Helpful Information

 

 

An authorized adult must sign the student into the program. Children will participate in choice-based or planned activities, including social-emotional learning activities, group games, reading, music, and arts and crafts. Staff will dismiss students to breakfast or school at the appropriate time. TK and kindergarten students are escorted to breakfast by an ESS staff member.

 

 

Staff will escort TK between school and ESS. All other students are responsible for walking to the lunch tables immediately after school for the ESS Staff to do check-in.  We kindly ask that you wait until 15 minutes after school dismissal to pick up your child/ren.  This will give us time to sign in and account for all of the ESS students and have them sync to the parent iPad.  If your child/ren WILL NOT be attending ESS, please email the ESS supervisor and Lead to let them know your child will be absent from ESS AND EMAIL your child's classroom teacher to let them know to walk your child/ren to the front of the school. If a child is absent without prior parent notification, ESS staff will check with school staff. If we are still unable to locate the child, we will contact the parent or guardian. A snack is provided 30 minutes after school dismissal. Parents are welcome to provide an alternative or additional snack from home. Quiet academic enrichment time is provided for children to work on homework or school assignments or to participate in an educational activity. ESS provides a dedicated time and space for academic enrichment opportunities. However, if homework or school assignments are given, the ultimate responsibility for their completion lies with the student and their parents. After the dedicated academic enrichment time, children have many activities to choose from, including social-emotional learning activities, group games, books, music, and arts and crafts.

 

 

Students currently enrolled in ESS can continue their enrollment until they withdraw or are promoted. New students applying to the program will be prioritized for enrollment based on the criteria found here.

 

The demand for ESS services is anticipated to exceed the program capacity at most schools. Applications will be accepted up to the capacity for each school site based on the priority criteria outlined above. Applications not initially accepted will be placed on a waitlist, and families will be contacted if space in the program becomes available.

 

 

The goal of the ESS staff is to provide a safe, fun, and educational environment for all students. Clear expectations for appropriate behavior are established, and staff provide positive reinforcement. We work in partnership with the school site to ensure consistency in rules and to maintain a safe environment for everyone. To prevent behavior challenges, we offer a routine schedule and engaging activities. We use positive behavior techniques to guide students in making good choices, including problem-solving, redirection, and conflict-resolution strategies. We ask parents to collaborate with our staff when children exhibit unsafe or inappropriate behavior in the program. Parents will be informed of behavior issues as they arise, either in writing or through verbal conferences at drop-off or pick-up times. Detailed steps of our behavior management system can be found on Pages 9-10 of the ESS Parent Handbook.

 

 

Children absent or sent home from school due to illness are not permitted to attend ESS on the day of their absence. If your child has any signs of illness including, but not limited to cold, cough, runny nose or eye discharge, please do not bring your child to ESS. You will receive a phone call for immediate pick up if your child exhibits symptoms including but not limited to: 1) a temperature of 100° or higher; 2) vomiting; 3) Diarrhea, headache, discharge/drainage from eyes, nose, ears or open sores. If you are contacted to pick up your child for illness, they must be picked up within 30 minutes. Your child must be fever-free and vomit-free for a 24 hour period before returning to ESS. If they did not attend school for another reason, they would need to be checked in directly with the ESS staff.

 

 

If a child experiences a minor or non-emergency injury, parents will be informed at pick-up time. In the case of a serious injury or illness, every effort will be made to contact a parent or authorized person immediately. If a parent is not available, the designated emergency person will be notified. If no contact is available, in severe cases or in the best interest of the child, emergency medical services, or 911, will be contacted to administer first aid and/or emergency medical treatment. The parent is responsible for payment of emergency medical treatment.

 

 

Whenever possible, medications should be given to children at home. Sunscreen, lip balm, cough drops and contact lens solution may be used with written parent permission. Doctor authorization is not required. Over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Benadryl, Neosporin ointment, Visine eye drops, etc., must have physician and parent authorization. ALL medications must be in a pharmacy-labeled containers with the student’s name, medication name, and dose. It is the law as well as an Ed Code requirement. Please know that due to ESS hours, staff do not have access to medications or other supplies you have provided to the Health Office for your child’s use during the school day. It is important that ESS is provided with their own set of medications or supplies.

 

 

ESS believes strongly that children should have the opportunity to visit various places and participate in various activities throughout San Diego County during school vacation sessions and summer camp sessions, including assemblies held at different ESS sites. The cost for these trips is included in the program fees. Transportation is provided in district vehicles. Before each trip, children will be instructed on safety procedures. For walking field trips, additional safety instructions will be provided, such as crossing at traffic lights and remaining on sidewalks. Permission slips are required for each event. A permission slip for one trip does not cover another trip. Field trips may be canceled or changed at any time due to inclement weather or other safety considerations. Parents will be informed of all field trips in advance. If a child has not signed into the program by the designated time before departure from the school site, they will not be allowed to attend the field trip. On field trip days, alternative programming is not provided at the site when students are on the field trip. Therefore, parents must make alternate childcare arrangements if their child is not attending the trip. Emergency forms and the daily roster will accompany the group on all field trips. The ESS Supervisor and/or Lead Assistant will always have an accurate field trip schedule, including names of students, emergency contact information, and parents' names and work phone numbers. Student pick-ups or drop-offs directly to or from off-site field trip locations are not permitted except in the case of a safety-related emergency.