REGISTRATION

To register your child, please complete registration paperwork, including a complete emergency card. Until registration materials are complete, your student is not enrolled in the Program.

The program receives reimbursement for students who attend five days a week for three hours a day.  Full-time enrollees will receive priority in registration.  Every effort will be made to accommodate parents seeking part-time enrollment.  Drop-in students are not allowed.  If would like to change your status from full time to part time you must notify the coordinator a month in advance.

If your child/children will no longer be participating in the Berkeley LEARNS Afterschool Program please inform the Program Coordinator within ten (10) school days. 

PAYMENT

Fees are based on GROSS monthly income (before taxes) and family size as follows. 

First payment will include your first month’s fee and a security deposit equal to one month’s fee.  This deposit will be used to cover your child’s last month in the program, as long as you inform the Program Coordinator that your child is leaving the program in advance.  Any request for payment refund will require an original payment receipt. Each payment is due on the first of the month, and can be mailed or delivered by hand to the program office.  There will be a $5 charge added to all checks returned unpaid by your bank and the program coordinator may ask that you pay by money order or cash from that point on.   

POLICIES

Sign In and Sign Out

Absences

If your child is going to be absent from Berkeley LEARNS After School Program on a specific day, please give the staff advanced notice by either talking to the Program Coordinator before hand, or by calling the Program Office and leaving a message.  We must be notified before 12:30 PM on the day that your child will be absent.  Notifying staff of your child's absences is important for the safety of your child, and the peace of mind of staff.  If your child does not attend the program, and we have not been notified in advance of his or her absence, we will assume that your child is lost, or is in danger, and therefore we will contact the necessary officials.

Frequent absences from the program may result in your child no longer being able to participate in the Program.

Discipline

The program staff firmly believes in treating students with respect at all times.  Rules for the program will be explained to the students at the beginning of the year.  In general, the program rules are the same as the school rules.  This helps the children to maintain their knowledge of what is acceptable on the school grounds, and what is not.  Methods of discipline are also consistent with those methods used during school hours.  In general, we use conflict resolution practices with the students.  This allows the students to take an active part in the discipline process by having them identify the problem, alternatives that could have been used, the consequences of their actions, and possible solutions. 

The staff also uses "time out" as a disciplinary technique.  We will talk to students to help determine what is bothering them, and to explain why the behavior they used was not acceptable.  After the student has been given ample time to cool down and evaluate his or her situation, he or she is allowed to return to the group's activities.

The program staff will communicate with all children in a positive manner.  The use of foul language, name-calling, any form of physical punishment, or withholding snack from children will not be permitted.  We request that parents also observe these rules when on the school grounds with all children, including their own.  This will enable us to keep the principals behind our discipline consistent.

At the beginning of the Program year, your child will be part of a group process to create a code of behavior the group agrees to follow during the program hours.  Additionally, this handbook includes a Student Agreement, which we ask you to please review with your child, and initial correspondingly.  This is to ensure that your child has been made aware of Berkeley LEARNS rules and procedures before she or he enters the program.  Continued enrollment of each student will depend upon his or her abiding by the conduct described in the agreement.

Snacks

Snacks are provided every day by BUSD Nutrition Services Department.  Please see the BUSD Wellness Plan for more details.  Every snack is vegetarian-friendly.  If your child has allergic reactions to certain foods, we ask that you notify the staff of those allergies by indicating them on the emergency card and completing an allergy form.  If your child needs more snack than the program provides, please send additional healthy (no candy or soda) snacks with your child.  Every program welcomes donations of healthy snacks.

Sick Children

If your child appears sick, or complains of sickness while participating in the program, the staff will notify the parent/guardian immediately.  We ask that at that time that you pick up your child from the program to prevent the risk of contagion.  The Program is not equipped to take care of sick children.

The emergency card in the registration packet is very important if your child becomes ill.  In case of an emergency, the form tells the staff which hospital your child should be sent to, and which procedures are not suited to your child's condition.  Please be sure to notify the staff of any changes in your child's medical needs, as well as any changes that might occur with your contact numbers, and the emergency contact numbers that you have supplied.

Emergency Procedures

The Berkeley LEARNS Programs follow the district emergency procedures and their schools safety plan.  Each program has staff members who are CPR and First Aid certified. 

Injuries

If your child is injured, the program staff will take whatever steps may be necessary to ensure that your child receives emergency medical care.  This can include, but is not limited to, the administering of emergency first aid or CPR, attempting to contact you or your emergency contact people, calling an ambulance or paramedic, calling your family doctor, and/or having the child transported to an emergency hospital.

Abuse Reporting Requirement

If any member of the program staff suspects that your child is being abused in any way at home, section 11166 of the Penal Code requires us to report our suspicions to a child protective agency immediately or as soon as practically possible, and in writing within 36 hours.  A child protective agency can be any one of the following: a police or sheriff's department, a county probation department, or a county welfare department.  If the staff suspects that your child has been abused during the program hours, we will notify both the child protective agency, and the parents/guardians of all the children that participate in the program.  In our written notification, we will mention the suspected incident without giving the names of the children and individuals involved.  The definition of abuse is the infliction of physical, mental, or emotional suffering.  This definition includes neglect.  All suspected abuse will be reported.

BUSD Complaint Procedures

 If you have a concern about the program please contact your program coordinator.  Another option is to contact the LEARNS Program Supervisor @ 883-6146.  If you would like to make a formal complaint you have the option of following the District’s complaint procedures for parents, residents and students.  Please see your BUSD Parent Handbook for more information. 

Volunteering for Berkeley LEARNS After School Program

Each family enrolled in the program is required to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours per school year.  Attending family pot-lucks, evening meetings, tutoring, offering classes, volunteering on the yard, helping to clean-up at the end of a day, etc. are just a few examples of volunteer activities.

The requirements for volunteering in Berkeley LEARNS After School Programs are as follows:

1. You must be at least 18 years old.

1. If you are not volunteering through an organized volunteer program (i.e. Berkeley School Volunteers), you must be related to one of the students.

 NOTE:  Berkeley LEARNS After School Programs have the right to turn away any volunteers at any time, without the need to explain their reason for the decisions made. 

 If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Program Coordinator, either by calling or dropping by the program office.

Donations

 If you would like to donate money, materials, or resources to your program, it will be greatly appreciated.  If you are donating money, you can identify which portion of the program you would like to see the money benefit.  If you choose to donate to the program, please be sure to leave your name, along with the items/amount that you have donated, with the Program Coordinator. 

Evaluations

All parents/guardians and students are expected to participate in the evaluation process of the Program.  At least twice a year (Fall and Spring) you will be asked to fill out an evaluation form and may be asked to participate in interviews, detailing your level of satisfaction with the program.  This evaluation is very important to the program; it allows us to make improvements for the next year according to the needs that you, the parents/guardians, have identified.  When you receive the evaluation forms, we would greatly appreciate your taking the time to answer the questions as fully as possible.

Thank You

 Thank you for taking the time to read through this information.  If you find any of the information contained in this handbook confusing or incomplete, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Program Coordinator.  Together we can make your child/children’s after school experience safe, happy, and enriching.