Extended Care

Extended Care Program Overview

• The Extended Care Program is a service of The Colorado Springs School, Children’s School Division and is intended to accommodate the needs of families with busy schedules. Extended Care is offered to CSS parents of students in PreKindergarten through grade 5. Knowledge of the whereabouts of students at all times is paramount to student safety. Therefore, students who are on campus before 7:50 a.m. or after 3:15 p.m. are required to be in the Extended Care Program.
• CSS is proud to provide supervision from faculty/staff who know your children well. The adults staffing Extended Care are current in Standard Precautions/CPR/First Aid certification and their understanding of RULER (emotional and social intelligence strategies used in the classroom), as well as the CSS method of communicating with students and delivering a program. The following program highlights benefit your child in the transition from home to school in the morning and/or from school to home at the end of the day:
• We focus on low student to teacher ratios and intentional activities. Unlike some programs that might stay within state-mandated ratios but are limited in space, you will often find us starting in smaller groups before we combine. This allows us to give students more options in what they need (active play, homework time, quiet reading, etc.) as they spend this time transitioning from end of school to pick-up and home.
• Your children may play on the CSS quad or PreK playground in any given week. We also have dedicated indoor spaces that allow for a variety of activities in smaller groups when we are indoors.
• Afternoon Extended Care consistently engages all of our students with our Big Blue Block set. These amazing blocks can be used indoors and out and allow for open-ended imaginative play, design thinking, and collaboration.
• Physical Education skills and concepts at all ages are used in Extended Care to satisfy student interest in taking what they’ve learned during the day and extending it with further practice and peer coaching after school.
• Our play structure on the PreK playground is rated for children 2 - 12. Like the Big Blue Blocks, we love seeing the games that your children make up while they engage in vigorous physical activity.  
• On many days, homework time for our older students is built into Afternoon Extended Care. A dedicated work space will accommodate students with homework responsibilities. 
• Students are given regular access to arts and craft materials and “tinkering”/building materials. Even when the days grow short and cold, the chance to create is a big part of Afternoon Extended Care. Your fees help us augment generous donations of building materials with purchases that allow something like a wooden dowel and paper towel roll to transform to a starship envisioned for the future or today’s practical invention that helps to feed a pet.
• For older students, we continue to add to and build on our Snap Circuit boards and logic puzzle/precoding games. These options give students an opportunity to engage in technology that doesn’t involve a screen and to further their skills in identifying sequences and patterns.
• Additionally we provide a bridge coverage for students engaging in other after-school enrichment activities such as Girl Scouts, Landsharks running club, tutoring, etc. as we ensure students can easily return to the Extended Care program following these electives.

Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures

• All children attending Extended Care in the morning must be escorted into the classroom and signed in by a parent/guardian.

• All children attending Extended Care in the afternoon must be signed out by a parent/guardian and escorted from the classroom.

• Older siblings are allowed to sign a student out of Extended Care if he/she is in 6th grade or above, responsible for the child and a letter from the parent is on file with the Extended Care Program.

Hours of Operation

Morning: 7:30 - 7:50 a.m.
Afternoon: 3:15 - 5:30 p.m.

Locations

• Morning (7:30 a.m. to 7:50 a.m.): Early Childhood Center (PreK Room)

• Afternoon (3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.): Early Childhood Center

• PreK begins in the PreK classroom

• K-5 Designated Extended Care Classroom

Student Teacher Ratios

• 8 Students : 1 Teacher

Fees

• Afternoon (Daily): $8.00 per hour, with a minimum charge of one hour, and then charged in half-hour increments.

• Morning: (Daily): $4.00

• Late Pick-up Fee: Parents will be charged $8.00 if a child is not picked up by 3:30 p.m.

Reservations

• Semester/Yearly: To ensure that we have the required coverage for students, we ask parents to anticipate their long-term needs and register accordingly by semester or for the year. Weekly check-ins will facilitate changes to individual family schedules.   

• Daily: To ensure space and proper coverage, parents must call and register their child no later than 10:00 a.m. In doing so, each child is guaranteed a spot and will be able to participate in the activities of the extended care program. 

• Drop-in: Drop-in reservations are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Drop-in spaces are not guaranteed and restricted based on the ratio of teachers to students.

• Late fee: Parent schedules are hectic and we are happy to accommodate; however, families will be assessed a late fee (hourly rate for every half-hour) for pick-up beyond scheduled hours. If running late, please be sure to contact Angie Knights-Pelletier, to notify her of your intended time of arrival.

• Cancellation Policy: If you anticipate that your child will not be participating in extended care, parents are asked to cancel by 8:00 a.m. in the morning. Otherwise, a fee of $8.00 will be assessed.

Daily Snack

• Due to a wide range of dietary needs and/or restrictions, parents must provide a healthy daily snack for their child. Questions and/or concerns can be directed to Angie Knights-Pelletier.