PARENTS & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WELCOME, PARENTS & GUARDIANS
Thank you for considering Rockford Youth, Sports & Mentoring for your child.
We understand that when you enroll your child in a program, you’re trusting us with much more than their participation in an activity.
You’re trusting us with their safety, well-being, development and experience.
Our goal is to provide children and teenagers with a positive environment where they can participate in sports, develop practical skills, experience new opportunities, build confidence and connect with responsible adults who want to see them succeed.
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💲 IS THE PROGRAM REALLY FREE?
YES.
Our goal is for participating youth to attend 100% FREE OF CHARGE.
We are working to build partnerships with community organizations, businesses, sponsors, donors and volunteers so families don’t have to carry the financial burden of participation.
Our goal is:
No registration fees.
No program fees.
No child excluded simply because their family cannot afford an opportunity.
Certain optional activities or opportunities may depend on available funding, transportation, partnerships, capacity and other resources.
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👧🏽👦🏻 WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Our programs are designed for school-age youth, with different opportunities based on grade level.
GRADES 1–3
⚽ Developmental Soccer
GRADES 4–5
🏈 Developmental Flag Football
GRADES 6–8
🛠️ Explore & Build
Potential activities include cooking, introductory automotive maintenance, creative arts, practical life skills, outdoor exploration and other hands-on experiences.
GRADES 9–12
🎓 Ready for Life
Potential activities include financial literacy, résumé building, job interviews, career exploration, college exploration, virtual college tours, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, practical adult-life skills, outdoor experiences and leadership development.
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📍 DO WE HAVE TO LIVE IN A CERTAIN ZIP CODE?
Our program has a strong commitment to serving youth and families in Rockford, including communities where children may have fewer affordable opportunities.
Specific eligibility or service-area requirements will be clearly communicated during registration.
If you’re unsure whether your child qualifies, contact us.
We would rather have a parent ask than assume their child cannot participate.
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⚽ DOES MY CHILD NEED SPORTS EXPERIENCE?
NO.
Beginners are welcome.
Our youth sports programs are designed around development—not tryouts, recruiting the strongest athletes or winning at all costs.
Children should have an opportunity to learn.
Player evaluations may be used to help create reasonably balanced teams, but evaluations are not intended to be traditional tryouts.
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🏆 WHAT IF MY CHILD ISN’T VERY ATHLETIC?
That’s okay.
Athletic ability isn’t the only thing worth developing or celebrating.
We value:
• Effort
• Improvement
• Teamwork
• Sportsmanship
• Leadership
• Attendance
• Coachability
• Positive attitude
• Helping teammates
We want children to learn that improvement matters.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE THE BEST PLAYER TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF A TEAM.
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🧩 WHAT IF MY CHILD DOESN’T LIKE SPORTS?
That’s okay too.
Rockford Youth, Sports and Mentor is about much more than sports.
Depending on age and program availability, youth may have opportunities involving:
🍳 Cooking
🔧 Automotive basics
🎨 Arts and crafts
🌲 Nature and outdoor activities
🏕️ Camping
💰 Financial literacy
📄 Résumés and employment skills
🎓 College exploration
💼 Career exploration
🚀 Entrepreneurship
🤝 Leadership and mentorship
🚌 Educational experiences and field trips
Our goal is to create multiple ways for young people to belong.
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🛡️ HOW DO YOU HELP KEEP CHILDREN SAFE?
CHILD SAFETY IS A PRIORITY.
All volunteers must successfully complete applicable background screening before being approved to work directly with participating youth.
Background screening is one part of our overall approach to youth safety.
Program leaders and volunteers are also expected to follow applicable:
• Youth-safety policies
• Appropriate adult-youth boundaries
• Codes of conduct
• Supervision requirements
• Emergency procedures
• Check-in and check-out procedures
• Transportation requirements
• Activity-specific safety procedures
• Procedures for reporting safety concerns
Additional safety procedures may apply to sports, cooking, automotive instruction, camping, transportation, field trips and other specialized activities.
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👨👧 WHO RUNS THE PROGRAM?
Rockford Youth, Sports and Mentor grew from a group of single fathers who wanted to voluntarily give their time to make a positive difference in their community.
We are fathers first.
We want to help create the types of opportunities, experiences and positive support that we would want available to our own children.
As the program grows, we hope to bring together additional parents, coaches, mentors, educators, professionals, tradespeople and community members who share that commitment.
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🤝 WHAT DOES MENTORSHIP MEAN?
Mentorship isn’t about replacing parents.
Parents and guardians remain the most important people in their children’s lives.
Our goal is to provide additional positive adult influences who can encourage young people and reinforce values such as:
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Confidence
• Education
• Teamwork
• Goal setting
• Leadership
• Conflict resolution
• Good decision-making
• Perseverance
• Community involvement
We want children to know there are adults in their community who care about their success.
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🚌 WILL TRANSPORTATION BE PROVIDED?
We understand that transportation can be one of the biggest barriers preventing children from participating.
As the program develops, we will work to explore transportation partnerships and assistance whenever resources allow.
Transportation availability cannot be guaranteed for every participant or activity.
Parents should indicate transportation needs during registration so we can better understand where assistance is most needed.
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🍎 WILL FOOD OR SNACKS BE PROVIDED?
Our goal is to provide water and appropriate snacks or meals during certain activities whenever funding and partnerships allow.
Parents and guardians should provide accurate information regarding food allergies and dietary restrictions during registration.
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🏕️ WILL THERE BE FIELD TRIPS?
We hope so!
As funding, transportation, partnerships, availability and appropriate supervision allow, experiences may include:
• Museums
• Shedd Aquarium and other aquariums
• Zoos
• Camping
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Nature centers
• College campuses
• Trade and technical schools
• Career sites
• Science and technology experiences
• Cultural experiences
• Sporting events
• Community service activities
Off-site activities may require additional parent/guardian permission.
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✍️ WILL I KNOW WHERE MY CHILD IS GOING?
YES.
Parents or guardians should receive information about planned off-site activities before their child participates.
Depending on the activity, information may include:
• Destination
• Date
• Departure and return information
• Transportation arrangements
• What the child should bring
• Appropriate clothing
• Emergency contact procedures
• Special safety requirements
• Permission requirements
A child will not simply be taken on an off-site trip without the applicable parent/guardian authorization.
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🏕️ WHAT ABOUT OVERNIGHT CAMPING?
Any future overnight camping program would require additional planning and safety procedures.
Parents would receive detailed information before deciding whether their child participates.
Overnight activities may involve additional permission forms, emergency information, sleeping arrangements, supervision plans, packing lists, medication procedures when applicable, transportation information and activity-specific rules.
Participation in an overnight activity would be optional unless otherwise clearly communicated.
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📸 WILL YOU TAKE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS OF MY CHILD?
We may want to document positive program activities, achievements and community events.
Parents and guardians should be provided an opportunity to give or decline applicable photo/video permission for their child.
We will work to respect a family’s decision regarding media participation.
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🩺 WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS AN ALLERGY, DISABILITY OR OTHER ACCOMMODATION NEED?
Please tell us during registration.
We want to understand a child’s needs before participation so we can determine what reasonable accommodations, safety planning or additional information may be necessary.
Parents should provide accurate emergency and relevant health/safety information requested during registration.
If you’re uncertain whether a program can accommodate your child’s needs, please contact us so we can discuss the situation.
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💊 WHAT ABOUT MEDICATIONS?
Parents should disclose relevant medication needs when required for an activity.
Medication administration, storage and emergency-medication procedures may depend on the activity, facility, staffing and applicable program policies.
Parents should never send medication with a child for program staff to administer without first following the applicable program procedure.
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🚨 WHAT HAPPENS IN AN EMERGENCY?
Emergency contact information should be provided during registration and kept current.
In an emergency, program leaders will follow applicable emergency procedures and seek appropriate emergency assistance when necessary.
Parents or guardians will be contacted as soon as reasonably possible.
PLEASE ALWAYS KEEP YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION CURRENT.
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🚫 WHAT BEHAVIOR IS EXPECTED FROM PARTICIPANTS?
We want every child to feel safe and welcome.
Participants will be expected to demonstrate age-appropriate:
Respect • Sportsmanship • Responsibility • Cooperation • Safety • Respect for others
Bullying, threats, fighting, harassment or intentionally unsafe behavior will not be treated as acceptable program conduct.
Whenever appropriate, our first goal is to teach, redirect and help young people learn from mistakes.
Serious or repeated safety issues may require additional parent involvement or other appropriate action.
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👨👩👧 CAN PARENTS GET INVOLVED?
ABSOLUTELY.
We want parents and guardians to feel like partners in the program.
Depending on program needs, opportunities may include:
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Event assistance
• Food distribution
• Registration assistance
• Fundraising
• Transportation support when authorized
• Field-trip assistance
• Arts and crafts
• Cooking instruction
• Career presentations
• Skilled-trade demonstrations
• Community events
Applicable volunteer screening and safety requirements must be completed before serving in roles involving direct work with youth.
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🙋 CAN I VOLUNTEER IF I’M NOT A PARENT?
Yes.
Community members who believe in our mission may be able to volunteer depending on program needs and approval.
You don’t necessarily need to be an athlete or teacher.
Maybe you’re a:
Mechanic.
Chef.
Artist.
Electrician.
Carpenter.
Nurse.
Business owner.
College student.
Financial professional.
Retiree.
Coach.
Or simply someone who wants to positively contribute to the community.
Everyone has something they can teach.
All applicable screening, training and youth-safety requirements still apply.
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📅 WHEN WILL PROGRAMS BEGIN?
Our current target for the inaugural youth sports season is:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2026
The proposed six-game fall sports season runs through:
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2026
Dates, locations, program capacity and schedules are subject to final facility availability, partnerships and program approval.
Dates for middle-school, high-school and special programs will be announced as they are finalized.
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📝 HOW DO I REGISTER MY CHILD?
Registration information will be available through our website.
Parents or legal guardians should complete the appropriate registration and consent information before a child participates.
Because some programs have limited capacity, completing registration early is encouraged.
REGISTRATION DOES NOT COST ANYTHING.
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❓ I HAVE A QUESTION THAT ISN’T ANSWERED HERE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Please contact us.
We want parents to feel comfortable asking questions before enrolling their children.
CONTACT ROCKFORD YOUTH, SPORTS & MENTORING
Mr. Marko
Program Director
📞 779-513-2404
✉️ 815YOUTH@RYSMROCKFORD.ORG
📍 5970 E. State St., Unit 6
Rockford, IL 61108
PARENTS AREN’T JUST DROPPING OFF PARTICIPANTS.
YOU’RE TRUSTING US WITH YOUR CHILDREN.
WE RESPECT THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
ROCKFORD YOUTH, SPORTS AND MENTOR
SPORTS • MENTORSHIP • EDUCATION • LEADERSHIP • OPPORTUNITY