School Age Child Care adds locations for the summer for improved health and safety
School-aged child care in Hamilton County Schools will begin on June 1 and will be expanded to 25 school site locations this year. The additional sites will help to keep the number of children at each site lower than summer programs in the past.
The number of children at each location is limited to the first 25 children registered. The smaller number of children will help to provide the safest environment possible for children, staff, and families. It will be necessary to have a letter from your employer with you at registration, stating that you are an essential employee to register a child for the summer program.
For additional safety precautions, no field trips will be taken during the 2020 summer program. Parents should keep students at home that are exhibiting symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, sneezing, runny nose, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea in the 24 hours before a scheduled day a child is to spend in the Child Care Program.
A child must have no fever without medication to reduce the fever for 24 hours before returning. Students will be required to have temperatures taken upon arrival at the sites each day. Students with a temperature above 100 will not be permitted to attend that day. Children who begin to display symptoms of coughing, shortness of breath, sneezing, runny nose, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea while in care will be required to be picked up. Children will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer numerous times throughout the day.
When feasible, children and staff should wear face coverings inside and outside of the facility as recommended by the CDC. Parents are responsible for providing face coverings for children. Water fountains will not be accessible in the facility. It is recommended that children bring a water bottle with their name on the bottle each day. Electronic devices will be allowed for personal use only, not to be shared. Cell phones will not be permitted.
“The district put together plans for School Age Child Care with the best information available to us at this time, and we hope this will help working parents as they make plans for the summer,” said Justin Robertson, chief operations officer for Hamilton County Schools. “As we have seen over the last two months, our situation can change rapidly and require adjustments to plans that are in place. We will work closely with the Health Department and County Government to be alert to the latest health developments in our community. Please be patient and understand that any decisions made will have the health and safety of children as the most important consideration.”
The sites for the summer of 2020 include:
North River Learning Community
- Allen Elementary
- Big Ridge ElementaryDaisy Elementary
- DuPont Elementary
- Hixson Elementary
- McConnell Elementary
- Middle Valley Elementary
- Soddy Elementary
Missionary Ridge Learning Community
- Apison Elementary
- Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
- East Ridge Elementary
- Westview Elementary
Opportunity Zone Learning Community
- Barger Academy
Harrison Bay Learning Community
- Harrison Elementary
- Ooltewah Elementary
- Bess T. Shepherd Elementary
- Wallace A. Smith
Rock Point Learning Community
- Battle Academy
- Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences
- Lookout Valley Elementary
- Nolan Elementary
- Normal Park Lower
- Normal Park Upper
- Red Bank Elementary
- Rivermont Elementary
The registration fee for participation in school age childcare for the summer will be $10.00 for each child, and it is due at the time of registration. The family’s account with the School Age Child Care Program of Hamilton County Schools will be required to have a zero balance before a child can be registered. Past balances can be paid on the day of registration.
Registrations will be accepted Wednesday, May 20, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the School Age Child Care locations. Each site will be limited to the first 25 children. Registrations will be accepted at the Child Care entrance locations at each school providing the service.
The change in procedures has also required a change in payment in the program. The 2020 charge for the program is $75.00 a week for each child with additional siblings at a weekly rate of $37.50. Please note that it will be necessary to pay for the entire week regardless of the number of days your child attends in a week. The program will not be able to apply credits, and funds will not carry over to the following week for days not used in a week. Fees are due on Monday of each week and must be paid each week to continue child care services.