Dear Canyon Families,
Welcome to Canyon Care for the 2023-24 school year!
On this page, you will find an overview of the Canyon After School Program (CASP) – also referred to as “Canyon Care” – as well as the program’s enrollment forms which must be submitted to the Program Director as soon as possible for your child to attend the program.
We also offer NEW Afternoon Enrichment Programs for anyone enrolled in aftercare, at no additional charge. Check out the program schedule.
CASP Enrollment Procedure
After reading through the General Information and Policies sheets, please submit the following completed forms:
General Information
Canyon Care has partnered with an online platform called Procare for billing. The program allows for electronic (ACH) payments and digital invoicing. Every new Canyon family will receive an invitation to register on Procare, whether you plan to have your child attend Canyon Care on a regular basis or not. Emergencies happen and your child may need care one day unexpectedly, so we would like everyone to be registered in the secure system.
Please be on the lookout for the Procare registration invite.
Your first invoice (for care received during the month of August) will go out by the 10th of September, and will include the $75 registration fee. Payments will be accepted electronically via Procare, or by check in the CASP / Canyon Care lockbox in the school lobby.
Please contact Jamie Barret Riley at: [email protected] if you have any questions regarding enrolling in CASP / Canyon Care.
Phone number to contact onsite staff during Canyon Care Hours at: (925) 377-9438 (rings in the Kitchen and in Building C)
Canyon Care Goals
- To encourage a sense of free play and creativity, to build social relationships, and to encourage a “community school” concept.
- To help develop respect for others and the school environment, to encourage responsible behavior, and a positive attitude.
- To promote a positive sense of self within a group setting, and to encourage cooperation with others.
- To provide a safe and nurturing environment for all Canyon Care participants.
Eligibility
All Canyon School students enrolled for the current school year are eligible to be enrolled in CASP/Canyon Care, with the exception of those whose families have an unpaid bill with CASP. Under no circumstances will anyone owing money to CASP/Canyon Care be permitted to enroll.
Please note that children who are not currently enrolled at Canyon School (including siblings of enrolled students) are not eligible to participate in Canyon Care. Our insurance policy only covers currently enrolled Canyon School students.
Hours of Operation
Beforecare
Monday – Friday: 7:35am – 8:35am
Kindercare
Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday: 1pm – 3pm
General Aftercare
Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday: 3pm-5:30pm
Wednesdays: 1:30pm-5:30pm
Beforecare
In order to offer Beforecare services, a minimum of 3 families must be signed up for ongoing (Mon-Fri) Beforecare, and there must be a Canyon Care instructor willing and available to work for just one hour every morning. If those needs are met, before care will be provided Mon-Fri 7:35am-8:35am.
Kindercare
Kindercare is from 1-3pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Canyon Care Instructor will meet the Kindergarteners outside of their classroom at 1pm and will bring them to the playground/Room C.
A minimum of 3 kindergarteners need to be signed up for K-Care to justify staffing.
K-Care activities include: cooperative games, free play, read alouds, nature walks, imagination games and art projects. Many parents view K-Care as additional time for their child to acclimate to school surroundings as well as a built in play date.
In Kindercare the children participate in enrichment activities such as arts and crafts, collaborative group games, relay races, reading picture books, imaginary play, building forts in the grove, nature walks, etc. They will also have plenty of time for free play. A snack will be provided. Many families view Kindercare as a built-in playdate for their child, as well as providing additional time for their child to acclimate to their new school’s surroundings.
General Aftercare
General Aftercare for all students is offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:00-5:30 pm and on Wednesday from 1:30-5:30 pm.
The afternoon is a mix of free play and optional structured activities. A snack is provided.
Aftercare Enrollment Options
Contracted Aftercare (Your BEST Value!!)
Plan a consistent schedule of weekly aftercare hours and pay approximately $7.50/hour for one child and $12.00/hour for two children (both children must be present at the same time).
(This pre-scheduled option offers a much more competitive rate than the drop-in price of $10/hr.)
In order to sign up for contracted aftercare, please complete the Contracted Hours Enrollment & Purchase Form, and the Canyon Care Scheduling Form indicating your desired weekly aftercare schedule. Refer to the Monthly Tuition Rates, below, to determine monthly payment.
- Please note that you must schedule a minimum of 4 weekly hours. A child’s schedule must be the same each week. The pick-up time must be on the hour or half hour (ex. 4:00 pm, 4:30 pm etc). Please be sure to select pick-up times that you know you will be able to meet, in order to avoid late fee charges.
- If you schedule a total number of hours that come out to X plus half an hour, you will need to round up to determine your monthly tuition charge. For example, if you schedule a total of 5½ weekly hours, you would pay for 6 weekly hours. (In such an instance you might want to review your initial schedule and add in an additional half hour, since you’re paying for it anyway.)
- Please note that you are being charged for approximately 180 days; the number of days that school is in session each year. Each month, you are asked to pay for the average number of school days in a billing period rather than the actual number of school days in a particular billing period. While some billing periods have fewer teaching days than others (such as months with holidays) others have more teaching days. This simplified billing system is easy to follow and allows both you and CASP to be able to plan ahead.
Drop-In Aftercare
It is possible to purchase aftercare hours at a drop-in rate of $10/hour for one child and $18/hour for two children (when both are present).
This is a pre-pay program – you are purchasing a block of drop-in hours, to be used as needed.
Drop-in hours must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance to ensure adequate staffing.
Drop-in must be for at least one hour each time, and after that must be recorded in half-hour increments, therefore pick-up times will be rounded up to the nearest half hour (ex. 3:00-3:47 pm = one hour, 3:00-4:21 pm = 1.5 hours, etc).
Blocks of 20 drop-in hours may be purchased as follows:
20 hours / 1 child / $200
20 hours / 2 children / $360 (when both are present)
- CASP families enrolled on a contracted schedule may purchase additional drop-in hours.
- CASP must be provided with a minimum of 24 hours notice before your drop-in request to ensure adequate staffing. Due to our need to maintain adequate staffing ratios, drop-in is based upon availability.
- Canyon School families not enrolled in aftercare on a contracted schedule and who wish to use CASP on a more limited basis may also purchase drop-in hours.
- Canyon Care Pick-Up Form
- Canyon Care Medical Information & Authorization Form
- Drop-in hours must be used within the school year in which they are purchased.All families using CASP, including those who only purchase drop-in hours, must have these forms on file.
Note: ANY child still at school at 3:15pm (MTTF) or 1:50pm (W) will be signed into Canyon Care, and will need to purchase drop-in hours to cover the time, which will be charged by the full hour.
Rates and Fees
Monthly Tuition Rates for (Pre-Scheduled)
Contracted Aftercare
Beforecare Rates
In order to offer Beforecare services, a minimum of 3 families must be signed up for ongoing (Mon-Fri) Beforecare, and there must be a Canyon Care instructor willing and available to work for just one hour every morning. If those needs are met, Beforecare will be provided Mon-Fri 7:35am-8:35am.
If your family needs ongoing Beforecare, please circle the plan that best suits your family. For example, if your family needs ongoing (Mon-Fri) Beforecare for one child, you would circle $150/month for one child.
Plan 1: $150/month for one child M-F
Plan 2: $240/month for two children M-F
Plan 3: $300/month for three children M-F
Note: Drop-in rates for Beforecare will be charged at $10/day per child (no sibling discounts) for any child dropped off before 8:15am. (Yes, that means if your child is signed in at 8:14am you will be charged!)
Kindercare Rates
Kindercare is offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 1pm-3pm (8 hrs/week) and is billed at a flat rate of either $240/month for all 4 days/week or $120/month for 2 days/week (they must be the same two days each week).
Additional Participation Fees
Registration Fee
$75/family. Whether your family will be signing up for a monthly plan, kindercare, beforecare, or using drop-in, this nonrefundable one-time registration fee per school year is due upon your first payment to the program, and will be invoiced via Procare. This fee helps defray the costs involved in setting up and maintaining your account.
Financial Aid
Canyon Care would like to offer financial aid for families that are not able to afford Canyon Care prices. If the program is financially sound, reducing the price to $5/hour per child for any family in need is the Program’s goal. Please reach out to the Director of Canyon Care if your family would like to request financial aid.
Late Fees
Late fees, if applicable, will be invoiced on Procare. There are 2 kinds of late fees:
- A $25 late fee will be charged if a family’s monthly payment is not received by the last day of the month. Invoices are sent no later than the 10th of every month and payment is due by the 15th of every month. A family’s enrollment in Canyon Care will be discontinued if tuition is still delinquent after a 2nd month of nonpayment.
- Beginning at 5:31pm, a late fee of $1.00 per minute per child will be charged. For example: You arrive at Canyon Care at 5:40pm and you have two children. You will be charged a $20 late fee on your next invoice.
We do not want to be charging late fees. Please ensure that you pay on time and pick your children up by 5:30pm!
ACH Failure Fee/Bounced Check Fee
You will have to pay $3.50 for every failed ACH payment through Procare, whether the failure is due to a lack of funds in your account, you entered your bank account information incorrectly, or we receive a notification of change (NOC) fee. In the event that a check issued to Canyon Care does not clear, you will be charged a $15 bounced-check fee, payable immediately along with a new check. If we receive a second check that bounces, you will be charged a $20 bounced-check fee and will be required to pay all current and future invoices in the form of cashier’s check, money order, or cash.
Schedule Changes
You may request a change to your child(ren)’s contracted schedule up to 4 times throughout the school year. A reduction of tuition due to a reduction of hours would go into effect on the first day of the month when the reduction of hours would begin. An increase in tuition due to an increase in hours would go into effect on the first day of the month when the increase in hours would begin. In order to change your child(ren)’s schedule, please email the Director of the program with your desired monthly plan change.
Our Right to Adjust Fee Structure and Hours of Operation
Please note that Canyon Care can only exist if the fees brought in meet the costs of running the program. The fee structure that we have put into place is one that we feel should sustain our operating costs. However, we are a small school with an even smaller number of families using Canyon Care. The number of families using Canyon Care and the number of hours they use care can fluctuate. In the event that Canyon Care revenues are not meeting our operating costs, we will have to respond immediately by raising fees and/or reducing our hours of operation.
Procedures & Policies
Sign-in/Sign-Out Procedure
- Canyon Care staff will sign children in for the day using a paper sign-in/out sheet, and make note of any drop-in students. YOU must sign your child out when they leave.
- Please use accurate times when signing out! It’s important for billing, as well as for safety compliance.
- All children must be signed out by an authorized adult before leaving, unless they have a Permission to Walk Home Form on file (in which case they must communicate with the staff before leaving the site, and the staff member will sign them out).
- Please keep an updated list of authorized pickup people for your child(ren) on file.
- If your child needs to be picked up by someone not on your authorized list, a call to Canyon School (ideally) or an email to the Canyon Care Director is required to authorize the new person for pickup. If Canyon Care staff has not personally met the new pick-up person before, they will ask the individual to show their identification. If a new pick-up person shows up without prior notice from the child’s parents, the Canyon Care instructor must call the child’s parents to verify that the child should go with the person. (Please help us avoid this scenario by authorizing new pickup people in advance!)
Behavior Policy
All Canyon Care participants are expected to respect Canyon Care staff and children. They are expected to follow all rules of the program as these rules are designed to keep children safe, both physically and emotionally. In the event that a Canyon Care participant is having a hard time managing their behavior, the following steps will be taken:
- Staff will use a restorative justice approach to help children move forward after incidents occur, focusing on hearing one another, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and repairing relationships.
- “Safe” activities will be used when a child is having a difficult time keeping their body to themself. A “safe” activity is a quiet activity of a child’s choice, and something they can do on their own, such as homework, coloring, legos, blocks, etc.
- Any child who uses more extreme physical aggression will be separated and unable to participate in activities with other children for the remainder of the day. They may read, do homework, draw, or sit and reflect. Parents will be notified to discuss next steps.
- If there is continuous and/or more extreme behavior from a child, the child’s parent(s) / caregivers, and the Program Director will communicate to discuss an action plan / next steps. The Canyon Care Director will be available to meet with the student and parent(s) together to discuss the situation and consequences for their actions, which may include a short suspension from the program, daily check-ins using a behavior chart, or an alternative plan of action. Depending on the circumstances, the Canyon Care Director may require such a meeting.
- If a child continues to have behavioral challenges despite implementing a child specific action plan, the family will be called and notified that their child has been dismissed from Canyon Care for a minimum of two weeks. No refund of any pre-paid monies will be issued. It is at the discretion of the Canyon Care Director as to whether or not the student may be re-enrolled in Canyon Care at a future date.
- If a child is an immediate serious threat to themselves or to others and staff cannot ensure the safety of Canyon Care participants after attempting to de-escalate the situation, 911 will be called to help.
All families are given a copy of the Canyon School District Student Behavior Policy at the beginning of every school year. All school rules / guidelines must be adhered to during Canyon Care.
Absence
Please let us know if your child(ren) is going to be absent before his/her scheduled time of arrival. Due to staffing and budgetary commitments, we are unable to give credit, either in time or money, for days your child(ren) does not attend his/her scheduled time.
Project / Activity Volunteers
All Canyon School parents (and aunts, uncles, grandparents…) are welcome to contribute to Canyon Care by leading a project or activity with Canyon Care participants. If you have experience in any art, science, leading games, sports, or literary talents, please come share them with Canyon children! Please contact the Program Director to plan for your participation.
Permission to Walk Home from Canyon Care
If you reside in Canyon and feel that your child is responsible enough to walk home safely, you can complete a Permission to Walk Home Form. This will allow us to release your child from Canyon Care, at a specified time, without someone picking him/her up. Please email the Program Director to receive a copy of this form.
Withdrawal from Canyon Care
You may discontinue your child(ren)’s enrollment in Canyon Care at any time prior to May 1st. In the event of withdrawal, your tuition obligation will extend through the last day of the month that the withdrawal is requested. Withdrawal requests must be in written form or emailed to the Director of the Program.
Contact Us
Please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
The CASP / Canyon Care administrative email is: [email protected]
You can reach the Program Director, Jamie Barret Riley at: [email protected]
TO CONTACT ONSITE STAFF during Canyon Care program hours call: (925) 377-9438 (this phone rings in the Kitchen and in Building C)
Thank you!
The CASP / Canyon Care Team
Individual Form Downloads
Afternoon Enrichment Programs
Enrichment Classes
Afternoon enrichment classes will be available to anyone enrolled in aftercare for that day, at no additional charge beyond the hourly cost of the aftercare program.
For folks *not* already enrolled in aftercare, we will offer 1 trial day for each enrichment class (charged at the aftercare drop-in rate) and after that trial if your child decides to continue attending the class you will then pay the aftercare enrollment fee and purchase a package of drop-in hours or sign up for a contracted aftercare schedule in order for them to continue attending. (Note: At $10/hour or less, this is astoundingly inexpensive for childcare coverage + arts enrichment!)
(Draft) Schedule for Fall 2023
(All classes below led by teaching artists from The People’s Conservatory (TPC)
Mondays
3:00-4:30PM (for 678)
HipHop/Movement/Filmmaking with Safahri
Tuesdays
3:00-3:45PM (K12)
Visual/Digital Arts with Saoirse
3:45-4:30PM (345)
Visual/Digital Arts with Saoirse
Wednesdays
2:00-2:45 (K12)
Music (vocal lessons/choir or piano) with Micaiah
2:45-3:30 (345)
Music (vocal lessons/choir or piano) with Micaiah
Thursdays
3:45-4:30PM (all ages)
Acro-Movement/Flexibility Flow with Adriana
Fridays
3:00-3:45PM
Comic Book Art/ Graphic Design with Chiedu
3:45-4:30PM
Comic Book Art/ Graphic Design with Chiedu