Weather, Health and Safety

Weather and Emergency Closure

All YMCA Youth Development Programs will follow the 4J /Bethel /Cottage Grove School District Inclement Weather Policy. 

• If schools are closed, all YMCA Youth Development Programs are closed. 
• If schools open on a 2-hour delay, our Rainbows and Friends programs will open at 10 am.  All our school age programs will be open for after school care only - not before school care.
• In a weather emergency we will use Remini to contact families/guardians to let you know to come and pick up your youth immediately.
• Senior Director of Youth Programs and Youth Development Director will reach out to respective school districts for closure direction AND similar programs (City of Eugene, Willamalane, River Road Park and Rec. etc). 

• ​​When school isn’t in session, the Senior Director of Youth Programs and Youth Development Director will look to similar programs (City of Eugene, Willamalane, River Road Park and Rec. etc) and make the decision to either delay or close. 

Communication during Weather and Emergency Closures:

• Listen for an announcement regarding your school and YMCA programs. If in doubt in the afternoon, call us at 541-686-9622.
• Updates will be on social media, local news stations and Remini. 
• LISTEN to KUGN AM 590 or KRVM FM 91.9 for an announcement regarding 4J schools and YMCA programs. 
• Families within our 4J School district programs Text FOLLOW 4JWEATHER to 40404, and you'll receive 4J school closure twitter alerts on your phone.Families within our Bethel School district programs can register for their Flash Alert system or follow @Bethel_Schools on Twitter for updates.
• Families within our South Lane district programs can register for their Flash Alert system or follow @SouthLane_SD on Twitter for updates.

No deductions or credits will be made for snow days or other emergencies resulting in YMCA program closings. 

Air Quality 

Policy Updated: 8/16/23 at 3:00pm

CHILD CARE / CAMP / YOUTH SPORTS 

Airnow.gov is the tool we use to monitor air quality 
When AQI is 100 or lower – programs run as scheduled. 
When AQI is 101-150 –child care/camps will bring youth indoors or send programs to healthier AQI  
When AQI is 101-150 – youth sports families make the decision to bring their youth to outdoor practice/clinic/game. 
When AQI is 151 or higher – programs will not be participating in activities outside 
When AQI is 201 or higher:
Programs will ensure that all programs can occur inside safely. If not, all programs will be canceled, and programs will follow the Closing Program Procedures. 
 

Notification for Participants 

• If air quality is a concern, we will send families a Remini message by 6:30 am to inform them if camps will run as planned or not.  
• If we need to adjust the camp schedules due to heat or other factors, we will send another Remini message by 9:30 am with the new schedule.  
• If anything changes during the day, we will notify families as soon as possible via Remini with the relevant information.  

Programs operating during the school year or at a school facility will follow the school district guidelines. No deductions or credits will be made for weather events resulting in YMCA program closings.

Extreme Heat 

Follow the school disctrict's policies and procedures for Outdoor activities and air quality, based on the location the program is taking place.  Temperatures exceeding 94 degrees will be considered excessive heat ranges. 

On days forecasted for afternoon temperatures to exceed 94 degrees, move outside activity early in the morning and allow frequent breaks if outside activity is necessary during excessive heat ranges.  

• Ensure youth and staff have:  
• Access to water  
• Access to shade  
• Adequate rest time between physical activities  
• Monitor for dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke  

Oregon Health Authority : Extreme Heat : Get Prepared : State of Oregon 

There may be times when, due to extreme heat, we may have to close camps or other programs. No deductions or credits will be made for weather emergencies resulting in YMCA program closings. 

For the safety of our members and staff, we may choose to close our facility at 2055 Patterson Street in the event in inclement weather.

Notification of a facility closure will be announced on our Website, Facebook Page and Mobile App.

• When the Eugene 4J, Bethel and/or Springfield school districts cancel classes and/or after school activities due to weather, all YMCA Youth Sports practices are cancelled for that day for the respective district and its facilities.
• Each school district's school closure and activity cancellation status may be found on their respective websites: Eugene / Springfield / Bethel / Creswell
• If weather forces a cancellation of weekend games, notice can be found at www.eugeneymca.org or through local media outlet.

Illness Policy

If your youth does not attend school (for sickness or other reasons) they may NOT attend YMCA programs. There are certain guidelines our center will follow to maintain our license with the State of Oregon and to try to prevent the spread of illness. We cannot admit or retain a youth who has one or more of the following symptoms: 

• Fever of 101+ degrees F 
• Diarrhea (more than one abnormally loose, runny, watery or bloody stool per day) 
• Vomiting 
• Nausea 
• Severe cough 
• Unusual yellow color to skin or eyes 
• Draining eyes (pink eye, cold, sinus infection) 
• Skin or eye lesions or rashes that are severe, weeping or pus-filled 
• Stiff neck and headache with one or more of the symptoms listed above 
• Difficult breathing or abnormal wheezing 
• Complaints of severe pain 
• If a youth is notably tired and/or irritable and needing one-on-one care 

If these symptoms arise, a family member will be contacted to pick-up the youth. Your youth may be sent home if any of the above symptoms appear during the day. You will be contacted to pick up your youth as soon as possible, no more than 60 minutes. 

If your youth has had any of the above symptoms they cannot return to the center until they have been "symptom free" for at least 24 hours without the help of medications (48 hours for vomiting and diarrhea).   

If a youth has mild symptoms, which do not impair their functioning, they can remain in the center and the family will be notified when they pick up their youth at the end of the day.    

If youth have been exposed to a communicable disease within our programs, families of enrolled and incoming youth shall be notified. Youth diagnosed as having a communicable disease shall be excluded from the classroom. The exclusion time shall follow the Lane County Health Departments exclusion rules. 

In the event youth are excluded from program monthly tuition will not be prorated.

In order to ensure our programs are safe for all youth, we require a Child Profile to be completed at registration. We may require additional documentation for some youth. Please take a look below if you may need to submit additional documents:

Medication Forms:

• Medication form - we require a copy for any youth that will be administered medication during program.
• Please print a copy and bring it to program with your youth's medication in the original container and marked with their name. 
• Blank copies will also be available at your child care site.
• You do not need to email or fax medication forms to us. We will keep it on-site for our records.

IEP/504:

If your youth has an IEP or 504 in school and it is related the HEALTH or BEHAVIOR, please request a copy from their school and send it to the contacts below.

The following documents, if applicable, are required and must be submitted before your youth attends:

• Custody documentation - If you have documentation related to individuals who are NOT allowed to pickup your youth from child care, restraining orders, or no contact, please send them to the contact provided below. If you have an individual who is to have NO CONTACT with your youth, please provide us with their name and a photograph, if possible.
• Allergy/Anaphylaxis/Medical Emergency Care Plans: If your youth is at risk for extreme allergy, anaphylaxis, or medical emergenices, please provide us with their care plan to the contacts provided below. 
• Type 1 care plans - If your youth has type 1 diabetes, care plans will need to be addressed to the Eugene Family YMCA accordin to the program your youth is enrolled in. For example, "EUGENE FAMILY YMCA SUMMER CAMP" or "EUGENE FAMILY YMCA BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL CARE". These documents need to be resubmitted to us every time your youth is enrolled in a new program (at the beginning of each summer and fall season). Please provide us with their care plan to the contacts provided below. 
• Failure to submit required health documentation may result in your youth not being able to participate in program.

Please send the above documents to:

youth@eugeneymca.org

or

Confidential Fax: 541-343-3756

The Eugene Family YMCA displays both county and program-specific immunization rates in accordance with ORS 433.269 and OAR 333-050-0110. They are as follows: