3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Bus arrival and snack
Dining room
After-school care in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The bus brings them in. You meet them at the door.
Thermos is a licensed after-school program for children in kindergarten through grade 5. We pick up from four elementary schools, keep the afternoon going until 7:00 p.m. and open early on school closings.
- Ages 5 to 11
- Bus from four schools
- Open until 7:00 p.m.
- Full days when school is closed
School closings
When school is closed, we are open
Teacher in-service days, holidays and breaks run as full days, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Your school's calendar sets the dates; this is how the year usually goes.
This school year
- Event
In-service days
A few days between September and June
Full-day care, 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Event
Election Day
Early November
Full-day care
- Event
Thanksgiving break
Late November
Full days Wednesday and Friday; closed on Thanksgiving Day
- Event
Winter break
Late December to early January
Full days; closed on the holidays
- Event
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Mid January
Full-day care
- Event
Spring break
Late March or April
Full days, all week
Sample dates.
The afternoon
From the bus door to pickup
Every school day follows the same order, so a child always knows what comes next. Pickup is open from the end of homework hour until 7:00 p.m.
School year
Monday
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Homework hour
Homework room
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Gym game
Gym
5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Supper plate
Dining room
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Quiet reading and pickup
Front door
Tuesday
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Bus arrival and snack
Dining room
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Homework hour
Homework room
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Art table
Art room
5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Supper plate
Dining room
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Quiet reading and pickup
Front door
Wednesday
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Bus arrival and snack
Dining room
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Homework hour
Homework room
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Science table
Homework room
5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Supper plate
Dining room
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Quiet reading and pickup
Front door
Thursday
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Bus arrival and snack
Dining room
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Homework hour
Homework room
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Yard time and group games
Yard
5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Supper plate
Dining room
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Quiet reading and pickup
Front door
Friday
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Bus arrival and snack
Dining room
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Homework hour
Homework room
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Friday choice
Gym
5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Supper plate
Dining room
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Quiet reading and pickup
Front door
Sample classes.
On early-dismissal days the bus goes at dismissal and the afternoon starts earlier.
License and routines
The license, the adults and the bus
A licensed school-age program, with a routine for the bus, the front door and medicine.
License
Licensed by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
School-age child care center license · PA License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 15 children
5 to 11 years
Group size: 30
Capacity
80
Ages 5 years to 11 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Medication training
Safety routines
Sign-in and pickup
A staff member signs each child in at the front door. At pickup a child leaves only with an adult on your list, and we ask for photo ID from anyone we haven't met.
The bus and headcounts
Names are checked against the school's list at the school door, at each stop and again at our door. A driver and a monitor ride every trip.
Allergies and medicine
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. Medicine is given only with your written permission, by a staff member trained to give it.
When a child is ill
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill here, we call the first person on your list and a staff member stays close until you arrive.
Drills
We practice fire drills and a bus evacuation with the children, and every staff member knows where the first aid kits are kept.
Outdoors and weather
On dry days the activity hour goes out to the yard. When it is wet, icy or very cold the activity moves indoors to the gym.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Bus pickup
The bus comes to the school door
Our bus serves four elementary schools nearby. You tell us your child's school when you register, and we put the school on the route.
Step 1: The last bell
A Thermos staff member meets the group at the school door and checks each name against that school's list before anyone steps on the bus.
Step 2: The ride
Two adults ride every trip: the driver and a monitor. Children stay seated, and the monitor counts again at each stop.
Step 3: The front door
We walk in together, hang coats and bags at the cubbies and sign every child in on the arrival list.
Step 4: Snack and homework
Hands are washed, snack is set at the long tables, and homework hour begins as soon as everyone has sat down.
The rooms
A gym, a homework room and a long snack table
Thermos has the ground floor of a former school annex on Linden Street. Homework happens at tables by the window, snack and supper at the long tables, and the gym is right off the hallway for the activity hour when the yard is wet.
A homework room with a staff member at every table
A gym for the activity hour on wet days
A yard with space for group games
Questions
Questions parents ask first
If yours is not here, call us and we are glad to answer by phone.
Which children is the program for?
Children in kindergarten through grade 5, ages 5 to 11. Children are grouped by grade.
How does the bus work?
A staff member meets your child's group at the school door and checks names against the school's list. A driver and a monitor ride every trip, and the monitor counts again at each stop. Four elementary schools nearby are on the route; you tell us your child's school when you register.
What happens when school is closed?
We are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on teacher in-service days, holidays the school observes and breaks, with a full day of games, projects, outdoor time, a lunch and a snack.
My shift ends late. What are the hours?
The afternoon runs until 7:00 p.m. on school days. If your shift sometimes runs past that, call us before five and we will talk through what is possible; the terms for late pickup are in your registration packet.
How does tuition work?
Tuition depends on your child's grade group, the days a week your child comes and whether school closings and break weeks come with it. We don't print figures here; what sets them is the grade group, the days a week and whether closings and break weeks come with it.
Save a place for the fall
Fall registration opens in May. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask about the bus, the hours or a school closing.