Iowa 4-H Afterschool In-Service: November 29, 2006

(Your organization’s name)

After-School Program

Example Parent Handbook

Important Phone Numbers

Program Director/Assistant Director(list all relevant phone numbers)

Introduction

Welcome to the (your organization’s name) After-School Program! We are excited that you and your child have chosen to take part in this exciting program. This handbook contains important information for parents and children who will participate in the after-school program. Please keep this handbook for future reference. Policies are subject to change. If you have any questions about any of the information in this handbook, please contact the after-school program at (phone number).

General Information

After-school programs will be held at (list site/s). The program is for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. It is your child's responsibility to get themselves to the after-school program. The after-school program is accountable for your child after they have signed in and until they are signed out.

Each day, at each site, there will be certain activities. We will have snacks each day. There will be time for recreation. We will be learning about the world around us through enrichment units and hands-on activities. Children will have time to work on their homework. Tutoring will be available. Although the schedule may vary and activities may be different from site to site, all of the above program components will be available at each site.

The after-school program will meet each day after school until 5:30pm at each site. Children can be picked up before 5:30pm but must be picked up by 5:30pm. Parents, or someone the parent designates, must come into the school building and sign the child out each day before the child leaves the after-school program. If students are picked up late, a late pick-up fee applies. Please see page 10 for more information.

When there is no school due to a previously scheduled vacation, there will be no after-school program that day. When school is cancelled or dismissed early because of weather, there will be no after-school program. When there are no activity busses due to bad weather or when other after school activities have been cancelled due to weather, there will be no after-school program. Such announcements will be made on the same radio stations that announce school closings (see information under Weather).

Eligibility

Any child in kindergarten through sixth grade for the current school year who attends school in the (list your school’s name) Community School District, including those who attend Notre Dame Catholic School and those who are home-schooled, are eligible to attend the after-school program. Children are welcome to attend the after-school program as often as they need or want to. It is helpful for us to know when to expect your child but they are welcome to come any day.

Before your child attends the after-school program, there are two forms that we need to have completed and returned to the after-school program. They are:

1. Information form

2. Permission form

Discipline

Discipline plays a role in maintaining order in any situation, including the after-school program. When discipline is consistent and fair, children learn how to get along with others and to internalize limits. Children and staff are expected to treat each other as well as the surroundings with respect.

The rules for behavior during the after-school program are the same as those for the regular school day. Please consult the handbook that was provided from your child’s elementary school. By having the same rules both during the school day and during the after-school program, children will know how they are expected to behave and these rules will be reinforced.

At or near the beginning of the after-school program each fall, students will be given the opportunity to write a set of rules for their behavior in the after-school program. Staff members will guide students in this process and students will be given the chance to help determine consequences for breaking rules as well. When students are involved in setting the rules and expectations, they are more likely to obey them since they helped to create them.

If children misbehave during the after-school program, they will be given a verbal warning and asked to correct their behavior. If the child misbehaves again on the same day, staff members may remove the child who is causing a disruption from the situation and have them take a "time-out." The child will be given the opportunity to rejoin the activity their peers are engaged in as long as they are able to behave appropriately. If necessary, another “time-out” may be given. If a child cannot participate appropriately in an activity, they will be removed from the situation.

"Time-out" consists of having a child sit in a quiet area, away from the activity that caused them distress, while they regain control over themselves. As a general rule, a child will be given “time-out” for a number of minutes equaling their age. Children will also have an opportunity to talk with staff members about why they behaved as they did.

If a child is repeatedly misbehaving, their parents may be called in for a conference with after-school program staff. A conference will also be held if a child's behavior is a threat to the safety or well being of others in the program. If problems persist or the behavior is serious enough to warrant it, parents may be asked to make alternative arrangements for their child's after school care and the child may not be allowed to attend the after-school program.

After-school program staff has discretion to handle behavior problems as the particular situation arises. In all cases, maintaining the safety and security of all the children in the after-school program is most important.

Volunteering and Visiting

The after-school program can almost always use volunteers. You are encouraged to volunteer as often as your schedule allows. Volunteers are needed to help daily. If you are not able to help on a regular basis but may be able to help out occasionally or when we are short of help, please let us know.

Volunteers may occasionally be needed for special events such as family dinners or field trips. If you would be interested in helping with a specific event or type of event, please contact the after-school program. If you have special skills that you would be willing to share with children in the after-school program, please let us know.

Parents are invited and encouraged to attend the after-school program. This will help you understand what your child is doing after school. If you would like to attend the after-school program with your child, please inform the program staff at least one day ahead of time so that we are aware of your plans.

When you are at the after-school program, please remember that you are there to help with the program, not to supervise only your child. The program staff will be able to direct you as to what you can assist with. To the degree that it is feasible, you may be asked to help with a group or activity your child is not involved in. When you are volunteering with or attending the after-school program, you must follow the after-school program's procedures, even with your own child.

Illness

If your child is absent from school due to illness, they may not come to the after-school program that day. In general, a child must have attended school during the school day to attend the after-school program.

If a child becomes ill or is injured during the after-school program, their parents will be contacted and asked to come and pick up their child. If a parent cannot be reached and the child is in need of urgent medical attention, project staff will transport the child to the doctor's office or hospital or call an ambulance if necessary.

The after-school program requires that each child have emergency contact information on file before they attend the after-school program. In addition to listing contact information for parents or guardians, this form asks for information on other people who may be contacted in an emergency situation when the parents or guardians are not available. A medical release form is included in our permission form.

Medication

As a general rule, the after-school program staff will not give medication. Please have your child take their medications before the conclusion of the regular school day. If your child needs to take medication after school, please send written permission each day including the name of the child, the name of the medication, the time the medication should be given and the amount that is to be given. This policy applies to both prescription and non-prescription medications.

Special Needs/Accommodation

If your child has special needs that are best met by someone attending them at all times, please inform the after-school program of this situation. We will make reasonable accommodations for the inclusion of any child who is able to benefit from the after-school program so long as their presence and the accommodations made for them do not significantly hinder or lessen the benefits other children experience in and receive from the after-school program.

Field Trips

The after-school program will take field trips as time and resources allow. Field trips will be coordinated with our educational enrichment units whenever possible. Permission for your child to take part in field trips is part of the permission form that is required before your child attends the after-school program. Information about upcoming field trips will be provided to you before the field trip occurs.

Sometimes field trips may last until the end of the after-school program and children will need to be picked up at a location other than the school building. When this is the case, information on where and when your child can be picked up will be included in the newsletter and sent home with your child before the field trip. Signs will be posted on the school building doors reminding people of the change in pick-up location, if applicable.

Child Abuse Reporting

All staff members of the after-school program are mandatory reporters of child abuse. We are required by law to report suspected abuse to the Iowa Department of Human Services.

Weather

When there is no school due to a previously scheduled vacation, there is no after-school program. When school is cancelled or dismissed early due to bad weather, there will be no after-school program. When there are no activity busses due to bad weather or when other after school activities have been cancelled due to weather, there will be no after-school program. On days when the after-school program does not meet, after-school program staff will not be available to care for your children. Please make sure the after-school program as well as your child and their classroom teacher knows what your child is to do and where they are to go in the event of the after-school program being cancelled due to weather.

Weather-related announcements about the after-school program as well as about school will be broadcast on the following radio stations:

(list your local radio stations and call numbers)

Picking Up Your Child

When the after-school program ends, at 5:30pm, your child needs to be picked up. If you have an emergency and will not be able to pick your child up by 5:30pm, you need to contact the school where your child attends the after-school program. If you have not picked up your child and have not called us by 5:30pm, we will attempt to contact you or other people you list on your child's registration form as emergency contacts.

When you, or another person you have authorized, arrive at the school to pick your child up, please come into the school building. We need to have whoever is picking the child up sign the child out each day. These sign-out sheets will be kept as a part of our attendance records. If a staff member does not recognize the person who comes to pick up your child, they may ask to see photo identification. Your child's safety is our main concern.

If your child will walk home from the after-school program, we need written notification that they have your permission to do so. The written notification should include your address, phone number and any other relevant information related to your child walking home. If a child walks home after the after-school program ends, we will have them sign themselves out, noting the time they left the program. The (your organization’s name) After-School Program, the (your school name) CommunitySchool District and the staff of the after-school program are not responsible for your child, and may not be held legally responsible, after your child has left the after-school program.

Regardless of whether your child is picked up or signs out on their own, they need to be signed out. This is how the after-school program knows that your child is where they are supposed to be. Please talk with your child about the need to sign out each day.

In cases of divorce or legal separation, please provide us with a copy of court documents stating who the child's custodial parent is. In all cases, the after-school program will discharge the child to the custodial parent unless both parents sign a statement that the non-custodial parent may pick up the child. Such a statement needs to include contact information for the non-custodial parent as well as the dates and times the non-custodial parent will pick the child up. In cases of joint custody both parents should sign a statement as to the times and dates that each parent will pick the child up.

If you have a restraining order against someone who may attempt to pick your child up, please let us know and give us a copy of the order, if possible. The more information we have, the better job we can do keeping your child safe.

If members of the child's family have mental illness, problems with alcohol or other drug abuse or other impairing conditions, please let the after-school program know, in writing, what procedure you want followed. The staff will not release a child into the care of a person whose impairment will endanger the child for whom they are responsible.

If you need to make changes to the list of people authorized to pick your child up, please contact the after-school program.

Late Pick-up Fees

In the event that you, or someone you have authorized, are late to pick up your child and you have not notified us (in the event of an emergency) that you will be late, a fee of $10 per half hour or fraction thereof will be charged. This fee is payable to the after-school program. Volunteer hours may be contributed in lieu of paying the fine, with the permission of the after-school program director. Parents who are habitually late may be asked to make other arrangements for their child's transportation or after-school care. The fee must be paid before students return to the program.

Daily Schedule

The after-school program begins when school is dismissed for the day, at approximately (insert time and name of site).

The after-school program ends at (insert time) pm. The daily schedule and order of events is subject to change and may vary from day to day and from site to site. In general, the following schedule will be followed: Attendance will be taken and a snack will be served and eaten. Recess generally follows snack time. Homework completion time and enrichment generally happen after recess.

For the specific times at which various components of the after-school program happen in the center your child attends, please talk with the after-school program staff for that center. While you are certainly welcome to sign your child out before the program ends at 5:30pm, doing so will mean that your child does not get to take part in all the components of the after-school program.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each after-school session. It is your child's responsibility to get themselves to the after-school program. The after-school program is accountable for your child after they have signed in and until they are signed out.

Snacks

Part of the after-school program is caring for the nutritional needs of children in the after-school hours. Each day, we will have a snack to eat and milk to drink. These snacks will be provided through the school district's food service program. Children will be encouraged to try everything they are offered but will not be forced to eat anything.