Menu Close

After School Program: June 2023

Jen Ward

We cannot believe that we are already in our final month of our After School Program, with over 620 registered members! This month on June 16th, the MYC will have our end of the year celebration. The 16th concludes our after- school program, there will not be an after-school program until the new school year. For a look at the entire June calendar, click here.

The Milford Youth Center is excited to continue distributing weekend food bags! The MYC has partnered with Lovin’ Spoonful’s and their food rescue mission. Please let us know if you would like to get free groceries in May by completing this link here. Please only click if you can pick up the bags on Fridays, before 6 pm when we close! We will coordinate pick up times with all families that sign up. Pick-up days are as follows: June 2nd and the 9th. For more about Lovin’ Spoonful’s, click here.

The Milford Youth Center would also like to introduce our collaboration with the Hockomock Area YMCA and their Food Access Program! They will work collectively with our community to help alleviate food insecurity. Together, we will provide a Mobile Food Pantry monthly for members and their families. On June 13th from 4:30-6:00 pm, in the parking lot across the street from the Youth Center, food will be handed out from the YMCA food truck. A grocery bag of non-perishables will be distributed to any household and there is no sign-up necessary. For more information on the Y’s food access initiatives, click here.

This month the MYC is offering:

  • Open Gym, Game Room, and Free Dinner & Snack: Open gym and the game room are non-structured program spaces, where youth are allowed free play and choose activities. Members are also able to get a free dinner and/or snack in the cafe/lounge area.
  • Arts & Crafts: Arts & Crafts is led by Program Coordinator, 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 on Tuesday June 1st, 8th and 15th at 3:45 to 4:30.
  • Boxing/Kickboxing: The Boxing portion of this program will be run by volunteer, Brian Bell. Brian was trained by Coach Pablo Ramos beginning in the Natick and Framingham area. Brian is a boxing coach with over 52 years of coaching and boxing experience. He is a Milford resident and has volunteered in running the boxing program at the youth center in the past. The goal of the program is to teach self-confidence, respect, and discipline with an incredible physical work out. His personal hope is for the students to see their progression from their hard work in the program! In collaboration with the Milford Public Schools, Victor Canino, Milford High School’s Supervisor of Attendance, will be incorporating a Kick-Boxing program. Victor has been involved in kickboxing since 1995. During that time, he studied various martial arts. He is an instructor under IMB Academy in California under Richard Bustillo and the AMAC in Massachusetts. He is currently working on becoming an instructor with FCS Kali organization. While working for the Federal Court as a probation officer, Victor was an adjunct defensive tactics instructor at the national training academy. This program will run on Thursdays, on the 1st, 8th, and the 15that 3:30.
  • Nail Painting: On Friday June 2nd at 4:00, a staff member will be doing some fun summer nail designs.
  • Bingo: Our very popular BINGO program will be run on June 9th at 4:00. We will be giving after-school members the opportunity to win some fun prizes!
  • Putting Green Challenge: Part time staff, Jason, will be teaching basic putting skills and golf basics on Tuesdays, June 6th and 13th at 3:30. Spots are limited, if you’re interested, email Joanna at jabrantes@milfordma.gov!
  • Dance with Iliana: One of our outstanding part-time staff, Iliana Gonzalez has been dancing for 15 plus years! She began dancing as a little girl at the Milford Dance Center and then moved to Connecticut and danced for a studio on their competition dance team. When she began college at Bridgewater State University, she danced on the hip hop team. She has experience in many genres of dance such as hip hop, tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, contemporary and modern. Dancing has always been an outlet for her to express herself and to keep herself motivated, and in doing this program at the Milford Youth Center, she hopes to bring that same feeling to any child who joins. Dance will be held on Mondays this month. We are gearing toward the end of our after-school program and the goal of this program is to have a dance routine that the kids can perform. You must commit, attend, and participate! The dates are the5th and the final dance program for this after school program will be held on the 12th at 3:45, with the routine to be performed on June 16th! 
  • MYC Youth Council: The MYC Youth Council is a leadership and community service-based group, created to encourage MYC members to help make a difference in the community through facilitating several youth community events as well as taking part in volunteer opportunities! Registered after-school members, ranging in ages from 8-18, can join this program and commit to making changes together!  Iliana, our staff member, will be restarting the MYC Youth Council, which has not been running since prior to COVID! The Youth Council will be held weekly beginning on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm. If interested in participating, please email Iliana here.
  • New Human Fitness: New Human Instructor Coach Aaron Anniballi will focus on basic basketball and fitness skills to get the students to basketball/fitness independence. They will work on basic dribbling, shooting, and passing. They will also do a weekly HIT workout with regressions to keep that heart rate up! This program will be run on the June 5th and the 12th, beginning at 3:30! This Program would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Milford Regional Medical Center.
  • Fishing: The fishing program is run by longtime volunteer Dr. Bob Gilmore. On June 5th & 12th at 4:00, students will have the opportunity to walk down to Fino field to learn bait and fishing techniques with no prior experience needed! It will be a catch and release class.
  • Soccer: On June 7th from 3:30-4:15. We will have an organized game of soccer. Kids can sign up when they arrive after school.
  • Four Square: On June 14th from 3:30-4:15. We will have an organized game of Four-Square. Kids can sign up when they arrive after school.
  • Escape The MYC: Escape the MYC is back in 2023! This is an interactive program where the youth will work in teams to try and solve the MYC escape room! Puzzles, mysteries, challenges, and plot twists make this program enjoyable for all ages! This is a once in a year program with limited space, so sign your child up now! It will be held on June 7th and the 14th from 3:30 to 5:30!
  • End of the Year Party: For registered after-school members only, please join us in celebrating another amazing and successful school year on Friday, June 16th with a water slide, indoor jumpy, snow cones, senior send off, youth superlatives, a dance routine from the MYC dance program with Iliana, a raffle with a chance to win 1 of 2 prizes, scholarship announcements and of course, time with friends and staff. We look forward to seeing you all there! This will be held on June 16th from 2:15 until close at 6:00. This will be the final day of the after-school program until the next school year. Please don’t forget to check out our Summer Camp Program! Applications are due no later than June 23rd!

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 (10 am on vacation weeks and half days). Any forms received after 1PM (or 10 am on vacation weeks), 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 28, 2022, 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.

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\