Purpose

HCS seeks to assist parents with their before and after school child care needs by providing an extended care program that offers HCS children educational, social, and recreational activities within a caring Christian environment.

Staff

Qualified personnel are here to encourage and supervise your children at the beginning and end of each school day. Mrs. Julie Miller, ECP Coordinator, leads a qualified group of ECP facilitators.

Eligibility

The HCS Extended Care Program (ECP) is open to HCS students in Grades K-8 only.

Hours

Extended Care is available on school days from 7:00 – 7:45 AM and 3:15 until 6:00 PM. Late pick-ups are billed at $1.00 per minute, per child after 6:00 PM. All billing issues are handled directly by the Business Office, ext. 113.

Arrival & Pick-Up

Only pre-authorized persons shall be allowed to pick-up a child from ECP. Due to after school activities and general safety, parents will be asked to park in the parking spaces and come to the main School entrance. Upon ringing the door bell, an Attendant will provide an authorized person access to the building to pick up their child(ren.) Children will not be dismissed to the parking lot without an authorized person. Parents are asked to supervise their children following pick up. Parents can help end their child’s day in a positive way by (1) allowing time for their child to finish an activity they are involved in; (2) encouraging their child to put away equipment, toys, and supplies they were playing with; and (3) making sure their child has all of their personal items before leaving.

Financial Plan and Procedures

ECP is a flexible program designed to meet your various care and payment needs. These include:

Financial Procedures

All payments will be made via EFT through the HCS Business Office. An hourly rate of $6/hour is available for those who do not need the ECP on a regular basis. A rate of $1/minute per child will be charged for all pick-ups after 6 PM. All rates are based on the following data: 173 School Days/9 Months/(4.3 Weeks or 19 days per month)/35 Weeks.

Snack Time

Snack time is first thing on the schedule for extended care. Your child should bring a snack (drink and treat) to extended care on a daily basis.

Academic Time

Approximately forty-five minutes of homework time is provided each day. At this time, all students are afforded a quiet area to finish homework assignments, study and read. Staff members are available to assist with assignments and homework questions. Students are encouraged to use this time to complete homework assignments, quietly read or practice Bible memory.

Recreation Time

After a day of sitting behind the desk, your child needs to relax and run around. Weather permitting, we will use the elementary playground area. Please provide adequate outdoor clothing (i.e.: gloves, scarves, hats, coats), labeled with your child’s name. We will go out even when it is very cold. In the event it is raining, we will use an Elementary classroom for exercise. Additionally, your child will have an opportunity to draw and play with various toys, such as Legos and age appropriate games.

Enrichment Time

Children will have the opportunity to participate in activities such as Technology Enrichment, Arts and Crafts and Spanish Education.

Health & Safety

To ensure the care of all children, children with a 100-degree temperature will not be allowed in the ECP for that day. Children should be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to the program.

Personal Items

Personal items may be brought to extended care and must be labeled with your child’s name. They must remain in the child’s backpack until extended care time. If lost or damaged, Extended Care is not responsible. This is a parent-child decision.

Behavior

Children are expected to be polite, respectful of others and the property of others, and helpful in creating a positive, cooperative environment. If praise and encouragement does not assist a child in improving their behavior then a short period of recreational time will be taken away. The next step would be to call for a parent conference. The Director may dismiss a child from the ECP whose behavior is an ongoing concern and/or a threat to the health and safety of others.

Discipline Information & Procedures

Children are entitled to a pleasant and harmonious environment at Extended Care. The Before-and-After School Care Program at Harrisburg Christian School cannot serve children who display chronically disruptive behavior.

Chronically disruptive behavior is defined as verbal or physical activity which may include but is not to such behavior that: requires constant attention from the staff, inflicts physical or emotional harm on other children, abuses the staff, ignores or disobeys the rules which guide behavior during the school day and after school care program time. If a child cannot adjust to the program setting and behave appropriately, then the child will be given a note to be signed and returned by the parent on the following day. Behavioral issues in Extended Care are handled by the Extended Care Coordinator.

Emergency Procedures

Extended Care has adopted the following procedures in caring for your child when he/she becomes sick or injured after school. In case of emergency and/or medical care HCS will call home.

If there is no answer, HCS will call the mother/father/guardian’s place of employment.

If there is no answer, HCS will call the other telephone number(s) listed and the physician.

If none of the above answer, HCS will call an ambulance if necessary to transport the child to a local medical facility. Based upon the medical judgment of the attending physician, the child may be admitted to a local medical facility. HCS will continue to call the parents, guardians or physician until one is reached.

Snow Emergencies

Should HCS close in the middle of the day, due to inclement weather, Extended Care will also close. Please arrange for your child to be picked up as soon as possible.

Communications

Coordinator: Mrs. Julie Miller - (717) 545 – 3728
(Messages checked periodically throughout the day)