Kid City Break Days Parent Guide

Dear Parent or Guardian,

We would like to thank you for being a part of Kid City! We consider it a privilege and a great responsibility to play a part in caring for your child. It is our goal to create a positive, healthy, and fun environment for your camper through recreation and learning. To help you and your child have a great camp experience we have provided this informational guide. If you have additional questions, please call 812-349-3731 or send us an email.

Hours and location

Kid City is open from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and takes place at the Allison-Jukebox Community Center, 351 S. Washington St. in Bloomington, Indiana. Kid City staff can be reached by phone at 812-349-3731 or you can reach staff by sending an email.

Drop off and pick up

Drop off is from 8-9 a.m. in front of the Allison-Jukebox on Washington Street. The doors are locked at 9 a.m. and structured camp programming will begin. 

Pick up is from 4-5:30 p.m. in front of the Allison-Jukebox on Washington Street. All campers must be picked up by 5:30 p.m. To help ensure the safety of participants, please have an ID ready at pickup. If you will be late to pick up your child, please call 812-349-3731 to make us aware of your situation. A fee of $3 per five minutes is charged for late pickups.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation is not responsible for children before they are signed in, or after they are signed out.

We serve many children each day. To properly ensure their care and safety, we take special precautions in accepting and releasing children to and from our programs.  We will only release children to an adult who has been approved by that child’s custodial parent or guardian. Staff members are instructed to ask for identification before releasing a child to any adult (regardless of whether or not they are on the authorized list). All drop offs and pick ups will occur at the Allison-Jukebox. Please understand that these practices are solely for the safety of your child. 

Program ready

In order to support the success and safety of individuals registered and participating in Kid City, it is important that participants are indeed “program ready.” To assist in determining if a child is “program ready,” the following criteria have been developed:

• Participant is able to participate independently or with reasonable accommodations.
• Participant is able to participate in self care (toileting, feeding, etc.) independently or with minimal verbal prompting.
• Participant interacts and participates in a manner that is physically and emotionally safe for themselves and others.
• Participant is able to take and follow directions and instructions.
• Participant is comfortable with and able to interact in, a group environment.
• Participant is age-appropriate (ages 5-12 yrs.). Participants may be aged up or down by one age/grade level in some situations with Director approval, however, participants must be at least 5years old AND in kindergarten. 

What to bring

• A lunch and healthy snacks—nothing that needs to be refrigerated or heated up
• Water bottle
• Weather-appropriate outdoor play clothes. Closed-toe shoes only!
• Sunscreen if a special brand or type is needed
• Any medications your child is taking (in the original container) if needed to be dispensed at Kid City

Participants are responsible for their own belongings. Any items left at Break Days will be placed in lost and found. After two weeks we reserve the right to take all items to a local charitable organization. Please call 812-349-3731 or [email protected] to follow up on lost and found items.

What NOT to bring:

• Cell phones- Break Days are a place for developing independence, social interaction, and play. Cell phones directly interfere with these goals and are not permitted.
• Money—we will provide an afternoon snack and all field trip admissions
• Weapons—this includes camping knives and lighters
• Drugs or alcohol (Please see policy on medication administration.)
• Any unauthorized medications—all medicine must be registered with administrative staff (including over the counter). This will ensure that your child receives proper dosages at the correct times.
• Expensive toys or other items of value
• Personal sports equipment
• Pets or animals (other than service animals)

Registration and payment policies

Children must be registered and all paperwork completed (health form, authorized pick-up information, etc.) to attend. For their own safety, if information is missing, your child will not be allowed to attend. Please bring your receipt to the first day of each session. To register a child for Break Days we will need the following:

• A completed medical form with health history and any current medications the child is taking. Fill out the health form.
• A signed permission waiver including permission for emergency treatment, photo release, and transportation agreements
• All emergency numbers and contacts
• Authorized pick-up information
• Registration fee  

No onsite or day of registration is available. We encourage parents to register children early as limited space is available.

Cancellations must be done prior to registration deadline and are subject to a minimum $10 cancellation fee. Any cancellation after registration deadline will result in forfeiture of payment. If space allows, late registrations are accepted with an additional $10 late fee.

Discipline Policy

Minor Violations

Behaviors that do not pose safety threats 

• First offense—verbal warning
• Second offense—time away
• Third offense—time away (loss of activity time) and mandatory parent conference
• If minor violations disrupt the activities of other participants and continue beyond the third offense, they may constitute suspension or removal from the program.

Major Violations

Behaviors that pose a threat to the safety of children or staff, or involve major property damage

• First offense—isolation from immediate activity and parents notified
• Second offense—parent/guardian/authorized pick-up person is to pick up the child within 45 minutes of notification. Possible suspension from the program.
• Third offense—suspension or removal from program

We never want to remove a child from our program, but if a child resorts to physical violence with another child or a staff member they will be immediately isolated from activities and may be suspended. To prevent this situation, please let staff members know if your child has conflicts or problems that have not been resolved. Our discipline policies are in place to help all Kid City participants have safe Break Days. Please speak with a staff member immediately if you have any concerns.
 

Infectious diseases guidelines

Parents must provide dates for current immunizations on the health form. Fill out the health form.

Children will be observed for signs of infections and communicable diseases. If such signs are observed, parents will be notified and may be asked to remove their child until the child is healthy. If your child is diagnosed with a communicable or infectious disease, please notify staff. Other children may be at risk. We respectfully request that parents do not knowingly send their child with a communicable or infectious disease.

• Participants showing symptoms of respiratory infection will be relocated to a designated, isolated area. Parents will be contacted to pick up their child ASAP and follow up with a physician.
• Participants with a fever over 100.4° F will need to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to camp.
• Participants with a cough or other symptoms will be asked to remain home until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours OR until they can provide a note from a health care professional clearing them to return.
• Participants will take regular hand-washing breaks.
• At any given time, under the recommendation of the health department or medical professionals, Bloomington Parks and Recreation may discontinue services to ensure the safety of its staff and members.

Medication administration

We will administer medication provided that it is in the original container and is accompanied by an authorization form (available at sign-in). Medication will be administered per doctor’s orders only. If the dosage has changed from what is listed on the bottle please bring in a doctor’s statement indicating proper administration and dosage. Certain medications are water-soluble. These drugs are often excreted more quickly from the body during the summer months through excessive sweating. Check with your doctor to see if your child’s medication is affected in this way. Please notify staff of any changes in medications or dosages. 

Bullying vs Conflict

Bullying is repeated, intentional, targeted behavior against another person. Bullying is unprovoked by the target and is often tied to a power imbalance. At Kid City, bullying is not tolerated. Conflict typically happens between peers, is not repeated behavior, and there is an equal emotional reaction from both parties. At Kid City, staff will help campers work through conflict in a safe and respectful way while helping campers learn to problem solve and reach solutions.

Parent availability

In the case of repeated behavior violations or health emergencies, parents or those on the approved pickup list must be able to pick up their participant within 45 minutes of being contacted. If parents/guardians cannot be reached staff will continue calling emergency contacts.

Activities

Break Days include a variety of activities that engage children’s interests. The goal of Break Day programming is to provide opportunities for children to try new things, socialize, learn and practice skills, and have fun. A few examples of program components are outdoor and indoor play, arts and crafts, nature activities, cooperative and competitive games, and field trips. A schedule of activities will be emailed the week prior to the Break Day session.

Transportation and field trip safety

• Children will be transported in Parks and Recreation vehicles or by city bus.
• Staff members are not permitted to transport children in their personal vehicles.
• Only licensed drivers, who are at least 18 years old, will transport children.
• All drivers have attended mandatory drivers’ training and have all applicable licenses.
• Children must remain in seat belts and facing forward when in city vehicles.
• Children must remain seated at all times while vehicles are in motion. State law mandates that children under 8 years old must use a booster seat when being transported in certain city vehicles; this will be observed by staff.
• Roll calls are routinely performed to account for all participants.
• If a field trip is running late, such that participants will return later than 4 p.m., every effort will be made to notify parents.

Emergency Procedures

• All staff members are trained in first aid and CPR.
• Lifeguards are present for all water and water sports activities.
• Every staff member is issued a first aid kit which they are required to carry at all times.
• All medical information is kept on-site and a copy of each child’s health form goes with their trail group on all field trips.
• In case of minor injuries or illness, children are given appropriate first aid and allowed to rest if needed. Parents will be made aware of any illness or injury.
• In the case of an emergency or major injury, parents will be contacted immediately. Emergency personnel (911) will be contacted if the situation is life-threatening. The child will either be taken to the hospital or released to their parents. Parents are required to provide insurance coverage for their children.
• If parents cannot be located, we will contact the emergency numbers on the child’s health form. 

Safety policy

Our policies have been created in the best interest of all children enrolled in programs. Although all active recreational programs have inherent risks, adherence to the following rules, by staff, parents, and children alike will provide the safest environment for your child.

• Participants will be supervised at all times.
• Participants will be escorted to and from Break Days each day by a parent or authorized adult.
• Participants are not allowed in kitchen areas unless accompanied by a staff member.
• Participants may hug, draw pictures of, write poems about, or admire trees, but not climb them.
• All staff are trained in emergency and evacuation procedures.
• All staff are trained in emergency first aid and CPR procedures
• Playground equipment should be used in its intended way (sit on swings, slide down slides)
• Reports are completed for any accident or incident occurring within operating hours. Parents will be asked to sign these forms at pick-up. If an accident or incident requires immediate attention parents will be contacted at the time of the incident.
• Ratios of at least one adult to every six children (Kindergarten), 1:8 (1st-4th grade) and 1:10 (5th grade and up) are maintained at all times.
• Our programs are frequently guests in public places. In addition to Parks and Recreation rules, we must abide by all rules and policies established by the organization we are visiting.
• Staff members are required by law to notify the administration of suspected child abuse or neglect.

Staff

Our staff are college students and school teachers. Although we have high school students who act as assistants to our counselors, staff who have direct sole responsibility for children must be at least 18 years old. Typically our staff are in their early to mid 20’s. We have an extensive selection process and only choose staff who have demonstrated experience working with and programming for children. The staff must also submit to criminal background and health checks. Staff training is comprehensive, covering everything from safety and crisis management to child development. All of our staff are CPR and First Aid certified. 

Suspected child abuse and neglect

State law mandates all agencies that provide children’s programming report any questionable bruises or marks that are repetitious or obvious to the staff. Additionally, if a child indicates to a staff member that any form of abuse or neglect has occurred, it is our obligation to report the discussion to the Monroe County Division of Child Services. Should a report be filed, it is done with much consideration on the staff’s part and with the child’s safety in mind.

Daily schedule

 Sign in 8-9 a.m.

• Upon arriving at the Allison-Jukebox Community Center, parents/guardians must remain in their car and wait to be assisted by Kid City staff. Please pull into the loading zone in front of the building on South Washington Street.
• Please remain in your vehicle. Staff will escort your child into the building.
• Please do not bring your child to Break Days if they are sick.

Activities 9-11 a.m.

• Staff lead scheduled games and crafts.
• Activities will be outdoors when weather permits.

Lunch 11-11:30 a.m.

• Lunch is not provided.
• Groups will take turns washing hands and getting their lunches.
• Groups will spread out and eat outside if weather permits.

Activities 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

• More games and crafts, outdoors when possible.
• Community field trips and presenters.

Sign out  4-5:30 p.m.       

• Upon arriving at the Allison-Jukebox Community Center, parents/guardians will wait at a pick up station to be assisted by staff.
• Staff will verify your identity by checking identification and your child will be instructed to gather their belongings.
• Staff will sign out your child with your initials and families may exit the premises.

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide. We provide this information to help ensure that your child has an enjoyable experience full of wonderful memories!