Wildarts Afterschool begins on September 7, 2023, and ends on June 26, 2024, in the current school year. We operate Monday through Friday from 2:50 PM to 6 PM on days when school is in session except Early Dismissal Days. Wildarts Afterschool will close in accordance with the Department of Education school and afterschool emergency closings (such as inclement weather) when ordered. Families will be notified when Wildarts Afterschool is closed due to an emergency. 

Wildarts students are brought to the program during school dismissal by their classroom teachers. It is the responsibility of our families to communicate their child's dismissal plan with their classroom teachers so we can receive your child on the day(s) they attend.

If your child is a participant in a Wildarts Afterschool program, but does not attend the school, they must arrive after 3PM and check in at the Big Green Wildarts Table or with School Safety. Wildarts does not arrange transportation to our programs at this time.

Wildarts programs at PS 163, PS 108 and PS 185 accept students from the entire community. Families who enroll in Wildarts, but do not attend the school where we operate are resposible for transportation to Wildarts and may check in no earlier than 3PM. 

Wildarts Participants are sorted by age into color-named groups. Each group follows a weekly schedule with art activities that rotate daily. Your student may be moved into a new group as the school year progresses so we can balance staff/student ratios and personalities. Wildarts cannot accommodate special group requests. We thank you for your understanding and flexibility. You can find our group schedules by clicking on your school above!

Wildarts provides a free meal at the beginning of our afterschool day furnished by NYC School Foods. Wildarts encourages families with dietary restrictions to look over the School Foods Afterschool Menu and provide an appropriate snack from home if the meals are not suitable to your participant's needs. 

For our programs at PS 185 and PS 108, we are working toward obtaining the free meal provided by school foods. Until our application is accepted, please pack a snack for your students. Please keep in mind we are a nut-free program. We cannot provide utensils or a microwave for your snacks.

Tribes Times is a literacy based social-emotional learning block. We use stories and hands-on activities to help students learn to identify their emotions, manage conflict, make and keep friends, and grow mindfully. We start with basic concepts of respect, bodily autonomy and consent. For instance, students learn to ask permission to touch and hug by asking to "pop your bubble" before they touch. We read stories to pair with our lessons like the book Alexander's Horrible No Good Very Bad Day--a great book for learning what to call our most difficult emotions. We have lots of fun crafts, games, and songs to learn these concepts.

Regular Dismissal is from 5:30-6 PM daily. Wildarts is not able to have any children in the building after 6 PM. It is very important that children are picked up on time. We charge a $25.00 late pick-up fee each time a child is picked up later than 6:00 PM. 

Early Dismissal:  You can pick-up your child anytime after 3PM. If you plan to pick up your child early, please do so before 5:15 PM to help keep regular dismissal running smoothly. Please also allow extra time for early dismissal. When you arrive before 5:30PM, students will need time to stop the activity, walk to their belongings, gather their things and make their way to you. For little feet, this can take time.