We can’t believe we have already reached February! This is the 6th month of the after-school program and it is flying by! The After School Program is continuously growing with over 410 registered members!
We will be closed Monday, February 21st but we will be open 12-3 from February 22nd to February 25th for the vacation week for registered after school members. For a look at the February calendar, click here. This month the MYC is offering:
• Open Gym and Rotating Activities: Open gym is a non-structured program where youth are allowed free play and choice of activities in the gym. We will also rotate gym games like volleyball, soccer, knock out and more on Monday’s and Wednesdays. We will also be rotating Nutrition, STEAM and BINGO as well on Mondays and Wednesdays!
• Arts & Crafts: Arts & Crafts is led by staff member, Joanna Abrantes. This program encourages youth to draw, paint, and craft projects to develop their artistic talents. Arts & Crafts gives kiddos a creative outlet that allows their imaginations to flourish and will be run every Tuesday!
• Gardening: Gardening will be run by volunteer, Lindsay Weaver, Teddi Weber and Phyllis Foley, from the Greenleaf Jr. Gardener Club! Students will have the chance to do a great gardening craft once a month. Also, we will have our tower garden up and running along with small projects once a week with Asst. Director Ian. It will grow vegetables that will be used during our nutrition program. This program will take place on Tuesdays!
• Boxing: Boxing is run by volunteer, Brian Bell. Brian has assisted in running this group in the past and has brings a lot of experience to this program. This is a program where kids will learn basic skills, with no need for any prior boxing knowledge! This is a group class that meets on Thursdays.
• Quiet Zone: Quiet Zone takes place Monday-Thursday. It offers students a quiet space to access our computer lab and to do their homework or read.
• Weight Room: This will be overseen by MYC staff. It will give the kids 12-18 an opportunity to use the weight equipment safely. This will take place on Mondays!
• Therapy Dog Training: Once a month, Jen Davitt from Infinite Paws-Ibilities, will be coming to work with Cora, the Youth Center’s amazingly adorable therapy dog in training. Cora will get to join in on the fun of the day! This will be on February 16th.
• FitFun: FitFun is an exercise program ran by fitness enthusiast, Carly Fauth. It is a fitness class that mixes strength and conditioning exercises with fun to create a gym class-type environment. This program will be run on Friday’s! This Program would not be possible without the support and funding from the Milford Regional Medical Center. FitFun will take place on Fridays!
• Book Club: The MYC book club will have a new book that is themed to the month’s observed awareness. Since February is Black History Month, we will be reading “Clean Getaway”, by Nic Stone. This is all thanks to Milford Girl Scout, Carly Haley! Book club will take place on Wednesdays! In order to participate, registered after-school members must sign up ahead of time in order for staff to have adequate time to get enough books. If you have questions or if you would like to sign up for the next month, please contact Alex at aschwartz@milfordma.gov.
• Nail Painting: On February 11th, our part time staff, Paige, will be doing some fun nail designs! This is a great opportunity to get some cute valentine’s day nails!
The Milford Youth Center hosts many different events and activities throughout the year for the youth of Milford and the Milford Schools. The Youth Center’s after school program is open for youth ages 8-18, free of charge, from 2-6pm, Monday through Friday. Only students registered by 1PM each day will be allowed to attend. Any forms received after 1PM, will be allowed to attend the following program day, if completed correctly. This is to ensure we have adequate time to process registrations
- All members must be registered and masked for entry. Mask breaks are offered in a controlled and safe way.
- Please make sure your child brings a water bottle with them daily, as our water bubblers are for refill stations only
- There is no hanging out in front of the MYC property unless students are waiting to enter and/or to be picked up
- All students must be picked up by the time of closing, unless they walk home. Pick-up is outside of the youth center at 24 Pearl St.
- All lost and found items without names on them are donated and/or recycled (water bottles) at the end of each month as it accumulates quickly! Please remind your child/participant to check daily as they exit!
- Please visit our polices here: behavioral, weather, health and traffic
All participants of the Youth Center must annually fill out our registration form to be a member. Once this form is completed, members will receive a key tag and ID number if they are new to the program. This is our way of tracking attendance, so please make sure all members bring their key tag in order to enter. If key tags are lost, the Youth Center will charge $1.00 for a replacement.
The Youth Center also offers a free snack and dinner program, due to the collaboration of CACFP, Hockomock Area YMCA, and the Milford School Food & Nutrition Services department. Members will also be able to use our washer and dryer, free of charge, during our hours of operation.
For online registration forms click below:
COVID Update: Unfornatetly, the likelihood of COVID exposure does rise with Holidays so please review all current COVID Guidance for unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals from the Milford Board of Health. Everyone should self-monitor for any symptoms. If we are communicated about a COVID case, we immediately connect and get guidance from the Milford Board of Health.
If your child has been exposed to a COVID 19 positive person, or has symptoms of COVID 19, please do not send your child to Youth Center as they may expose others. Keep them home and get them tested. Your child must stay home until you are notified of the test results and if positive, please let us know if they attended the Center ASAP. If your child is not going to school due to any type of sickness, then they should not be attending the after school program (testing and quarantine response protocols). For a list of local COVID 19 testing sites, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-test-search-results
- Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chill
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Muscle aches or body aches
- New loss of taste or smell
- Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
- Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
- Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, when in combination with other symptoms
- Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
- Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms\
We ask that you also continue to remind your child(ren) about the importance of proper mask wearing. Please also have you child attend with a mask on and with extras on hand. We are all working very hard to keep all of your children and our staff safe during this challenging time.