KIDS' KORNER
Kids' Korner Links
Curriculum & Monthly Themes
Vacation Day Programs
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 and 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.
The staff in our programs have worked diligently over the past year to make the program fun and exciting for the children while also focusing on character development, social emotional learning, and healing from the trauma of COVID-19. We understand that this year has been extremely difficult for children so our focus will continue to be on social emotional growth and helping children make connections with their peers. Our staff have received several trainings this school year regarding trauma-informed care and mindfulness and are ready to make the next school year even better than ever!
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 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.
2023-2024 Kids' Korner Registration Information:
Fees & Registration
Important Registration Update:
Children registered between Monday 8/21- Friday 8/25 will begin 9/5 (Tuesday after Labor day). Any registrations received Monday 8/28- Wednesday 8/30 will begin 9/6; any received Thursday 8/31- Friday 9/1 will begin 9/7. Please note; as a licensed Before & Afterschool program, children will not be able to begin the program until a copy of their physical and any medications required are provided to the Kids' Korner Staff.
No exceptions can be made.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING PICK-UP TIMES FOR ALL SITES
Any families that do not pick up their child by 6:00pm 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.
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 & Information
Kids' Korner Information Change Form
Registration Steps for Kids’ Korner families:
Please be sure to read through all steps below before you begin the process.
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Select your child's site using blue buttons listed below.
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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 your 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 YMCA membership 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 2023-2024 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. You will receive a confirmation email once you have registered for your child/children's specific Kids' Korner Program.
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If you only receive confirmation that you are registered for the "Program KK Youth Monthly" that does NOT mean your child is registered. You must receive a separate confirmation email that your child is registered for their specific Kids' Korner Program otherwise we will NOT be able to let them in to our programs.
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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 2023-2024 school year. However, all outstanding balances must be paid in full prior to June 15, 2023 or your registration will be cancelled at that time for the 2023-2024 school year.
Schedule changes/Program Cancelation IMPORTANT dates for the 2023/2024 School Year
Middletown, Cromwell & Portland
After 8/14/2023, no changes to enrollment will be accepted to your child’s schedule until October 1st. You are obligated to pay for the schedule you signed up for through September 30th. Beginning October 1st, cancellations and changes to enrollment must be submitted in writing ten business days in advance of the requested change/start date or the security deposit will be forfeited.
All Cancellations MUST be done no later than September 20th in order to make changes for October 1st.
2023-2024 Daily Fee Schedule
Membership
Annual Family Program $120.00 or $12.00 a month
Annual Individual Program $70.00 or $7.00 a month
Complimentary Program Membership if Enrolled 5 days am and pm
Enrollment Fee $10.00 New Members Only
Open Doors Assistance
Thanks to 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, Middletown, AND Portland sites will ALL open at 9:00am.
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 4:00pm.
Middletown sites will open when school closes and will remain open until 4:00pm.
Gildersleeve 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:
In the event school is closed due to inclement weather, the YMCA will offer a snow day program to those that have pre-registered for the program. Registrations WILL NOT be accepted on the day of the program.
The hours of the Snow Day Program are 9:00 am - 5:30 pm, but delayed openings are possible. If the YMCA is not able to safely open by 9:00am, the program will most likely be closed for the day. Parents are encouraged to have alternate arrangements for Snow Days.
We ask that parents email us at acardoza@midymca.org if they are aware their child will not be using the program for the day so we can adjust our staffing as necessary.
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. The Program Director will email all families to inform them if the Snow Day Program is closed for the day.
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.