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HomeMy WebLinkAboutP 035 SCO - Extended Day and Child Care Programs -1- P.035.SCO POLICY P.035.SCO TITLE: EXTENDED DAY PROGRAMS Date issued: 22 April 2014 Last revised: Authorization: Board: 22 April 2014 1.0 OBJECTIVE To ensure the effective delivery of quality programming in Extended Day Programs offered by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board directly or by Third-Party Partners. 2.0 DEFINITIONS In this policy, 2.1 Board refers to the Board of Trustees. 2.2 Core Day Learning refers to the programming offered to children during the regularly scheduled instructional day. 2.3 District refers to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. 2.4 Early Learning refers to educational programming for children from 0-12 years of age. 2.5 Extended Day Program refers to educational programming and care for school aged children between the ages of 4-12 before school, after school, and on Professional Activity days, Christmas holidays, March Break and during the summer. 2.6 Municipality refers to the City of Ottawa. 2.7 Third-Party Partner refers to a licensed not-for-profit agency, a business or Municipality that has entered into an agreement with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to deliver the Extended Day Program on its behalf . 3.0 POLICY Policy Statement 3.1 The District recognizes the value of Early Learning as a foundation for the lifelong learning and well-being of children in support of their future success. Extended Day Programs are an extension of Core Day learning and will be offered in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s program directives. -2- P.035.SCO Guiding Principles 3.2 The following guiding principles shall govern the learning opportunities for students in all Extended Day Programs no matter who delivers the program: a) the emotional well-being and physical safety of students shall be the first priority; b) the District shall offer annually the opportunity for all students between the ages of 4 and 12 to register for an Extended Day Program; c) all Extended Day Programs shall adhere to the Board’s educational values, beliefs, policies, and procedures and produce measureable benefits for students ; d) the District believes that every student enrolled in an Extended Day Program is able to learn and to benefit from learning, and upholds the right of each student with special education and/or second language needs to an extended day program appropriate to that student's needs which enables him or her to participate to the best of his or her ability; e) Equity of access for all students shall be a priority in the delivery of extended day programs, including location, fee structure, programming, and program support/funding to schools; f) the District values its long standing partnership with Third Party Partners in providing learning opportunities and care for all students. and will continue to work co-operatively with Third Party Partners to provide services that benefit the communities they jointly serve; and g) community needs shall be considered in the operating parameters of an Extended Day Program. 4.0 SPECIFIC DIRECTIVES 4.1 The provision of the Extended Day Program is a priority for the District and as such shall have priority use of space for before and after school programming. Appropriate shared school space must be available to ensure effective program operation. 4.2 The Manager of Early Learning is responsible for the oversight of the District’s Extended Day Program and shall work in collaboration with the school principal. 4.3 The school principal is responsible for the supervision of the Extended Day Program at the school. 4.4 The Manager of Early Learning shall fulfill the duties of the principal for supervision of the Extended Day Program at the school during non -instructional periods including: Professional Activity days, Holidays, March Break and summer vacation. 4.5 The principal may delegate some or all of his or her duties as related to the on-site supervision of the Extended Day Program to a person other than the vice principal, as follows: a) the Manager of Early Learning; b) the Supervisor, Early Learning Program; and -3- P.035.SCO c) in emergency situations, where none of the above noted positions are available, the principal may delegate authority to any person who the principal considers to be able to fulfill the duties responsibly for a specified period of tim e, for example the administrative designate or an Early Childhood Educator . 4.6 The delegation of authority shall be made in writing, except in emergency situations where it may be done orally. 4.7 Where the principal has designated authority to someone other t han the vice-principal, he or she shall notify the Superintendent of Instruction. 4.8 The school council shall act in an advisory capacity to the principal on matters related to the Extended Day Program in the school. 4.9 Extended Day Programs shall comply with Ontario’s School Food and Beverage Policy. District Extended Day Programs 4.10 All District programs shall adhere to the administrative directives as outlined in the Education Act, Regulation 221/11. 4.11 The District shall offer the Extended Day Program at any school site where three or more students have registered and paid for the program and the District will expand the program capacity as required to meet increases in registration. 4.12 The hours of operation of the Extended Day Program shall be consistent across the District. 4.13 Fees for Extended Day Programs shall be established on a net cost-recovery basis, in accordance with Ministry directives and shall be approved on an annual basis by the Board. 4.14 The District shall establish a schedule for registration and fees in a manner which provides a range of options in the hours, days or months that a child can be enrolled in the program. 4.15 The Principal and Manager of Early Learning shall, in consultation, determine the specific school space(s) that will be shared for use with the Extended Day Program. Third-Party Partners for Extended Day Programs 4.16 Where there is a Third-Party Partner delivering an Extended Day Program on behalf of the District, a written agreement between the District and the Partner shall be made that shall include, but not be limited to, the following issues: a) the operational requirements of the program including: daily schedules, program location, fee structures, hours of operation; b) the roles and responsibilities of the partners; c) the accountability structure of the program and the process for the review of any curriculum/program mandated by the province; d) communication protocols; -4- P.035.SCO e) termination and dispute resolution mechanisms; and f) any legal provisions as might be required by the Education Act and/or the Day Nurseries Act or any other pertinent legislation. 4.17 Where applicable, the Third-Party Partner shall be consulted in decisions regarding shared space. 4.18 Where, after discussion between the District and the Third Party Partner, including consultation with the Principal, and the other community stakeholders, the Partner is still not able to meet community needs, the District reserves the right to run a parallel program. Parent/Guardian Communications 4.19 All Extended Day Programs, whether operated by a Third -Party Partner or the District shall make available to all parents/guardians, information regarding: a) the operational requirements of the program including: annual schedules, daily schedules, program location, fee structures, hours of operation; b) communication protocols; and c) parent/guardian dispute resolution processes. 4.20 The program Partner, whether it is the District or a Third-Party Partner, is responsible for communicating with parents who have registered children in the program in a timely fashion. Where a parent has a concern, he or she should first contact the program Partner. Where the operator is a Third-Party Partner, and the concern is not resolved, the parent may contact the District. General 4.21 A minimum of two staff shall be on-site in all Extended Day Programs, at all times. 4.22 Transportation to and from Extended Day Programs is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. 4.23 The District shall establish a process for appropriate auditing and review of all Extended Day Programs. 4.24 The Director of Education is authorized to issue such procedures as may be necessary to implement this policy. 5.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS Education Act, Regulation 221/11 Day Nurseries Act R.R.O 1990, Regulation 262 Policy and Program Memorandum 150: School Food and Beverage Policy Board Policy P.014 SCO: School Councils Board Policy P.111 GOV: Advisory Committee for Extended Day and Child Care Programs /!-- This code was added to remove the metadata from document view in Weblink -->