Elementary School Parent Handbook – The Richmond Neighborhood Center

The Richmond Neighborhood Center has been serving the Richmond District of San Francisco since 1980 and serves over 5,000 participants each week. The Richmond Neighborhood Center runs morning, lunch and afterschool programs at nine public schools. These programs include youth employment, multicultural clubs, academic support, case management, art, recreation and more. Additionally, The Richmond Neighborhood Center is responsible for a wide variety of community programs including nightly wellness classes and food security programs (Food Pantry, Home Delivered Groceries, CalFresh Application Assistance). Our agency connects over 700 neighbors with food each week, operates an EPIC Summer Camp, cultivates an urban garden, coordinates family activities, neighborhood festivals, weekend art classes (Multicultural Arts Program), space rentals, and supports One Richmond (a district campaign that celebrates inclusiveness, compassion, civic pride and shopping local), and much more! With programming for people of all ages, The Richmond Neighborhood Center has become a trusted epicenter in the neighborhood.

The Richmond Neighborhood Center provides After School Programs at Lafayette, Alamo, Argonne, George Peabody, and Frank McCoppin Elementary Schools
All sites are funded by DCYF (Department of Youth, Children, and Families) and San Francisco Unified School District’s ExCEL (Expanded Collaborative for Excellence in Learning) After School Programs
After School Programs operate whenever school is in session. We begin right after school and end at 6:00 pm/6:30 pm
- Alamo, Argonne, George Peabody, & Lafayette all operate on the same schedule
  - Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri - 2:05 pm - 6:00 pm
  - Weds - 12:50 pm - 6:00 pm
- Frank McCoppin
  - Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri - 3:45 pm - 6:30 pm
  - Weds - 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Goals - Our mission is to nurture a diverse urban community by developing and providing high-quality youth, adult, and family programs that address critical community needs and foster respect for all people and our environment.

The Richmond Neighborhood Center programs, activities, and practices shall be free from discrimination and harassment based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression; or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Go to https://richmondsf.org/youth-programs/registration/
Create or log into a Configio account.
Register for The Richmond Neighborhood Center Elementary ASP Application.
Check out and process your order.
Priority will be given to those who register within the first month of registration opening. Applications can ONLY be submitted online.
Once the completed application is received, you will be notified via email if your child is accepted or placed on a waitlist (please check your spam filter).
Alamo, Argonne, George Peabody, McCoppin, and Lafayette accept a limited number of Kindergarten–5th grade students. Students must attend the partner schools to enroll in The Richmond Neighborhood Center program.
- If accepted, students will undergo a two-week trial period to determine if they can adjust to the extended school day.
- If a student is unable to participate fully, their participation will be evaluated mid-year.

Criteria for Priority Enrollment

We balance gender and grade levels.
We consider academic and financial need.

Additionally, The Richmond Neighborhood Center works closely with our partner school Principals and school faculty to identify and assist families. Each year, we work with our schools and families to eliminate the wait lists at our sites. If you are interested in applying for our sliding scale tuition, you must include your 2023 income tax return (Form 1040) or talk to The Richmond Neighborhood Center Administration. Please be sure to include your medical information. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Furthermore, please be sure that what you have provided on the application is accurate. Submitting incorrect information will delay acceptance or result in removal from the after school program.

Please see Tuition Sliding Scale Eligibility Chart below.

2024-2025 The Richmond Neighborhood Center Elementary Sliding Tuition Scale

Subsidized Child Care: Children’s Council or Golden Gate Regional Center

If you are eligible for subsidized child care or personal assistance (i.e. Children’s Council or Golden Gate Regional Center) please email us at info@richmondsf.org with the name and phone number of the contact person we should call.

If you have any questions regarding availability or eligibility, please call 415.751.6600.

Tuition Payment & Fees

Payment is due on the 1st of each month. Late payments will be charged an extra fee of 10% of the monthly payment. Families who miss one tuition payment will become delinquent in their accounts and will be given a deadline to make these payments in full. Failure to meet this deadline will result in immediate suspension from The Richmond Neighborhood Center until payments are made.

The Richmond Neighborhood Center strives to keep our tuition costs affordable. Pursuing and processing late payments are detrimental to our resources and take away from our programming. We ask all families to be responsible and submit tuition on time (please inquire about our convenient auto-pay options).

If your family is unable to pay the current monthly tuition or feel your monthly rate does not reflect your current financial situation, please contact us. We work with all families! Alamo, Argonne, George Peabody, Lafayette, and McCoppin families pay according to the sliding scale.

Tuition Criteria

Tuition criteria are determined by the following:

Enrollment fees are assessed based on our 2023-2024 fee reduction schedule and the financial information submitted with your child’s application. If you qualify for our sliding scale tuition, please email a copy of your 2023 taxes (Form 1040) to registration@richmondsf.org.
The monthly co-payment fee will be waived for families eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch, except for co-payments required by local, state, or federal tuition subsidy programs. If you qualify, please scan a copy of your SFUSD Free & Reduced Lunch document and email it to registration@richmondsf.org. To obtain a copy of your Free & Reduced Lunch verification document, visit https://schoolmealapp.sfusd.edu/Register.aspx.
The monthly co-payment fee will also be waived for families with a child in the program if they are homeless youth or in foster care.

Payment Methods

Credit Card: Sign in to your https://richmondsf.configio.com account and complete payment with your credit card. For your convenience, once you provide a credit card, our system will enroll you in recurring payments.
Cash: Please submit cash payment at our office.
Checks: Please submit check payment at our office or mail it in. Checks should be made out to The Richmond District Neighborhood Center. Please be sure to write your child’s name and school in the memo portion of the check.

Walking Field Trip: During the course of the after-school program, there will be days when we will go on walking field trips to local parks. These walking field trips will be within an eight-block radius of the school.
PR Release: We use photos of students and student projects often in promotional materials such as brochures, newsletters, advertisements, and event programs, as well as in social media outlets such as The Richmond Neighborhood Center website and Facebook.
Academic Information Release: Public money and grants fund The Richmond Neighborhood Center programs, and evaluation of programs occurs yearly. For us to adequately evaluate the progress of the program, we request access to your child’s test score information, progress reports, and/or report cards. In order for us to obtain this information, we request your signature indicating your consent for us to obtain this information from the teacher/counselor at your child’s school site.
a. "I/We as Parent(s)/Guardian(s) give The Richmond Neighborhood Center permission to have access to my child’s school information contained in his/her personal file, specifically test scores, progress reports, and IEPs."
Mental Health Services: In order to maintain a safe, cooperative, and healthy after-school environment, The Richmond Neighborhood Center employs After School Counselors who observe and interact with children and provide support to staff and families in managing behavioral issues.
a. "I/We as Parent(s)/Guardian(s) give consent to have my child and/or family participate in The Richmond Neighborhood Center mental health services. I understand that information about my child will be kept confidential, and The Richmond Neighborhood Center will keep my child’s record in a secure location. I further understand that information must be disclosed in certain situations, for example, if there is a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or if there is a threat to the physical safety of my child or others."

Policy

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. In accordance with the law, it is the policy of the San Francisco Unified School District to provide equal access and employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. (http://www.sfusd.edu)

Who Is Protected?

The law covers qualified applicants, employees, students, parents and members of the public with disabilities.

A person with a disability may be an individual who:

has a physical or mental impairment that limits a major life activity;
has a record of such an impairment which is known to the employer;
is regarded by the employer as having, or having had such an impairment;
is regarded by the employer as having, or having had, a disorder or condition that has no present disabled effect, but that may become a disability;
Impairments that require special education or related services are also disabilities.

ADA/504 American with Disabilities Act

Identifies that student has a disability that is eligible for accommodations
504 Plan: focuses on equal access to spaces
If a program would like access to the 504 plan, the program would need to reach out to parents and obtain their consent via the Release of Information form that can be given to the 504 coordinator (e.g. social worker, nurse, administrator) who can give you a copy of the 504
The accommodations in a 504 plan can be used as a resource in how to have equitable access to spaces such as an after school program.

If you have any questions, please contact The Richmond Neighborhood Center at (415) 751-6600.

Safe and Supportive Environments - Progressive Response to Challenging Behavior:

The Richmond Neighborhood Center after school programs nurture the whole child, build community, and create a positive learning environment that aligns with the school day. Positive behavior supports and a restorative framework that helps us to create respectful, supportive systems and policies.

Our Goals:

1.) Creating Consistent and Predictable Environment:

Staff use community building practices to intentionally build relationships with students.
Community building language is used by staff.
Staff develop and utilize a progressive response to challenging behavior.
Proactive behavior policies and procedures are design

2.) Creating Safe and Supportive Climate:

After school expectations are taught, modeled, and reinforced on a regular basis.
Staff consistently utilize positive strategies to get students’ attention and manage group behavior.
Activities and transitions have clear structures that are regularly communicated to students.
Students have regular opportunities to develop strong relationships with peers and adults, and to work collaboratively with others

3.) Restorative Practices

Conflicts are handled by working through a Restorative Process, where each person gets to have their voice heard, while listening to everyone else’s. These conferences are typically held in a circle, where everyone can see and be seen by everyone.
Root causes of recurring conflicts are often uncovered. When a student is given the chance to understand the deeper impact of their actions, resolution of long-standing problems, and an overall reduction in conflicts can be reached.
Students are guided through this process by a staff and have even been observed supporting one another through challenges and working through minor conflicts on their own, which is the ultimate goal!
Both Community Building and Restorative Processes are key components in Restorative Practices, as is the Social Discipline Window, a lens that we use in our work with the students. The idea is to hold clear and high expectations for students, and to work WITH them, rather than doing things FOR or TO them, with the result being that they feel empowered with the skills to solve problems on their own

The Richmond Neighborhood Center Elementary Afterschool Program believes that children learn positive behavior through reinforcement and redirection. The most effective way to help a child learn positive behavior is to reward those behaviors so that the child will want to repeat them. We will teach alternative strategies or implement a behavior plan when inappropriate behaviors are exhibited. We encourage verbalization of needs and feelings when it is developmentally appropriate.

We encourage children to develop self control to solve minor conflicts in a peaceful way. However, at times children behave inappropriately. Some behaviors may cause injury to themselves or others. We feel in order to preserve the safety of the children, these behaviors must be controlled. We will implement the guidance and direction necessary for healthy growth and development. Parents will be notified if negative behavior becomes a concern.

When positive discipline measures do not result in children meeting acceptable standards of behavior, corrective action may be initiated by program staff as a tool to improve behavior. Corrective Action is an instrument to change unacceptable behavior and offer direction.

Progressive discipline refers to the concept of increased severity in discipline if a child repeatedly violates rules or fails to meet behavior expectations.

In adherence to the principles of progressive discipline, violations of the code of conduct or behavior standards are categorized into three categories and each carries its own series of consequences. The categories of violations are as follows:

Minor Violations
Moderate Violations
Severe Violations

Our approach to behavior is the Excel PROMPT Method (found in the minor violations section). We understand that every case is different, and consequences may vary depending on circumstances and child. Should a student receive parent discussion and an incident report in the span of a month, a parent meeting will be requested. In this parent meeting, the parents and staff outline a behavioral plan and expectations. Should a student violate these behavior plans and expectations or receive any serious incident report, that warrants a family meeting to assess if the student can continue in the program.

Minor Violations

If the child exhibits disrespectful behavior towards staff, disrespectful behavior towards other students, repeatedly not following directions, repeatedly not following program/game rules, excessive horseplay.

Moderate Violations

If the child exhibits a continuation of minor violations after being spoken to about the behaviors. The child disregards being reminded about behavior.

Severe Violations

If the child exhibits any physical behaviors such as: pushing, tripping, hitting, kicking, spitting, threatening comments or gestures, uncontrollable behavior, aggressive behavior towards other children or staff, repeated use of inappropriate language, repeated teasing or embarrassing others, willful destruction of Richmond Neighborhood School Property, fighting, leaving assigned area without permission, biting others, aggressive behavior that causes serious harm to another child, harassment, intimidation, bullying.

Under California Law: “harassment, intimidation, bullying” means any gesture, any written verbal or physical act or any electronic communications, whether it is a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated by either any actual or perceived characteristic such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical, or sensory disability. If the act takes place on school grounds, at any school sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other pupils; or a reasonable person should know under the circumstances will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a pupil or damaging has the effect of insulting or demeaning any pupil or group of pupils; or creates a hostile educational environment for the pupil by interfering with a pupil's education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the pupil.

Administration of Discipline:

Progressive discipline for the aforementioned violations will be administered with regard to the following disciplinary track:

Minor Violation

Staff member uses PROMPT to redirect children. If PROMPT is ineffective, staff calls a manager as needed.

Moderate Violation

A restorative circle is used with the child. A verbal discussion with parents and potential incident report based on the discretion of the Program Manager.

Severe Violation

An incident report is filed. The Program Manager establishes a parent meeting to discuss the child's behavior and develop a plan to support correction of negative behavior. The Program Manager and parent/guardian will agree on a corrective action behavior plan for the student.

All corrective action is documented in writing, including a description of the violation, date, and time, and it is signed by the child's parent/guardian and a program staff member. A parent's refusal to sign the documentation will be noted in the report.

Terms of Suspension

The Program Manager will consider the severity of the violation to decide whether to host the student on-site for In School Suspension or remove the student from the program for an Out of School Suspension.

The length of suspension, as well as the start day and time, is contingent upon the severity and nature of the violation and is determined at the discretion of the Program Manager at the time of the incident.

Positive Guidance and Discipline for After-School Programs

When is behavior part of normal child development and when is it a problem?

How do after-school staff redirect the child who is misbehaving?

What can after-school staff do to make a positive and engaging environment for children?

Both child and adult behaviors figure into the equation of a positive after-school program. Positive Guidance and Discipline for After-School Programs will look at behaviors and feelings, developmental domains, reasons for misbehaving, setting up a constructive environment, and using positive guidance and discipline techniques.

Through activities, polling, and discussion, the training will address the after-school physical environment, relations between children and staff, connecting with family and teachers, and staff acceptance.

“Lights On Afterschool” (October) – A national event celebrated by afterschool programs across the USA. The Richmond Neighborhood Center After School will host a local event.
Sporting Events – Families are invited to join the staff and youth in playing various sports throughout the year. Students collaborate to plan, train, and organize these events. Sporting events are often followed by a potluck.
Halloween Carnival (October) – An exciting event organized by the After School staff, featuring different game stations and art-based activities for youth and families.
Winter Art Showcase (December) – Students and staff organize performances and/or art displays for parents and family members to enjoy.
Spring Art Showcase (May) – Students and staff organize performances and/or art displays to celebrate the end of the school year and engage with the community.

Late Pick-Up Policy: Children must be picked up by the official closing time of 6:00 PM. McCoppin Elementary is 6:30 PM.

After the 3rd late pick-up:

Families will meet with the Program Manager to develop a plan of action to support families in meeting the pick-up requirements.

On-Site Policy

Students must NEVER leave the building or grounds during program hours. This includes personal trips to the store and home during the interim before the program starts or during program hours. Leaving the program or school site without permission may result in termination or suspension from the program.

Electronics Usage

Students are not permitted to use any cell phones while they are present during program hours. If a child is using a cell phone, it will be confiscated and placed in a secured area by the Program Manager. Parents may retrieve the cell phone upon picking up their child from the program. If there is an emergency, students should notify the Program Manager or any Program Staff.

We do not allow any electronics to be brought into the After School Program. This includes tablets, personal laptops, and game consoles of any kind. We follow the same SFUSD policies regarding these devices. In addition, we do not allow any toys or Pokemon cards.

Elementary Parent Handbook

Elementary Parent Handbook

Elementary After School Programs Overview

II. Enrollment Process

How to Enroll in The Richmond Neighborhood Center After School Program