General FAQs

What are the hours and dates of the program?

The Kids 'N' Us Rec. Program runs Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm

The 2026 Kids N Us Rec Program will be starting on June 22nd (pending the last day of school) and ending on August 21st

Do you offer early drop-off or late pick-up?

No, the program starts promptly at 8 AM and ends at 5 PM. Although staff may be present, we are not able to accept early drop-off’s due to liability reasons.

Morning drop-off is from 8 AM-9 AM. Arrivals after 9 AM must notify us in advance. For those arriving after 10am we are not able to offer lunch as we need time to submit orders to the Snack Shack

Afternoon pick-up is from 4 PM-5 PM. Please notify us in advance if you will be picking up your child before 4 PM.

Authorized pick-up: At afternoon pick-up we will only release your child to those persons listed on the account as primary, secondary, or authorized pick-ups. WE WILL BE ASKING FOR ID AT PICK-UP. Any names entered in previous years may still be present and you should review this information. Instructions are available at the bottom of THIS page.

How does drop-off and pick-up work?

Please visit this page for our pick-up and drop-off process

Do you accept drop-ins?

No, all participants must be pre-registered online. Registrations close on Friday at noon the week prior for each weekly session. Late registrations may use the waitlist option but are not guaranteed a spot. Waitlist registrations will be processed on a first-come/first-serve basis. If you do not hear from us, please assume we were unable to register you or reach out for assistance. If we are able to add you from the waitlist you will recieve an individual, personalized email with details. Most likely we will not be able to accommodate requests with less than 24 hours' notice. To change or update selected waitlist dates click HERE.

Do you offer 1/2 day registrations?

No, the program runs 8 AM-5 PM. We may be able to accommodate late arrivals or early dismissals for appointments, summer school, or other commitments. Please contact us FIRST. On field trip days we are unable to allow late arrivals or early dismissals.

Can non-Mendon residents attend the Kids N Us Program?

Yes, all are welcome to attend as long as they meet our age requirements.

Can I sign up for individual days?

Yes, you can register for any combination of days or weeks you would like. The program is organized into 1 week sessions. Within each week you can select individual days or the whole week.

What do I do if I need to make changes or cancel a registration?

You can make changes to your registrations in UltraCamp up to 2 weeks prior to the start date of each week. Log in to your UltraCamp Account, click on "Reservations" and you'll see a list of the weeks registered. Click on the week you want to change. From here, click the "Edit" button and you can make changes to your selected days. The system will calculate the new total due or refund and you can proceed to the payment screen. See this screenshot for more details

To cancel an entire week, log in to your UltraCamp Account, click on "Reservations" and you'll see a list of the programs registered. Click on the week you want to cancel. Scroll to the bottom and you will see a button that says "Cancel Registration" See this screenshot for details.

As a reminder our refund policy is linked HERE. Changes or cancellations with more than 14 days' notice are allowed. All refunds will be in the form of a user credit in UltraCamp. To request a conversion of a user credit to a check or credit card refund, please contact us by email (kids@mendonma.gov). Changes/cancellations with less than 14 days' notice are not permitted and there will be no refunds. We no longer offer any make-up days. Please review your schedule to ensure you are registered for the correct dates.

How do I check what dates my child is registered for?

You can check what dates you have registered for in your account. Log in to your UltraCamp Account, click on "Reservations" and you'll see a list of the programs registered. Click on each week to see the specific dates (options) selected. See this screenshot for more details.

What age does my child need to be to attend?

The program is open to children ages 5 through 14 as of Aug 31 of the current year (same as the cut-off for MURSD kindergarten enrollment.)

Is the program segregated by age?

Participants will be divided up into 3 groups of up to 30 kids. These groups will be roughly divided by age. Each group will be staffed with 2 counselors and a senior counselor for a max of a 10:1 ratio. Groups will be determined on a weekly basis. We most likely will not be able to accommodate specific requests. Please feel free to reach out with any concerns. Children in the same grade in school will be assigned to the same group whenever possible.

What does the schedule for a typical day look like?

Common activities include swimming at the Mendon Town Beach, sports, outdoor games, and more! We will make use of the whole parks facility including the ball fields, courts, and playground. Some favorite activities are wiffleball, capture the flag, chewbacca wars, musical chairs, basketball, softball, scavenger hunts, various versions of tag (blob tag, freeze tag, rainbow tag, etc), relay races, badminton, kickball, backyard games, gatorball, tennis baseball, etc.

Each group has structured activities each day. The day is broken up into blocks and the groups will move around to different areas of the park facility. There are also regularly scheduled bathroom and water breaks throughout. Each group has their own swim time at the Beach.

An outline of the daily schedule is shown in the table below (specific times are subject to change)

What should my child bring?

SUNSCREEN!!!
Sneakers/closed toed shoes appropriate for outdoor play
Bathing Suit & Towel
If required, a Personal Flotation Device (Must be Coast Guard Approved)
- **We have a very limited number available for those unable to provide one
- A refillable water bottle (we have a water cooler for refills)
Morning Snack
Afternoon Snack & Lunch (if not purchasing)

Please leave all electronic devices including cell phones at home. Participants will not be permitted to use cell phones during the day and any phones/devices will be confiscated to be picked up by parents at the end of the day. The Mendon Parks & Recreation Department and Town of Mendon are NOT responsible for damage that may occur to a portable electronic device brought to the program. During the day we can be reached at the following contacts

Email: kids@mendonma.gov, Rec. Office: (508) 473-1771 , Parks Director: (774) 481-1321

What happens if it rains or storms?

On days where the forecast calls for rain, storms, or other inclement weather all day, we may move the program over to an indoor location. This had previously been the Clough School in Mendon but may be subject to change based on availability of space. Though we try to make the decision in advance, it is possible a final decision will not be communicated to families until the morning of the day in question. If we move to Clough, all drop-off and pick-up will take place at the school. Kids will have use of the gym, cafe, and playground/fields if it's not too wet outside. If your child ordered lunch, it will be delivered to the school. Pick-Up and Drop-Off will operate in a similar format. Detailed information is available HERE.

If it starts raining later in the day or there is a sudden storm, we will take shelter in the classroom building and/or beach house. We have games and movies available for the kids.

What is the child to counselor ratio?

We maintain a 10:1 child to counselor ratio. Groups are up to 30 kids with 3 staff per group. Each group has 2 counselors and 1 senior counselor. Additionally, there are 3 management level staff each day: 2 directors and a recreation manager. At the beach we have 1-2 counselors in the water with the kids.

Are field trips included in the registration cost?

Yes, all field trips are included in the registration fee.

Are field trips mandatory?

Yes, attendance is mandatory on field trip days, no one remains behind at the park. We will depart promptly at the scheduled time and late arrivals will not be permitted. We will not allow drop-offs or pick-ups from field trip locations for the safety of our participants.

How does the swim test work? How do I update my child's swim level

We will perform a brief assessment of your child's swimming abilities at their first swim time. We classify swimmers into 3 categories. The assessment will consist of asking your child to swim unassisted to the middle (Yellow) or ropes (Green), and treading water for 20-30 seconds. You can make changes to your child's swim level any time using this link.

RED - Non-Swimmer, Must wear PFD, Must stay close to shore (water less than 5ft deep)

YELLOW - Swimmer, not required to wear PFD, Must stay close to shore (water less than 5ft deep)

GREEN - Swimmer - not required to wear PFD, May swim to Far Dock

Do you offer any family discounts for multiple children?

We do! A 5% discount is available for those families that register two or more children for the same week. This discount is not applied if the children attend separate weeks. The discount will apply automatically at check out.

What does my child need to bring each day?

Each child should bring sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, a bathing suit and towel, sneakers, a morning snack, and lunch (if not ordering through our meal program). Please do not bring personal electronic devices or valuables.

What are the lunch options? How does snack work?

Lunch is available and is included in the price. Your child will be given the opportunity to order their lunch in the morning in their groups. Please see the last page of our parent guide for the menu for more details. A-la-carte purchases will not be permitted. Morning snack is NOT included; please send your child with a morning snack. Afternoon snack is included for free.

Please do not send your children with money, as they will be unable to make additional purchases from the Snack Shack during program hours.

Please inform staff of any food allergies! We are able to make reasonable accommodations for those will food allergies.

What does my child need to bring on field trips?

All children should bring the items they usually bring on non-field trip days. Children will be responsible for carrying their own bags and bottles. Children should wear their Kids N Us t-shirts. (Shirts will be handed out to those attending the field trips a day or two before and on the day-of for those attending only on Wednesdays.) REMINDER: All children attending all-day field trips will need to bring their own bagged lunch. There will be no option to order lunch for these trips. This will be confirmed the week before the trip date. Please check your receipt in Rec1 for more info.

We will send out a weekly reminder with details for the field trips.

Can my child attend Swim Lessons at the Town Beach?

Yes, children can participate in both the Rec Program and Swim Lesson programs. Our staff will bring them down at the appropriate time for lessons. Some make-up days are scheduled for Wednesdays. If we are attending a field trip, they will miss lessons that day.

Visit our swim lesson page for registrations and more info.

Does the Kids 'N' Us Rec. Program accept children with disabilities?

Yes, in accordance with the ADA we will make reasonable accommodations and do our best to enable all children to attend our program. Please note the Kids 'N' Us Rec Program is a group based, municipal recreation program and not a licensed camp or daycare. We do not have a nurse or medical personnel on site and are not able to provide personal care and/or toileting assistance. Activities are conducted in an outdoor, group-based setting and there is limited one-to-one support provided. You can view more information on pages 4 and 5 of our policy manual HERE. All requests for ADA accommodation must be discussed in advance with the Parks Director and/or Rec Program Director. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

If you need to update your medical information you entered at registration you can do so here.

Can you give my child medication?

Yes. We can administer medications upon request. Our staff will hand the child the dose and they must be capable of administering it themselves (ie: chewing a tablet or swallowing a pill). We are not able to administer injections. The Kids ‘N’ Us Recreation Program is NOT a licensed “Camp”. We are a “Municipal Recreation Program”. As such we are not bound by many of the restrictions of 105 CMR 430. We DO NOT have a licensed Health Care Professional on staff. Our staff is CPR and First Aid Certified only. All medications will be administered by our Recreation Director or Assistant Director(s) except in an emergency.

Please fill out our medication form HERE. You can download the form, complete it, and re-upload it in UltraCamp

How is the Kids 'N' Us Rec Program addressing COVID-19?

We will operate our programs in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local guidelines. All participants are asked to self-screen before attending to ensure they are not exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms. Facial Coverings will be optional for all staff and participants. We STRONGLY encourage all participants to be vaccinated against COVID-19. You can find more detailed information on page 5 of our policy manual.

Please feel free to email (kids@mendonma.gov) or call (508-473-1771) us if you have any other questions.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse