Foxes 'Til 5

We, the families, staff, and community of Red Cedar Elementary, strive to foster a love of knowledge, self, and others within each of our students, while empowering them to be life-long learners, innovative thinkers, and citizens of good character in an ever-changing world.

o   To provide a superior after school care program for five-year-old kindergarteners through fifth graders.

o   To engage kids in a safe, caring, and recreational atmosphere.

o   To present students with a balanced range of activities which foster personal achievement, creativity, and positive social skills.

o   To offer affordable childcare to Red Cedar families.

Foxes ‘Til Five provides a safe environment and supervised activities after the elementary school day from 2:45pm-5:00pm. The daily schedule will include times for play (both indoors and outdoors), developmentally appropriate activities, and time for children to begin homework. We will also provide a healthy snack for each child.

***Please expect to continue daily reading and homework routines at home on top of Foxes ‘Til Five homework time.

•      Foxes ‘Til Five begins at the end of the school instructional day and ends promptly at 5:00 p.m. Late fees will be applied to account balance when child remains after 5:00 p.m.

·     Foxes ‘Til Five operates ONLY on days that school is in session for students. The after-school program will not be in session unless children are attending school.

·     Foxes ‘Til Five must comply with district mandated emergency closures and early dismissals. In the event of an emergency closure, students will need to be picked up at the mandated time as Foxes ‘Til Five will not be available.

Foxes ‘Til Five seeks to make childcare as affordable as possible for every family who may require the service. All children attending the program must be at least five (5) years old, in kindergarten and registered in the program. Payment is due by 5pm Monday of each week.

·      Rates: The cost is $50.00 per week per child regardless of the number of afternoons your child attends.

·      Family Discount: Families with more than one child in the program are given a discount. The first child is $50.00 a week and each additional child is $45.00 a week.

·      Late Pick Up Fees: If your child remains at Foxes ‘Til Five after 5:00pm three times, you’ll be charged a $20 late pick up fee and participation in the after-school program will be at the discretion of FTF staff. When possible, please notify the directors that you will be late. Chronic late pick-ups will jeopardize a family’s standing in the program.

·      Foxes ‘Til Five does not operate on days that school is closed due to adverse weather conditions.

·     Foxes ‘Til Five will not operate when school is dismissed early because of inclement weather. You MUST make arrangements to have your child picked up as soon as an announcement is made for early dismissal.

·     If roads become hazardous when Foxes ‘Til Five is in session, please make arrangements to pick up your child as soon as possible. Our goal is that every child and staff member involved in the program returns home safely.

When school is dismissed early, telephone lines at the schools become very busy. You should create a plan in advance about what your child should do in case school is dismissed early.

Discipline will be handled in accordance with the Beaufort County Schools District adopted policy on Student Discipline, in keeping with the expectations of the staff at Red Cedar Elementary. These policies may be viewed at www.beaufortschools.net. Teachers will record behavior concerns in student agendas to make parents/guardians aware of these issues.

Dismissal may result from habitually leaving a child after closing time, failure to pay by the Friday deadline, or issuing "bad" checks for payment to the program.

Time for homework will be scheduled although it will not be at the beginning of Foxes ‘Til Five. After a challenging school day, students need time for physical and social activities before returning to schoolwork. Anticipate that you will still need to spend time with your child at home on homework. Books will be available for a quiet reading time for those students who do not have homework. Once again, this quiet work time does not replace time spent reading at home!

To minimize disruptions to the school day, students should take medicine at home rather than at school whenever feasible. No medication will be kept by Foxes ‘Til Five employees. All medication must be kept in the nurse’s office.

·      An acceptable pick-up time for dismissal from the program is between 3:00-5:00 pm.  If your child remains at Foxes ‘Til Five after 5:00pm three times, you’ll be charged a $20 late pick up fee due within one week. Failure to pay the late pick-up fee and failure to pick your student up on time will result in immediate dismissal from the program.

·      Departure will follow Red Cedar car rider guidelines and procedures. Please make sure you have the required car tag.

·      If you do not have a car tag, please come inside with a picture ID. Please understand that this slows down the process for everyone.

·      Your child will only be released to an adult listed on the application. Please inform this person that a picture ID will be required.

·      If you need to change your child’s transportation after Foxes ‘Til Five, we must have a change of transportation e-mailed to goinghomechange@gmail.com, a written transportation form, or note prior to 1:45pm. After 1:45pm, please contact BOTH Foxes ‘Til Five directors via email.