At Noreascon Four, we like kids. We want to make sure they enjoy the Worldcon at least as much as their parents do.
Noreascon Four is committed to having organized, professional babysitting/childcare services, a first-rate children’s program, and play-space for kids who want to do crafts and activities. We have contracted with KiddieCorp, a professional childcare company, for babysitting services.
All of these services are available to children with children's admissions or with an attending membership. Children's program and play-space are only available to children with children's admissions or with an attending membership. Children-in-tow may only participate in our childcare services if space is available on the day it is desired and purchased. Children-in-tow may not participate in children's programming or play-space.
Who Can Use Children’s Services?
Even if the program looks really, really neat, and even if you claim that the 1967 on your birth certificate is a typo and it should be 1997, you must accompany a child to get in! All children's admissions, however, must have an accompanying adult membership.
Noreascon Four children's memberships come in three classes for the purposes of Children's Services:
Children with Memberships or Admissions Purchased by July 31, 2004
Children who are full, attending members of the convention (because they really, really want to vote on the Hugo Awards) or who have purchased children’s admissions may:
- attend children’s program (depending on age),
- participate in children’s activities (depending on age), and
- use babysitting/childcare services. These kids may use up to 8 hours of babysitting/childcare at no additional charge when their membership or admission was purchased by July 31, 2004. (Additional hours with KiddieCorp may be purchased at $12 per hour per child). This hourly limitation applies only to KiddieCorp's babysitting/childcare services, and not to children's programming or the children's activities area.
Children With Memberships or Admissions Purchased After July 31, 2004
Children who join Noreascon 4 after July 31, 2004 have all of the same rights as the children above, except that they may only use up to 6 hours of KiddieCorp's Services at no additional charge. After 6 hours, the cost for additional hours with KiddieCorp is $12 per hour per child. . All childcare is on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis. .
Children-in-tow
These children pay no membership fees and must be accompanied at all times by their parents or another adult designated by their parents. On a space-available basis at the con, parents may purchase babysitting/childcare for kids-in-tow at $12 per hour per child. Check with KiddieCorp at-con to see if they have space available for your child on any particular day.
Babysitting/Childcare
We are committed to providing babysitting/childcare, but Massachusetts state law puts stringent requirements on the sorts of services that Noreascon 4 can provide. These requirements mean we must use a commercial babysitting/childcare provider. The costs of these services are high, and Noreascon Four will partially subsidize them. Advance sign-up is strongly encouraged, since all babysitting/childcare will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
We are required to contract in advance for a specified number of hours of babysitting. While we will try to adjust the contracted hours to match historical patterns of usage, we must avoid paying for unused hours. This means that it is very important for us to get signup as far in advance as possible. This also means that people who sign up in advance will get the first chance at babysitting/childcare during peak usage times.
Children-in-tow will be served on a space-available basis only. Sign-ups will be only at the convention. If you really need babysitting/daycare services during a particular time, we encourage you to consider a Children's Membership and pre-register for your needed babysitting/daycare hours.
All children who have full, attending memberships or who have a child's admission bought before July 31, 2004, may use babysitting/childcare for 8 hours at no additional charge.
Children who have a child's admissions bought on or after August 1, 2004, may use babysitting/childcare for 6 hours at no additional charge.
In both instances, additional hours will cost $12 per hour per child.
To sign up for babysitting/childcare, visit our providers, KiddieCorp.
Children's Program
Children's Programming will include panels, talks, slide shows, readings, and demonstrations. Everything will be included in the children's admission or attending membership, and a children's admission or attending membership will be required to take part.
Children's Activities Area
The Children's Activities Area includes scheduled crafts and activities for younger children, along with the Children's Programming rooms. The Children’s Activities Area will include adult supervision for activities and monitoring of children entering and exiting children’s program. This is not a babysitting/childcare area, and parental supervision is also strongly encouraged.
Details, Details
Children's admissions and full, attending memberships are available for purchase here or by sending us mail. Children's admissions are now $100 while a full convention memberships is now $200.
Specific details about these services, including information about the process of signing your children up for babysitting/daycare hours, were sent to parents in PR 6, which was mailed in early May. You can also view PR6 online.