Adult Attendance & Supervision

All youth participants must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, and/or authorized guardian. If a child is attending a Horn Farm Center (HFC) program with an adult who is not the legal guardian of the child, written permission from the child’s legal guardian must be provided. 

COVID-19 Policy

In order to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff, the Horn Farm Center is following current CDC Guidelines. Please contact us for questions or concerns.

Behavior Expectations

• Please let staff know in advance if your student has an IEP or other special accommodations at school, other behavioral diagnosis, or any other conditions that may alter our behavioral expectations for your child.
• Students are expected to be kind and respectful to each other, the HFC staff, and all HFC property and materials. HFC behavior expectations include, but are not limited to: kind and inclusive language, no unwanted or inappropriate touching, and avoiding unsafe behaviors after being asked to. 
• In the event that a student exhibits disruptive behavior (i.e., physically or verbally aggressive or disrespectful behavior, use of profanities or inappropriate topics of discussion, continuously disruptive behavior, purposely running away from the group, or defiance of authority), the staff will request that the accompanying adult address the student one on one to discuss the behavior. HFC staff may also intervene if necessary. 
• If the behavior persists, the student may be instructed to take a cool down time by sitting out of an activity. If behavior does not improve after a conference with the child’s legal or authorized guardian, the student will be asked to withdraw from the program without a refund. 
• Bullying is prohibited. See Bullying Policy below. 

HFC Bullying Policy 

There is zero tolerance for bullying at the HFC. Bullying is defined as a behavioral form of violence which includes physical, verbal, or social attacks that occur in a repetitive manner with hurtful intentions used to exploit an imbalance of power. When a student is involved in an incident where one student is picking on another child during an activity, the offending student will be taken aside and explained that they are exhibiting hurtful behaviors. If this behavior continues after a warning, this has become bullying behavior. If behavior continues a student may be asked to leave and not return to HFC for the duration of the program because of violation of the Bullying Policy. A refund will not be given. HFC staff is vigilant and trained to differentiate bullying from other behaviors, but they are not omnipotent. If your student describes to you an incident that you suspect could be bullying please tell us so we can take the proper steps to end bullying behavior at HFC. 

Medication Administration 

HFC will administer over the counter medication as needed as indicated and authorized by the parent on the Youth Emergency Form. 

HFC staff cannot administer prescription medication to your child. Your child must self-administer any medications you bring. Medications must be accompanied by a note from your doctor. Please send clear written instructions (see medication form) detailing administration of medication and reason for prescription. Medications must be given to HFC in the original container with name, medication and dosage clearly labeled w/ your child’s name. All medications must have a current manufacturer’s expiration date. Medication is kept in storage, out of reach of children, when not being used. Medications will be returned to the parent/guardian at the end of the program. This policy also applies if your child carries emergency medication due to allergies including medication such as Benadryl, an Epi-pen, an inhaler, or an AUVI-Q. In the case of severe allergies, parents must provide an allergy action plan, and epi-pen if prescribed by a health care professional. In the instance of a severe allergic reaction, HFC staff will administer an Epi-pen.

Safety 

To ensure the safety of all children on-site, HFC requires all youth program staff and volunteers to have up to date clearances including:

• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance.
• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance.
• Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Criminal History Clearance. 

HFC program staff are also trained in First Aid/CPR. 

Weather 

The majority of programs take place in an outdoor setting. In the event of severe weather (i.e.: storms or extreme heat), activities will be altered or rescheduled as needed. Please bring clothing and accessories for your child to be comfortable in the expected outdoor conditions (ex. Change of clothing, rain gear, appropriate footwear, sun protection, hat, etc.) 

Available Facilities & Precautions

• • HFC’s current restroom facilities are portable toilets. Please prepare your child to utilize these accommodations. 
  • We have hand washing stations and hand sanitizer available on site. HFC staff will encourage students to wash their hands regularly. 
  • Insect, Tick, & Poison Prevention: HFC staff take every precaution to prevent student’s exposure to ticks, insects (like wasps), or poison (ivy, oak, sumac). However, students will be learning and playing in wooded, semi-wooded, and wild areas on the farm and may be exposed to insects like wasps, bees, or ticks, as well as poisonous plants. Therefore:
  • In the case of severe allergies, parents must provide an allergy action plan, and epi-pen if prescribed by a health care professional.
  • Students that are highly allergic to poison ivy, oak or sumac should wear long pants and long sleeves.
  • HFC staff will conduct regular hand and arm washes with students each day using Dawn dish soap to minimize the impacts of possible poison exposure. 
  • HFC staff are First Aid trained and will have first aid kits readily available during programs.