Before and After School Programs Cost

How Much Do Before and After School Programs Cost?

Public Schools: $100-$500+ a month

For-Profit Centers: $150-$600+ a month

Private Schools: $300-$800+ a month

Sometimes called Extended Day programs, before and after school care fills the gaps between standard school classroom hours and most parents' work schedules.

Typical costs:

Some public schools offer before and after school care for their students, with typical fees of $100-$500 or more a month ($1,000-$5,000 or more for the school year, September to May) depending on family income levels, location, the activities provided, the hours of operation, and whether the student participates in the program only before school, only after school or both.
These programs may be operated by the school district or contracted out to a non-profit group like a YMCA or boys and girls club. For example, Southern Saratoga YMCA Childcare[1] operates programs in Shenendehowa District cafeterias, charging $109-$174 a month for a morning program (7:30-9 am) five days a week, and $239-$328 monthly for after-school care (until 6pm).
At for-profit preschools, nurseries and child care centers, before and after school care can cost $150-$600 or more a month ($1,500-$6,000 a school year), depending on location, activities provided, staff-student ratio and hours of operation. For example, Sunshine Kids Club Camp[2] in Sykesville, MD costs $190 monthly for before care only, $231 for after care only and $360 for both; transportation is provided by local school buses, which pick up and drop off students in front of the club.
Many private schools offer extended day programs for their students, typically for $300-$800 or more a month ($3,000-$8,000 a school year), depending on hours of operation, activities provided (recreational or academic) and the school's reputation. For example, Swain School[3] in Allentown, PA provides up to four hours of before and after school supervision at $9.25 per hour per child, or about $740-$780 a month.
Home day care or a babysitter before and after school typically costs $2-$12 or more an hour, or $125-$775 a month for about three hours a day, depending on location, total number of children cared for, and whether snacks, homework assistance or planned activities are included. The lower rates typically apply to informal group situations -- if one parent agrees to watch several of their child's classmates after school for a nominal fee or if a home day care provider is caring for a younger sibling all day, and charges a lower rate for watching the child's older siblings after school. A babysitter may charge up to $15 an hour in some locations, but that's typically for infants and younger children who need more care.

What should be included:

Some before and after school programs are simply supervised child care while others include homework/study time, sports, games, arts and crafts projects, music, movies and more.
Before school care can last 45 minutes to two-and-a-half hours and after school programs can be one to four hours, depending on the program's opening and closing times, and the school

Additional costs:

Many programs end at 6 or 6:30 pm; if a child is picked up after that time there may be an extra charge (typically a flat fee of $5-$25 or an hourly rate of $45-$60). Maria Montessori Charter School[4] in Rocklin, CA, charges $1 for every minute after 6pm.
There might be cancellation fee of $10-$25 or more if there is no advance notice that a child will not attend the program. Crown Sports Care[5] in Fruitland, MD has a $15 cancellation fee with 48 hours advanced written notice, and no refund for same-day cancellations.

Discounts:

Public school may provide free care before and after school for students from low-income or homeless families.
Sibling discounts for multiple children from the same family are typically 5%-25% or $5-$15 or more off the standard fee. For example, the Boys and Girls Club Huntington Valley[6] in California charges $68 weekly for after-school care for first- to eighth-graders and $63 for each sibling.
Before and after school care expenses may qualify for tax credits[7] up to 30% of the total cost.

Shopping for before and after school programs:

Before and after school programs are offered by schools, churches, boys and girls clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, in-home day-care operators and others. The US Department of Health and Human Services lists types of program providers[8] .
After spending the day in the classroom, some children need a quiet, small-group setting while others want active recreation and socializing. Albuquerque Public Schools lists tips for choosing a program[9] .

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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments

After school care

Amount: $100.00 per month

Posted by: Kristin Weekley in COLUMBUS, OH.	Posted: November 1st, 2019 11:11AM
School: Binns elementry	Type:

I need help picking my 2 oldest up from school and my youngest from another school down the street and watching them till I get home from work. They both get out at 330 so the little one will get picked up first then the two oldest. The schools are o lying about a half mile from each other. I get off work at 330 but I live o the west side of Columbus and work our east so it takes me about a half hour to 45 minutes to get home. So time spent watching them would be for maybe an hour each day.