Explorers:
  • Days 1 through 4 parents will be 100% financially responsible  
  • Day 5 and beyond parents will be financially responsible for 50% of the daily fees

Vacations and other Plans

If you know your child will be on vacation, at a play date, has a doctor appointment, or will be gone for any reason, please notify your Junior Explorers site supervisor with the dates that s/he will be gone. There is no credit for missing regularly scheduled days of Junior Explorers.

Drop off & Pick Up

Sign in and sign out All children must be signed upon arrival and signed out upon departure. 

Release of Children Your child will be released only to people listed as authorized to pick up. Staff is required to ask for identification from anyone unfamiliar attempting to pick up a child. If an unauthorized person attempts to pick up your child, you will be contacted. If you cannot be reached, your child will be held until you or your emergency contact person arrives. Please notify billing and enrollment in writing or add them online if you want to authorize additional adults to pick up your child. Copies of legal documents regarding child custody must be provided to the program office before any staff person can actively prevent non-custodial parents from picking up their child.

Late Pick-Up Policy Explorers closes at 6:00 p.m. All children must be picked up no later than 6:00 p.m. according to the time on the iPad. If an emergency delays you and you are going to be late picking up your child, make plans for someone you have designated as an Authorized Pick-Up person to pick up your child on time, and call the program staff immediately.

In the event that your child is still at the program after closing and we have not heard from you, we will take the following steps (in order):

1. Attempt to reach you on your home, work or cell phone number.
2. Call the people you listed as authorized to pick up your child.
3. If you are more than 30 minutes late, the police will be contacted for assistance.

A late fee of $10 is charged for each 5 minutes (or portion thereof) that parents are late picking up a child.

After the third instance of late pick up, childcare services may be suspended or terminated.

Junior Explorers closes at 6 p.m. All children must be picked up no later than 6 p.m. according to the time on the iPad at the sign out table. If an emergency delays you and you are going to be late picking up your child, make plans for someone you have designated as an Authorized Pick Up Person to pick up your child on time, and call the program staff immediately.

In the event that your child is still at the program after closing and we have not heard from you, we will take the following steps (in order):

1. Attempt to reach you on your home, work or cell phone number.
2. Call the people you listed as authorized to pick up your child.
3. If you are more than 30 minutes late, the police will be contacted for assistance.

A late fee of $10 is charged for each five minutes (or portion thereof) that parents are late picking up a child. Repeat instances may result in suspended childcare services.

From your computer:

1.Login to your Eleyo account at https://minnetonka.ce.eleyo.com
2.Explore All Programs
3.Select Explorers Child Care
4.Select Account Management
5.Select Managed Authorized Pickups
6.Select Add Authorized Pickup
7.Save Authorized Pickup to save their information
8.To remove an Authorized Pickup, select the red button on the right side of their information.