Summer Day Camp

Summer Day Camp will provide a program of educational enrichment opportunities including but not limited to the following:

Arts and crafts activities
Current events
Music and dance activities
Community awareness
Language arts/oral literature experience
Field trips and special events
Group tennis lessons
Cooking skills
Organized outdoor activity (90 minutes per day)
Water safety/swimming

The program shall be open to children registered for 5 year old kindergarten through 12 year old children. 

Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis and should be accompanied by a non refundable registration fee of $25.00. The Summer Day Camp program will be staffed to maintain a pupil-teacher ratio of 10:1. A maximum of 40 children will attend each week. Each child will need to preregister for the weeks attending. Awaiting list will be taken after the limit is reached until a vacancy occurs. Full time kids will be accepted first.

WEEKLY RATE FOR MEMBERS – $85

WEEKLY RATE FOR NON-MEMBERS – $95

$10.00 PER WEEK DISCOUNT FOR SECOND CHILD paying full rate.

Drop-Ins are welcome if space is available. COST:  $20 a day for members or $22 a day for non-members

We now accept ABC Vouchers. To qualify call Control Central at 1-800-476-0199 or call the local DSS Office at 833-0100.

**A payment contract is included with the packet. This must be filled out and signed. **If you cannot pay on time, please contact Patti Nelson or Laura Martin at the YMCA FRONT DESK prior to the due date for possible arrangements for payment.

If we go on field trips or have special events, you will be notified of the additional fee in advance. Children are discouraged from bringing electronic games as we cannot be responsible for them. Cell phones or other camera devices are prohibited in the dressing room areas of the YMCA. Also the only money they need to bring will be determined by the field trips or special events. Do not let children bring large amounts of money.

Children will be notified which group they will be in and will be told which building they will need to be dropped off and pickjed up from. You are expected to pick up your child by 5:30 pm. All campers not picked up by this time will be taken to the YMCA lobby for late pickup. A $5 late fee will be charged per occurrence.

Parents are reminded that a telephone call cannot serve as authorization to pick up a child. To avoid unpleasantness, embarrassment, and inconvenience please insure that the release forms in our files are kept current and that names and signatures are added or deleted as needed.

The Summer Day Camp program will not provide any form of transportation except for field trips.

DO NOT PARK IN THE FIRE LANE IN FRONT OF THE Y OR IN THE DRIVE WAY IN FRONT OF THE CHILD CARE CENTER WHEN YOU COME TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD OR WHEN YOU COME IN TO PAY FEES.

Just as Summer Day Camp staff members shall treat children with courtesy, dignity, and respect, so shall children be expected to obey the programs rules and regulations. Participation in Summer Day Camp is a privilege, not a right, and any child who is chronically disruptive despite staff members best efforts to work with him/her will be expelled from the program. There will be no corporal punishment.

1. Verbal warning

2. Time out – 1 minute per age of child

3. Consult Director

4. 3 days suspension

5. Permanent expulsion

Praise and positive reinforcement are effective methods of behavior management of children. When children receive positive, nonviolent, and understanding interactions from adults and others, they develop good self-concepts, problem solving abilities, and self-discipline. Based on the belief, the YMCA Summer Day Camp uses a positive approach to discipline and practices the following discipline and behavior management techniques.

WE DO

• Communicate to children using positive statements

• Communicate with children on their level.

• Talk with children in a calm quiet manner.

• Explain unacceptable behavior to children.

• Give attention to children for positive behavior.

• Praise and encourage the children. 

• Reason with and set limits for the children.

• Apply rules consistently.

• Model appropriate behavior.

• Set up the classroom environment to prevent problems.

• Provide alternatives and redirect children to acceptable activity.

• Give children opportunities to make choices and solve problems.

• Help children talk out problems and think of solutions. 

• Listen to children and respect the children’s needs, desires and feelings.

• Provide appropriate words to help solve conflicts. 

• Use storybooks and discussion to work through common conflicts.

WE DO NOT

• Inflict corporal punishment in any manner upon a child. (Corporal punishment is defined as the use of physical force to the body as a discipline measure. Physical force to the body includes, but not limited to, spanking, hitting, shaking, biting, pinching, pushing, pulling, or slapping.)

• Use any strategy that hurts, shames, or belittles a child.

• Use any strategy that threatens, intimidates, or forces a child.

• Use food as a form of reward or punishment.

• Use or withhold physical activity as a punishment.

• Shame or punish a child if a bathroom accident occurs.

• Embarrass any child in front of others.

• Compare children.

• Place children in a locked and/or dark room.

• Leave any child alone, unattended or without supervision.

• Allow discipline of a child by other children.

• Criticize, make fun of, or otherwise belittle a child’s parents, family, or ethnic groups.

Conferences will be scheduled with parents if particular disciplinary problems occur. If a child’s behavior consistently endangers the safety of the children around him/her, then the Director has the right, after meeting with the parents and documenting behavior problems and interventions, to terminate child care services for that particular child.

Summer Day Camp staff will be certified in first aid and CPR. In case of a minor accident, the staff member is charge will supervise care of the child or children involved. In the event of a serious medical emergency, the Summer Day Camp Site Director will telephone EMS for assistance and shall notify parents immediately thereafter. Parents are asked to insure that all of the information on their children’s medical forms is complete and correct; and to notify the Summer Day Camp Site Director of any changes or special conditions that may affect their children’s participation in Summer Day Camp.

If a child becomes ill during Summer Day Camp program hours, he or she will rest with the Site Director until arrangements can be made for him/her to be taken home.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL SUMMER Day CAMP STAFF ADMINISTER OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINES. Under special circumstances, the Summer Camp Site director will administer prescription drugs only. Such a drug must be in a container with a pharmacist’s label bearing (a) the name of the child, (b) the name of the prescribing physician, and (c) clear directions for administering the medication. The child’s parent or guardian must give this to the Happy Days site Director in person and must fill out a special form. Parents and guardians are reminded never to send any medication to camp with their child.

Fire drills will be conducted periodically to familiarize children with procedures and exits to be used in the event of a real fire. Tornado and Intruder drills also will be held during the season to familiarize students with the procedures to be followed.

The Summer Day Camp Program will offer a light snack and drink each morning and afternoon. Children should bring a bag lunch for the noon meal. Microwaves are available for heating, if necessary. We will provide a drink for lunch. Our program will not serve sugar sweetened beverages. Sweet food items will be served no more than twice a week. Snacks will consist of 1% milk, fruit, vegetables and whole grain snacks at least twice a week each. Each menu is designed to provide a wide variety of nutritious foods that are different in color, shape, size and texture. All of our child care menus include foods that are culturally diverse and seasonally appropriate. We also like to introduce new and different foods and include children’s favorite recipes in our menu planning. Menus are rotated on a two week basis to provide the children with a balance of variety and familiarity. Menus are adapted to incorporate local and fresh in-season produce when available.

CELEBRATIONS

From birthday parties to holidays there are many opportunities for celebrations in our child care center. If you would like to recognize your child’s actual birthday, we request that you not send in treats or goody bags but instead send a birthday book, toy, or movie.

For holiday celebrations, a sign-up sheet with specific foods and beverages will be sent to parents.

We have a Ready to Play Policy! Please bring your child ready to play and have fun each day. Your child will participate in indoor play, outdoor play, and swimming activities. Therefore, play clothes and shoes which can get dirty and allow for free and safe movement are most appropriate. We expect parents to provide children with appropriate clothing for safe and active outdoor play during all seasons. An old pair of shoes may be brought and left in the child’s cubby. A swim suit, towel, flip flops, and goggles (optional) are needed on days we swim.

Staff members do not withhold opportunities for physical activity, except when child’s behavior is dangerous to himself and others. Staff members never use physical activity or exercise as punishment. Play time or other opportunities for physical activity are never withheld to enforce the completion of learning activities or academic work. Our center uses appropriate alternate strategies as consequences for negative or undesirable behaviors, e.g., talk with child in a calm quiet manner, reason with and set limits, provide alternates and redirect children to acceptable activity, give children opportunities to make choices and solve problems, help children talk out problems and think of solutions.

Our staff receives annual training on the importance of healthy nutrition and standards in physical activities. We encourage participation in all activities and appropriate clothing for easy and safe movement in indoor and outdoor play for the children and staff.

In the event of inclement weather we offer indoor physical activity using the time standards required of ABC and HEPA. We have a large area in our childcare building that can accommodate a wide variety of physical play.

All staff will receive 26 hours of ABC certified training hours bi-annually.