Den Club Fee Agreement

The Den Club meets the needs of families in the Dysart Unified School District by providing a safe and fun place for children to stay before and after school and on recess days. The facilitators and child care aides at each site are professionals with specialized training in school-age child care. At times, child care staff members may be college students pursuing their education degrees, paraprofessionals from other district programs or other special adults who have an interest in working with children. The staff periodically may be assisted by high school students who have an interest in child care, child development and education/recreation programs. The staff benefits from training that is offered through the Arizona School-Age Coalition as well as national conferences and our own in-house training.

The safety of the children is our first priority. To assure the highest standards, all Den Club sites are licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services as child care facilities. Each site is equipped with its own first aid kit and manual and every staff member is certified in first aid and CPR. Walkie talkies or cell phones keep the staff in constant touch with the other staff and the supervisor of the program in the event of an emergency.

The program of activities at Den Club is rich and varied. Using theory of multiple intelligences as a philosophical basis, activities are offered to cultivate children's talents and interests in many diverse areas. Although our focus is on social skills, our lesson plans are aligned with the Arizona State Educational Standards. For example, science experiments help make the physical world comprehensible; multi-cultural food, games and crafts bring other countries closer; history comes alive as the children listen to music from earlier times or play games that their parents and grandparents played. Working as a group, students may put on a talent show, open their own lemonade stand or publish a newspaper for their friends. Den Club is an active place with many choices.

Den Club operates before and after regular school hours, opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. (see above for times specific to this school). On early dismissal days, Den Club opens early to offer care to all children in the school community who need it, though pre-registration for this option is required. During the summer, most school recess days and on holidays, we offer a full-day camp experience with the same high standards exhibited during the school year. We frequently take a field trip on these occasions. In the past, Den Club campers have visited the Arizona Science Center, the State Capital, the Wildlife Zoo and the US Airway Center.

At Dysart Unified School District we care about the welfare of our students. The Den Club program manifests this concern in a practical way that serves families. For more information or to register, please call Dysart's Community Education Department at 623.876.7079 or 623.876.7056 .

Den Club is funded solely by program fees. If you need assistance with fees, contact the Arizona Department of Economic Security at 602.569.4719.