RECREATION DEPARTMENT

The Recreation Department provides a wide range of programs for every age group responding to a varied range of interests. The programs in this booklet were scheduled for 2002. Programs are added or discontinued from time to time as residents taste and leisure activity preferences change.

Throughout the year special events are scheduled for days when public schools are closed (teachers' holidays, conference days, legal holidays, but not religious). These include puppet and magic shows, arts and crafts, open gyms and other recreational activities. For the latest available information on programs, call the Department (201) 837-7130, ext. 1 weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30PM.

The Department prepares a catalog of available programs for each season, which includes fees for those programs that carry a fee. Copies are free on request at the Recreation Department.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Registration for all programs takes place in the Recreation Department offices at the Richard Rodda Community Center. The Department has instituted a new registration procedure by mail which has proven to be extremely effective. After three (3) weeks of mail-in registration, in-person registrations continue week-days from 9 AM to 4:30 PM until classes and activities are filled. Please call the Recreation Department at (201) 837-7130, ext. 1 for seasonal registration dates.

The Youth Division provides a school year Toddler Nursery Program for ages 3 & 4. Participants may choose a morning/afternoon or full day program. An After School Child Care Program for children in grades kindergarten through grade seven is available from school dismissal until 6 PM. Both programs follow the Teaneck Public School and Township holiday calendar.

Registration is ongoing based upon availability. Call (201) 837-7130 for more information.

The Senior Citizen Services Center, located on the upper level at the Richard Rodda Community Center, is in operation Monday through Friday from 9 AM - 4 PM. Seasonal activities in the areas of education, physical fitness and social recreational activities are available year round. A hot lunch is available daily for a suggested donation of$1.25. A complete calendar of activities, classes and special events is available each month. A County van is available to assist in transporting participants to and from the Center. Call (201) 837-7130, ext. 3 or (201) 837-0171 for information.

The Department offers free transportation for disabled and senior residents for medical appointments and grocery shopping. Residents may call the Department to schedule medical appointments in Teaneck and the surrounding communities five (5) days a week and grocery shopping and miscellaneous errands two days a week. In months which contain five (5) Wednesdays or Thursdays, the grocery shopping trip is substituted with a trip to the Bergen Mall. Since this is a very popular service, residents are asked to call at least one (1) week in advance to schedule an appointment or series of appointments. Please call (201) 837-7130, ext. 7040.

Permits for outdoor facilities may be obtained from the Department. To use Township tennis courts, either for Department-sponsored lessons or play, residents (students and adults) must obtain a tennis badge each year. To reserve a baseball or softball diamond call the Recreation Department for applications. Permits are issued on an as available basis for a fee. Selected Township ball fields are available for use only by permit.

Picnic tables and charcoal burners are available in Phelps and Votee Parks. Reservations are not required but priority is given to Township residents who obtain a permit. We recommend that a reservation be made at least one week in advance of anticipated use. Picnic kits (duffel bags containing sports equipment of your choice such as football, baseball bat and bases, volleyball and net, soccer ball, Frisbee) are available for loan to Township residents. These picnic kits are only issued for specific dates.

To use the swimming pools in Township parks, residents must obtain an ID tag. One tag is good for admission to above-ground pools in Hawthorne Park and Phelps Park. A separate tag is required for use of the in-ground pool in Votee Park. The tags are sold by the Department beginning in June.

Each year our Teaneck Community Band presents a summer band concert series on five consecutive Wednesdays during the summer. These concerts are held in Votee Park, at the Bandshell, starting at 8:30 PM. In case of rain, the concerts are moved into the Teaneck High School auditorium.

2002 SUPERINTENDENT OF RECREATION'S REPORT:

The mission of the Department is to provide year round leisure time activities and quality recreational programming for residents, with a goal of enhancing the quality of life while contributing positively to the "Teaneck Experience". Ever aware of our mandate and committed to the spirit of service to the community, we have continued to raise the bar and reaffirm our commitment to excellence in all areas of programming in 2002. To this end, we added a number of new and exciting programs, for children, teens and seniors, such as ice skating instruction, tap and hip hop dance instruction, conversational Italian, Massage Therapy, Ballroom dancing and Salsa & Swing.

The focus on educational offerings further enhanced our line up with the addition of a Great Decisions Discussion group, a national, nonprofit education program under the auspices of an independent, nonpartisan Foreign Policy Association. This class provided a unique opportunity for our senior residents to discuss major foreign policy issues facing our country in a relaxed and informal setting. A long time civil rights activist and United Nations Affiliate facilitated this intellectual discussion group.

Working feverishly in the area of recruitment to bring on board the most qualified and talented in year 2002, we added to our ranks three new full time positions. A Head Teacher/Child Care Coordinator for our pre school program and Youth Division, a Recreation Program Coordinator for the Senior Division, and Clerk Typist for the Administrative Office.

The Department did not however rest on its laurels. We were successful in adding to our instructors line-up a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette and New York City Dance Studio owner who teaches the Salsa & Swing and Tap classes in the Senior Division. The instructor for the Conversational Italian course is a retired, certified educator with over 30 years experience and is a Ph.D. The instructors for the ice skating classes held on Sunday afternoons at the John T. Wright Arena in Mackay Park in Englewood are also professionals. This program is only one of the new initiatives and collaborations which took place in 2002. The Department also formed a relationship with the Bogota Golf Center and, in 2003, will offer a Junior Golf Program for children aged 7 to 15 years. With the growing popularity of the sport, the Department is committed to keeping on the cutting edge where opportunities avail.

The Department was involved in the selection of a consulting firm to prepare the Comprehensive Recreation Master Plan, the evaluation of Carriage House in Andreas Park as well as actively participated in discussions about a possible Dog Run. 2002 was a very busy and exciting year!

The Department has a new look! We successfully instituted a new unified mandatory dress code in 2002 for the Youth Division. All staff in the Division wears khakis and Recreation staff polo or golf shirts. Photo identification badges also became a mandatory part of the new dress code to bring our look full circle.

This is the registration schedule for the four seasons (dates are approximate):

Preschool Program

Kindergarten to Twelfth Grade

Adults Program

Senior Citizen Services Center

Organizations and Group Program

WHERE DO WE CALL?

The following Sports Organizations run independently of the Recreation Department, their registration, schedules, fees and organizational structure is their own.

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