AFTER-SCHOOL SIGNATURE PROGRAM
The After-School Signature Program compliments the West Cook YMCA’s Power Scholars Academy in supporting our students year-round, focusing on developing the whole child through academic support and social emotional, cognitive, and physical development of each scholar through a sense of belonging, achievement, and building positive relationships. The After-School Signature Program is a family commitment to providing a seamless transition from the school day, ensuring scholars participate 5 days a week for 2.5 hours each day to ensure they experience the daily dosages of academic supports such as homework assistance and tutoring, as well as enrichment activities such as Art, STEM, engage in daily physical activity social-emotional development activities, and have an after-school snack.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
School Districts partner with the West Cook YMCA to provide the After-School Signature Program to their students and families. This program is curated so that it aligns with the district's school day learning to strengthen the academic growth of each scholar by providing opportunities to guide exploratory hands-on lessons to build trust, communication, decision-making, and leadership. The program design also provides some flexibility for your scholar to participate in other after-school enrichment and clubs offered at your child’s home school, allowing for smooth transitions to and from other on-site school programs.
The Y ensures all scholars are welcomed as an individual, where they are each valued and recognized as a unique person, where scholars feel a sense of belonging, can make new friends, and achieve goals that will help them succeed at home, in school, and in life.
DAILY ACTIVITIES
Cognitive Development: Providing academic support with homework help, math and literacy enrichment, and small group tutoring
Social-Emotional Development: Focus on understanding and controlling feelings to build strong relationships
Enrichment: Engaging activities that focus on science, engineering, art, drama, and literacy
Gross Motor Activities: Physical activities that include sports, music and movement, and fitness
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Children showing cold or flu like symptoms like coughing, runny noses, sneezing or above normal temperatures are not permitted into the program. If during the program, a child begins showing flu or cold like symptoms, staff will escort that child to a designated care center where they can be further assessed, under staff supervision and care until the parent can be notified.
Email the afterschool email associated with your district confirming that you allow a new pick up person to be added along with their name and phone number.
School District 89: [email protected]
School District 90: [email protected]
We ask that scholars attend at least 2.5 hours at the program before getting picked up, but we are aware that schedules change and can be flexible about when scholars are picked up.
Yes, while the YMCA will provide nutritious snacks daily for each scholar, if your child has allergies or is impartial to the snacks we provide, they are more than welcome to bring their own.
If there are any pre-known absences that will interfere with the After-School program, please contact the email that is associate with your district, to let our staff know a head of time. Staff checks in with the school about daily attendance for any absences from school.
If we do not know about an absence, staff will call the emergency contacts to confirm absences.
No, if your child does not attend the school in which the program is provided, they are not allowed to attend.
No, your child needs to be in attendance at school in order to come from class and to program.
Yes, scholars enrolled in other sports or clubs can still attend the YMCA afterschool program, they will be dropped off by their teacher and then checked in by a YMCA staff member.
All school sites will be provided with a YMCA phone and number you can call to let staff know that you are running late.