We follow the regular school rules and policies as outlined in the elementary and middle school handbooks. Many negative situations can be avoided by good supervision and by making connections with students. We believe that the best discipline comes from having positive nurturing relationships between students and staff.

Students respond well to rules that are consistent and appropriate for their developmental age. Child voice is extremely important to us and we will always try to work with your child to reach a mutual understanding about discipline.

Sometimes conflict will arise between students that require a student to take a break. If a child is asked to sit out for a period of time from an activity, an incident report is written up and the Lead Instructor will be speaking with you at pick-up time. We ask parents to sign the Incident Report and then they are immediately given a copy. Incident reports are kept at the Community Education Office.

If an incident occurs in Before Care, and your child does not come to After Care, the report will be placed in a sealed envelope and put in your child’s backpack. Staff will attempt to contact you to discuss the incident. In some cases it is necessary to inform the child’s teacher or principal of what occurred so that they may process with the child, to ensure they can have a safe and productive day.

In the case of a physical altercation between children, parents will be notified and given a choice of picking up their child immediately, or having their child serve a detention. Detentions involve staying at the program, but not being allowed to participate in the afternoon activities. Students may read, do homework, or draw, but they will not be allowed to socialize. This decision will be made between the Lead Instructor and the parent.

In the case where a child is very intentional in their harming (physically, verbally, or mentally) of another child, or it is a repeated offense; parents will be notified that the child will serve a suspension. Multiple suspensions will result in termination from the program.

Students who make credible threats of violence against themselves or against others, will be asked to obtain a safety evaluation by a licensed doctor or social worker, before they may return to the program.

The Before and After-School Care Program abides by the same policies and mandates in reporting child abuse and neglect (Chapter 119, Section 51A), which are followed by the Sharon Public Schools.

Our programs include: cooking, art activities, sand and water play, and time at the outdoor playground. Sometimes spilling or staining occurs.

In cold weather, please make sure that your child has a hat, mittens, and a warm coat. In snowy weather, boots are requested. Children are not allowed to play outside in snowy weather without appropriate clothing. We follow the Child Care Weather Watch chart to determine the suitability of outside play. Those guidelines suggest it feel like 32 degrees or higher for winter, and feel like 90 degrees or lower for summer.

For our Kindergarten families it is a good idea to send an extra set of clothing to keep with us, including a sweatshirt or sweater for very cold days. Additionally, there are times where toileting issues require that an extra set of clothes be kept in school, just in case.

Lost and found collections are kept at each school. Any item not claimed by days end will be turned into the school’s lost and found. If the item is of value, it will be locked in either the nurse’s office or the school office for safekeeping. Cottage and Heights lost and found are located outside the cafeteria entrance. East’s lost and found is located in the main hallway opposite the main office.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) should park legally, not in a Fire Lane or designated handicapped parking spot, walk into the cafeteria, show identification to staff, and sign-out their children on a daily basis. Cottage families using Before-School Care will drop off at the gym. Heights and East families using Before-School Care, will drop off at the cafeteria.  The Transport Release Form on Community Pass indicates who has your permission to pick-up your child in your absence or in an emergency.  The age of that individual must be at least eighteen, regardless of relationship to child.

At each school there is a buzzer to allow access into the building. We ask that parents do not hold the door open for others, so that we may screen each person who enters our buildings.

Before-School Care students may bring breakfast/snack to eat during the program. The school department does not provide food and beverages. Please refrain from sending nut products, out of consideration for those with allergies.

The After-School Care Program provides a mid-afternoon snack to its students. Daily items served on a rotating basis include: portion controlled packages of crackers and cookies, fruit snacks, baked chips, cereal bars, cereal bowls, yogurt, cheese sticks, fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen fruit bars. Children will need to bring their own water bottles for water.  Gluten-free snacks may not meet Sharon Public Schools dietary guidelines. If a child has a specific food allergy; e.g. nuts, berries, lactose intolerance etc.; it is mandatory that we be informed of the allergy by the parent(s)/guardian(s) in writing. Students may bring a snack from home, we do however request that it be nut free.