We are now well into the swing of the new school year and only five weeks away from our first major vacation – Thanksgiving Break.

As many of our families will be aware, we have made some changes as to how vacations will work this year, and I want to use this opportunity to explain why we have made the changes and what action our families need to take.

Why the change?

The popularity and need for the Club has grown immeasurably over the past three years and spaces for the afterschool and vacations are in high demand. During the vacations we only have use of our main site and therefore places are limited. However, we found that last year, despite having a sign up list for the vacations, many families would sign up but not attend. Without prior warning this prevented us from giving that much needed place to another child. We also found that with a ‘first to sign up’ approach, members who attend the Club regularly were losing out to occasional attendees, and that was causing a predicament for families who rely on the Club.

The change:

So we decided that Whole Year Members (those who attend for both summer and afterschool) will get first priority of the vacation places, and that they will be included in the whole year membership price. If there are any places leftover, those will be made available to Afterschool only Members for the small sum of $5/day, which includes a hot lunch.

What you need to do:

If you are a Whole Year Member (if you are unsure ask yourself, did I pay $700 in membership fees/child, does my child attend in the summer and after-school?) then please let front desk at either main site or Bijou know if you need a place during Thanksgiving Break and specifically which days. You can also call 530 542 0838 after 11am and ask for Amber.

If there are then spaces left, we will open up places to Afterschool Members and you will receive notification via Facebook and Remind. That sign-up process will be first come first served and will need to be done in person at the front desk of both sites. The $5/day payment will also be required at time of sign-up. If you are experiencing financial hardship, a scholarship can be requested, and your place will be held while we determine what scholarship we can award to you.

We appreciate that there will be some confusion for this first break, and we are here to answer any questions that you have. But we hope that you will support us in our goal of ensuring that frequent attendees, and those who come to the Club year round, get priority, and that we can ensure that every possible place is fully utilized.