The Living Well Mission Policy
Penn Yan, NY
Dreamcatchers (Snack Shack) Afterschool Program
Purpose: To ensure that there is a local space for middle schoolers to go to after school where they can eat, engage in activities and be safely supervised.
Policy: To allow for clear and concise understandings of policy when implementing the Dreamcatchers (Snack Shack) Afterschool Program, for all staff, volunteers, students, parents, community members.
Guidelines:
Penn Yan Program: During the academic year Dreamcatchers (Snack Shack) Afterschool Program will be open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:20pm-4:30pm. On days where students have half days at school Dreamcatchers will be open from 11am-3pm. Dreamcatchers operates out of the
First Presbyterian Church in Penn Yan: 211 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. This afterschool program is a Drop In Center, we are not responsible for children once they leave our designated location.
Dundee Program: During the academic year Dreamcatchers (Snack Shack) Afterschool Program will be open every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30-4:30 pm. On days where students have half days at school Dreamcatchers will be open from 11am-3pm. Dreamcatchers operates out of the United Methodist Church in Dundee: 35 Water Street, Dundee, NY 14837.
After school, students will have the option of walking over to the Church with a school staff member from the Trails Program or walking over by themselves. The staff member will stay and volunteer for Dreamcatchers for that day and will then walk students back to the school where they can get on the bus. This After school program is a Drop In Center, we are not responsible for children once they leave our designated location.Registration
Each child is given a Registration Packet to bring home, have their parent/guardian fill out and return to the Youth Coordinator. The Registration Packet is also available online on our webpage; www.thelivingwellmission.org. The Registration Packet includes information about the child, emergency contact information, and photo release consent documents. All child information is kept confidential in a safe space.
Behavioral Regulation/ Corrective Action/ Accountability
All children who enter Dreamcatchers are required to follow the rules each time they are in attendance. The rules are listed down below
– Students must sign-n and sign-uut each day
– There is NO Bullying
– Food is for eating only
– Each child is responsible for cleaning up after themself
– Manners must be used at all times
– There will be no ball bouncing, running or rough housing
– We must all be respectful for the space that we are in
– There is no profanity allowed
– There is only one person allowed in the bathrooms at a time
– Zero Tolerance For Violence! (It will result in automatic removal from the program(s))
All children will be given three warnings pertaining to their misbehavior; first will be verbal warning, second will be an isolated conversation with our Youth Coordinator, third will be contacting the child’s parents or guardians. If behaviors continue after all three warnings, the child will be asked to leave Dreamcatchers after school program for the day. Their parents/guardians will be notified and there will be another discussion before they are allowed back. Each interaction will be documented. Violence is an exception to this, parents and caregivers will be notified and youth will not be allowed to return to the program.
Volunteers
● Each volunteer will be background checked.
● All volunteers will also sign in each day on a separate sheet, which will be kept with our Youth Coordinator.
● All volunteers will have their name tags on them at all times.
● Each volunteer will also attend safety training.
There will always be at least two adult volunteers present with children at all times. Adult volunteers must be 18 years of age or 3 years older than the oldest child present. Volunteers must be unrelated to one another in order for the event to continue. If they are related, there must be someone else present with them or the event for the day must be canceled. There will always be open doors/windows in the space when children are present.
Volunteers will be responsible for assisting our Youth Coordinator with setting up and cleaning up each day before and after our program. Set up and Clean up includes
● Setting out tables and chairs and putting them back in the end
● Organizing food and drinks then packing up what’s left
● Taking out the garbage and recycling
● Wiping down the tables
● Sweeping the floors
● All lights are off and doors are closed properly
● Ensuring the space is left exactly as it was found
Safety Protocols
All volunteers must be aware of all emergency exits in the building and must have read through the Presbyterian Church’s emergency evacuation plan. There will be open lines of communication between all adult volunteers with any information pertaining to all and any possible dangers in the vicinity. Once a month, our Youth Coordinator will go over our emergency/evacuation procedures with the children during the after school hours, to ensure they are informed on how to remain safe.
Policy Updated: August 2023