After School Program

Admission:

Admission to DMYFS After School Program is open to all residents of Durham and Middlefield who are in grades K-8. Children who are not residents of Durham or Middlefield may be registered as drop-ins during school vacations and After School Program s (space permitting). We do not discriminate based on sex, race, color, handicap, or religion; however, each child's handicap will need to be assessed by the DMYFS staff prior to enrollment to determine if our staff is equipped to monitor your particular child. Your child may attend one (1) to five (5) days a week. Children with siblings attending the program will be given preference. We are limited in the number of children we can serve, so within these guidelines, admission will be on a first come first serve basis. Families enrolled in the current school year will have priority over other families in the next school year.

There is no provisional enrollment period for DMYFS After School Program . However, in extreme cases, DMYFS staff reserves the right to remove a child from the program with notice. Grounds for dismissal include, but are not limited to: the child is very difficult to manage in a large group setting, the child may be a danger to him/herself or others, the child or parent consistently uses abusive language, the child fails to follow established DMYFS rules, or the child engages in continued physical contact. A verbal warning may be issued prior to dismissal. In more extreme cases, a written warning may also be issued. In the event that a child is dismissed from the after school program, either because of repeated, ongoing behavioral issues or because of an isolated but extreme circumstance, the child's parents will be notified of the dismissal in writing.

Please enroll your child in the After School Program by filling out a registration form and the accompanying documents along with a schedule of your child's anticipated attendance. We can not accept care for your child until we have all of this completed paper work , including medical information, emergency contact information, allergy information, billing addresses, and a school bus form.

Hours of Operation:

DMYFS After School Program will be open from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday unless we are closed due to a holiday. Please check our calendar.

Fee Schedule:

Rates $9.00 / afternoon

Billing will be done on a monthly basis. DMYFS appreciates payment in full, however we do realize that special circumstances arise. If payment is an issue, please contact the Director at 349-0258 to work out an appropriate payment schedule. Failure to pay without contacting the center to make other arrangements may be cause for dismissal from the program. A $15.00 fee will be charged for any checks not honored by the bank. Please make checks payable to DMYFS and leave them with the Director or mail them to DMYFS 405 Main Street, Suite 11, Middlefield, CT 06455.

Absentee Days:

It is imperative that parents contact DMYFS to inform us of child absences. If your child is absent due to illness or any other reason, please call 349-0258 (messages can be left, ext. 2). It is extremely important to notify us, as we are responsible for your child.

Pick Up:

Parents, guardians, or authorized alternate pick-ups must come into the building in the evening and SIGN OUT each child.

Pick Up by Alternate:

You must specify in writing at the time of registration any and all additional adults who are authorized to pick up your child. Any adult other than a parent or legal guardian who arrives to pick up a child will be asked for a picture I.D. and they will be checked against the list you provided to us before the child will be released. Please notify DMYFS staff that an alternate will be coming to pick up your child ahead of time. If a person other than a parent or legal guardian comes to pick up a child and is not listed on the pick up list, that person will not be allowed to do so. Additions to the pick up list must be made in writing, in advance.

Late Pickups:

We ask all parents to be prompt in picking up their children. Should you find that you are running late, we ask that you kindly notify us by phone. Should a pattern of lateness develop, a $10.00 per fifteen minutes of lateness charge will be added to your bill. Frequent tardiness can result in your family being asked to remove your child from the program.

Food:

DMYFS After School Program will provide a daily morning and afternoon snack for participants. Each child should bring his or her own lunch during the After School Program .

Medical Emergencies and Health Forms:

  Medical Emergencies

Upon registration, parents must submit a detailed medical information sheet listing each child's medical conditions, any/all medications, any/all allergies, dates of current vaccinations, and a current physician of record. A copy of the school health form can be substituted for proof of vaccinations. Additionally, an "Authorization for Emergency Medical Care" form must be signed and will be retained in each child's file. This form, grants permission to DMYFS for seriously ill or injured children to be transported to the nearest hospital in the rare case of such a medical emergency. It also authorizes first aid and CPR to be administered by CPR/First Aid certified staff members in event of an emergency. All DMYFS staff members are required to be First Aid/CPR certified within 30 days of their hire date.

Illness

If a child becomes ill while at the After School Program , his or her parent(s) will be called for consultation and the child will be monitored. Should the child become so ill that immediate medical attention is required, all reasonable efforts to contact the parents will be made before administering emergency medical attention. However, if a parent can not be reached a child will still receive the care he/she needs.

Any child with a communicable illness, such as the chicken pox or influenza will not be allowed to attend the program until the child's physician has determined he/she is no longer contagious. Please do not send your sick child to the program and risk infecting other children with colds if it can be avoided. Your understanding on this matter is greatly appreciated.

Accidents

Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts to keep your child safe, sometimes accidents happen. In the event that an accident does occur, a first-aid trained staff member will assess the condition of the child and treat minor injuries. Any injury deemed to require additional medical care, such as a broken bone, will immediately be responded to with the appropriate level of care. In such circumstances, parents may be contacted to come pick up the child or the child may be transported to the nearest hospital via ambulance. Staff will administer necessary first aid until emergency medical personnel arrive. Parents will be notified immediately and advised of the circumstances surrounding any such action. A staff member will travel with the child in the ambulance to the hospital.

All accidents occurring at the program site will be documented in an accident report. Each report will need to be signed by a parent and a copy will be sent home.

Medications

DMYFS will store and administer prescribed inhalers, epi-pens, and emergency oral medication (such as Benadryl) with a parent's written consent. Should this permission be necessary, it will be kept on file in the DMYFS office after it is signed and submitted. All medication will be kept locked in the DMYFS office.

Discipline:

Children will be encouraged to freely explore the youth center within certain limits. Those limits, which will be clearly explained to the children, are set to ensure the child's safety and protect the rights of other.

When a child is acting in such a way as to violate these limits, the staff will intervene, put the child in a time out, and clearly explain to that child why the behavior is inappropriate. If the behavior continues or worsens, a warning letter will be sent home with the child. Should the pattern of behavior continue beyond that, the child may be asked to leave the program.

Under no circumstances are the following types of punishment allowed: abusive, neglectful, emotionally abusive, corporal, humiliating, or frightening punishment. In addition, physical restraint is prohibited unless such restraint is necessary to protect the health and safety of the child or other people.

Additionally, DMYFS supports a zero tolerance policy for any incidents involving weapons, dangerous instruments, or threats. Weapons include (but are not limited to) any weapon from which a shot may be discharged, regardless of whether that weapon is loaded or not, knives, billyclubs, metal knuckles, or nun-chucks. Dangerous instruments include any instrument which under the circumstances in which it is being used, attempted to be used, or threatened to be used, is capable of causing injury or death. If a child is involved in an incident involving any type of weapon or threat, he/she will automatically be suspended from the program for a length of time to be determined by the Director and Program Supervisor, based on the severity of the incident. Incidents involving serious threat or injury will result in permanent expulsion from the program.

Abuse/Neglect Policy:

DMYFS has a responsibility to help prevent the abuse and neglect of children enrolled in our program and within the community at large. All children have the right to be free from abuse and neglect.

In accordance with CT General Statute 17a-101, all employees of DMYFS are mandated reporters. A mandated reporter is: "Any person who in his/her professional capacity has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any child under the age of 18years is in danger of being abused, or has had a non-accidental physical injury, or injury which is at variance with the history given of such injury, inflicted upon him by a person responsible for such child's health, welfare, or care or by a person given access to such child by such responsible person, or has been neglected shall report the abuse or neglect." Any and all reports of suspected abuse or neglect must be reported to the Department of Children and Families immediately by calling the "Child Abuse Hotline" at 1-800-842-2288.

DMYFS also supports zero tolerance policy for abuse or neglect. Therefore, if a staff member is suspected of abusing or neglecting a child who is enrolled in the program, he/she will immediately be removed from working with children and a full investigation will occur. The employee will not be reinstated until the conclusion of the investigation and said investigation exonerates the employee of such allegations of abuse or neglect beyond all reasonable suspicion. If the investigation concludes that the staff member is indeed guilty of abuse or neglect, the employee will be terminated and reported to the appropriate authorities.

Parent Involvement:

DMYFS is open to all parents at all times during operating hours. Parents may drop in at any time to observe the program, or interact with their child in the program setting. In addition, we encourage parent volunteers to help with parties, craft projects, and other activities.