CARES PROGRAM HANDBOOK
2024-2025 School Year
Dear Parent,
This handbook will help address questions you may have regarding the basic operation of our CARES programs. We pledge to work with you to make this a positive experience for your child.
Sincerely,
Miss Denise Britt – Principal
OVERVIEW OF OUR CARES PROGRAMS
The CARES Programs at St. Helena School provide children with a Catholic environment extending the philosophy of St. Helena School into the hours before and after school. The programs serve the children of parents who work outside the home that cannot align work schedules with our regular school hours. There is an academic component, which includes some homework time, as well as art, games, and activities. Our programs provide safety, care, supervision, and recreation.
Teachers and other caregivers staff the CARES Program. The entire program is under the administration of the school principal. Staff members work together to help each child grow in maturity and self-respect, as well as to maintain an atmosphere where respect of others is encouraged. Our Programs are supervised by the following personnel:
Early Birds:
Mrs. Janet Smith
jwengersmith69@gmail.com
Tiger Time:
Mr. Steve Smith
ssmith@sainthelenaschool.org
CARES:
Mr. Mark Rothenberger
mrothenberger@sainthelenaschool.org
PROGRAM DETAILS
Early Birds – Before School Program available to All Students
When: Early Birds begins Thursday, September. 12th and ends on Friday, June 6th. Please know that for your child’s safety, no student may be in the recess yard or in the classrooms before 7:45 A.M. unless he/she is being tutored by one of the teachers. There will be no Early Birds on school-ordered late arrival days because of snow, etc. and on Morning with Mom and Donuts with Dad days.
Time: 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. Drop off at Recreation Center. Doors open at 7:00 A.M. sharp, no earlier. A parent must accompany the child to the door to be checked in and to note any food allergies.
Details: Breakfast will be served to children who arrive before 7:45 A.M. Typical breakfasts may include: single serve cups of cereal with milk, fruit or yogurt, water, breakfast pastry, or hot chocolate in cold weather. Activities after breakfast may include: Legos, puzzles, drawing, coloring, reading, or study time for an upcoming test. Pre-School children will be escorted to their building at 7:50 by their Tiger Time teacher. All other students will be escorted to the front recess yard or the classroom at 8:00.
Cost: $10.00/day for one child and $7.00/day for each additional sibling. Fees will be billed through FACTS.
Registration: You must register by the Thursday before the week your child will be attending so that food can be ordered appropriately. Drop-ins due to a family emergency or sudden work meeting are always welcome; however, for accounting purposes, please sign in to the registration after the fact. First registrations are due by September 9th. Direct questions to jwengersmith69@gmail.com. The registration form is linked at the end of this document. Please complete and return to the school.
Tiger Time – Before School Program available to Pre-School Children
When: Tiger Time begins Monday, September 13 and ends on Thursday, June 9. There will be no Tiger Time on school-ordered late arrival days because of snow, etc. and on Morning with Mom and Donuts with Dad days.
Time: 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. Drop off at the Pre-School.
Details: Pre-School children enrolled in Early Birds will be escorted to their building at 7:50 by their Tiger Time teacher. All other Pre-School students should be dropped off at the Pre-School building no earlier than 8:00 AM.
Cost: $10.00/day for one child and $7.00/day for each additional sibling. NO COST if you use Early Birds. Fees will be billed through FACTS.
Registration: You must sign up for Tiger Time before you will be using this program. The registration form is linked at the end of this document. Please complete and return to the school.
CARES – After School
When: CARES begins Monday, September 9 and ends on Friday, June 6. After School CARES is available only to Pre-K4 through 8th grade students. We will not be able to accommodate students enrolled in Pre-K3. CARES will NOT be held on early dismissal days because of snow, etc.
Time: 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. (Noon to 6:00 P.M. on early dismissal days)
Details: Students enrolled in the CARES after school program will be escorted to the CARES room at the end of the school day. A single snack and drink is provided each day. Please send additional snacks for your child if so desired. Each day, a homework period is scheduled. It is the child’s responsibility to know what homework has been assigned. It is the responsibility of parents to check homework at home. There cannot be an expectation that homework will be completed at CARES, or that an appropriate amount of time was dedicated to studying. All children should have an age appropriate reading book available at all times
Cost for students enrolled in CARES for the entire school year
$300.00 per month for one child
$485.00 per month for two children
$565.00 per month for three children
$595.00 per month for four and more children
Cost for students using CARES on a per diem basis (must reserve 24 hours prior)
$30.00 for one student
$40 for two or more children
$45.00 for one student on noon dismissal days
$55.00 for two or more children on noon dismissal days
All fees will be billed through FACTS.
Registration: You must sign up for CARES before you will be using this program using the registration form linked at the end of this document. Please complete and return the form to the school.
AGREEMENT
St. Helena agrees to provide the CARES Program for a student, and in return, parents agree to pay a fee and to support the guidelines of the program. Fees are the sole support of the school’s CARES Program and are not subsidized by St. Helena School.
CHANGE IN ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Parents are expected to inform the school office or designated CARES staff member when there are changes in addresses or phone numbers/emergency numbers. If there is any change in the names of those authorized to pick up the child, this information should be made known to the school office.
CHILD BEHAVIOR
Since the CARES Program is an extension of St. Helena School, the same philosophy extends to the CARES program. As members of a caring Catholic community, the children will be expected to respect the staff, each other, and the materials and environment provided. Parents must agree to cooperate in ensuring that their children behave appropriately.
If a child violates the standards set by the school, the child will be spoken to. If the inappropriate behavior persists, the parent will be notified, and if necessary, a conference with the parent will be scheduled. Parents will be apprised of the situation and all incidents will be documented.
The use of personal electronic devices, items and toys is strongly discouraged. St. Helena is not responsible for monitoring content, or the loss or damage, to any item brought to CARES in contravention of this request. We reserve the right to remove from the child any item deemed inappropriate or used inappropriately in the judgment of the staff.
AVAILABILITY OF CARES PROGRAMS
Staffing for all CARES programs is planned according to the number of children enrolled. We cannot accept more children in CARES than our staff is permitted to supervise (10 children per CARES employee is mandated by the Archdiocese). Please report changes in your scheduled enrollment in advance to St. Helena School whenever possible. If you plan to use our programs only on an occasional basis, please contact the school in advance (see directives for each program) and we will advise you if space is available. This is particularly important if you plan to use CARES on early dismissal days when the after school program is in high demand. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may occur that you may need to use a CARES program on the same-day. We will do our best to accommodate your needs whenever possible.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The CARES Program follows the policy of St. Helena School with regard to communicable diseases. Parents or their designees will be notified if a child becomes ill during the hours of the program. All minor injuries will be recorded in the Accident Log. Parents will be notified at the time of pick-up. When serious injuries occur, the emergency contacts listed on the registration paperwork will be called if the parents cannot be reached. 911 will be called at the discretion of the staff.
Copies of all necessary medical information, medicine, etc. are made available to the staff of the CARES Program. As is the policy of St. Helena School, only prescription medication will be dispensed. If a child is taking medication during the school day, the same written permission slip will suffice. The written
note must include amount of dosage and the date. Medication must be in its original container marked with the child’s name.
Duplicate medicine, included but not limited to Benadryl or epi-pens, must be provided by the parent or guardian for the CARES staff. Parents should provide written notification of any food allergies.
If something serious should occur and the building is evacuated (fire, etc.), children will be taken to the Church or Rectory. Along with the Fire Drill, a Crisis Plan is in place for unexpected emergencies. These plans are in place for St. Helena School and for the CARES Program.
Phone Numbers: 610-279-3345 until 3PM, 215-206-9081 from 3:00 PM to 6 PM
PICK-UP TIME FOR AFTER SCHOOL CARES
Parents enter school by the designated door to pick up children. Official attendance records are kept for the CARES Program. A child will be released only to a parent or one who has been authorized in writing by a parent to pick up the child. Exceptions will not be made unless the parent sends in written permission with the child when he/she comes to school in the morning.
An area of parental responsibility is in the matter of prompt pick-up time in the afternoon. It is common courtesy to the staff to respect the time of closure. Parents who have difficulty with the pick-up time should arrange with others listed as authorized pick-up individuals to be at school by 6:00 PM.
Late pick-up by 6:10 PM will incur a $10 fee. Every five minutes thereafter will incur an additional $10.
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
The registration form for all our CARES programs is linked at the end of this document. Registration forms must be completed and submitted in advance to reserve available openings. Registration will be on a first come/first serve basis, with priority given to those families reserving on a set recurring schedule for the entire school year. No children may attend with the registration form on file.
Prompt fee payment will assure the continuation of personnel and the provision of supplies and snacks. The fees charged are the sole support of the CARES Program, and serve the children in an adequate and fair way. It is necessary that all payments be prompt and complete.
Charges for all CARES programs (including Early Birds and Tiger Time) will be billed through your FACTS account and you will receive e-mailed invoices from FACTS. Payments are due within 20 days of the invoice date. CARES personnel will not accept checks or cash. If you desire to pay by check, please mail or drop off your check to the attention of Cathy Neugebauer, Business Manager, and she can post the payment to your FACTS account. You can link your CARES invoices for automatic drafts from your bank account in order to avoid potential late fees. This can be done through the Parent Portal. For those families using our after school CARES program, December’s payment for a short month offsets June when no payment is due. FACTS does assess a late fee of $30 on returned payments.