2024-25 School Year Registration is open and we are still taking registration and waiting lists at all sites. To register, please contact ar@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4745 x140 or  x103. 

Online registration will be opening in early April for the 2025-26 School Year. 

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 K.E.Y. Zone includes snack, physical fitness, homework help, brain time, club, enrichment opportunities, and choice time.

Registration Fee: A non-refundable $35 fee is due at time of enrollment.

 Payments for school-year care are processed automatically one week prior to the 1st of each month via bank draft or credit card through your online Daxko registration account. Families can choose from the care and payment options in the chart below.

Families are expected to save their registration summary, which includes weekly billing amounts. Monthly invoices are not generated through the current software system. Invoices will only be emailed for past-due balances.

If you need alternative payment methods, contact us at 218-722-4745 ext. 140, or ext. 103 or email ar@duluthymca.org. Payments received after the due date will incur a $10 late fee added to the next month’s bill. If accounts are past due your child may be terminated from our program. Children will no longer be able to attend the program, and re-enrollment will depend on availability.

Families receiving CCAP should be aware that both applications and payments through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) may be delayed. Caregivers are still responsible for paying their portion of the balance by the due date. Until CCAP funding is secured and the application process is complete, families must cover all payments. Any past-due balances will remain the responsibility of the families.
 

2024- 25 SCHOOL YEAR RATES: 

*Prices effective June 2025*

SCHOOL YEAR SCHEDULE CHANGES

Any changes to your child’s schedule must be communicated to the Site Coordinator. To report changes in daily attendance, please notify the Site Coordinator, school, and teacher as soon as possible. Schedule changes that affect billing must be reported to the Site Coordinator and the Billing and Registration office before the child attends. Requests to swap, add, or remove days will be approved based on staffing availability.

Families using the flex scheduling option will receive a monthly flex schedule calendar from their Site Coordinator. For any schedule changes during the school year—such as adjustments to flex scheduling, school absences, or appointments—please email both your Site Coordinator and your child’s teacher.

Invoices are sent on the 15th of each month, with payment due on the 1st. Refunds will only be issued if proper notification is provided, staffing is not impacted, and contract commitments are met. In cases of confusion regarding a child’s schedule, we will prioritize their safety by keeping them in the program.

SCHOOL YEAR WITHDRAWALS

The program requires a two-week written notification of withdrawal from our program. Without such notice, two weeks’ tuition will be charged. If you voluntarily leave care and then choose to re-enroll within three months (if there is space available), you will not be charged an additional registration fee. An absence of longer than three months will be considered a new enrollment. If families leave our care with an outstanding balance and do not pay within 15 days of departure, we reserve the right to turn the balance over to our collection service. 

When school is on break, K.E.Y. Zone care is available at select sites on select days! Registration and fees for these dates are separate from afterschool care. Youth must be in grades K- 5th to attend. 

• Fee: $47 per day, $5 deposit is due 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.

Please note: Sites rotate to allow for custodial staff cleaning days.

Dates and Locations:

October

14- District PD day- KEY Zone All day care (Lester, Lowell, Laura MacArthur)

17 – KEY Zone all day care (Lester, Lowell, Laura MacArthur) 

November

27-  District PD day- KEY Zone All day care (Congdon, Piedmont)

28-29 - Thanksgiving break, no care provided

December

23- Jan 1 -Winter break - no care provided

January

17 - KEY Zone all day care (Lester, Laura MacArthur)

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) 

24-District PD day- KEY Zone All day care (Congdon, Lowell, Piedmont)

March

N/A

April

March 31-April 4 - District spring break KEY Zone all day care (Lester, Lowell, Laura MacArthur)

May

26 - Memorial day, no care provided

27-  District PD day- KEY Zone All day care (Congdon, Piedmont)

Summer 2025 Registration Opens on Monday, February 17 at 6:00 a.m. 

To register for the Out-of-School Time program, visit www.duluthymca.org/register. A non-refundable $35 registration fee is required at the time of enrollment. Families must complete all registration forms and payments before their child can begin attending any program.

Attendance Options & Pricing: (Effective June 2025). There is no longer a daily rate and instead a weekly 3-day or 5-day option. There is a $35 non-refundable registration fee. 

• Full-Time (5 days/week): $242.50/week/child
• Part-Time (3 days/week): $145.50/week/child

Payment Details:

• Families must register for a minimum of 7 weeks, either 3-day or 5-day weeks (families can have a mix of both options), during the 9.5-weeks of program. If the minimum is not met, missed weeks will be billed at the end of August.

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.

Payments for summer care are processed automatically via bank draft or credit card through your online Daxko registration account. Families must register for at least 7 weeks of care during the 9-week summer program at the time of registration. Attendance options include 3 days per week or 5 days per week.

Payments are processed on the Monday two weeks before each week of care begins. (Refer to the payment schedule below for details.) If a participant does not attend the required minimum of 7 weeks, the family will be billed for the missed weeks at the end of August to maintain proper staffing ratios throughout the summer.

To qualify for the summer program, children must have completed any grade, kindergarten through 5th grade.

Summer and Break Days: 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

For summer programming, registration and schedule changes can only be made by calling the registration office at 218-722-4745 ext. 140 or ext. 103, or emailing ar@dulutymca.org. Families will need to call at least two weeks prior to the week of the changed care dates. If changes are needed within two weeks of the care needed, a $10 change fee will be added and accommodations are not guaranteed.

No refunds will be issued after these dates for summer programming shown below. Refunds will only be issued if proper notification is provided and contract commitments are met. Please call the Billing and Registration department if you need assistance with any changes or cancellations.

•  Most children bring a backpack or bag to that contains the following items.  Please label with first and last name of all 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.

In order to best serve our families and to ensure saftey for all participants, we have a set number of spaces available for K.E.Y. Zone 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.

CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CCAP)
The Duluth Area Family YMCA will send you an invoice at the beginning of every month for the outstanding balance. Please be advised that the county payments are often behind on their periods of service payouts and the bill may not reflect all periods of service that we have received payment on from the county.

All CCAP families must fill out a “CCAP Families Payment Agreement” that will be provided upon receipt of CCAP paperwork. It is the caregiver/guardian responsibility to:

●  Know what you have been awarded from the county.

●  Know your co-pay amount.

●  All communication with the county is the responsibility of the caregiver(caregiver/guardian). 

●  The county is not allowed to share information with us beyond your awarded amount of coverage.

●  Pay balance in full.

Please notify your case worker directly that you are utilizing the Out-of-School Time program for care and what specific school site your child(ren) will be attending. Out-of-School Time has a child care provider number with St. Louis County. Families must do this at the beginning of the school year, and when the summer program begins if switching to a different school location. We can assist you with your provider number as needed.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We believe every child should experience Out-of-School Time programming.  Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we are able to offer financial assistance to families in need. 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. 

Families are responsible for all child care payments until financial assistance has been awarded. Financial assistance is awarded at a discounted rate based on qualifications and applies only to future enrollments, not past-due balances. Families should wait to receive their financial assistance award notification before registering their child for the program.

Financial assistance applications are available by contacting kcorbett@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4725 x 124.

DROP-OFF/CHECK-IN

For school break days or the summer program, caregiver/guardians must park and come into the building to the check-in table. Youth must be signed into the program by an adult. For youth who attend the afterschool program, your child will either be picked up by staff or come directly to the program from their classrooms.

PICK-UP/CHECK-OUT

All programs end at 6:00 p.m. For youth safety, caregivers/guardians must sign their children out of the program each day. Staff will not allow your child(ren) to leave with anyone but the custodial caregiver/guardian or other authorized pick-up person. Please notify staff in advance if you wish to have your child(ren) leave with a different person. Any guardian with physical custody of a child may pick up the child. If there is an Order of Protection that denies a guardian to pick up, legal documentation must be provided to Site Coordinators.

For pick-up, staff are not allowed to send a child out to a car or outside to someone. The approved pick-up person is required to sign the child out of the program each day. No one under age 16 may pick-up a youth from the program.

If an emergency occurs and you are running late, please call the site to ensure proper supervision until you arrive. Late Fee--A late fee of $1.00/child/per minute past 6:00 pm will be charged to your billing account. If you receive financial assistance, you will be personally responsible for this charge.

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, K.E.Y. Zone 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.

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.

K.E.Y. Zone 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 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 12-15 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/monthly 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. Please note that most IEPs do not extend outside of school hours and we do not have access to them without a caregiver/guardian request. Although the Out-of-School Time programs are run in the ISD709 and Charter Edison elementary schools; we do not have the same requirements, access to staff, and additional resources as the school day.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Regular email about K.E.Y. Zone will be shared with enrolled families. Please follow us on the KEY Zone Duluth 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, 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 KEY Zone, 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 K.E.Y. Zone Family Handbook. 

KEY Zone Handbook