YMCA Afterschool
Keep Kids Safe * Help Working Families * Improve Academic Achievement
Kindergarten through 8th grade
We follow School District 50 Calendar.
Monday - Friday from school dismissal until 6pm.
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Program Content - Check This Out!
Our program is to encourage our children to develop in spirit, mind and body. To provide that, we have prepared a daily curriculum with a wide variety of activities including: KidzLit, daily devotions, rock climbing, organized games, homework help, arts & crafts, recreational swim, character development, and service learning opportunities.
DAILY DEVOTIONS AND PRAYER
In the context of our program, we will have a daily devotion. This devotion will generally take place at the beginning of our Afterschool day and will be geared toward teaching the YMCA character development traits (Honesty, Caring, Respect, and Responsibility). This will usually be followed by a prayer or blessing for the day. Children may lead these activities if they wish.
HOMEWORK HELP
Homework support, often requested by parents and encouraged by schools, is a part of our school-age program. This year we will have a required 20 minute time slot for homework in their groups. If your child does not have homework, during this time they must read or draw, but this is a “Quiet Time”. After this time, if your child has not completed their homework, they will then be moved to the homework room. In the YMCA homework center, program staff provide a time and place for support in helping children complete homework. The hours for the homework room are 3:45pm- 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday. There is no homework room on Fridays. If your child has not completed their homework by 5:00 they will need to finish at home.
KIDZLIT
Literacy, a core component in YMCA after-school learning, is just one way the Y can help support a child’s success in school without extending the school day with academic activities. Literacy includes reading, writing, speaking, gathering information, using information, thinking critically, understanding others, and expressing oneself. With YMCA KidzLit, it helps get kids excited about books. The program gets kids talking, reading, and writing about the issues good books raise. Books and discussions also encourage kids to think about how to apply lessons from books to their own lives. Lessons are structured around discussions of how characters within stories act and the choices they make. Writing, drama, and art activities reinforce and further explore the ideas raised in the discussions.
ROCK CLIMBING
Each week, afterschool participants have scheduled time to climb the YMCA’s indoor climbing wall under the strict supervision of highly trained staff. In order to climb, they must have a signed climbing waiver on file.
RECREATIONAL SWIM
All participants in the Afterschool Program will have the opportunity to swim every Friday. Please send a swimsuit and towel with your child each Friday.
SERVICE LEARNING
Service-learning is a deliberate process through which people of all ages and in all parts of the YMCA can develop their skills, knowledge, and civic awareness while making meaningful contributions to their communities. It encourages civic responsibility, volunteering, leadership skills, and character development. Service- learning projects will be anything from a coat drive to painting a mural at the Y, to helping younger kids with homework. You will be notified of all service projects in the monthly newsletter.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
In today’s challenging and complex world, children need reinforcement of positive values even when they’re away from home. YMCA school-age care programs take character development seriously by incorporating the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility into play, learning and social activities. Through consistent teaching, modeling, reinforcement, and practice, staff help children demonstrate and accept positive values.
SNACKS
The Afterschool Program provides a sound, wholesome snack for the children. We feel that the children must maintain a healthy body and mind in order to grow successfully. We try to accommodate special dietary needs and food allergies. We ask that you not send snacks from home, unless your child has special dietary needs that we can not accommodate. You must notify the Family Services Director in cases such as this.