Weekend wake-up is at 7:30am

Weekend breakfast is at 8:00 am

Residents will use this time to coordinate appointments, arrange for childcare, conduct housing search/job search, and other daily tasks.

 

A snack will be provided for children taking advantage of the after-school tutoring program.

This is specifically meant as "down time" for children and an opportunity for children and parents to re-connect before heading into the evening (the "inside" time of day). Families are encouraged to use this time to do small family activities.

Saturday night curfew is 8:00pm

The idea behind a later curfew on Saturday is to encourage activities away from Raphael House, to help normalize the weekend experience for families. It also allows them a sense of variety from the daily schedule.

In addition to the normal dinner routine, parents and staff monitor children to make sure that they are not wandering around the dining room; children remain at the table until it is time for the entire family to clear their plates. If a family is finished eating early, they remain at their table until 6:25 then parents will escort children upstairs to the Children's Garden or to the Toddler Room for the evening activity. If parents are assigned to Dish Team for that evening, then they return immediately to the kitchen. If parents are assigned to help in the Toddler Room, they remain there. Also, dinner is not a time to conduct business, so staff members refrain from discussing meeting times and program issues with parents and instead encourage positive family interactions.

Evening activities are scheduled one month in advance, with several days' activities fixed in the curriculum throughout. These fixed or regular activities include the following:

• Tuesday - Family Activity
• Wednesday - House Meeting
• Saturday - Movie Night
• Sunday - Family Activity

Saturday night there is no storytime due to the movie.
Sunday night storytime is in resident's room.

Saturday night children's bedtime is at 8:00pm, or after movie.

Teen program is currently scheduled for Monday through Wednesday., and Friday evenings for resident teens.

This is a time when parents complete their chores if they have been unable to leave their children earlier, complete or expand upon activities that evening, and/or socialize with one another in the kitchenette.

Variations specific to weekend schedule:

The idea behind the weekend schedule is to approximate the more loosely formed structure that families will most likely encounter once they leave Raphael House, thus giving them a chance to practice how they will provide this structure for themselves. Weekend outings help parents extend their vision of possible activities for their children. Sunday evening activity ( directed by staff or volunteer, but primarily parent supervised) gives families an opportunity to experience group activities and integrate them as part of their family repertoire.

Parents have an opportunity to take turns supervising each other's children in the Children's Garden, providing there is adequate supervision (one adult to every three children) and parents who want their children to participate also sign up for supervision time. This cooperative approach helps residents form a community strategy for addressing issues such as childcare and also allows parents to schedule some morning "free time" while another parent is supervising. (Parents are still required to be in the shelter if their children are here.)

Depending on adequate staffing, this is an optional activity and is supervised by a staff person, a parent, and possibly a volunteer as well. The idea is to have a supervised activity at the time in the afternoon that is often difficult for parents (their low energy, their children's high energy.) This gives parents and children a "break" from one another, and hopefully allows them to spend the rest of the night as an engaged family.

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

During this time a family has an opportunity to enjoy a variety of music-based activities often led by musicians from the creative arts community, or by staff.