Kidscorner + Dragons Den

Before & Afterschool Enrichment Childcare Program
for Kindergarten - 3rd grade PJA and PPS students
at Portland Jewish Academy
 

Our Mission

To create, build and maintain programs dedicated to the care, education, and positive development of school-age children during their out of school time. We emphasize life skills through community service and enrichment-based programming.

PJA Afterschool programs are committed to offering the highest quality care for our families. We strive to provide unique experiences that will strengthen each participating child’s cognitive, social, emotional, physical and creative development and we understand that, as caregivers, we must give children’s needs first priority. We respect the family as the primary and most important care provider and believe that parents, school, and afterschool are all partners in each child’s care, education and success. 
 

PJA Afterschool offers

• Unique Monthly Themes
• Homework Incentives
• Fun, Educational Field Trips
• Community Building
• Full Day Vacation Care
• Dedicated Staff
• Low Staff to Student Ratios
• Fun Enrichment Activities
• Opportunities for resting, relaxing and reading
• Well-equipped indoor activity areas for exploring: arts & crafts; drawing; science discovery; dramatic & imaginative play; board games; sewing, knitting & crocheting; building & construction
• Large outdoor play areas for gross-motor development
   

Our Programs

PJA Afterschool programs are enrichment-driven and choice-based. We provide students with a healthy balance of teacher-directed, hands-on activities and child-initiated, creative free play. In our teaching we utilize strategies that support the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations and backgrounds of the children in our care. Our fun enrichment projects expand on student learning and impart knowledge and skills that can be applied in the world at large. We encourage children to become active, self-confident and enthusiastic learners by focusing on the process of discovery.

Unique themes are introduced on a weekly or monthly basis and focus on ideas that may not be typically explored in the classroom, such as “Grossology: Fun with science!”, “Artstravaganza: Exploring the Arts!”, and “Culinary Adventures!”

Service Learning is a key component of our monthly programming and is integrated into our monthly themes. Our service learning projects encourage children to take part in their community, to learn about caring for one another, and to connect to the greater needs of humanity. Whether we are supporting our school communities by donating to the school auction, raising money for a special cause by selling child-made crafts, or making badges of honor & thank-you cards for teachers and school staff, our students are learning to give of themselves - a skill we hope they will continue to use once they leave our program.

Life Skills refers to the skills that we need to make good decisions so that we are managing and living our best life. We know the value of teaching these skills to children and we take care to ensure that our enrichment programming provides ample opportunity for students to learn and practice concrete skills like how to tie shoelaces, make healthy food choices, manage money, plan, organize and set goals. We also focus on the soft skills of developing empathy, leadership, conflict resolution, stress management, etiquette and good communication. Our goal in focusing on life skills, is to prepare students for the everyday situations of life as well as for more abstract, long-term choices.

 

Our Staff

We believe the strength of our programs lies in the dedication of our caring teaching teams. We support our afterschool educators with continued professional development opportunities, resources, and the freedom to use their passions and skill sets to create unique learning experiences for the children in our programs. All PJA Afterschool teachers are registered with the State of Oregon as required by law and all go through background checks. Every afterschool teacher is also equipped with multiple health and safety certifications including CPR/First Aid, Food Handling, and Recognizing/Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect.
 

Family Involvement

We aim to create a partnership between families and our afterschool educators for the benefit of every child in our program, and we promote and encourage daily communication. Our doors are open to families at all times and we welcome families to drop in and observe, have snack, or just hang out with their child(ren).
 

Healthy & Nutritious Snacks

We are committed to serving food that is both appealing to children and supportive of their growth and development. We follow strict nutritional guidelines for school-age children established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA), the National Association for the Education of Young Children, (NAEYC), and the National Afterschool Association, (NAA). Snacks include 100% juice (never diluted) or milk, fruit or vegetables, a dairy option: generally cheese, milk or yogurt, and a grains portion of crackers, pasta or other breads. All snacks served are Kosher. Water is ALWAYS available.
 

Hours of Operation

September through June, Monday - Friday
K-3 Afterschool Program – 2:15 - 6:00 pm
A Before School Care option is not currently available.
 

Schools Served by Kidscorner

Kidscorner currently has children attending from the following schools:
East Sylvan, Maplewood, Rieke, and Portland Jewish Academy.

Kidscorner provides Transportation from the following schools for our Afterschool Care:
East Sylvan, Maplewood, and Rieke.

Children from other schools are always welcome to attend the Kidscorner program provided space availability and individual transportation to our program.

Enroll Your Child in PJA Afterschool

Covid-19 Update: Due to school and office closures, we are not able to accept faxed or postal mailed application paperwork at this time. Please EMAIL completed enrollment paperwork. Thank you for your understanding.

Enrollment at PJA Afterschool programs remains open throughout the school year providing there is space available.
There are 2 ways to get your child’s enrollment process started:

1. Download our enrollment paperwork from our Afterschool Forms and Handouts drop down menu below, then complete and return via fax, email or postal mail.
    
2. Visit your program’s site for hard copies of enrollment paperwork and then mail or fax your completed paperwork to our main office. Space availability depends upon our daily attendance numbers. Please contact the Department Director for a program’s current availability.
   
   Upon enrolling your child in our programs we ask that you carefully read our Program Handbook for all enrollment information as well as our standard program policies and procedures. We also ask that families review our Program Calendar upon enrolling. The calendar indicates when our program will be closed and/or offering care on Non-School Days.
   
   Please note:

• Signatures are required to complete forms
• Completed enrollment means agreeing to our program policies and parent/guardian expectations.
• Sibling Discounts:
  • PPS families receive a 10% Sibling Discount is awarded for 3 days a week or greater enrollment of at least 1 child.
  • PJA families receive A 50% Sibling Discount is awarded for 3 days a week or greater enrollment of at least 1 child.

Click here for the Kidscorner Fee Schedule 2020-21.

PJA Afterschool offers need-based tuition assistance and accepts DHS child care subsidy payments. Families with financial need are encouraged to apply.

2020-21 Tuition Assistance Application

IRS 4506 Form

To apply, or for more information, please contact Beth Germain, PJA’s CFO, at 503.535.3593 or bgermain@pjaproud.org.

PJA Afterschool Department Director Natalie Haskins

Phone: 503.535.3546, Fax: 503.452.7001

Kidscorner Site Director, Heather MacLaughlan
Phone: 503.452.3431, email Heather

Program Hours: 2:15 - 6:00 pm
Follow Us on Facebook for announcements, updates and program insights!

Click here to fill out our inquiry form.

Physical & Mailing Address:
Kidscorner Afterschool Program
c/o Portland Jewish Academy
6651 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219

Mail Tuition Payments to:
Portland Jewish Academy
Attn: Billing Department, RE: Kidscorner Tuition
6651 SW Capitol Hwy.,
Portland, OR 97219

All forms are available in PDF for your convenience. Paper copies can also be made available upon request.

Kidscorner/Dragon's Den Homework Contract

Kidscorner Medication Form

Frequently Asked Questions

2020-21 Parent Handbook

2020-21 Automatic Payment Form

Go Green E-Statement Enrollment Form 

Kidscorner 2020-21 Enrollment Form 

Kidscorner 2020-21 Program Calendar

2020-21 VDP Emergency Card (Non-members only)

Vacation Care Programs

PJA Afterschool offers vacation day care on days when school is closed for in-services, conferences, seasonal breaks and even some of the federal holidays. During vacation care days we offer fun and educational field trips as well as a variety of in-house activities that may include special guests, presentations, theme related movies, special snacks and more!

Vacation Care Programs are offered by term (Fall, Winter and Spring) and held either on site or at Kidscorner, our Southwest Portland site. Families must complete and return the current term’s Participation Authorization form in order to participate.

Please refer to the 2020-21 Kidscorner Calendar for specific Vacation Care Programs.
 

Vacation Care Hours

Full-Day Care Programs 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, unless otherwise noted
Half-Day Care Programs 12:15 - 6:00 pm (for PJA students only and only on specifically marked days). Early closures may occur and will be listed on the form.
 

Vacation Care Fees

For information on vacation care rates and more, please visit our Fee Schedule page and review the current vacation care term’s participation authorization form.

 

Terms of Participation

• Vacation Care Participation Authorization Forms must be accompanied by any/all necessary fees in full.
• Vacation Care Participation Authorization Forms must be received by the listed deadline date.
• Participation Authorization Forms received after the listed deadline will be accepted only if there is space available.
• Vacation Care Tuition Members are subject to loss of spot without refund if Vacation Care Forms are not submitted by the registration deadline.
• Cancellation must be made in writing to the Department Director (email is acceptable).
• Cancellations made prior to the listed deadline, 90% of paid fees will be refunded. No refunds are applicable to Vacation Care Tuition participants. Cancellations made after the listed deadline, 50% of paid fees will be refunded. No refunds are applicable to Vacation Care Tuition participants.
• PJA Afterschool Department reserves the right to dismiss a child whose behavior is deemed inappropriate, in which case, no refunds will be given.
• Vacation Day Programs offered in June are not included in any Tuition package and do require separate registration as well as payment upon registration.
• If PPS closes due to inclement weather, PJA Afterschool will be cancelled as we are required to follow the PPS Inclement Weather Policy. Stay up to date on the PPS Inclement Weather closures by reviewing their website at https://www.pps.net
   

Vacation Program Emergency Card

The Vacation Program Emergency card is for non-program members only and is required for Vacation Care participation.

You can contact your Program Site Director or the Director of PJA-Afterschool Department for further details.

2020-21 VDP Emergency Card

Registration
 

PJA Spring Vacation Day Programs Registration Form

PPS Spring Vacation Day Programs Registration Form

Once we receive and process your form, we will email you a participation confirmation.

Participation Authorization Forms:

The PJA Afterschool Department must receive a completed and signed form before any child is eligible to participate in any Vacation Day Program. This form acts as your legal permission slip for your child to be in our program's care for the extended hours as well as participate in all planned activities and field trips. Incomplete and/or unsigned forms will be returned unprocessed. Enrollment is not guaranteed.

Please send participation forms to:
Postal Mail ATTN: PJA-Afterschool, 6651 SW Capitol; Hwy, Portland, OR 97219
Fax ATTN: PJA-Afterschool at 503.452.7001
Email to Afterschool@pjaproud.org
Hand Deliver to PJA Office to put in the Afterschool Inbox

**Forms are considered incomplete without your signature. Please do not return incomplete forms as they will be returned to you unprocessed which may result in losing your space in the program.

Our Dragon’s Den program is designed to meet the needs of our older students, 4th grade and up. We have a capacity for 22 students each day. Our actual day to day numbers may vary. Our ratio requirement is 1:15 by state law.

Our professional, creative, and educated staff serve as positive role-models and work to provide care that is supportive, nurturing, and responsive to each participating youth.
 

School's Served by Dragon's Den

Dragon’s Den serves students from both PPS & PJA.

We provide Transportation services using a rented school bus from a local school bus company. PPS Schools that we currently provide daily transportation from include the following: Rieke and East Sylvan Elementary. We are not able to bus from other schools at this time.

Maplewood students are transported to our program on a PPS yellow school bus.

Robert Gray students can also attend the program taking the PPS bus route 131 which drops off at the top of our campus parking lot.

PJA students come directly from their classrooms at the end of their school day.

Youth from other schools are always welcome to attend the Dragon’s Den program providing there is space available and they are able to acquire transportation to our program.