After the Bell & School Day Out Parent Handbook

A Letter from the Director of Operations

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The YMCA Shawnee Family YMCA is extremely pleased to provide After School and Camp Programs for your child. By selecting the Y, you are giving your child the opportunity to benefit from a quality program that has a foundation of YMCA traditions and many years of experience in serving children and their families. We are excited to be able to provide an enriching, safe, and fun environment for your child to experience.

Our mature and experienced staff will focus on incorporating the Y’s core values of: Caring, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility into this program. We will also provide opportunities for your child to learn compassion, build self-esteem, and develop lasting friendships. This parent handbook has been designed to answer your questions, promote communication between our staff and your family, and to assist you in understanding our policies and procedures. The policies outlined in this booklet are intended to protect your child and to ensure that his/her experience at the program is positive and rewarding. Please read the handbook carefully with your child and refer to it as needed. We look forward to a tremendous year!

Sincerely, Barbara Boise

YMCA Director of Operations

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About the Y

The Y is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening the foundation of communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Our Cause

Strengthening the foundations of community is our cause. Everyday, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income, or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.

How We Do It

We are the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Through our three areas of focus, the Y nurtures the potential of every child and teen, improves the nation’s health and well-being and provides opportunities to give back and support our neighbors.

Our Impact

The Y is, and always will be, dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults, families and communities. Every day our impact is felt when an individual makes a healthy choice, when a mentor inspires a child and when a community comes together for the common good.

The YMCA Mission Statement: to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.

Character Development

Y’s throughout the USA strive to implement our character development program exemplifying our core values of: CARING, HONESTY, RESPECT, and RESPONSIBILITY. These core values provide a foundation that guide all Y programs, staff trainings, and operations. It is our job to give youth and adults experiences that help them develop a set of positive values, morals, and ethics to live by. The Childcare Staff strives to provide an environment focused on these Y core values. Students will be taught these core values on a consistent basis. Each child will be taught expectations of conduct while in the Childcare Program. Teaching the core values will allow students in our care to form a foundation that will provide a stable, secure base on which to build their lives.

Child Care Staff Qualifications

The quality and effectiveness of Y services for children are directly related to the skills and personal characteristics of the staff. Recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting the staff are essential, interrelated processes in ensuring the success and integrity of children’s programs. The leaders are required to have experience in working with children, knowledge of recreation activities, and must model the Y’s core values. All Y staff are first aid and CPR certified. Background checks are conducted on all staff members. This includes a criminal background check, national sex offender public registry check, and reference checks. We take pride in our staff training, which includes: emergency procedures, program planning, child abuse awareness, and other areas pertaining to child development.

Volunteer Policy

As a general rule, volunteers are not used in the YMCA Childcare Program. We do allow parents and/or other family members to accompany their child on field trips. These individuals are only allowed to have care/control of their own child. If volunteers are ever utilized, a full background screening would be required prior to being allowed access to the children. A volunteer would never be in charge of a group or left alone with any children.

Admissions Criteria

Participants must be between the ages of 4 and 12 years old. Parents must complete a Shawnee YMCA Childcare Enrollment packet prior to the child’s first day of participation. It is also our policy that every child be fully toilet trained and capable of using the facilities without assistance. We understand that accidents can occur, in which case, we would require that parents pick up their children immediately or provide clean attire. Due to staffing policies, if accidents begin to occur on a regular basis, the child will not be able to attend our programs.

Equal Access

The Shawnee Family YMCA, in keeping with its mission to help all people realize their fullest potential, encourages and supports the participation of all children in Y Child Care Programs. We serve all children regardless of gender, race, color, nationality, religion, ethnicity, or disability. Consideration is given to the individual needs of every child and the ability of the program to meet those needs.

Program Goals

1. Provide an environment of safety, support, and care

2. Focus on instilling the four core values in each student

3. Develop the interpersonal skills of each student

4. Provide an environment that increases the self-confidence and the feeling of self-worth for each student

5. Focus on teaching each student how to be effective members of a group

6. Improve the ability of parents and children to communicate with and understand each other

7. Support a child’s education

After School Program {Ages 4-12}

Begins at school dismissal and continues until 6:00 pm.

Full Day Schedules {Ages 4-12}

On days when school is not in session (unless weather related or a scheduled holiday), full day care is offered from 7:00 am-6:00 pm. {Additional fees apply} School-Age children are required to bring a lunch on a full day schedule.

Summer DayCamp {Must be between the ages of 5-12}

Pre-Camp Opens at 7am. Camp sessions begin at 9am and end at 4pm. Post-Camp care is provided until 6pm. All children must arrive no later than 9am.

Holiday Schedule (subject to change)

The Childcare Program does not operate on the following days*: New Year’s Day New Year’s Eve Memorial Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Friday after Thanksgiving Christmas Eve/Christmas Day *Other days may be added as needed

Toys/Electronics from Home

We do not allow children to bring personal items from home (including electronic devices, cell phones, sharp objects, weapons, firearms, explosives, etc.). We are not responsible for any of these items should a child make the poor choice to bring them. Due to the nature of our program, damages and theft of personal items is possible. If participants are caught with any of the above items the staff reserves the right to confiscate the item and it will be donated to a local charity.

Marketing

On occasion, the Y takes photographs, film footage, or tape recordings of our programs. This media may include your child’s image or voice and is used only for purposes of promoting or interpreting Y programs. On the required waiver form you will be asked for permission to include your child in these promotional materials.

Staff Relationships Outside of Y Program

For the safety and protection of your child and our staff, Y employees are not allowed to babysit for program participants, spend time outside of program with our families, transport children in their private vehicles, or contact families by personal phone, email, or internet regarding any issue not directly related to the care of the child. Please do NOT put our staff at risk of losing their position with us by asking them to do so.

Homework Power Hour

Homework support is a core component of the Y School Age Curriculum. Your child will be given the opportunity to do homework every Monday through Thursday of each week. Your child will be encouraged to work on homework during the scheduled time. Staff will be available at this time to assist your child when needed. If your child does not have homework, or chooses not to work on homework during the scheduled time, the staff will provide your child with alternative educational and enriching activities. Please understand that the YMCA does not provide individual tutoring. Inclement Weather Outdoor play is an important part of our daily schedule. Parents are asked to dress their children appropriately for the weather conditions.

Heat Advisories At the Y

we are committed to the safety of all children. All precautions will be taken to prevent heat related injuries. Staff are trained to do the following for your child: o o o o o Make sure there are frequent water breaks Lower physical activities Act as role models, applying/re-applying sunscreen & wearing hats outside Make sure campers are in the shade or indoors whenever possible Watch for the signs of heat exhaustion

Thunderstorms

Should there be a tornado warning, all children and staff will go to the Girls restroom located next to the gym doors. They will sit on the floor against the wall until the threat passes. Monthly drills are done for safety purposes. If severe weather is approaching, staff will contact parents and encourage early pick-up of each child. The YMCA does not have a safe room, basement or evacuation structure.

Snow Closings

If Shawnee Public Schools close due to inclement weather, the YMCA Childcare will be closed.

Sign-In and Sign-Out Procedures

The safety of every child is a priority of the Y. Following Sign-In and Sign-Out procedures helps ensure the safety of your child and allows staff to determine which children are present at any given time.

Sign in: For your child’s safety, please park in the parking lot adjacent to the building. An adult (at least 18 years old) must walk all children to the designated Childcare area. The adult must sign the child into the program by writing in the time on each child’s sign in sheet. Under no circumstances may a child be dropped off without being signed into the program by an adult. If this occurs, the parent/guardian will be called and required to come to the Childcare site to sign their child into the program.

Sign Out: All children must be signed out of the program by a parent/guardian or an authorized adult (at least 18 years old). When a child is picked up from the program the parent/guardian or authorized adult must come to the designated Childcare area and sign the child out of the program by writing in the time and providing required signature. All adults picking up children must be prepared to show I.D. so staff can verify their identity. For your child’s protection, anyone without proper I.D. will be stopped from taking a child from the program and the parent/guardian will be contacted immediately. If someone other than the parent/guardian or those on the authorization list needs to pick up your child, you must notify Barbara Boise at 405-273-4386. Any restricted individual must have the appropriate paperwork (restraining order, court documents etc.) on file with the director.

Absences

If your child is going to be riding the bus on any given day, it is very important that you notify Barbara Boise no later than 1pm}. Tracking down a missing school-age child takes staff time and cause the bus route to run late to the other school sites. WE WILL NOT ENTER THE SCHOOLS TO LOOK FOR YOUR CHILD. Repeated failure to notify the program staff of your child’s absence may result in your child being dismissed from the program and/or an additional fee.

Late Pick-Up

Y childcare ends at 6:00 p.m. and our staff are scheduled to leave. If you are running late, please notify the director. A late pick up fee will be assessed after the program closes. At 6:05, an immediate charge of $25/per child will be due. If child is still here at 6:15, another $25/child fee will be charged. If child is still in our care at 6:30pm, the proper authorities will be contacted. Fees are due upon pick-up of the child. Parents who have not notified the director they will be late can expect the following sequence of events to occur. These steps are necessary to ensure the safety of the child as well as Y staff members.

• 6:00 p.m. Program closes. Staff member in charge begins calling parent work number to check for problems or miscommunications. If contact is not made, alternative contacts listed on the registration form will be called.

• 6:15 p.m. Staff member in charge contacts program director.

• 6:30 p.m. If there is no contact from the parent and no other safe option, the child will be turned over to the proper legal authorities. You risk dismissal from the program if: · You fail to pay the late fee. · You are late picking up your child three times within a 30-day period. Parents must keep the Y office and staff notified of phone number changes for work, home, and emergency contacts at all times.

Payment Procedures

Program Fees Full payment is drafted on Monday of each week. Payment is for the entire week and will not be prorated if your child attends less than the entire week. Payment is due regardless of whether child attends or not. The only exception to this is during the Summer months. During those months, you will only be required to pay for the weeks enrolled. Due to now only offering online registration, we no longer take cash payments. Online registration requires banking or credit card information to complete enrollment. {Visa/Mastercard}. Drafts occur each Monday. Rates subject to change and are listed clearly in registration.

Financial Assistance

We believe that no one should be turned away due to inability to pay. The Shawnee Family YMCA is a non-profit organization committed to strengthening the foundations of our community, one child at a time. Our Annual Campaign is a Y initiative that provides scholarships for programs and memberships to children and families in need. Those families unable to pay the full cost of participation are encouraged to apply.

Once approved you will receive an award letter. It is your responsibility to keep your original copy as proof of your scholarship amount. Limited funds are available for childcare assistance.

Late Payment

A late fee of $25.00/per week/per child will be assessed when payment is 5 days in arrears. The YMCA reserves the right to dismiss any child from our program due to delinquent payments.

Delinquent Accounts

Your child may return when the account is brought current or payment arrangements are made. Legal and/or Collection action will be taken for delinquent accounts.

Insufficient Funds

If payment to the childcare program is returned due to insufficient funds, the parent/guardian is responsible for immediately issuing another payment plus all NSF fees that are assessed.

Tax Information

SAVE ALL RECEIPTS!! THE YMCA DOES NOT PROVIDE CHILDCARE TOTALS, ITEMIZED STATEMENTS OR DUPLICATE RECEIPTS. THE TAX ID # IS: 73-0602462

Health & Safety Snack/Lunch Guidelines

Nutrition is a very important aspect of each day. At each location we serve snacks that follow the USDA nutritional guidelines. The weekly menu is posted in the kitchen for your convenience. If your child has an allergy please be sure to inform the staff of the specific details including the severity. You may be required to supply your child’s afternoon snack due to allergy. We cannot guarantee a nut, gluten, or dairy free environment.

Medication During Program

• Any medication that needs to be administered during program hours must:

• Be accompanied by a completed Permission to Medicate form (download below)

• Be brought in its original container with the child’s name, physician’s name, and drug name on the container.

• Have specific doctor instruction for dosage, times, etc.

permission to medicate form ymca.

Download • 217KB

The Y can only administer medication according to original instructions on label. If direction from parent is different, the parent must provide a physician’s written change. No over-the-counter medication, including aspirin, cough medicine, etc. will be given. If your child requires this, parent must come to facility and administer the medication to their child.

Child Illness

For the sake of your child and others, if a child has a temperature of over 100 degrees, is vomiting, or shows other signs of illness, parents are asked to keep the participant at home. Parents must notify the Y of the absence and the nature of the illness. If this happens during program hours we will call you and require that you pick your child up immediately.

Illness/Injury Occurring During Program Hours

The Y does not aim to exclude children from the program unnecessarily. If your child becomes ill/injured, they will be isolated from the other children and you will be contacted to pick him or her up within 30 minutes of notification (depending on the severity of the injury or illness). The YMCA is not equipped to handle ill/injured children beyond securing their immediate comfort. If you cannot be reached, we will contact someone you have authorized from your emergency contact form for immediate pick up. Please be sure to keep the Youth & Family Director informed of any changes in your work or emergency phone numbers. In an emergency, medical aid will be sought immediately

Communicable Disease

Communicable diseases are diseases that are transmitted from one individual to another and easily spread among children. Common communicable diseases among children are head lice, pink eye, ringworm, chickenpox and Covid-19.

Head Lice

The Y reserves the right to inspect your child’s head in the event lice is suspected in order to protect all of the other students, staff, and parents · In the event nits/head lice are found on your child, a parent/guardian must pick up the child within 30 minutes of the notification. Students with nits/head lice must not return to Y care until 24 hours after first treatment is complete. Parent/Guardian must provide a note from local health department or by physician stating that child is nit/lice free and able to return. In the event that a staff member contracts head lice, that staff member will be required to leave the facility, obtain treatment, and required to bring documentation from the health department or a local physician stating person is nit/lice free.

Confidentiality

Student’s records are kept within groups, as staff needs to access them regularly. Any information in a child’s record that is sensitive will be kept in a secure location.

Behavior Management Procedures Philosophy

The Y strives to maintain a positive approach to managing children’s behavior at all times. “Discipline” is the process of teaching self-control and the ability to live within limitations and agreed upon guidelines. The staff and children at each site establish expected behavior guidelines. Positive behavior is self-rewarding and allows for program activities to occur. When children choose to behave outside the guidelines, some consequence is required to avoid future problems. The overall safety of all children in the program is our highest priority.

Children’s Rules

It is our intent that each child enjoys the planned activities by understanding that they are responsible for their actions. With prior knowledge of our basic rules of safety and good conduct, each child is made aware of how to exercise self-discipline and to understand that we are here to assist her or him and that we expect them to succeed. Character Development is an important part of our program. Process When positive behavior is displayed, the consequence is participation and enjoyment of planned activities. In cases of negative or inappropriate behavior, the follow process will be employed:

• Redirection: Every effort will be made to help the child understand the inappropriateness of his or her actions and agree to an alternate form of behavior. When the conflict is child-to child, every effort will be made to have them reason together face-to-face with staff facilitating.

• Removal from the Specific Activity: When redirection has been pursued and behavior has not changed, removing the child from the activity involved for an appropriate amount of time is necessary. The removal time will be age appropriate. Other duty-oriented consequences suitable to the inappropriate behavior may also be utilized at this stage.

• Write-ups: When the child is not successful in correcting the behavior, or the behavior is of a serious nature, a behavior write-up will occur.

• Removal from the Program: If the above process has not resulted in corrected behavior, and/or the child receives 3 behavior reports, the child may be removed from the program.

Serious Behavior Issues

When a child has a serious discipline problem, on any one occasion, the parent may be called by staff and asked to pick up the child within 30 minutes of the call. Should it be decided by Y staff that a child poses a serious problem, the child may be suspended from the program for a period of one to five days or may be re-moved from the program entirely. No child will be allowed to continue in the program who becomes a safety hazard to him/herself or others. In addition to behavior management procedures outlined above, parents must be aware that a child may be released from the program, without refund, for the following misconduct:

• Leaving Y care premises without permission, or going into unauthorized areas

• Using foul language, being rude or discourteous to staff and other children

• Defacing property

• Physical Violence (fighting, biting, putting hands on another child, threatening)

• Bringing or using any illegal substances and weapons

• Any demonstration of sexual contact/words

• Any behavior that jeopardizes the safety of staff or participants

• Stealing

Other Behavior Related Issues

No staff member will ever, strike, swear at, abuse, or threaten with physical intimidation either a child or parent. No staff member will allow a child to be stricken, sworn at, abused or physically intimidated by anyone else in the program. No staff member will ever solicit or accept gratuities in consideration for any treatment of a child.

Parent Conferences

Informal or formal conferences may be requested by staff or parents regarding their child’s behavior. Typically, conferences are requested after multiple behavior reports or extreme changes in a child’s demeanor. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you share changes occurring at home or at school. Staff can better provide for a child’s needs when we are aware of changes.

Child Abuse Policy

The Shawnee Family YMCA takes accusations or suspicions of child abuse very seriously. We are mandated by law to report any suspected child abuse or neglect to the OKDHS and local law enforcement. The contact number for the CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE is 1-800-522-3511. Reports can be made anonymously.