Extended School Program
(ESP)

Registration Form

General Program Information

Welcome to the St. Francis Extended School Program! The Extended School Program is a service provided to the parents of St. Francis students in response to the need for: before, after, and no-school-day child care for working families. The Extended School Program is designed to complement the school curriculum by providing a supportive and Christian environment for constructive and creative extra-curricular activities. Ideally, students look forward to spending time with their classmates in a relaxed atmosphere, where they participate in structured and non-structured recreational activities.

The Extended School Program complements the school curriculum in various ways. The ESP program reinforces the Catholic values and behaviors stressed during the school day. The program supports the school curriculum by incorporating school activities into the ESP lesson plan. For example, the kindergarten word of the week may be used in a kindergarten game of hangman. When the 2nd grade classes go to the pioneer school, children may make butter or ice cream in ESP. The children in the Extended School Program are often offered the opportunity to attend school sporting events. A structured Homework Club is offered for children in grades 2 through 6. Members of the ESP staff also attend and participate in after-school programs and activities like the Christmas Program or the Ice Cream Social.

The Extended School Program also tries to become involved in the wider school and parish family. ESP children provide service to the school by putting the parking lot cones away at the end of the day and often help teachers in their classroom after school. Children in the program may make gifts for the Homebound Ministry or other organizations several times a year.

Special programs are offered on most no-school days. The program information and registration forms for these days can be found in the monthly newsletter available on Edline. Advance registration is required for all no-school and half-day programs.

Times

Before-School 6:45-7:45 am

After-School 2:35-6:00 pm

Drop-In Care is available as space permits. Special programs are offered on many of the no-school and half-days.

Daily Program

The program is organized so that children have a choice of activities in which to participate each day. Choices may include outdoor play, organized sports, arts and crafts, table games, computers, small group games, science, cooking, music, drama, and other educational, but fun activities. Children are able to participate in both large and small group activities as well as individual projects. In addition to the activities presented by the teachers children are encouraged to develop activity ideas themselves.

Children in the after-school program may alternate between similar age groupings and mixed age groupings depending on the time of the day.

Children in the after-school program may also participate in the various extra-curricular activities offered at St. Francis School. Arrangements are made by the ESP staff and the person in charge of the activity to transition the children between the classroom, the extra-curricular activity and ESP.

Homework Club

The St. Francis Extended School Program offers a Homework Club for children in 2nd grade through 6th grade. The program is offered Monday-Thursday. There is no structured Homework Club on Friday or on the afternoon before a no-school day. However, the staff makes every effort to provide an appropriate space for children who desire to do homework at a time when no Homework Club is offered. An ESP staff supervises Homework Club.

Children in second grade are grouped together in one room for Homework Club. They are offered a bit more help and support since homework is new to them. Second grade children are guided through the homework process and are taught helpful strategies for study. A staff member tries to check the work for accuracy and completion.

Children in third through sixth are in a room supervised by an ESP staff member. The ESP staff member facilitates completion of homework by providing an appropriate setting for the children to work. The staff member is available to answer questions and support as the children work independently on their homework. However, it is the child’s responsibility to use the time wisely and complete the required work.

7th and 8th Grade Participation

Seventh and eighth grade students can participate in ESP. Children at this age are offered more autonomy. They sign themselves in and out, have a special room at their disposal and are supervised in a less structured way. Children at this age level are billed on an hourly basis and not a daily basis. This allows the students to participate in after-school activities and sign in and out of the program as needed.

Staffing

The center staffed with qualified adults who have had previous experience with school-age or young children. Many staff have, or are working toward, teaching certification, childcare certification or related degrees. The center staff meets or exceeds the Child Day Care Licensing qualifications.

The ESP Director has a Bachelor’s degree in recreation with a business minor, a Bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s degree in early childhood education. The ESP Director has had extensive experience working with children in various settings.

The center meets or exceeds the Child Day Care Licensing staff/child ratio requirements. This means that there are two staff members present in the center during the day and on field trips. The state requires a minimum ratio of 1 staff member for every 12 children at the four-year-old level and 1 staff for every 18 children at the school-age level. Our goal is to maintain a 1 to 10 ratio at the early childhood level and a 1 to 12 ratio at the older level. During the before-school program (6:45-7:45), state guidelines continue to be met with only one ESP staff member present since the number of children in attendance is low and there are other personnel in the building at this time to help if there is an emergency.

Teachers participate in staff meetings, in-service training and special workshops to increase their skills. All of the staff members have first aid and CPR training.

Finger print and background checks are done on all new staff hires in accordance with the Diocese of Lansing and the Department of Human Services guidelines. Reference checks and previous employer checks are conducted at the time of hire.

All new staff attend a three-hour training titled Protecting God’s Children. This training reinforces proper behavior towards children, offers guidelines for maintaining a safe and appropriate environment and provides guidelines for dealing with difficult issues. Throughout the year staff continue to participate in enrichment training to ensure that the center maintains a safe environment for the children we serve.

Parental Involvement

The ESP Director bears overall administrative responsibility for the program and its staff as well as for the day-to-day operations of the program. The ESP Parent Committee serves as a support group for the Director. The Extended School Program Parent Committee reports to the School Committee on its activities on a monthly basis and with a year-end summary. The Parent Committee also participates in the Education Ministry.

Estimated Fees for 2010-2011

These fees are an estimate. They may change during the budgeting process in January. Except for full-time Enrichment Kindergarten and 7 th and 8 th grade, fees are charged on a per-day basis. Families are expected to pay for all scheduled days. Fees for no-school day programs vary and will be listed in the monthly newsletters.

No-School Day and Vacation Days: Prices will vary depending on the program offered and the time scheduled.

Click here for Extended School Program F.A.Q.'s