District 196 will offer free child care for all district-enrolled students age 12 and younger whose parents or guardians are Tier 1 critical workers. The free child care is to be made available when BOTH parents in the household are employed as critical workers and not working from home. Tier 1 workers include: Healthcare and public health Law enforcement, public safety and first responders Food and agriculture Judicial Branch (essential services) National Guard (currently activated under a Governor Executive Order) Educators and school staff providing in-person instruction or caring for children of critical workers Child care and school-age care providers Child care is not available for students taking part in District 196 Digital Academy. Changes as of January 27, 2021 : Wednesdays starting January 27 Tier 1 child care will be available on late start Wednesdays starting January 27 for grades K-5. Early start schools – 7:45-10am Late start schools – 9:25-11:40am Free breakfast and lunch will continue to be available for students in child care Transportation is NOT available for Wednesday Tier 1 child care. Families will need to drop their child/ren off. Activities will be provided for students, no academic support February 4 Start all in person learning for grades 3-5 Full day Tier 1 child care ends Please be sure to update your calendars to reflect what days your child/ren will be attending so that we secure staffing. We also use this for contact tracing should there be a positive case. Child care will be staffed by non-licensed district employees, including paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, clerks and child care staff from the YMCA. A portion of the day will be scheduled for students to work on their managed independent learning and the remainder of the time will include enrichment and physical activity. Before and after school child care will be provided by the YMCA, for a fee, and requires a separate registration at https://www.ymcanorth.org/child_care__preschool/school_age_care. Note: You will need to provide a photocopy of your employment ID badge for both parents in a two-parent household in order to complete your registration process. If you do not have an ID badge, a letter from your employer will be accepted. Email a photocopy or picture of your ID badge or letter from your employer to childcare@district196.org to complete your registration. If you have further questions, email us at childcare@district196.org or leave a voicemail at 651-423-7933.
