Extended School Care

Program Information

Extended School Care (ESC) provides quality before and after school care for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Operated by the Shrewsbury Public Schools, the program is fully funded through parent fees. Our mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where students can engage in enriching activities, participate in recreational programming and socialize with their peers. Time is also set aside each day for students to work on their homework. Our experienced and caring staff members create fun and innovative programming for students of all ages, interests and abilities. We focus on building positive relationships, developing social skills, strengthening self-esteem, and encouraging independence, responsibility and good decision-making. Our programs are located within the school building at Beal, Coolidge, Floral, Paton, Spring and Sherwood.

Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open!

View monthly tuition fees here.

Contact Information for enrollment, schedule changes, billing and general program inquires

Program Director: Karen Isaacson
Assistant to the Director: Mary Rana
Director's Office: Major Howard W. Beal School, 214 Lake Street
508-841-8727

If you are reporting your child absent, please contact your extended day site directly. Email is the preferred way to report absences

Beal - 508-841-8861 BealESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Coolidge - 508-841-8881 CoolidgeESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Paton - 508-841-8628 PatonESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Floral - 508-841-8743 FloralESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Sherwood - 508-841-8696 SherwoodESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Spring - 508-841-8702 SpringESC@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Any time your child will be absent from the after-school program for any reason, you must let Extended Day know directly, no later than 3:00PM, even if you have already notified the school office of the absence. You do not need to let us know about absences from the before school program. Please note, a $10 search fee will be added to your account if you fail to report your child’s absence to extended day

Staff

The Extended School Care program is overseen by the Director of Extended Learning. Each program has a site coordinator who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program. We hire experienced professional staff to work with students, and we strive to maintain a 1:10 adult-to-child ratio. We work closely with school administrators to provide consistency throughout the day, but any questions or concerns about the ESC program should be directed to your Site Coordinator or the program director rather than the school principal.

Program Hours

Before School: Parents may drop their child off any time between 7:00-8:30 AM. If you arrive at school after 8:30, you will need to use the parent drop-off line rather than dropping off at extended day. (Program hours for the Middle School are 7:00-8:00)
After School Grades K-4: You may pick up any time between 3:45- 6:00. If you need to pick up your child prior to 3:45 please use the parent pick-up line, and let your child’s teacher know they will not be going to extended day.
After School at Sherwood, grades 5-6: You may pick up any time between 3:15- 6:00. If you need to pick up your child prior to 3:15 please use the parent pick-up line, and let your child’s teacher know they will not be going to extended day.

Enrollment Options - new for 2024-2025

We have five enrollment options. You may choose from one of the following schedules

5 days per week
Monday-Thursday
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Mondays and Wednesdays

Schedule changes and withdrawals are permitted if the request is submitted in writing, by the first of the month, 30 days in advance. (For example, changes or withdrawals for November must be submitted by October 1st.)

Holidays and Vacation Weeks

Extended School Care follows the Shrewsbury Public School calendar. It opens on the first day of school and closes on the last. We are closed for all school holidays, professional days and vacation weeks.

Early Release Days

Five early release days are scheduled throughout the year. Extended day is open from the early dismissal until 6pm. All of these dates fall on a Tuesday. If your child is registered for Tuesdays, the additional coverage on early release days is included in your monthly tuition. Students who are not enrolled on Tuesdays are unable to attend on early release days. You can view the complete school calendar here.

Inclement Weather Policy

Extended School Care will be closed any day that Shrewsbury Public Schools is closed.
In the case of a delayed start of school, the Extended School Care morning sessions will also be closed, however our afternoon sessions will open as usual.
If it becomes necessary to dismiss the schools early, you will receive a telephone call from the superintendent's office outlining the new dismissal time and procedures. Due to the concerns over worsening conditions and for the safety of staff and children, ESC will not open. Students will either need to take the bus home or be picked up at school at the new dismissal time. Please have an alternate plan in place for these rare occasions.
If the schools do not dismiss early but it becomes necessary for ESC to close before 6:00 pm parents will be notified by telephone. Please make sure we can reach you on such occasions.

Activities

Extended Day provides a structured routine with many choices available to students each day. Activities vary daily, and are chosen based on the age, interest and abilities of the students. Sample activities include

arts and crafts
gym games
outdoor play
board games
building materials such as Lego, K'nex, marble runs, etc
books and puzzles
dramatic/creative play with toys such as animals, action figures, cars, dollhouses, toy kitchens, etc.
special clubs or projects such as cooking, science experiments, community service, drama and more

Homework

We proide a quiet period every day for students to complete their homework or daily reading. Younger students who aren't assigned homework will have an alternate activity such as story time or activity sheets. Our staff members are available to answer students' questions and to encourage them to complete their assignments, but we are not able to provide tutoring services or correct assignments.

Snack

After School: Extended day provides a nut-free snack and drink every day. If your student has any food allergies, we will provide them with a snack that meets their specific needs. We ask that students not eat any food from home during this time.
Before School: You are welcome to bring a peanut-free and nut-free breakfast or a morning snack for your child to eat before they go to class. Please let the program staff know if you have brought a morning snack so they can be sure to offer it to your child prior to going to the classroom.

Electronics Use

Students are not allowed to use any personal electronic devices during extended day, including cell phones, smart watches, or video games. We may allow limited use of school-issued iPads for homework purposes or special projects under staff supervision, but otherwise iPads will remain in students’ backpacks. Extended Day staff reserve the right to take away an electronic device and hold it until the student goes home.

Health Policy

Extended Day adheres to the same health and safety procedures as the school day. If your child is excluded from school for health reasons, they are not allowed to attend extended day.
There is no nurse on duty during extended day hours, and extended day staff are not allowed to give any medication other than a prescribed epi-pen for students with allergies. If your child has an allergy requiring an epi-pen, you will need to provide one to Extended Day as we do not have access to the nurse's office. Please check to make sure your prescription and epi-pen are not expired. The epi-pen must be in the original packaging with the prescription label.
Extended Day staff participate in regular training which includes: basic first aid, CPR, allergy awareness, epi-pen training, and seizure education. If you child has a medical condition, please discuss it with the program director and we will ensure that all program staff are properly educated about your child's needs.
If your child becomes ill or is injured while attending the program, every attempt will be made to notify the parents or emergency contacts listed on your enrollment form. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, an ambulance will be called immediately, prior to contacting the family. If the illness or injury is not life threatening, but still needs medical attention and we are not able to reach a parent/authorized adult, ESC staff will call an ambulance and have the paramedics assess the injury. ESC staff wil accompany a student to the hospital if a parent is not present at the time the ambulance arrives. An accident report will be completed by the Director and filed with the Superintendent's office for any injury that requires medical attention.

Authorized pick-ups

Extended day will only release students to parents/guardians and other adults designated by the parent/guardian on the registration form.
People unfamiliar to our staff will be asked to present a photo ID before the child is released. Please have a photo ID available as our staff gets to know you
If a parent wishes to restrict the pick up rights of another parent/guardian, a court order must be on file with the school.
ESC staff members reserve the right to ask that an alternate person be called to pick up a child if they suspect the parent/guardian is in any way unable to safely care for the child being picked up.

Tuition

Annual tuition is based on the 180-day school calendar and is divided into 10 equal monthly payments for convenience. Monthly rates do not vary based on the number of school days per month. We are unable to give credit for absences from the program.
Tuition payment is due by the first of the month, 30 days in advance of service. Our preferred method of payment is through your online Extended Day account (Eleyo) but you may also pay by check or money order.
Families who qualify for free or reduced lunch will qualify for a discount with extended day. This will not be automatically applied to yur account. You must notify the program director if you believe you qualify for a discount.
View our monthly rates, payment schedule, and full tuition policy.

Behavior Management

Our goal is to create an environment where students feel safe, welcome and happy. We strive to maintain an environment where positive behavior is the norm, and where students are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. Emphasis is placed on helping students develop the skills they need to solve problems and resolve conflicts by themselves. Adults focus on ways to help students when problems occur, rather than focusing on punishment. The goal is for students to conduct themselves positively because they understand it is the right thing to do, rather than out of fear of what will happen if they act negatively.

ESC staff members discuss the program rules with all children to ensure they understand expectations for behavior and consequences of misbehavior. If students are demonstrating unacceptable or inappropriate behavior, the following steps will be taken.

The staff member will remind the student of program expectations, and may ask the student discuss the behavior privately to create a plan to change the behavior.
If the behavior continues, consequences may include a brief time-out from an activity, a reflective writing assignment, or restriction from a desired activity that day.
If disruptive behavior continues in a consistent manner, the Site Coordinator will document the behavior and inform the student’s parents and the Program Director.
Chronic inappropriate behavior may result in suspension from ESC for a period of 1-3 days, depending on the situation. Before returning to the program, a conference including the Director, the Student, the Site Coordinator and a parent is required in order to develop a behavior management plan to consist of rewards and consequences relative to a particular behavior over a specified period of time. The behavior management plan should be clear to all parties, most especially the child involved. If the child does not follow the plan, permanent removal from the program may occur.
No child will be suspended or terminated from the program without the consent of the program director. All efforts will be made to work with the parents and children on all behavior issues.
ESC staff will maintain confidentiality regarding all behavior management. Behavior plans will not be shared with anyone not immediately involved in the situation. At no time shall a behavior incident be dealt with in a demoralizing, humiliating, or abusive manner.
Behavior management for students with special needs will be handled according to their individual needs and abilities, and any consequences or behavior plans will be established with significant input from parents and staff who work closely with the student. Please see the section below for more details.

Please be advised that each individual child and situation is different. These steps may be modified to adapt to a child or situation. Children may be immediately removed from ESC, without adherence to the above steps, if their behavior endangers their own safety or the safety of others in the program.

Special Needs students at Extended Day

Extended Day strives to be an inclusive environment for all students in the school community. While we do not offer therapeutic or special education services, we have many ways of welcoming and accommodating special needs students. We recognize that every student’s needs are different, and circumstances will vary. This policy serves as a general guideline for parents and staff, and can be individualized.

Before starting, the parent must schedule an in-person meeting with the director at the extended day location during program hours to determine if the program is a good fit for the student, and to discuss any adaptations or accommodations that will be needed.

We will establish a 30-day trial period, and we will not collect tuition for additional months until it has been established that the student will remain in the program.

General expectations:
All students must be able to participate within the same group setting as the other students, with reasonable accommodations. They must be able to remain in the spaces designated for use by extended day. Specialized classrooms such as the ELC room, OT room, or break rooms are not available before and after school.

If a student receives 1:1 adult support during the school day, we will discuss what type of adult support might be needed at extended day. If it’s determined that adult support is needed for the student to safely and successfully participate, we will assign an aide to work with the student. The aide may be focused specifically on one student, or may be assisting several students, depending on student needs. The student’s start date in the program is dependent on our ability to hire an appropriately qualified aide. The adult aide does not provide special education services, but focuses on student safety, peer interaction and developmentally appropriate participation in program activities.

Examples of typical accommodations made at extended day

Adapting projects, activities and games to the student’s ability
Allowing flexibility with student schedule and choices
Facilitating social interactions with peers
Using adaptive devices for communication
Providing visual supports for daily schedules and activity choices
Using tools to manage sensory stimulation such as headphones, comfort items, fidget toys, taking breaks

Possible reasons for Suspension or Expulsion

Student behavior regulary requires the attention of one of the program staff for extended periods of time, taking the staff member away from other duties. (For students who recieve 1:1 adult support, the frequent need for additional intervention could be grounds for suspention or expulsion.)
Student frequently leaves the program area and can’t easily be re-directed to the group
Student behavior is frequently a safety risk to themselves, other students, and/or staff
The student isn’t able to spend the majority of their time in the designated extended day spaces with other students
A brief suspension may be necessary if a student is exhibiting unsafe behavior to allow us to develop a behavior modification or safety plan

Before removing a student from the program, we will take the following steps.

Express our concerns to the parents/guardians and discuss other strategies that can be used to improve the situation
Consult with school-day staff on strategies that have been helpful in other settings
Involve the program director in decision making and communication
Set a specific period of time and method to evaluate the success of adaptations before making a decision to permanently remove the student from the program

In accordance with the ESC behavior management policy, these steps may be modified to adapt to a child or situation. Children may be immediately removed from ESC, without adherence to the above steps if their behavior endangers their own safety or the safety of others in the program.