Eagle's Nest

North Star Academy: 3301 Technology Drive, Duluth, MN 55811
During the regular school days, Eagle’s Nest at North Star Academy runs Monday-Friday before school from 6:30 a.m.- 8:20 a.m. and afterschool from 3:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. during the school year at North Star Academy. Serving youth in kindergarten-6th grades.

On non-school days, the program runs from 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on select days at North Star only with an additional fee of $47/day for each child.   The program is also open on the half day with an additional $26/day until 6:00 p.m.

2024-2025 school year registration opens and we are taking more registrations.

To register, please contact ar@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4745 x140 to enroll. 
 

Be sure to have your child's current medical information, health history, and vaccination records available when registering. As a Minnesota state-certified program, we require vaccination records during registration to meet state-level certification requirements. If your child is exempt for immunizations, families must fill out an exemption form and be notarized.  To access this form, please call the Out-Of-School Time Director at 218-722-4745 x124 or at kcorbett@duluthymca.org.

SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMMING:  

A typical day at Eagle's Nest includes snack, physical fitness, homework help, brain time, club, enrichment opportunities, and choice time.

 BREAK DAY PROGRAMMING:

Eagle's Nest programming begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Youth can be dropped off as early at 7:00 a.m. and all youth must be picked up by 6:00 p.m. Programs will vary by location, but all will include the same components, including small group time, outdoor play, field trips, and enrichment activities.

In order to best serve our families, we have a set number of spaces available for the program enrollment for each site. If the site is full, you can be add to the waiting list. You will be notified if a space becomes available.

For break days, there must be at least 20 youth enrolled by the due date or the program will be cancelled.  Notification will be given to families in advance if the program is cancelled. 

Registration Fee: A $35.00 per child non-refundable registration fee is applied annually. There is an additional fee for full and half day care.

North Star Rates:

Cancellations: The program requires a two-week written notification from the last day you would like to be enrolled in our program. Without such notice, two weeks’ tuition will be charged. If families leave our care owing a balance and do not pay on departure, we reserve the right to turn the balance over to our collection service.

Changes to Schedule: Please contact the the billing and registration office at 218-722-4745 x140 or at ar@duluthymca.org to make schedule changes.  The program needs a two weeks notice of the change prior to it going into effect.  

Is financial assistance available?
We believe every child should experience summer programming.  Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we are able to offer one week of financial assistance to families in need during the summer and a discount rate during the school year.  Families must apply for Child Care County Assistance prior to applying for financial assistance. Financial Assistance is awarded to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Financial assistance applications are available by contacting kcorbett@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4725 x 124.

Do you accept Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)?
Yes, the program accepts Child Care Assistance. Please register using the online registration system. Please note that you will be responsible to pay the $35 registration fee. Families using CCAP must fill out a "CCAP Payment Agreement" which will be shared with families prior to attending the program. 

All youth must be picked up by 6:00 p.m. Parents/guardians will be asked to sign-out their child each day. 
 

AUTHORIZED PICK-UP PEOPLE: Please be prepared to show your photo ID at pick-up. Only authorized people will be allowed to pick up without notification from a guardian. Changes to this list can be made in your account.  No one under the age of 16 may pick up a child from the program. 

LATE FEE: A late fee of $1.00/child/per minute past 6:00 p.m. will be charged to your billing account.  If you receive financial assistance, you will be personally responsible for this charge. If there are ongoing late pick-ups, your child maybe removed from the program.

Break Day Programming: Drop-off is from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. and pick-up is from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.  We start our activities for the day at 9:00 a.m. Parents/guardians will be asked to sign-in or sign-out their child each day. 

When school is on break, Eagle’s Nest care is available at select sites on select days! Registration and fees for these dates are separate from after school care. For youth in grades K- 6 at Eagle's Nest North Star or for K- 5 at ISD709 KEY Zone. 

• Fee: $47 per day, $5 deposit at registration
• Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Registration: Visit duluthymca,org/register to sign up.
• Enrollment Requirement: We need at least 20 youth enrolled per site to hold care.
• Registration Deadline: 5 days prior to the care date.

Dates and Locations:

September

27- All day care at North Star 

October

17 – KEY Zone all day care (Lester, Lowell, Laura MacArthur) Eagles Nest can enroll in KEY Zone

18- No care offered - OST all-staff training day

November

1- All day care North Star

21-22 All day care North Star

28-29 - Thanksgiving break, no care provided

December

23- Jan 1 - Winter break - No care provided

January

2-3 - All day care at North Star

20- No care provided - OST all staff training day

February

17 - Presidents day, no care provided

18-21 - Winter break KEY Zone all day care (Congdon, Lowell, Piedmont) Eagle’s Nest can enroll in KEY Zone

March

14- All day care at North Star

27-28- All day care at North Star

April

14-18 - Edison spring break - North Star all day care

May

26 - Memorial day, no care provided

30- All day care North Star

June

6- Half day care North Star

Most children bring a backpack or bag to that contains the following items:

-Closed-toe shoes that attach to the foot (please no sandals or shoes with heels)
-Water bottle(s)
-A hat and other outdoor gear
-Change of clothes
-Sunscreen
-Bug spray
-Healthy lunch, extra snacks & drinks (no sugary drinks or soda): 

*Please do not send electronics, phones, toys of any sort, soda pop, or candy. Exceptions, such as a comfort item, should be cleared with the Site Coordinator.

Safety is our number one priority, for our youth and staff. We follow the guidance of the Minnesota Weather Watch rubric to help guide decisions on heat and activity level. Anytime the feels-like temperature is above 90 degrees it will lead to lower outside activities and more time spent indoors. Anytime the feels-like temperature is over 100 degrees it will lead to all indoor activities.

Staff will also monitor both air quality and inclement weather conditions. If needed, programming will move indoors for safety.

If weather conditions become poor during the school day and school afternoon activities are canceled, Eagle's Nest will close at 4:30 p.m. If youth are not picked up by this time, late fees will be charged. Staff will contact parents/guardians regarding the early pick-up time.

Regular email about the program will be shared with enrolled families. Please follow us on the EAGLE'S NEST AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Facebook page for updates and pictures.

For questions, please contact:

• Out-of-School Time Director: kcorbett@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4745 x124

At the Y, our priority is always on the health and safety of your child. In addition to the many steps we take every day to protect the health of our guests, participants, and staff, we will work closely with our YMCA Risk Management team to incorporate recommendations from local, state, and national agencies and follow guidance from the MN Department of Humans Services.

The program follows the state guidelines for staff-to-child ratio of 1:15 at all times during programming.

To ensure your child is successful in our program, they must be able to do the following:

• The child can stay with the group at all times.  For the safety of all in the program, we must stay in the ratio. Children that elope from the group pull staff out of ratio.
• The child is able to participate in structured activities and transition independently. We are not able to provide one-to-one or small group support. We are in ratios of 15 children to one (1) staff member.
• The child is toilet trained and can use the bathroom without assistance. We are not able to provide support in the bathroom and/or change soiled clothing.

If your child is not able to follow the areas above, they may be removed from the program. If a child is removed from the program, families will still be responsible for the weekly fee.

Families who have children with special needs are welcome to register and attend the program. If your child needs accommodations or has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) during the school year, please contact the Coordinator at your child’s site prior to starting the program. Families may also want to contact family support services at 218-726-2012 for additional support.

At the Y, we are pleased to offer opportunities for individuals or groups to do volunteer work together. Whether you are an individual or a group of co-workers, friends or service club, we have something for you! At Eagle's Nest, the minimum age to volunteer is 15. For more information, please email gmiller@duluthymca.org or call 218-722-4757 x159.

We are beyond grateful to the members of our community - our members, guests, families, volunteers, and staff - who have recognized the challenges crises like this can pose to a human services organization regardless of their own hardships that they may be facing. For those that are able and interested, please make a gift online at www.duluthymca.org/give and select the Community Services Campaign. THANK YOU for your support of children and families.

Please visit the link below to view the Out-Of-School Time Family Handbook.