Child Watch

Guidelines

The Heather Smith Child Watch Area is a program we provide for children ages 6 months – 11 years old. This service is a Family Membership benefit. In order to ensure the safety of children in the Child Watch area, the following guidelines have been established:

1. There is a 1 and 1/2 hour  (90 Mins) limit per day for each child. Parents must remain in the facility while their child is in the Child Watch area.
2. In order to maintain a healthy environment, please make sure each child is illness free for 24 hours before bringing them into the Child Watch area. This includes chest cough, diarrhea, flu, pink eye, fever, and excessive drainage from nose, head lice and other contagious health conditions.
3. All parents will be called if their child has to use the bathroom or needs a diaper changed. The child may use the bathroom by themselves if they are comfortable. One staff person will locate the parent for assistance if they are uncomfortable using the bathroom by themselves.
4. Please have your child wear or bring tennis shoes, and provide a dry snack and drink for your child. Please have bottles ready for feeding. SAFETY NOTES: WE DO NOT ALLOW NUTS OR PEANUT BUTTER ITEMS DUE TO CHILD FOOD ALLERGIES. Please, inform staff of child allergies. NO HARD CANDY ALLOWED.
5. We do not have a disciplinary policy for the room. If a child becomes disorderly, the parents will be called to remove the behavior from the room, not necessarily the child. If the behavior continues, the parent will be asked to remove the child for the day. They are welcome back another day.
6. CHILD SAFETY POLICY: For the safety of your child, no one other than recognized staff will be allowed in the Child Watch area.

Behind the Name

The Four Seasons YMCA Child Watch Area is named after Heather Marie Smith and was the first memorial-based fundraising project the Four Seasons YMCA conducted during the Capital Campaign. Heather, who died in 2005 following injuries sustained in a car accident, was recognized in Tazewell and surrounding communities as having both a strong compassion for fitness and most importantly for children. Mary Thompson, Former Assistant Director of Development for the Four Seasons YMCA once said, “With upmost appropriateness, we are able to honor Heather through her love for children and fitness. Those are two resounding qualities she exemplified. Naming the Child Watch Center after her is a perfect fit.”

In 2002, Smith graduated as an AIMS Scholar from Tazewell High school where she participated in numerous activities such as track, basketball, choir, and Young Life. In her senior year, she was crowned Miss THS. Heather described her greatest gift as being blessed with an extraordinary compassion for others, particularly children. Smith exemplified this compassion on a day to day basis. She was attending Bluefield College and was a rising senior in the Teacher Education Program in English Education. She was a Sunday school and Children’s Church teacher at Tazewell Baptist and helped in the nursery. Smith was also the Wyldlife leader at Tazewell Middle School. She spoke to elementary classrooms about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and avoiding peer pressure. It was Heather’s dream to become a teacher, and she thought of herself as a role model to the children she encountered.

Dr. Chris Brown, Former Chairman of the Four Seasons YMCA Board of Directors said, “I had the opportunity to get to know Heather as a patient in my office while she was running track. She lit up a room when she entered it and she was a delightful person. I know Heather was an asset to the young people in our community and I can't think of a better way to memorialize her than name the Child Watch area in her memory. Heather was a very special person and is missed by many of us. This will help to continue her memory into the future.”