The program has three sites.  Families will pick one location at time of registration.

Laura MacArthur Elementary: 720 North Central Ave., Duluth, MN 55807

Congdon Park Elementary:3116 East Superior St., Duluth, MN 55812

Homecroft Elementary: 4784 Howard Gnesen Road, Duluth, MN 55803

SUMMER PROGRAM DATES:

June 17- August 16, 2024. There is no program on June 19, July 4, and July 5.

For care during the week of August 19-23, please check out the Y's Day Camp program for options. 

The Y will also host FUN DAYS the weeks of June 10- 14 and August 26-30 at the YMCA at the Essentia Wellness Center. 

Summer Registration opens on March 22 at 7:00 a.m. and closes on May 31 

2024-25 School Year Registration opens on May 6 at 7:00 a.m. 

To register online, please visit duluthymca.org/register. If you need assistance, please contact ar@duluthymca.org 218-722-4745 x140 for support.
 

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.

SUMMER AND BREAK DAY PROGRAMMING:

K.E.Y. Zone programming begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Youth can be dropped off as early at 6:30 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.
 

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.

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.

In order to best serve our families, 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.

Registration Fee: A nonrefundable $35 fee is due at time of enrollment. 

RATES: 

How can I make payments for SUMMER K.E.Y. Zone program?
Payments are made by automatic bank draft or credit card draft through your online registration account through Daxko on the Monday prior to the week of attendance (chart below). If you need other payment methods, please call 218-722-4745 x140 or email AR@duluthymca.org for support.

Youth must attend at least 18 days during the summer program:
All participants must attend at least 18 days during the summer program.  If 18 days or more are not attended during the 9 weeks of summer programming, families will be charged for the days missed at the end of August.

Submitting Immunization Records:
If you were not able to enter in your child’s immunization when registering for the summer program, please send it to the Site Coordinator at the site your child will be attending.

Change Authorized Pick-Up:
Authorized pick-up person can be edited/added to your account. Please log into your account at duluthymca.org/register. On your dashboard (main profile page), you will select “Add Authorize Pickup” on the top.  Then on the top right of the next screen, select the child who you would like to make the change in the system.  There you can edit information and/or add a new person. 

To delete someone off your list, please contact the Site Coordinator or financial office to assist you. This is not something you can do on your own in the account.

How can I make payments for SCHOOL YEAR K.E.Y. Zone program?
Payments are made by automatic bank draft or credit card draft through your online registration account through Daxko on the first of each month. If you need other payment methods, please call 218-722-4745 x140 or email AR@duluthymca.org for support.

SUMMER PROGRAM:

No refunds will be issued after these dates for summer programming (see below). Changes must be made two-weeks prior to the week your youth will be attending K.E.Y. Zone by contacting the site coordinator or the registration office. After this time, registration and changes can only be made by calling the billing and registration office at 218-722-4745 x140 and will include a $10 change fee for this process. Please call 218-722-4745 x140, if you need assistance with any changes or cancellations.
 

SCHOOL YEAR:

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.

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. 

SUMMER PROGRAM:

Drop-off is from 6:30 - 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.

SCHOOL YEAR 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 K.E.Y. Zone.


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.

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.

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, 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 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 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.