Jul 19, 2007
Wilton Answer Book: Children and Teens
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How do I find a day care facility for my child?
Infoline at 211 maintains current listings of all state-licensed facilities in Connecticut. Child care counselors will help parents assess the quality of different programs. Both the phone call and service are free.
Wilton also has many licensed home day care providers. To find out who they are, call the state’s daycare licensing office at 800-282-6063.
What should I look for to make certain a day care provider is certified and facilities are safe?
All day care centers should be licensed by the state and that license should be prominently displayed. They should also display the fire marshal’s inspection, discipline policy and complaint procedure.
What kind of permits do day care centers need?
Day care centers fall into three categories: Family Day Care Homes, Group Day Care Homes and Child Day Care Centers, which also include nursery schools. Requirements include permits from the state Department of Health Services as well as zoning, building, fire and health permits. To advertise for family day care, caretakers must list their license numbers.
Are background checks performed on people who work with children?
Both the town and school district perform extensive background checks, including criminal record checks, on employees who come in contact with children as part of their job. Employees are also fingerprinted.
What is the legal drinking age in Connecticut?
According to state law, it is illegal for anyone under 21 to possess alcohol anywhere in the state, including on private property. It is also illegal for anyone to knowingly allow minors to possess alcohol.
In 2006, Wilton passed its own law that states: No person under the age of 21 shall be in possession of any container of alcoholic liquor, whether open, unopened or closed, within the Town of Wilton except when accompanied by or in the presence of his or her parent, guardian or spouse who has attained the age of 21. The restriction shall apply to both public and private property.
No person shall host an event which allows the consumption or dispensing of alcoholic liquor to or by a minor or minors unless said minor or minors is or are accompanied by or in the presence of his or her parent, guardian or spouse who has attained the age of 21. The prohibition shall apply to any event or gathering within the Town of Wilton, whether conducted on public or private property.
What is there for teenagers to do in town?
Trackside at Dana House is Wilton’s teen center. It offers a safe, supervised alcohol- and tobacco-free environment for young people in 7th through 12th grade. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 7 are reserved for seventh and eighth graders. The center is open to high school students Friday from 3 to 11, and Saturday from 7 to 11. Thursday is devoted to group sessions, clubs, and classes. (Summer hours may change.) The building is available for rental on Sunday and Monday. Trackside is at 15 Station Road (adjacent to the Wilton Train Station); call 834-2888 or go online to trackside.org.
The
Wilton Family Y maintains a Student Union where Y members 12 to 15 years old can spend time after school until 6 p.m. The Y also offers periodic Teen Nights, with the fitness center open and recreational swimming and other activities including swimming and Playstation 2 tournaments. There are also teen fitness classes and Y Characters, a volunteer/mentoring program for Y members 12 years old and up. Call teen coordinator Geoff Malyszka at 762-8384, ext. 224.
The
Parks and Recreation Department (834-6234) runs a host of summer programs and camps, offers ski trips and summer day trips, and monthly dances in fall and winter for seventh and eighth graders. The
Wilton Library (762-3950) offers social activities, volunteer opportunities, classes, and a book discussion group.
Summerstage is a four-week musical theater workshop for Wilton students entering 7th through 10th grades. For information, visit the Wilton Children’s Theater Web site at wiltonchildrenstheater.org.
Who helps troubled children?
Wilton Youth Services (834-6241/wiltonyouthservices.org) offers short-term counseling and referral services, crisis intervention, and a crisis resource directory and referral services for families experiencing troubles with their children. The agency also offers an evaluation program to detect depression in teens, the risk of suicide, and other mental disorders that might escape notice.
Kids in Crisis is an organization that offers preventive services and immediate intervention for children in crisis. It is a United Way agency, licensed by the Department of Children and Families, that provides both crisis counseling and a short-term residential shelter for children of all ages. Support and counseling is available free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For information, call 327-KIDS or visit online at kidsincrisis.org.
Are there summer camps here and how early do I have to sign up my child?
Parks and Recreation runs a Camp Looper, a summer day camp for children in K-8, and Cool Tots Camp, for 3- to 5-year-olds. There are also a number of sports camps: baseball, softball, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, soccer, and multi-sport. Registration starts in late winter. Call 834-6234.
The Wilton Family Y offers summer camps for children 3 to 15. Call 762-8384, ext. 283 or visit wiltonymca.org.
Among the many private camps in the area are:
Camp Aspetuck, run by the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut, 762-5557, ext. 23;
Wilton Dance Studio, 544-9007;
Junior Naturalist Camp at Woodcock Nature Center, 762-7280;
The Mountain Workshop
Awesome Adventures with pick up and drop off in Wilton, 544-0555/mountainworkshop.com; Cucina Casalinga Cooking Camp, 762-0768;
Franc-O-Fun French Camp, 762-5645/franc-o-fun.com;
Bright Horizons’ Camp Explorations, 834-2616/brighthorizons.com; Wilton
Children’s Center Summer Fun Club, 762-0663/wiltonchildrenscenter.com;
Zion’s Hill Preschool Summer Program, 762-9620; and
Weir Farm’s Summer Art Explorer Program, 761-9945.
What playgrounds are available for children?
Merwin Meadows on Lovers Lane is for very young children. For kids over three, there are public playgrounds at the town’s three elementary schools and
Comstock Community Center.
What youth sports programs are offered?
All major sports are offered including football, cheerleading, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, karate, etc. The
Parks and Recreation Department (834-6234) in Comstock Community Center at 180 School Road has a complete list of sports teams and contacts.
Wilton Youth Lacrosse offers programs for boys and girls. For details and contact information, check wiltonlax.org.
Other lacrosse offerings are
Warrior Lacrosse School (762-8287),
Coach McNulty’s Wilton Lacrosse Camp (438-9240/coach@mcnultylacrosse.com),
Gilman Lacrosse Camp (877-536-CAMP/gilmanlacrosse.com), and
Fun in the Sun Girls Lacrosse Camp (funinthesunlax.com)
Wilton Soccer Association runs K-12 programs in the spring and fall. Mail-in registration forms are available at Comstock Community Center, the Wilton Library, and Wilton Y. For team contacts visit wiltonsoccer.info.
Kristine Lilly Soccer Camp (klsacad@aol.com/kristinelilly13.com) will come to Wilton High School in late July.
Transylvania Soccer Camp (778-6623) comes to Wilton in the summer.
Wilton Field Hockey Association has youth, high school and camp opportunities. Check wiltonfieldhockey.com or e-mail Cathy Parese at cathpa@aol.com. For intramurals, e-mail Sally Roberts at saroberts1993@yahoo.com.
Wilton Youth Football offers flag football for second and third grade and tackle football for third through eighth grade. Visit online at fairfieldcountyfootball.org or e-mail FCFLWilton@hotmail.com. Signup is in the spring.
Through the football club, there is
cheerleading for kindergarten through eighth grade. Call Brenda Ricco at 761-9996.
The Wilton Basketball Association manages the 5th through 8th grade youth travel basketball program. Call Mike Wilbur at 834-0406 or visit online at wiltonhoops.org. The
Parks and Recreation Department offers an intramural and summer program.
For
Wilton Little League, leave a message at 834-3747. Registration is in January. The league also offers a girls softball program.
For children older than 12, there is the
Wilton Baseball Softball Association. Visit online at eteamz.active.com/WBSAInc/ or e-mail Linda Colgan at Lcolgan@optonline.net.
For T-ball and other baseball/softball offerings, call
Parks and Recreation at 834-6234.
The
Wilton Pony Club teaches children all aspects of horse care, including riding. Pony clubbers must have access to a horse to participate in most activities. For information, call Abby Quinn, district commissioner, at 762-9944 or e-mail abbyquinn7@optonline.net
How can my child find a scout troop to join?
Letters are usually sent home through the schools. For Girl Scouts, call 762-5557. For Boy Scouts, call the Yankee Council at 876-6868.
Are there any youth orchestras?
There are the
Norwalk Youth Symphony (866-4100), the
Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic (329-1686), and the
Ridgefield Youth Orchestra (438-3889).
Does the town hire summer help?
The
Public Works Department (563-0152) hires some summer help.
Parks and Recreation hires camp counselors, lifeguards, and basketball supervisors and scorekeepers. Pick up an application at the town clerk’s office or call the parks department at 834-6234.
The
Wilton Family Y hires lifeguards, swim instructors, and summer camp counselors. Call Kim Scofield at 762-8384, ext. 211. The Y also hires babysitters at least 16 years old. Call Kim Murphy at 762-8384, ext. 211.
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