OUR PLATFORM OF ON-SITE & VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
OK PROGRAMS
SESSION 11
SESSION THEME | This session our theme will be Culture. In this theme, Warriors will partake in celebration of the characteristics and knowledge of groups of people encompassing differences and similarities. Activities will focus on these topics suggested by the Warriors/staff and volunteers: family traditions, ancestry, food, dance, art, race, disability, music, language, sports, and Disney.
From Next Phase to Now
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
We are excited to announce that we will be returning to on-site programs (Session 11) on November 1st. We will continue both Zoom Virtual programming as well as our on-site ones. We are happy to announce that the program will no longer be known as the Next Phase, instead, we will be calling it OK Programs as we slowly transition back into normal life while doing everything we can to prevent and protect against COVID spread.
Our incredible staff and bank of great partnerships give us the facility, personnel, and the confidence to forge ahead and offer this interim style of programming.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE & TRANSITIONS
ON-SITE PROGRAMS (6 Weeks)
This program is offered in 3-hour blocks, with 2 blocks available on each program day. We are currently offering In-Person OK Programs 3 days per week.
3 hours per session
2 sessions per day
3 days per week
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
AM BLOCK | 9:00 am-12:00 pm
PM BLOCK | 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
VIRTUAL PROGRAMS (7 Weeks)
This program is offered in 1-hour blocks, with 4 blocks available on each program day. We are currently offering Zoom Online OK Programs 2 days per week.
PLEASE NOTE, ZOOM PROGRAMS ARE NO LONGER BEING HELD ON WEDNESDAYS!
1 hour per session
4 sessions per day
2 days per week
Monday & Friday
10 am – 11 am | 12 pm – 1 pm
2 pm – 3 pm | 4 pm – 5 pm
Onsite Transition Period | 12:00pm-3:00 pm
- All Warriors will be required to leave the program sites between sessions
- Staff will clean and disinfect program space according to our Cleaning & Disinfecting Plan
- Staff will also then make preparations for the next group coming to their designated location
IMPORTANT DATES
REGISTRATION OPENS
Friday, September 24th @ 5:00 PM
REGISTRATION CLOSES
Friday, October 1st @ 5:00 PM
FINAL REGISTRATION PLAN TO BE COMMUNICATED NO LATER THAN
Friday, October 22nd
FIRST DAY OF ON-SITE PROGRAMS (Session 11)
Tuesday, November 2nd
FIRST DAY OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMS (Session 11)
Monday, October 25th
HOLIDAY DAYS OFF
Election day (11/02), Thanksgiving (11/25 & 11/26), Christmas eve (12/24) — No Programs These Dates
EVENTS
Comedy for a Cause TBD — Knocktoberfest TBD
Questions
Please Contact
Michael Carmody
Executive Director
mike@opportunityknocksnow.org
Or Click Below to Send a Question…
OK Health & Safety Guidelines
Helpful Links
Better Together
PROGRAM GROUPS
GENERAL GUIDELINES
- The registration process will accept requests for all sessions but please bear in mind that not all requests are guaranteed given the health and safety restrictions of this model
- Warriors will have three separate 45-minute activities within their group at the same location
- Groups will be limited in size to 10 people, including staff
- Warriors can sign up for more than one group but will have to leave between 12:00 PM- 3:00 PM for cleaning & sanitation
Activity Group Model
- Warriors can sign up for more than one group per day, but will need to leave OK between 12:00 PM-3:00 PM for cleaning and sanitation.
- We will continue to limit group sizes to 10 individuals which include both Warriors and Staff.
- Based on results of registration, OK’s Program Team will work to group participants in an activity group model that will aim to keep the same groups together on the same days and sessions, so that we can reduce mixing and mingling, as much as possible
- Sessions will be grouped according to the activity group model to ensure the highest measure of safety, as well as an equal access to programs
- The drawback to this approach is that it may be the case that we can not honor all registration requests. We ask for your patience and understanding in this endeavor.
- We will still adhere to COVID guidelines of 6ft social distancing
Sensible & Safe
PROGRAM SITE & PARTICIPATION GUIDELINE
PARTICIPANT & SITE SAFETY GUIDELINES
All or our site selections and group structures will follow CDC/IDPH and Restore Illinois guidelines. All sites will hold at least 100 square feet of space per participant, with no more than 7 Warriors per site/session and utilizing outdoor spaces as much as possible. All participants and staff will wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidance. If a Warrior is unable to wear a mask as suggested by CDC guidelines, the family must contact OK to discuss options for special accommodations
On-Site & Virtual Platform
Activities
Onsite Programs
Each of the two activity sessions will draw from a menu of activity options that focus on 5 areas of choice. The content of these onsite activities will evolve from session to session and follow a theme, which will be guided by a collaboration between OK Staff and OK Warriors.
Life Skills
Wellness
Recreation & Current Events
Social & Staying Connected
Science & Nature
Virtual Programs
MONDAY
- Morning Welcome (10-11am)
Warriors will get together to start off their Mornings with friends. During this time, Warriors will start the session with a quick one minute mindful activity followed by a movement icebreaker where Warriors will introduce themselves and lead an exercise. Each day Warriors will be assigned one of eight roles. The roles are as follows: Way of the Warrior, joke of the day, question of the day, weather report, sports report, newscast report, picture of the day, and song of the day. We usually end the ZOOM meet with a song of the day where the assigned Warriors provides a song and we sing and dance to it.
- ZOOM Lunch (12-1pm)
During our ZOOM Lunch, Warriors will get together to chat and eat lunch from their own homes. We go around and share what everyone is having for lunch. On these days we also focused on introducing and connecting Warriors to community members or like we like to call it celebrity guests. ZOOM Lunch is more focused on socializing with our peers.
- ZOOM exercise/Yoga/Meditation (2-3pm)
It’s time to get your body moving. In this zoom session warriors will participate in an interactive physical activity with their peers and the instructor. This is our movement ZOOM so expect to exercise, dance, jump, and get your bodies moving. These ZOOM can also occasionally bring in one of our community partners to lead a class. These classes can be anything from exercise to yoga.
- Life Skills lesson (4-5pm)
Provide fun and engaging activities that explore important life skills. Practice using their voice through making decisions and choices. Foster interdependent relationships and a supportive community while practicing these skills. Ultimately leading to enhanced confidence and self-efficacy while performing specific life skills.
Friday
- Morning Welcome (10-11am)
Warriors will get together to start off their Mornings with friends. During this time, Warriors will start the session with a quick one minute mindful activity followed by a movement icebreaker where Warriors will introduce themselves and lead an exercise. Each day Warriors will be assigned one of eight roles. The roles are as follows: Way of the Warrior, joke of the day, question of the day, weather report, sports report, newscast report, picture of the day, and song of the day. We usually end the ZOOM meet with a song of the day where the assigned Warriors provides a song and we sing and dance to it.
- ZOOM Lunch (12-1pm)
During our ZOOM Lunch, Warriors will get together to chat and eat lunch from their own homes. We go around and share what everyone is having for lunch. On these days we also focused on introducing and connecting Warriors to community members or like we like to call it celebrity guests. ZOOM Lunch is more focused on socializing with our peers.
- ZOOM exercise/Yoga/Meditation (2-3pm)
It’s time to get your body moving. In this zoom session warriors will participate in an interactive physical activity with their peers and the instructor. This is our movement ZOOM so expect to exercise, dance, jump, and get your bodies moving. These ZOOM can also occasionally bring in one of our community partners to lead a class. These classes can be anything from exercise to yoga.
- Art & Craft (4-5pm)
All about Arts and Craft – In this session, Warriors will follow a tutorial video or a guide from staff and come up with some really interesting art/drawings. Each session is something new. Don’t really have artistic skills? No worries, it is all about having fun, everyone’s artwork is different!
OK Outlook
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
It has been already been a year since the Pandemic shocked the world as we know it. In that time we have worked tirelessly to bring back a bit of normal life here at OK through proper safety protocols and getting vaccinated.
Total # of Onsite Program Sessions since July 2020
Total # of Program Service Hours Delivered
Total # of COVID Transmissions at OK Activity
%
Percent of Staff who are Fully Vaccinated
Health & Safety
PROTECT YOURSELF-PROTECT OTHERS PACT
This Pact was created to outline our expectations of all participants and staff in maintaining the safest environment for programs. The following expectations are required of ALL humans participating in OK activities.
Stay home if you are sick
Follow the pre-program health screen protocols
Wear a face covering that covers nose and mouth
Maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet at all times
Follow the isolation procedures and reporting requirements when illness onset is on-site
Communicate all suspected or confirmed COVID illness if recent contact with programs
Health & Safety Cont.
OTHER SAFETY MEASURES
Opportunity Knocks will be committed to the following in compliance with the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health and local public health agencies:
STAFF PROTOCOLS
We will continue to develop our staff protocols for health, safety, and response. Our protocols have been in place since mid-March and continue to evolve based on public health guidance. All of our team members are required to perform a daily health screen. Training and review of our protocols will continue to be a high priority.
CLEANING & DISINFECTING PLAN
All program spaces will be routinely cleaned and disinfected before, during, and after sessions
CONTACT TRACING
If there is a suspected illness onsite or offsite, OK will execute a contact tracing protocol that will reach all staff, participants, and community members that may have been exposed. We will follow the CDC guidelines on this protocol
SITE SAFETY & HYGIENE SUPPLY
OK will ensure that all program sites are sufficiently supplied with ample space per person, PPE for cases of potential exposure, handwashing & hand sanitizer We will provide break areas for Warriors needing sensory breaks throughout the day
LIMITED SITE-PROGRAM ACCESS
We will be limiting access to our programs as it relates to guests, volunteers, partners, etc. Programs hosted at the RFCC will be subject to RFCC building entry restrictions. We will be using alternative entry and exit points at the RFCC and families will be asked to adhere to our curbside pickup and drop off protocol.
