The school year is just around the corner, and Noozhawk’s ParentNooz After School Activities Guide is officially here and we made sure to make things easy when planning your child’s after school activities! Our 2020 After School Activities guide provides you and your child with all the necessary information when deciding on which after school program is the best fit.
To give parents the tools to help make informed decisions about after school programs for their kids in Santa Barbara, Noozhawk has conducted a series of interviews with representatives of local programs for this year’s After School Activities Guide.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Daniel Noah, Director of Marketing and Communications at Channel Islands YMCA to learn more about their after school program here in Santa Barbara.
Channel Islands YMCA
Question: What is the name of your After School Activity/Program? What is its mission?
Answer: Remote Learning & School-Age Childcare.
Q: Describe the activities involved in your After School Activity/Program.
A: We offer art, sports, conditioning, fitness programs and more.
Q: What are the hours of your after school activity or program?
A: Full-time care from 7:30 am – 6:00 pm, as well as afternoon part-time care depending on location.
Q: What is the age range for children to take part in your after school activity or program?
A: 5 to 14 years old.
Q: When was your program started and what was the inspiration for creating it?
A: Our current program structure was started over 20 years ago and has been an important way for the YMCA to help strengthen our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Since March of this year, we have added stricter health and safety guidelines for all participants and staff.
Q: Describe what makes your after school program unique and worthwhile.
A: At the YMCA, we have over 100 years of experience bringing youth and after-school programs to the region. Our highly trained and skilled staff know how to support and challenge your child throughout the after-school program. Additionally, all staff have been rigorously trained in Covid-19 preventative measures and health mandates.
Q: Following COVID-19 restrictions, what parts of your program have changed to comply with Santa Barbara County guidelines?
A: To ensure the safety of our program participants, we have made the following modifications to our youth programs:
Participants must go through a mandatory health screening prior to entering each day.
6ft. social distancing will be maintained at all times.
Program sizes have been modified. Children will be placed in the same small groups or cohorts to minimize any health risks throughout the program.
Each participant will be assigned their own equipment to eliminate shared equipment among participants.
Surfaces and high-traffic areas will be disinfected throughout the day.
Participants will be required to wash their hands when they arrive and throughout the day.
Q: What is the average program size or class size for your activity? Teacher to student ratio?
A: Programs are licensed by the State of California and can go up to 1:14, teacher / student radio.
Q: In what ways is your program educational?
A: Our program is based on decades of knowledge as well as our staff have been highly trained in childcare and eLearning methods.
Q: What is the cost/tuition? Are scholarships available?
A: Full-time care (5 days a week) ranges from $210 – $220 per week. Part-time plans may very.
Click here for more information about Channel Islands YMCA and their after school programs!