LINK SUMMER 2018 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - Village Learning Place

LINK SUMMER 2018
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 1. What does a typical LINK Summer day look like? How much time is devoted to academic study,
    enrichment, outdoor play, etc.?
    The LINK Summer schedule varies by class/grade, but below is a simplified version of what a “typical” day
    looks like for our older students:
             9am-9:30am: Breakfast and Daily Rap
             9:30am-11:30pm: Math* (Number Playground for 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd and Math Plus for 3rd/4th & 5th/6th)
             11:30am-Noon: Outdoor play/Recess
             Noon-12:30pm: Lunch
             12:30-1:30pm: Enrichment
             1:30-3:30pm: Literacy* (Letter Parade for 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd and KidzLit for 3rd/4th & 5th/6th)
             3:30-3:50pm: Reflection
             3:50-4pm: Dismissal or transition to After Care
             *Snack will be served daily at 10:30am and 3pm during academic period.

    A typical day for the PreK/K classroom:
            9am-9:30am: Breakfast and Circle Time
            9:30am-10:30pm: Literacy
            10:30-11am: Snack & Storytime
            11am-Noon: Centers
            Noon-12:30pm: Lunch
            12:30-1pm: Quiet time
            1pm-2pm: Math
            2-2:45pm: Cooking with Kids Books (Enrichment incl. snack)
            2:45-3:50pm: Enrichment
            3:50-4pm: Dismissal or transition to After Care

    Of course, every Friday is an all-day field trip!

 2. Will LINK Summer be closed at any time?
    LINK Summer will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 in honor of Independence Day holiday. Otherwise, LINK
    Summer will run each weekday from June 25 to August 10. All VLP spaces are air conditioned so we do not
    close for Code Red heat advisory days.

3. Will the VLP have programming for middle or high school students this year?
   Yes! Our LINK Leaders program will take place this summer with a five-week program for 7th-10th grade
   students. LINK Leaders Summer 2018 will run from June 25-July 27. More information, and the
   application can be found here.

4. What is “Pre-Registration”?
   Pre-registering your child means that you are holding your child’s place until a parent or guardian attends
   the mandatory Family Orientation session. At that time, you will complete the LINK Summer application
   and your child will be officially enrolled. If you do not attend orientation, your child’s place shall be
   forfeited, regardless of whether you pre-registered. If you do not pre-register before orientation, then
   your child will automatically be placed on the waitlist.

    Pre-registration will take place in the library of the Village Learning Place, and it will occur in three stages:
       • April 11 - Priority students are invited to pre-register starting at noon on Wednesday, April 11,
          2018.
       • April 13 - Returning LINK After School and LINK Summer students are invited to pre-register starting
          at noon on Friday, April 13, 2018. Returning students are defined as those who are currently
          attending and in good standing in the 2017-2018 LINK After School program and/or the 2017 LINK
          Summer program.
       • April 18 - All other students are invited to pre-register starting at noon on Wednesday, April 18,
          2018.

5. Do I have to come to the library to pre-register my student?
   We are pleased to be able to offer families the option to pre-register their students online this year.
   Families may choose to come to library or pre-register online. The pre-registration form link will be
   included on postcards sent to priority and returning students.

    The pre-registration form for new students will be available on the VLP website at
    http://www.villagelearningplace.org/programs/link-summer/ at noon on the appropriate pre-registration
    date. Please note that the link to pre-register will not become active until 12:00pm exactly on the
    appropriate day, and will close when the next stage opens.

    A confirmation email will automatically be sent when the online registration form is submitted correctly.
    An official email from VLP staff will be sent letting families know of their registration status (in case of
    waitlist).

6. How will I know if my student is identified as Priority? When will families be notified?
   Students will receive a postcard from the VLP notifying them of their priority status. Postcards will be
   mailed to families on or about April 2nd.

7. Do I sign my child up for the grade he/she just completed, or the grade he/she will enter in the fall?
   You will be asked to enter the grade that he/she is expected to complete in June 2018, and then enter the
   grade that he/she is expected to enter in September 2018. For example, if your child is currently in the 4th
   grade, then you would select 4th as the grade completed as of June 2018, and 5th as the grade he/she is
   entering in September of 2018.

8. What is considered Pre-K?
   Pre-K means that your child is currently enrolled in a Pre-K class. You must provide documentation from
   your child’s school. Due to the rigor of the day, we want to be sure that all of our students have
   completed one year of formal schooling.

9. What documentation from schools is required at registration? (ex. report cards, proof of Pre-K, etc.?)
   If your child will be new to LINK (has never been enrolled in a LINK program before), then you will need to
   bring the following with you to LINK Summer Orientation:
            • Your child’s latest report card or a photocopy of their report card OR
            • An official letter from your child’s school administrator on school letter head verifying your
                child’s enrollment, grade level, and student identification number
   *The VLP requires this information to verify your child’s grade level and will require a student identification
   number on the LINK Summer application.

10. Can/should my child attend orientation?
    Your child may attend, and the VLP will be providing child care during orientation. We encourage older
    youth to attend orientation with their parent so they may hear about behavior expectations during LINK
    Summer, as well as the program offerings.

11. Who can attend orientation on my behalf if I can’t attend?
    Your child’s primary caregiver is encouraged to attend the Family Orientation. Very important
    information will be shared that evening, and we strongly encourage the primary caregiver to be the
    person who receives that information. If you cannot attend, then we ask that someone who will be on
    your child’s emergency contact list attend in your place. That person must be at least 18 years old.

12. How many kids can I sign up?
    You may sign up however many children you are the primary caregiver for. We understand that some
    parents have their friends/relatives sign up multiple children. Please be aware while this is permitted, a
    legal document is required to be signed by the primary caregiver to ensure a student’s place in LINK
    Summer. This document must be submitted before the first day of program.

13. What is the definition of a priority student? When are priority students invited to pre-register for LINK
    Summer?
    A priority student is a student who has been identified by school benchmark tests or LINK assessments as
    performing below grade level in reading and/or math. Priority students must reside in the Charles Village
    neighborhood and attend one of the neighborhood schools (Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle, Barclay
    Elementary/Middle, and Dallas Nicholas Elementary).

    In 2018, priority students will be invited to register for LINK Summer starting on Wednesday, April 11. Pre-
    registration takes place online and during normal library hours starting at Noon on Wednesday.

14. My oldest child is in LINK, but my youngest is eligible this year. Do I have to come to register on both
    April 13th and April 18th?
    You may sign up siblings/other children you are the primary caregiver for that are not currently enrolled
    in LINK provided that you have at least ONE child who is currently in LINK After School or who attended
    LINK Summer last year.

15. One of my children has been identified as a priority student for registration, but my other child is not.
    Can I register both on April 11th?
    No. Since priority students are identified as those students needing extra support in reading and/or math,
    only priority students are permitted to register early on April 11. VLP staff recognize that it can be
    challenging for parents to pre-register their students on different days, but this procedure is done to
    ensure that summer programming is available for those students most in need!

16. What if we are planning a vacation that will affect attendance for a few days?
    We understand that many families plan vacations during the summer. Please be aware that the LINK
    Summer program is designed to help children avoid the “summer slide.” Therefore, it is important that
    your child attend as much of the program as possible. Please be mindful that missing more than 90% of
    program days will result in dismissal, and your family will forfeit your “In Good Standing” status. Students
    that are not in good standing lose the right to enroll as Priority or Returning LINK Students for LINK After
    School in the fall and LINK Summer 2019.

    New for Summer 2018:
    The VLP will be offering 7-weeks of programming during summer 2018 from June 25 to August 10. Instead
    of two 4-week sessions as in past, students will all be enrolled for entire 7-week program and are
    expected to attend all 7 weeks. Parents may request that their student be permitted to enroll for a
    shorter timeframe of 5 or 6 weeks for summer 2018. Requests for special accommodations for a
    shortened summer session must be submitted in writing to Lauren Snyder, Academics & Evaluation
    Coordinator, at Lauren.Snyder@villagelearningplace.org. To accommodate the various schedules of our
    LINK participants, please note that a limited number of students may be granted permission to miss the
    6th or 7th week of summer programming. And, all students must be able to attend and maintain 90%
    attendance for the minimum of the first 5 weeks. We hope this new policy will ensure funder enrollment
    and attendance requirements are met and allow families to have more flexibility than ever when
    enrolling.

17. What if my child was in LINK years ago? Do I come on April 13th or April 18th?
    We consider current LINK students to be students who are enrolled in LINK After School this year (2017-
    2018 school year) or who participated in or were waitlisted for LINK Summer last year (2017). If your child
    attended LINK Summer more than a year ago, you will be asked to come on April 18th.

18. What is the definition of a returning student?
    A returning student is a student who is currently enrolled in and in good standing with the 2017-2018
    LINK After School program and/or who was enrolled in and in good standing with the 2017 LINK Summer
    program. Good standing is defined as generally maintaining an attendance of 90% and upholding the
    other policies of the Village Learning Place including but not limited to early pick-up, late drop-off, and
    behavior issues.

19. Does the Village Learning Place offer before and/or after care?
    Yes! The LINK Summer program offers before care from 8:00am-9:00am and after care from 4:00pm-6:00
    pm. This is a fee-based service. The fees associated with this service and the application form may be
    found on our website.

    Cost for Before & After Care Options:
        • Before Care only (8am-9am) - $30/week
        • After Care only (4pm-6pm) - $60/week
        • Before & After Care (8am-9am & 4pm-6pm) - $75/week

20. Does VLP offer drop in/daily rates for before and/or after care?
    The Village Learning Place will consider requests for daily and/or drop in care on a case by case basis
    depending upon staffing. Requests for drop in care should be made to the Executive Director at least 48
    hours in advance.

21. What are qualifications of teaching staff? What is the student to teacher ratio for classes?
    Our LINK Academic Teachers are certified or highly experienced in the field of youth development. LINK
    teachers are overseen by the Academics & Evaluation Coordinator who has a Masters of Education.

Additionally, each classroom has 4-5 college work-study Classroom Assistants. VLP partners with Johns
    Hopkins, Morgan, and University of Baltimore for our work-study assistants. On a typical day, there are at
    least 5 adults (1 Teacher & 4 Assistants/volunteers) working with each class of 22 students. Our adult to
    child ratio is 1:4.

22. Where will my child’s classroom be located?
    Programming takes place at the VLP Library at 2521 St. Paul Street and classrooms at 2510 St. Paul Street,
    which are directly across from the VLP. Our youngest learners are located in the library basement. Our
    older students are across the street at 2510.

    The library classrooms are accessed through the garden gate to the left of the library’s front steps; down
    the side stairs. The classrooms at 2510 are accessed through the rear of the building. Doors to both
    program spaces are secured and locked at all times. There is a buzzer at each door for access.

23. What food will be served to students? Can I pack a lunch for my child?
    Each student will receive breakfast and lunch daily through Baltimore City’s Summer Food Service
    Program (SFSP). The SFSP meals meet federal guidelines for health and nutrition. Breakfast typically
    consists of a bowl of cereal and milk. The boxed lunch typically includes a sandwich, fruit or vegetable, a
    cheese stick or yogurt, milk and a juice. VLP is unable to choose or alter what is included in the lunch or
    breakfast.

    The VLP is not able to provide alternate lunches for students with allergies or dietary restrictions. Families
    may pack a lunch for their student as an alternative to the free lunch provided by the City. Refrigeration
    and microwave use are not available for student lunches. Please send lunches in an insulated lunch box if
    the temperature must be controlled.

    Additionally, the Village Learning Place will provide a morning and an afternoon snack each day. Snacks
    are purchased by the VLP and we do our best to ensure that they are peanut-free. Families are welcome
    to send in snack for students with allergies or dietary restrictions.