We cannot believe that we are already in month three of our After School Program, with over 330 registered members! This month the Milford Youth Center will be closed on Friday November 11th in acknowledgement of Veterans Day and from Wednesday 23rd through the Friday 25th for Thanksgiving break. For a look at the entire November calendar, click here.
This month the MYC is offering:
- Open Gym: 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 soccer, dodgeball, and more on Monday’s!
- 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: Youth will be able to help in a gardening themed craft on Tuesday, November 22nd thanks to amazing volunteers Phyllis and Sue Ellen from the Greenleaf Gardening Club!
- Nail Painting: On November 14th, a staff member will be doing some fun thanksgiving themed nail designs!
- BINGO: Our very popular BINGO program will be running on November 21st, giving after school members the opportunity to win some fun prizes!
- STEAM: Our S.T.E.A.M program will run on November 18th where After School Members will be given the opportunity to do a hands-on activity involving science, technology, engineering, art, and math with our new curriculum funded by a grant from the Milford Cultural Council! The theming of S.T.E.A.M for the month of November and December is bridges! The kids will get to learn about the science behind bridges and make mini models to test how much weight they can hold!
- Weight Room: This program 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 every other Friday!
- Social Emotional Learning: is designed to help our youth learn about and manage their emotions and interactions with others and build the core social and emotional competencies including self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills need to succeed in school and thrive in life. This program is scheduled to run every other Wednesday during the school year at 3:30 and will be run by Alisha Rojas-Harrison, CTRT-E and made possible by a $6,400 Community Grant from the Greater Milford Community Health Network (CHNA-6) Sign up is required.
- 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 Thursday’s! This Program would not be possible without the support and funding from the Milford Regional Medical Center.
Milford TV: will be running their program again this year, starting this month, thanks to the amazing crew Liz, Nick, and Mishelle. They give the students an opportunity to learn videography skills along with creating their own multi-media projects! This program will run every other Wednesday in November and you must sign up in advance (limited space)! Please contact our Assistant Director here if interested in participating (you will be expected to attend these programs and get transportation to Milford TV once/month).- Quiet Zone: will take place every Monday through Thursday this month. It offers students a quiet space to access our computer lab and to do their homework or read.
- Life Skills: This is a new program in honor of our former board member Ron Taylor. The life skills program is going to teach our youth skills that can carry them into their adult years. This month’s program will be run by Milford Police and Fire, who are going to teach the kids different safety skills and let them explore the careers that they can pursue in their community more in depth!
- Give Kids the Art:This organization is a non-profit run by Linda and Ian Kabat. The goal of this non-profit is to be able to provide art and music supplies to children who might not be able to afford them. Linda and Ian are coming to the MYC on November 16th to make clay gifts with the kids. The last day to sign up for this program on Thursday November 10th!
- Knitting: Knitting is run by volunteer Mindy Katz, who is an avid knitter! She will teach the youth the basic techniques of knitting every Tuesday this month!
- MYC Cinema: The MYC Cinema will be showing Ratatouille this month on Friday November 4th!
- The Youth Center will also be hosting a Thanksgiving Celebration, where all members are welcome to come and celebrate their MYC community on Tuesday November 22nd! We are looking for community donations as well! For more info, click here.
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 2:15-6pm, 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. 
- That Milford Youth Center is not licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care or any other state agency;
- Registered youth may arrive at or depart from the program at any time during their time at the program.
- As of Monday, February 28th, we will be mask optional. It is important to note that we will support all members and staff who choose to wear a mask after the mandate is lifted. It is possible if conditions shift that masks may be required again sometime in the future as well. This does not change our policy in terms of attending being sick and/or having COVID symptoms. If you don’t go to school due to any type of illness you are not allowed to attend the Center;
- Please make sure your child brings a water bottle with them daily, to refill;
- 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 (use intercom to communicate with the front desk);
- The Youth Center is not responsible for the care or supervision of children beyond program closing time;
- 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.
- For video of rules, produced by Milford TV click here (video was made prior to mask optional, just FYI).
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: 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 get guidance from the Milford Board of Health. If your child is not going to school due to any type of sickness, then they should not be attending the after school program.
Effective August 15, 2022, children and staff in child care, K-12, out-of-school time (OST) and recreational camp settings should follow the below guidance:
- A rapid antigen test, such as a self-test, is preferred to a PCR test in most situations.
- To count days for isolation, Day 0 is the first day of symptoms OR the day the day positive test was taken, whichever is earlier.
Contact tracing is no longer recommended or required in these settings, but schools or programs must continue to work with their Local Board of Health in the case of outbreaks. - The Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools. While masks are not required or recommended in these settings except for in school health offices, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, including those who face higher risk from COVID-19, should be supported in that choice. For those who need or choose to mask, masking is never required in these settings while the individual is eating, drinking, sleeping or outside.
- All individuals are encouraged to stay up-to-date with vaccination as vaccines remain the best way to help protect yourself and others.
Isolation and exposure guidance and protocols: Guidance for Children and Staff in Child Care, K-12, OST, and Recreational Camp Settings:
- Quarantine is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff in these settings, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.
- Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:
- If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.
- If the child has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.
- If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later.
- Symptomatic individuals can remain in their school or program if they have mild symptoms, are tested immediately onsite, and that test is negative. Best practice would also include wearing a mask, if possible, until symptoms are fully resolved. For symptomatic individuals, DPH recommends a second test within 48 hours if the initial test is negative.
- If the symptomatic individual cannot be tested immediately, they should be sent home and allowed to return to their program or school if symptoms remain mild and they test negative, or they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are resolving, or if a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis. A negative test is strongly recommended for return.
- If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.
COVID-19 Symptoms for Child Care, K-12, OST, and Recreational Camps:
- 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\