KIDS' KORNER
Kids’ Korner is a place for children to explore new interests, meet new friends, complete homework, participate in an enrichment club, run, play, and have some fun!
Our eleven state-licensed programs are conveniently located in Middletown Public Elementary Schools, Gildersleeve in Portland (also serving Valley View & Brownstone), and Edna C. Stevens School and Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell.
For more than 30 years, YMCA Kids' Korner has been working in partnership with parents and local school systems to assure that children are safe and are having fun in a supervised, enriching program before and after school hours.
Kids' Korner is much more than just a great child care program. It's a wonderful way to extend the school day by exploring new interests, enjoying healthy recreational pursuits, engaging in enrichment activities and benefiting from academic support. And all the while, kids are making friends and having fun under the supervision of well-trained youth development professionals.
Financial Assistance
The YMCA is committed to serving all members of our community regardless of the ability to pay the full cost of services. As a result of support from the Middlesex United Way, The Peach Pit Foundation and our Annual Campaign at the Y offers families who earn under $80,000 fees based on a sliding scale. Please click here for our Open Doors Financial Assistance Application.
Kids' Korner Links
2021-2022 Kids' Korner Registration Information:
Fees & Registration
Registration for the 2021-2022 School year will begin the first week of MAY!!
Online Registration for RETURNING families will begin on Monday, May 3rd.
Online Registration for NEW families will begin on Monday, May 10th.
Children cannot begin the program for 3 full business days from the time of registration. No exceptions can be made.
If you are in need of care for the Wednesday Distance Learning Program available at the YMCA, you will need to register for that program separately. Registrations are only accepted through Wednesday for the upcoming week.
Please know that with changes happening very suddenly due to COVID, we will update the website as soon as we receive information to provide to families.
Any additional questions or concerns, please contact Ceara at cladue@midymca.org.
COVID-19 Update on closing time for Middletown 8/18/2020:
ALL Middletown Kids’ Korner programs will close at 5:45pm this school year. The school custodians
are working different schedules this year to allow for increased cleaning and disinfection due to COVID-19.
Any families that do not pick up their child by 5:45pm will be charged a late fee of
$15.00 per child for every 5 minutes past this closing time until 6:00pm.
Any pick-up’s after 6pm will result in an additional $20.00 per child for every 5 minutes past 6:00pm.
We CANNOT be in the building past 6:00pm each day as the custodians must finish their disinfection
and cleaning by 6:00pm for the following day. We are increasing these fees, as this is what will be
charged to our programs from MPS if the custodian’s must stay late.
Unfortunately, we are unable to give a verbal warning about this fee and you will be charged the
first time you are late picking up your child.
The YMCA reserves the right to terminate your child’s enrollment in Kids’ Korner for
repeated late pick-ups past 5:45pm.
Medication Administration
If your child will need medication to be stored on site, a medication
authorization form completed by a doctor is required. Medications must
be given to staff in the original pharmacy container and be labeled with
the child's name, name of medication, directions for medication
administration and the date of the prescription.
Kids' Korner Medication Administration Form
Other Requested Forms
Kids' Korner Information Change Form
YMCA of the USA's Child Abuse Prevention Code of Conduct
Registration Steps for Kids’ Korner families:
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Select the purple box above that states “Click HERE to begin ONLINE REGISTRATION” above.
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On the next page, you will select "SIGN UP".On the next page, you will be prompted to select a membership type for Kids' Korner. All children who are enrolled in Kids' Korner are required to have a YMCA program membership to participate in Kids' Korner (most basic YMCA membership with daily fee's to use the facility). If you have one child you are registering, you will select "Program KK Youth Monthly", if you have more than one child, you will select "Program KK Family Monthly". These membership types are for children who are attending either AM, PM or AM&PM (1-4 days a week). If you child is going to register and attend 5 days a week AM&PM, you will select "Program KK Comp", as the membership is complementary as your child is attending full time AM&PM 5 days per week. If at any time, the full time AM&PM schedule changes, you will be charged for the monthly membership. The membership fee's are $7/month for KK Youth monthly and $12/month for KK Family monthly that will be added to your monthly Kids' Korner charges. There is a one-time $10 enrollment fee due at the time of enrollment.
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You will also be required to pay a two week deposit (equal to two weeks of Kids' Korner fees), within one week of online registration. The two week deposit is held on to until your LAST two weeks in the Kids' Korner program.
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Once you have set up your account, you will click on "categories" and then select Kids' Korner. From there, you will choose the site/ school your child is going to attend. You will then register for the rate plan your child is going to attend. Ex, Full time PM, Part-time AM, Full time AM&PM. You will choose the rate plan and then on the next page select the person you are registering for the program. You will confirm this information and then you will be brought to the 2020-2021 Kids' Korner information page where you will enter your child's information. All fields must be filled in, or the registration will not be accepted.
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In order for the registration to be completed, a credit card is required to be on the child's account. You will be charged the $10 enrollment fee at the time of registration. Automatic payments that are set up to the card can be cancelled after the YMCA receives confirmation of the registration. If no card information is entered, the registration will NOT go through and your child will NOT be registered.
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An email will be sent to families with the amount of the two week security deposit amount that is due. This email will be sent within one week of registering online. Families will then log back into their account to pay those fees. Failure to pay the deposit within 48 hours of the email being sent will result in cancelation of your enrollment in the program.
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You will have to repeat these steps for every child you are registering for Kids' Korner.
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If you currently have an outstanding balance for any YMCA program you will be allowed to register for the 2020-2021 school year. However, all outstanding balances must be paid in full prior to June 15, 2020 or your registration will be cancelled at that time for the 2020-2021 school year.
2021-2022 Daily Fee Schedule
Membership
Family Program $115.00 or $11.50 a month
Individual Program $80.00 or $8.00 a month
Complimentary Program Membership Enrolled 5 days am and pm (currently 4 days)
Enrollment Fee $10.00 New Members Only
Open Doors Assistance
Thanks to the United Way and the generous donations of friends of the Y, the YMCA Open Doors Program provides assistance to families who earn under $80,000 a year. For information please call 860-347-6907 or 860-343-6218.
Curriculum & Monthly Themes
Your kids will enjoy and benefit from the following activities:
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Literacy activities
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Character Development lessons
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Programs that focus on social emotional learning & healing from trauma
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Older Youth Clubs for 4th-5th graders
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Fun, STEAM based curriculum
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Arts and Crafts
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Hands-on Activity Centers
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Multicultural Activities
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Sports and Active Play
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CATCH Kids Club Fitness and Nutrition Program
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Homework Clubs
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Interest Driven Enrichment Clubs
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Community Service Projects
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Linkages to learning in fun and exciting ways
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Thematic curriculum
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Emphasis on the development of social skills
Monthly Themes: Each month children have an opportunity to explore a different fun learning theme. Programs plan a wide variety of activities including active games, arts and crafts, special clubs and events that link with the theme of the month.
Multicultural Themes: Each month children learn about a different culture through group discussion, literacy, cooking, art, games and special events with special focus on the cultural traditions of our YMCA families.
Enrichment Clubs: During the school year there are a wide variety of club choices such as cooking, science, fitness, art, sports, and drama and many more. Club topics are determined based on the results of interest inventories completed by children in the fall and winter months.
Active Play and Free Choice: Children have opportunities to engage in active play and free choice activities both indoors and outdoors each day. There are a variety of group games, free play time, and special sports clubs that keep children physically active. Activity centers such as games, drama, art, blocks, reading, and music promote small group and individual play during downtime.
Community Service: Kids’ Korner participants give back in many ways to the community. Service projects such as food drives, penny wars, clothing drives, art from the heart, and mathathons are just some of the projects completed by Kids' Korner programs.
Inclement Weather Policy
Delayed Opening:
Cromwell sites will open at 7:30am.
Middletown sites will open at 9:00am.
Valley View site will open at 8:00am.
Only children registered for the AM program will be accepted for school delays.
Early Closings:
Cromwell sites will open when school closes and will remain open until 5:00pm.
Middletown sites will open when school closes and will remain open until 4:00pm.
Valley View site will open when school closes and will remain open until 3:00pm.
Only children registered for the PM program will be accepted for early closings.
School Cancellation:
At this time, we are unable to provide a Snow Day Program for families. Currently our Family Center area is being used for Distance Learning Classrooms. Middletown Public Schools has decided to switch to remote learning days instead of the traditional snow day. For this reason, only children registered for that day of Distance Learning would be allowed to attend the program that day.
YMCA Program Closings and Delays:
If school is cancelled, please call 860-347-6907 to confirm that the YMCA is open.
If the YMCA is closed, the program will be cancelled.
We will post updates on our Kids' Korner Facebook page as soon as information becomes available for parents.
Kids' Korner Staff
Kids' Korner Site Information
Please click here to review the YMCA of the USA's Child Abuse Prevention Code of Conduct.
All staff who work in YMCA Kids' Korner programs receive a DCF and criminal background check. Staff are
chosen to work in our programs based on their ability to be a positive role model for children.