We cannot believe we are in our final month of our After School Program, with over 520 registered members! The last day of the MYC after-school program is Thursday, June 13th. We will have our annual End of the Year party on Thursday, June 13th for registered after-school members only. For a look at the entire June calendar, click here.
The Milford Youth Center would 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, June 11th 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.
- 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 café/lounge area. At 4:00 every day (if we can) 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.
- Fishing: The fishing program is run by longtime volunteer, Dr. Bob Gilmore. On Mondays the 3rd and the 10th 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.
- Escape The MYC: Escape the MYC is back in 2024! 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. Children may not sign up in advance and must do so on the days the program runs. This is to ensure we do not hold up teams and can run them smoothly and efficiently. If your child wishes to participate, the program will be held on June 4th, 5th, and 6th from 3:30 to 5:30 - Bingo: Our very popular BINGO program will run on Friday the 7th from 3:30pm. We will be giving after-school members the opportunity to win some fun prizes!
- End of the Year Party: For registered after-school members only, please join us in celebrating another amazing and successful school year on Thursday June 13th with a water slide (weather permitting), indoor jumpy, snow cones, senior send off, youth superlatives, scholarship announcements and of course, time with friends and staff. We look forward to seeing you all there! This will be held on June 13th from 2:15 until close at 6:00. This will be the final day of the after-school program until the next school year. For outdoor water slide, please bring towel, bathing suit and change of clothes!
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.
- The 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:
Respiratory Virus Guidelines
On March 25, 2024 we were informed that Massachusetts Department of Public Health recently updated their guidance:
Staying home to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses | Mass.gov
This guidance aligns with recent CDC updated recommendations for respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 which were released on March 1, 2024
This guidance is for respiratory viruses like Influenza, RSV, and Covid-19 as they share similar transmission methods, symptoms, and prevention strategies. This unified approach aims to simplify recommendation and address common risks more effectively.
The new CDC guidance for respiratory virus:
- When you have ANY respiratory virus– stay home and away from others if you have respiratory virus symptoms. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.
- Return to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
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- Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
- You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication)
- When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner, air, hygiene, masks, physical, distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.
- Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
HOW HAS ISOLATION GUIDANCE CHANGED?
The updated Respiratory Virus Guidance recommends that people stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after both their symptoms are getting better overall, and they have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Note that depending on the length of symptoms, this period could be shorter, the same, or longer than the previous guidance for COVID-19.
It is important to note that the guidance doesn’t end with staying home and away from others when sick. The guidance encourages added precaution over the next five days after time at home, away from others, is over. Since some people remain contagious beyond the “stay-at-home” period, a period of added precaution using prevention strategies, such as taking more steps for cleaner air, enhancing hygiene practices, wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and/or getting tested for respiratory viruses can lower the chance of spreading respiratory viruses to others.
We considered multiple options for adjusting isolation guidance at different lengths of time. In addition to fewer people getting seriously ill from COVID-19 and having better tools to fight serious illness, CDC considered other factors such as the personal and societal costs of extended isolation as well as the timing of when people are most likely to spread the virus (a few days before and after symptoms appear). The updated guidance is easy-to-understand, practical, and evidence-based, as well as more aligned with long-standing recommendations for other respiratory illnesses.
In addition to CDC’s Respiratory Virus Guidance, there are several special considerations for people with certain risk factors for severe illness, including older adults, young children, people with weakened immune systems, people with disabilities, and pregnant people.
To read the complete report, click here. Also, the CDC has created an information FAQ page for the new respiratory guidance, available here