PLAYSPACE (formerly kids club)

Summary: Hang out and play with kids who are staying at Family Village. Ages of children will vary, from toddler to teen. Parents are on-site, but are not necessarily at PlaySpace. You are not only giving kids positive engagement, you are also gifting parents some solo time for respite or to get other things done. Use the Path Home toys, arts/crafts, games, puzzles, and books, or feel free to bring your own activity! 

Shifts:

  • Wednesday, 5:00pm-6:00pm

  • Saturday, 12pm-2pm

The Nitty Gritty:

Staying Safe:

  • Enter the Family Village shelter number into your phone - 971-409-1766. If you’re unable to use your phone, work with the staff to carry a Path Home walkie-talkie.

  • Be familiar with your location on campus.

  • Use incident reports for injuries and/or significant safety concerns. 

  • Review and be familiar with our child abuse reporting policy and process (see below).

Engaging with Kids:

  • Ask a Shelter Coordinator before doing a messy activity. Check with parents before offering snacks to kids. 

  • State the positive behavior you would like, vs. the negative behavior you don’t (Use “Thank you for using your walking feet” instead of “Stop running”)

  • Lean into child-directed play, by letting kids take the lead on what they would like to do. Thank you for being flexible!

  • As an alternative to asking questions, try narrating. Simply comment on what you notice kids doing (“The doll is entering the house and going up the stairs” or “Nice job picking out all the green blocks and stacking them together”)

  • Is there nice weather? Check with the Shelter Coordinator if you can take kids outside to play on the playground, play basketball, or use the outdoor equipment - bikes, tricycles, scooters, pickleball, hula hoops, chalk, etc.

  • Time flies when you’re having fun! Allot enough time to clean up your area. Encourage kids to help you put toys and crafts away. 

Requirements:

  • You are empowered to redirect kids when there is a safety concern. However, if there is a major behavioral issue, please inform the Shelter Coordinator or parent. Please do not discipline someone’s child. 

  • Children over 18 months should initiate any physical contact and is restricted to the following:

    • Hand holding

    • Side hugs

    • Side lap sitting 

  • We never do the following:

    • Tickle 

    • Pat kids on the head

    • Give piggyback or shoulder rides

    • Kiss

    • Be in a secluded (behind closed doors) or outside of site and sound of another adult with a child

  • Notice a child needs to use the restroom or needs a diaper change? Notify the Shelter Coordinator or parent. Volunteers are not allowed to assist with children’s bathroom needs. 

Child Check-in & Supervision Expectations:

  • A parent or guardian must be onsite and available in case of an emergency when we are working with children. They must sign children in and out of the activity and list a contact and room/unit number where they can be reached.

  • We assume supervision only of children who are signed in during Kid’s Club

    • Independent children may come and join the activity, but we are only responsible for those who have been signed in and out of activity. Ask staff for support if an independent child is disrupting an activity.

Adult-Child Ratios

In order to keep the environment safe for children and volunteers we always hold the following capacity ratios. We will be asking parents to sign their kids into Kids Club activities so we can manage the below ratios based on adults present. We will have to cap participation based on the following ratios. These ratios can change based on the activity, behavior and needs of the children, and volunteer/staff comfort. Staff will be present when kids are being signed into activity time to ensure the below ratios.

  • Infant (<12m) - 1 trained adult should not care for more than 1 infant (Max in a group: No more than 2 infants together in a group with 2 trained adults)

  • Young Toddler (1-2y) - 1 trained adult should not care for more than 2 young toddlers (Max in a group: No more than 4 young toddlers in a group with 2 trained adults)

  • Older Toddler (2-3y) - 1 trained adult should not care for more than 4 older toddlers (Max in a group: No more than 4 older toddlers in a group per trained adult)

  • Preschooler (3-5y) - 1 trained adult should not care for more than 4 preschoolers (Max in a group: No more than 4 preschoolers in a group per trained adult)

  • School Age - 1 trained adult should not care for more than 5 school-age children (Max in a group: No more than 5 school-age children in a group or classroom per trained adult)