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EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM HANDBOOK
Mission
EDP supports the needs of families and their children by providing an environment that is warm and nurturing,
and where children have fun, relax, learn, and spend time with friends. The program will be consistent with the
Touchstone philosophy and meet nationally recognized standards for school-age childcare.
Calendar
Hours of operation
EDP is open from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on all regular school days. In addition, EDP is open 7:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on
Curriculum days and Parent/Teacher Conference days, for which advance registration for either 7:45 to 3:00 or
7:45 to 6:00 is required.
Closures
EDP is closed whenever school is not in session – for holidays and school vacation weeks, and on snow days.
EDP is also closed when school is in session for a half day.
Should we determine during the school day that EDP must be cancelled or must close before 6:00 p.m., we will
contact a parent of each student as early as possible to notify you and assist in making plans for pick-up. These
situations are rare, but usually involve dangerous weather and/or driving conditions. It’s a good idea to have
back-up plans for picking up your children in such instances.
Program Overview
Philosophy and Guiding Principles
Touchstone’s mission statement, philosophy, and guiding principles are used to create the EDP culture, a sub-
culture within the Touchstone community where these principles are applied in practice every day. EDP has
been likened to “the neighborhood” for many Touchstone children; they enjoy coming to EDP to play with
friends and explore their own interests. The EDP program offers structure, supervision, and activities of interest,
and at the same time we expect children to be responsible for their choices as individuals and as members of
the group. Each child has the freedom and responsibility to choose what to do every afternoon within the
constraints of the community culture. Children and staff create and change the culture together; mutual
respect is expected and developed by building close and meaningful relationships throughout the year.
Because EDP operates with large multi-aged groups for long blocks of “less structured” time, we can focus on
the social and emotional development of each child and the group itself.
EDP activities are designed for children to explore individual interests and curiosities. We encourage children to
enjoy taking time to observe closely the world around us, and involve themselves deeply in art projects, games,
and nature studies, and in learning about themselves and others.
Daily Schedule
Our daily routine (schedule) is designed to provide just enough structure to make children comfortable: they
understand “what’s going to happen” and yet they have an extended block of time in which to choose and
be responsible for their own activities. It’s helpful for you as parents to understand the routine so when you pick-
up your children you’ll know what’s going on in their lives at that moment. For example, children often don’t
want to miss snack times, activity periods, or be picked-up when they are immersed in a project; we hope this
information will help you work with your children in planning their transition home.
The afternoon schedule is flexible, but generally looks like this:
1.
2:50 – Check-in: Children are responsible for formally checking in with the staff member taking attendance.
After they have checked in, they meet friends and play outside, in the gym, or about the common room.
Older students often prefer to complete homework right away.
2.
3:05 - Community Meeting: Students and EDP staff assemble for announcements, an explanation of the
day’s activity choices and snack options, and to discuss any areas of concern to staff or students.