Before and after daycare: Before & After School | JCPS

Before & After School Childcare

Columbia Association – Before and After School Care

Columbia Association is currently seeking candidates for teacher jobs at our school aged services facilities. If you are interested in applying, please complete the short contact form here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Program Information

Early Registration for children currently enrolled in the SAS program. 

Information will be emailed to you. If you have not received an email, please contact us at [email protected]

Open Registration: (for all children)

Online registration for new students will open at 8am on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Each location will have enough slots for the number of open mornings and after care spaces. Once these slots are filled, we will have a waitlist available. If you secure a space, you will then receive forms and a survey via email that must be completed to finalize your Space Reservation Request. The survey will help us ensure that we are holding a spot in the right program and can help us clear people off the waitlist. The paperwork and $50 per child, non-refundable, registration fee must be returned by 4pm Friday June 2 in order to complete the registration.  

Paperwork can be returned by mail anytime before 4pm Tuesday June 2nd or in person at CA Headquarters, 6310 Hillside Court, Columbia, Monday, May 22 to Friday June 2 anytime between 9am and 4pm.  

You will not have to wait until Friday June 2nd— nor will you need to line up on Monday, May 22. As long as you have a confirmation for a space reservation, completed the survey and submitted your paperwork by 4pm on Friday June 2, you have a spot. 

Unfortunately, we do not know how many spaces will open up if you are waitlisted. However, you may drop off the required registration paperwork at any time between 9am and 4pm on Monday, June 5 and Tuesday, June 6 for when/if a spot becomes available.

Access to the Online Registration: Registration is done through the Customer Service System

For current CA members: 

Access the Customer Service System using the same online credentials you use to register for classes, reservations or camps. 

If you do not already have online credentials, or if your child is not on your membership, please contact us by Friday, May 12 at [email protected] or 410-715-3164 and we will set you up with credentials — and if needed, we will add your child to your account.

If you have been a member in the past, have visited a CA facility for a class, had a birthday party for your child at a CA facility, had a child in before and after school care with us in a previous (not current) school year or attended a CA summer camp program, you should already be in the system. Please contact us by noon on Friday, May 12 at [email protected] and we can check to see if you are in the system and send you online credentials.

For those of you who DO NOT meet any of the criteria above, who are new to the Before and After School Care Program: You will need to set up a guest account.

Click here for instructions on how to create a guest account. You can do this at any time, but it should be completed by Friday, May 12.

Click here for instructions on how to register.

 Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, space-available basis until August 4, 2023. Registrations will not be accepted August 5 to August 30, 2023, and will resume on Thursday August 30, 2023.

AM Program: For elementary school students only. From 7am until the school day begins. Students attend the Before School Care program at their school. ($205 per month)

PM Program: For elementary and middle school students. From after school until 6pm. Elementary school students attend the After School Care program at their school. Middle school students can attend after school care programs at Lake Elkhorn, Dunloggin or Hammond.($290 per month) 

School’s Out: On most days that schools are scheduled to be closed we will offer a program from 7am to 6pm at an alternate location. ($55 per day)

CA’s Before & After School Care will be available at the following sites:

*At indicated schools, only: We provide before and after school care for 4-year-olds who attend the Full Day pre-K program. Children must be potty-trained to participate in these programs.

School’s Out Program

On most days when schools are scheduled to be closed, i.e. teachers’ in-service days and non-major holidays, we will provide a program at the Columbia Association Art Center located at 6100 Foreland Garth, Columbia, MD 21045. The cost is $55 per day, per child.

*These dates are subject to change.

Program Closing

There will be no programs on the following dates:

Monday, Sept. 5, 2022	Labor Day
Monday, October 24, 2022	CA Mandatory Training Day
November 24 & 25, 2022	Thanksgiving Holiday
Monday, December 26, 2022	Christmas Holiday (observed)
Monday, January 2, 2023	New Years Day (observed)
Monday, January 16, 2023	Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day
Monday, February 20, 2023	Presidents Day
Monday, April 10, 2023	Easter Monday
Monday, May 29, 2023	Memorial Day

Early Closing Program

When schools are scheduled for early closing, a program is provided for children enrolled in the after-school program at the child’s regular program site. There is no extra charge for these extra hours of care. When school is closed early due to an emergency, inclement weather, or mechanical failure, our programs will not operate. No credits or adjustments for unused time will be given.

Please note: We will not operate an aftercare program on Friday February 10, 2023.

*These dates are subject to change based on possible inclement weather makeup days.

1. Please visit the CA portal through our Member Login, and select “Classes”.

2) Change the “Site” dropdown to “School Age Service” and scroll down to find you school location.

Additional Information

Our payments are due one month in advance with billing on the 3rd and payments due by the 5th, starting in August. The payment made in August is for service from August 29 to September 30; the payment made in September is for service in the month of October, October is to pay for November, etc. Final payment for the year is in May, for service in the month of June. There is no payment due in June.

We have several options for making your monthly payment.

The following options can be used to make a payment for Before and After School Care:

• Option 1: an annual payment (Please note: There is no discount for paying annually)
• Option 2: an automatic debit from a credit card (debited on the 3rd)
• Option 3: an electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a checking account (debited on the 3rd)
• Option 4: a monthly bill which will be emailed to you.

For Option 4, payments can be made in one of the following ways:

• Directly into your School Age Services billing account. Please note that this is a separate account and login page from the CA member system. For returning families you should already have login credentials for your SAS Billing account, for new families we will be setting you up with credentials within the next week or so.
• By mail or in person:
  • Columbia Association SAS
  • 6310 Hillside Court, Suite 100
  • Columbia, Maryland 21046
  • Payments should be mailed with enough time to allow for mail delays, payment must be received by the fifth day of the month.

Credit card payment can also be made using our one time Secure Online Credit Card Payment Form

The tax identification number is 52-0823992. The Columbia Association’s School Aged Services Department does not provide a statement for taxes. A copy of your monthly bill should be kept for this purpose.

Reduced rate is available for Howard County residents only for School Age Services, as the programs are held in the public schools, whose household income is within the Columbia Association guidelines. The income-qualified application and the required documents must accompany the registration form and required fees. For information about the reduced rate program, download the income-qualified application. Purchase of Care through the Maryland Department of Social Services is also accepted.

More Informationlink opens in a new window

Any medication that may need to be administered during the before or after care program must be accompanied by a Medication Order Form that has been signed by a physician. This includes rescue inhalers and Epi-pens. Please check the forms section above to download the form.

CA adheres to all guidance provided to child care programs from The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For families, this includes:

-Parent drop off and pick up outside of the program (no parents/guardians will be permitted into the program with children for any reason). Parents and children must wear masks covering their noses and mouths during pick up and drop.

-Families will have to complete both a symptoms questionnaire and a temperature check before their child is permitted into the program each day. Temperatures of participants must be taken in the presence of CA staff and recorded. Temperature checks will be also conducted mid-day for any child participating in the full day program.

-Children and staff are required to wear masks/approved face coverings that cover their nose and mouth for the duration of the program. There will be no exceptions to this requirement.

-Children will be required to maintain the six feet of social distance for the duration of the program day.

-Handwashing will occur upon arrival, before and after snacks/meals, upon return from outside and any other time during the program that bodily fluids may be present.

–All cleaning and disinfecting will occur per the current CDC recommendations. This includes frequent cleaning of all high contact areas used by children: before the start and at the end of each program, after children use an area, including bathroom door and faucet handles, and transition to another, before and after snack, after outdoor play and anytime bodily fluids are present.

Childcare staff must monitor children for signs and symptoms of acute illness and notify a child’s parent or guardian upon observing signs or symptoms of acute illness. Staff must provide temporary isolation for the affected child in a suitably equipped separate area within sight and hearing of an adult. Staff may not admit a child to care or allow a child to remain in care when the child is exhibiting symptoms of acute illness. A child may not be readmitted to care for an absence of three days or more, due to an illness, without a written statement from their physician stating that the child is not contagious and may return to a regular schedule.

A child may be excluded from care if:

• The child’s illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in activities that the facility routinely offers for healthy children or mildly ill children.
• The child is displaying any of the signs and symptoms that require an evaluation from a health care provider as indicated by the child’s age and condition. In this situation, the parent is notified of the need for immediate emergent or urgent issues.
• The illness requires more care than the childcare staff is able to provide without compromising the needs of the other children in the group.
• The child exhibits an acute change in behavior. Examples may include lethargy, a lack of responsiveness, irritability, persistent crying, difficulty breathing, or a quickly spreading rash.
• The child has a fever at or above 100.4 degrees F, taken orally or a temporal scan.
• The child has diarrhea. The child will not be readmitted to care until diarrhea-free for 24 hours.
• The child is vomiting. The child will not be readmitted to care until vomiting has ceased for 24 hours.
• The child has impetigo/scabies. The child will not be readmitted until treatment has started, as verified by a healthcare professional.
• The child has Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.
• Symptoms indicating a probable case of COVID-19:

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Sick children and staff will be required to stay home. Sick staff will be sent home immediately and sick children are required to be picked up by a parent or emergency contact within 30 minutes.

• Communicate to parents the importance of keeping children home when they are sick.
• Communicate to staff the importance of being vigilant for symptoms and staying in touch with facility management if or when they start to feel sick.
• Establish procedures to ensure children and staff who come to the childcare center sick or become sick while at your facility are sent home as soon as possible.
• Keep sick children and staff separate from well children and staff until they can be sent home.
• Sick staff members should not return to work until they have met the criteria to discontinue home isolation. Physicians notes will be required for children to return to care and staff to return to work.
• Have a plan if someone is or becomes sick.
• Plan to have an isolation room or area (such as a cot in a corner of the classroom) that can be used to isolate a sick child.
• Be ready to follow CDC guidance on how to disinfect your building or facility if someone is sick.
• If a sick child has been isolated in your facility, clean and disinfect surfaces in your isolation room or area after the sick child has gone home.
• If COVID-19 is confirmed in a child or staff member:
  • CA will contact the Howard County Health Dept. for guidance on next steps.
  • Close off areas used by the person who is sick.
  • Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the areas.
  • Wait up to 24 hours or as long as possible before you clean or disinfect to allow respiratory droplets to settle before cleaning and disinfecting.
  • Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as offices, bathrooms, and common areas.
  • If more than 7 days have passed since the person who is sick visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. Continue routine cleaning and disinfection.

Should it be necessary to contact a parent regarding illness or injury, it is the parent’s responsibility to arrange to pick up the child within 30 minutes of notification.

Is it possible to leave a child in kindergarten for the summer after graduation

Graduation of kindergarten preparatory groups usually take place at the end of May. Many children at this moment say goodbye to the garden informally: they go to rest, get ready for school, and so on. But what about working parents who have no one to leave their future first-grader with in the summer? Explains kindergarten teacher Natalya Chernova.

Question . In kindergarten they say that after graduation on May 31, children cannot be brought. How to stay in a group for the summer, until September 1?

Reply . The law states that kindergartens work with pupils “until the termination of educational relations” – this is the date that is written in your contract with the organization. If you don’t have a contract in your hands (or you forgot where it is), ask the kindergarten for a copy, it should be kept in the child’s personal file.

Most often, the documents indicate the expiration date of the contract on May 31 of the current year. In this case, go to the head of the kindergarten and ask to extend the contract.

As a rule, kindergartens work in the summer on duty. For example, in one of the kindergartens that are part of the educational complex, groups are formed from all the children who have remained on vacation in the city. Such groups, as a rule, also accept future first-graders – that is, children who have graduated from the preparatory group this year.

You can find out in what mode your kindergarten works in the summer and on what conditions duty groups are formed, from local acts, they must be published on the website of the educational organization.

You can be denied admission (in the presence of summer groups) only for reasons prescribed in local acts. For example, if in the summer the kindergarten is completely closed for repairs. In this case, contact the department (department) of education at your place of residence to get a place for the summer in another kindergarten.

If you see that you are denied a place for no reason, talk to the teacher and the head. In a particularly conflict situation, make a written appeal. Remember that a written question must always have a written answer. Indicate in the appeal what right the kindergarten violated, add a request to explain and correct the situation, register it with the secretary.

If the issue is not resolved, go to the Department or Directorate of Education, Ministry of Education. If you immediately contact the department, they will make a request to the kindergarten for you and ask for an explanation from the head.

As practice shows, managers rarely bring the situation to conflicts. Most issues are resolved at the kindergarten level. The main thing is to talk to employees calmly, correctly, with restraint in order to hear each other and find a solution to the problem.

Do you have a question that you want to get an answer from a specialist, and not a random search engine? Ask it in the form below, and we will find an expert who will answer you. It’s anonymous – feel free to ask about anything.

The material was prepared by Mel’s trainee Dana Babanova. Photo: JasminkaM / Shutterstock / Fotodom

I won’t go to kindergarten! 7 Signs Your Child Doesn’t Like Kindergarten

Of course, all children go through a period of adaptation to kindergarten. But it seems that in your case, the adaptation was delayed, and the kid categorically refuses to get used to the kindergarten regime. How to understand what he doesn’t like there at all – and it’s time to take action?

The child is crying.

In the morning he starts crying even before you leave the house, he cries in the garden and doesn’t want to let you go. When you come for him, you find him crying again, and the teacher reports that the baby was upset during the day. Tears in the first two or three weeks of attending kindergarten are normal, and a good teacher will definitely find a way to calm the baby and involve him in general games and activities (of course, without threats or intimidation). If more than a month has passed, and every trip to kindergarten means frustration and crying, it’s worth looking for the reason: maybe the baby is very attached to his mother and is not ready to stay in kindergarten all day, or is he bored here, or is the teacher too strict?

The child has forgotten how to do what he used to know how to do.

For example, he categorically refuses to eat on his own, with a spoon or fork, although he did it quite successfully yesterday. He informs you that he is still small and offers to spoon-feed him – after all, kids do not need to go to kindergarten! Or, for example, a child suddenly forgot how to dress, gets tangled in trousers and sleeves, cannot put on socks himself. Toilet slips or thumb sucking may occur. Of course, he does not scoff and does not do it on purpose, it’s just that in a state of stress, regression really occurs. Try not to pay attention to such behavior, do not scold or shame for it.

The child is fighting.

In the kindergarten, the teacher complains that the kid is aggressive – bullies other children, takes away their toys, cannot play calmly – conflicts immediately begin. Yes, and at home you noticed changes: he can swing at you or your grandmother, often gets angry, shouts. Young children have little experience yet, and it is difficult for them to understand their emotions, so aggression and fights are just an accessible way to express their frustration, anger and powerlessness.

He refuses to tell what happened in the kindergarten.

You ask what was interesting, he answers in monosyllables. Was the lunch delicious? Who did you play with? What were the lessons? It seems that the child does not want to discuss the events of the day with you at all, it even seems that he does not talk about the kindergarten, because he wants to forget about it as soon as possible. Most likely, something interesting still happened, but he is so busy with his experiences that he simply does not have time to notice it.

He didn’t make any friends.

The child has been going to the kindergarten for about two months, but it seems that he has not got company there. At least when you ask him who he likes to play with, he can mutter “no one” or “everyone”, but does not name any specific names. When you pick him up from a walk, you may notice that he really plays away from other children, and in the morning his classmates do not come running to greet him.

The child began to get sick often.

Of course, autumn. the risk of colds increases, but it seems that the baby has something with immunity: he often catches a cold, he constantly has a runny nose, then a cough. At home, he complains of pain in his stomach, head, leg, while looking pale and tired. You often have to leave him at home – it seems that this is exactly what he is striving for? Most likely, he does not pretend, but the truth is easy to catch a cold, this is normal for the adaptation period, children “exchange” viruses and bacteria. But the stress from new circumstances also plays an important role.

The child began to sleep worse.

You try to stick to the routine, put him to bed at the same time, but this does not help: the baby has started to fall asleep worse, asks to sit with him longer before going to bed, and gets up in the morning with great difficulty. He may complain about bad or “strange” dreams, come to your bed in the middle of the night. Perhaps he is afraid of shadows or “monsters” – this is how unconscious anxiety is expressed.

What to do?

Sometimes it will be enough to ask the caregiver to pay more attention to the child. For example, involve him in the preparation of classes – lay out materials for creativity, pour water for drawing classes. Involving the baby in common games, trying to interest him is also the task of the educator: he can offer a group of children some kind of joint game, but make sure that your child is also involved in it and does not stand aside. If the teacher notices that the baby is sad, he will also offer him some kind of activity, a game, or, say, draw a picture for his mother.

Ask the caregiver to observe how the child behaves during the day, what activities he likes, and at what times he is especially upset. Maybe you should go back to a shortened day in kindergarten, or, for example, bring your child during a walk so that he can immediately join the game.