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MYC After School Program: October 2023

Jen Ward

We cannot believe we are in month two of our After School Program, with over 285 registered members so far! We will be closed on Monday October 9th in observance of Indigenous People’s Day. For a look at the entire October calendar, click here.

The Milford Youth Center is excited to continue distributing weekend food bags starting in October! 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 by completing this link here (signs up are due by 5 pm on each Wednesday that we have a distribution scheduled). 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. For more about Lovin’ Spoonful’s, click here. Picks up this month are: 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 and 10/27!

The Milford Youth Center would will also be continuing our collaboration with the Hockomock Area YMCA and their Food Access Program! Together, we will provide a Mobile Food Pantry monthly for members and their families. On Tuesday, October 17th 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. At 4:00 every day, we now use the back court for other sports such as soccer, volleyball and football and only allow basketball in the front court to ensure a variety of sports be played during the after-school program.
  • Quiet Zone: Quiet Zone will take place every Tuesday and Thursday this month. It offers students a quiet space to access our computer lab and to do their homework or read.
  • Fishing: The fishing program is run by a longtime volunteer Dr. Bob Gilmore. On October 2nd and 16th at 4:00, students will have the opportunity to walk down to Fino field with an MYC staff, to learn bait and fishing techniques with no prior experience needed! It will be a catch and release class and will take place, weather permitting.
  • Soccer: We will have an organized game of soccer on October 11th from 3:30-4:30. Kids can sign up when they arrive after school.
  • 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 Thursday 10/5, Wednesday 10/11, and Wednesday 10/25.
  • Volleyball: We will have an organized game of volleyball on October 25th from 3:30-4:30. Kids can sign up when they arrive after school.
  • Weight Room: This program will be overseen by MYC staff. It will give kids, ages 12 to 18, an opportunity to use the weight equipment safely. This will take place on October 20th from 3:30-4:00.
  • MYC Book Club: We are very excited to continue our Book Club initially created by Girl Scout Carly Haley! With the help of Emily, our Assistant Director, books have been carefully selected that are interesting, culturally impactful, and age appropriate with life lessons in each book for the Book Club members to read this year. Samantha Cesario of the Milford Public Library has volunteered to run this club for the second year now! New this year, we will incorporate a raffle. The MYC member will be responsible for tracking the pages and time read and for every 30 minutes that you read, you will get 1 raffle ticket, for every Book Club meeting you attend, you will receive 2 tickets to be entered to win prizes! The club will be held this month on Mondays, the dates are the 2nd, 16th, and the 23rd beginning at 3:30.
  • Gardening: Youth will be able to help in a gardening themed craft on Tuesday October 24th at 3:30 thanks to our amazing volunteer, Phyllis Foley, from the Greenleaf Gardening Club! Phyllis has a message to the families of Milford Youth Center members: “The Junior Gardener Program meets monthly at the youth center and is one of the center’s activities. Sponsored by the Greenleaf Garden Club of Milford, it is a free program, usually the 4th Tuesday of the month from 3:30 to 4:30.  The goals are to introduce kids to the joys of gardening, to explore the environment and to create art using plants and materials from nature.  It is open to all youth center members.”
  • Life Skills: This is our second year running the Life Skills 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 an introductory to proper use and safety of handling woodworking tools and will each be able to take home their project. This program is for registered after school members only. David Abrantes will conduct this class as a father of current after school members and a volunteer of the Youth Center.  An email with more details will be sent to parents and guardians. If you are interested and have not received the email, please call the center. This will also be a program that requires advance sign ups and commitment. This program will be held on October 18th at 3:30.
  • Give Kids the Arts is a non-profit run by Linda and Ian Kabat and their daughter, Isabella. 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 Isabella are coming to the MYC on October 17th to create a fall leaf painting with watercolors and oil pastel with the kids.  Sign-up is required.  The last day to sign up for this program is Wednesday October 11th.
  • 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! Together, our AmeriCorps members, Iliana and Landon, will run the MYC Youth Council! The Youth Council will be held weekly beginning on Tuesdays at 4:00 pm. If interested in participating, please email Iliana here.
  • New Human Fitness: New Human Instructor Coach Andre Filadelfo, will focus on various fitness skills. They will also do a weekly HIT workout with regressions to keep that heart rate up! This program will begin on Thursday October 12th, the 19th, and the 26th, beginning at 3:30! This Program would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Milford Regional Medical Center.
  • Dance with Iliana: One of our outstanding AmeriCorps members, 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 October 2nd, 16th, 23rd and the 30th beginning at 4:15.
  • Social Emotional Learning: This program 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 made possible by a $6,400 Community Grant from the Greater Milford Community Health Network (CHNA-6). Sign-up is required. Together, our AmeriCorps members, Iliana and Landon, will run the Social Emotional Learning program, it will be held on October 4th at 3:30.
  • Cornerstone Intergenerational Program: Cornerstone of Milford has partnered with the Milford Youth Center to offer intergenerational programs during the after school program! This program allows the seniors and the youth of Milford a chance monthly to spend time together and with MYC staff. This month, the residents have chosen to do a pumpkin decorating craft on Monday October 30th at 3:30. Leah Martel, the Enriched Life Director and Jared Pearson , the Director of Community Relations are thrilled to establish a relationship with the Milford Youth Center to create an intergenerational partnership between our residents and the boys and girls within the town of Milford!“  They communicated that “we love to give back to our associates, our community, and most importantly, our residents!
  • MYC Fun on Fridays:
    • Bingo: Our very popular BINGO program will run on Friday the 6th from 3:30-4:15. We will be giving after-school members the opportunity to win some fun prizes!
    • MYC Family Feud is scheduled to be played on October 13th at 3:30. Here, registered after school members will be divided into teams and staff will read off questions and much like the game show, the team that guesses the most popular answers wins!
    • MYC Trivia is scheduled for October 20th at 3:30. Staff will read off age-appropriate questions and the team with the most correct answers wins!
    • MYC Cinema: The MYC Cinema will be showing a holiday themed movie this month on Friday October 27th at 3:30.
  • 4-H Youth Development UMASS Extension: On October 19th at 3:30, two members from the 4-H team will be here to run a STEM program related to energy. The children will learn about renewable energy and apply this knowledge to analyze and assess their own energy use. They’ll design an electrifying Power Protector hide-out using their imagination and critical thinking skills to create a space to collaborate and protect the energy source. Registered after-school members must sign up and commit to this program by Monday October 16th. Contact Program Coordinator, Joanna Abrantes at jabrantes@milfordma.gov to reserve your child’s spot!

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\