Many of our programs are located in the same building where the students attend their classes (typically in the gymnasium or cafeteria). There are some exceptions where students may be bused or walked to another school within the district. Please visit our Registration page to research your specific school district’s program options and availability.

Our programs operate every day that school is open, except on days when there are emergency closing or an emergency early dismissal. In some districts, our morning programs may be closed if there is an emergency delayed opening. Hours of operation vary depending on your school district. The following are general time frames for each program type:

• Before School Program: Starts as early as 7:00am and runs until the start of the school day;
• After School Program: Starts at the time of dismissal and runs until 6:00pm or 6:30pm, depending on your school district. On scheduled half-days, our program will begin at the half-day dismissal time and run until the normal closing time;
• Kindergarten Wrap-Around:
  • AM Session: Starts at 8:30am and runs until 11:10am;
  • PM Session: Starts at 12:00pm and runs until  2:00pm for students who are being bused back to their schools for the after school program, or until 3:00pm for students who will stay at the K-Wrap program for parent pick up.
• Summer camps may start as early as 7:00am and end as late as 6:00pm.

WFC after school programs will provide an afternoon snack, but students are free to bring snacks and/or drinks from home if they’d like. During Full Day Programs, students must bring a lunch, two snacks and drinks unless specified otherwise.

WFC has a Homework Club that meets each afternoon in our After School programs. Parents can decide with their student if they want them to have mandatory attendance or optional attendance in this club. The Homework Club agreement form can be found in the Parent Portal, under Parent Resources.

Yes, all of our programs are licensed through the State of New Jersey.

Although state licensing ratios are 1:15, The Work-Family Connection tries to keep a staff/child ratio in the 1:10-1:15 range, dependent on the children’s age. Staff/Child ratios are lower for field trips and water activities.

Our staff works hard to create activities and opportunities for students that are creative, unique, educationally enriching and fun! Students are encouraged to assist in the planning. The Work-Family Connection teaching staff believes that the programs should serve as the children’s “home away from home” and are places where a great deal of growth and development takes place. Within structure and limits, there needs to be much freedom and many choices. We believe that the environment should be challenging (both mentally and physically), foster independence, and allow children to grow and develop at their own pace. Our programs are the children‘s programs. Therefore, our activity schedules are not cast in concrete. They are flexible and may change as the group’s needs change, or may be altered to accommodate special events, speakers, and room changes. Sample activity schedules can be found on the Program Finder pages, after selecting your school district and program.

A typical daily schedule for summer camp includes (but is not limited to) a variety of exciting weekly theme-based activity centers and enrichment clubs, field trips 2 days per week, swimming 3 days per week, snack and lunch periods, group games/activities and lots of outside time!

The Work-Family Connection prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) of students. A safe and civil environment in our programs is necessary for students to learn and to achieve high academic standards, as well as to develop into healthy adults emotionally, mentally, socially, and physically. Harassment, intimidation and bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors are conducts that disrupt both a pupil’s ability to learn and a programs’ ability to supervise its students in a safe and disciplined environment. Since students learn by example, staff must be strong role models for students, and therefore are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying. WFC is committed to creating an environment that is safe and free of HIB behaviors. Our staff undergoes specific training annually in order to understand, identify and change unacceptable behaviors in students. WFC requires that all students and their parents/guardians sign the WFC Anti-Bullying Pledge (this can be found in the Parent Portal under Parent Resources). WFC will cooperate and work with your school’s HIB policies and procedures. Discipline is a learning process for children. It is the goal of the Programs to provide a supportive environment in which children can grow and develop. Age appropriate positive child guidance methods are used in our programs/camps.

Prior to employment, all staff members must undergo the following:

• Fingerprint background checks;
• Child abuse checks;
• Physical exams;
• TB testing;
• Reference/prior employment checks;
• I-9 employment verification;
• Disclosure and Conviction statements.

Staff orientation training and continual in-service trainings are completed annually. Formal staff evaluations are also conducted annually. Our administration dedicates an average of 600 hours each year to evaluation and training of our staff.All program staff are trained/evaluated on State (NJSACC) quality standards

We have well-trained, experienced staff members. Most of the staff at The Work-Family Connection are First Aid/CPR certified and are either certified teachers, hold master degrees or are college graduates with degrees in education or a related field. Some individuals are in the process of completing their degrees or certifications in education. We are proud to say that we have employees with over 20 years of service with The Work-Family Connection!

WFC Staff are required to fulfill 10 hours (for teachers) & 20 hours (for directors and above) of Mandatory Training & HIB Training every school year.

For all emergency school closings where the WFC programs are not operating, no staff will be at the programs to receive the children. Parents must make all necessary arrangements at the beginning of the school year to prepare for these days, if they should occur. WFC will not call to notify parents of the emergency school closure, as they will already be notified by their school district. It is the parents’ responsibility to notify the school with their plans for their students in case of emergency school closings.

Emergency Closings

• On days when school is closed for the entire day because of inclement weather or other emergencies, there will be no Programs.
• Emergency closings will be communicated to parents via your school district’s procedures.
• There will be no Program on days when school is canceled due to weather, water main breaks, heating failure, electrical problems, or other emergency conditions.

Emergency School Delays

• The Before School Program will open on the same delay schedule as the school in most districts. In some districts, there will be no Before School Program. Please contact us for your specific district’s WFC emergency delay policy.

Emergency Early Dismissal Days

• If school opens in the morning, then closes early due to an emergency, the Program will not operate.
• It is your responsibility to notify the school with your plans for your student(s) in case of early emergency school closures.
• WFC will notify you via our emergency alert system as soon as we become aware.

When the School Cancels After School Activities

• If the school cancels all after school activities, WFC will stay open.
• However, in some cases the district may specify that WFC may not operate.
• In other cases, parents may be contacted through the Alert System, requesting that they pick up their child(ren) as soon as possible.
• This is for safety reasons, as many of our staff travel from a distance to the programs each day.
• The staff and child(ren)’s safety is our #1 priority.

WFC Full Day Program Emergency Closing Policy

• If there is inclement weather (the night before or early in the morning) during a day when WFC is operating a full day program, and it is determined that the program will be closed, the closure will be announced through our Emergency Alert System.
• If the full day program is in session and the weather worsens as the day progresses, WFC will notify parents via the Emergency Alert System and ask that the child(ren) are picked up as soon as possible.

During the school year, the school calendar may include days when schools are scheduled to be closed for holidays/vacations or teacher training. Full-Day Programs may operate on these days, depending upon Board of Education approval. These programs may be combined in one centrally located school. Usual hours are 7am – 6:00pm or 6:30pm. These days are NOT included in your monthly tuition. Full Day Program tuition will include any field trip or activity fees (to be determined for each day). Full Day Program dates will be available for registration as they are confirmed.

Most programs will still be available on these days, starting at the early dismissal time until the normal program closing time.

We serve nutritious snacks daily with a choice of a protein, grain, and fruit or vegetable. Children may bring their own snack. Snacks cannot be shared. Children with food allergies will be able to eat at a designated table as appropriate, depending on the school’s policy.