2023-2024 School Age Child Care

Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks offers a state-licensed child care program that provides a safe and supportive environment.

Our licensed child care programs are designed to address the social & recreational needs of the age groups that we care for at each location. In a typical school year, activities in elementary school programs include: PM Snack, Homework/Literacy Time, Outdoor Play, Staff-directed Crafts, Self-Directed Crafts, Organized Games, Activity Stations (a rotation of “free play” stations that give your child the opportunity to explore different materials and learn through play with their peers, such as: Engineering, Science & Math, Housekeeping, Music, Movement, etc.), Community Service Projects, and Special Events.

The most current COVID-19 restrictions in place for Child Care at the time of opening will be followed. At the time of this publication (06/01/23), that includes: following the guidance of the Health Department to alert the program as necessary in the case of an outbreak (3 or more children/staff members meet the symptom/exposure criteria).

There is a minimum & a maximum registration for each center, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be aware that space/capacity may be limited due to available space in the facility and/or worker shortages. Once additional staff/space can be added, then additional children will be added from the wait list.


Please be aware that there is a minimum & a maximum registration for each center, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Families currently being served in our programs/wait lists have the option to continue their current space and/or request a space in another session first. Then, Wait List registration will open to the General Public. If/when more staff can be hired at your preferred location, additional children will be added from the wait list. Registration for 2023-2024 School Year is now open!
 
Registration may be completed by:

  1. Creating an Account. The primary account must be completed by an adult over the age of 18. An email address is required to create an account online. 
     
  2. To register for a space, open your account and select the following:
  • Center Name: {Select School your child attends},
  • Session Name: 2023-2024 School Year AM and/or 2023-2024 School Year PM.
  • Make sure to register for both AM AND PM if you would like to register for a space in before and after care.
  1. We will officially offer registration spaces in order of the wait list for any and all available spaces. If additional staff members can be hired and/or additional space can be added at a particular location, we will continually notify and bring more children into care through the year. 
  2. It is crucial that you watch your email over the spring/summer months to be notified of registration updates.

Once you have been notified that your child has received a space in one of our programs:

  • The next step is to review the Required Forms for Admission flier. These forms are mandated as required by the Maryland State Department of Education’s Office of Child Care.
     
  • If your child is NEW to our licensed child care program, your child must have these forms completed and on file at the site on their first day. Please be aware that the Health Inventory requires a physician’s signature. Open the Forms and Publications page to download the required forms.
     
  • If your child is RETURNING to our licensed child care program from care with us within the past two school years, parents will be asked to provide a new Emergency Form & update the file as needed on their first day.

For additional information, please contact the Child Care Administrative Office at 410-222-7856, ext. 0, or via email at sacc@aacounty.org.


  • As the 2023-2024 School Year registration process takes place, parents will see that the registration system does not contain any fees. Please be aware that the Child Care budget for the coming school year will be re-evaluated by July 1, 2023.
     
  • During the month of July, the final fees for the 2023-2024 School Year will be communicated to registered families via the email address you have on file with us, and loaded into our system. Parents will be unable to make any payments on next school year’s sessions until that occurs. Your first payment for the new school year will NOT be due until August 10, 2023. We will alert families via their email address on file in July when the system is open to make payments. Please be aware that if we do not receive your payment by August 10 th , your child will be withdrawn from their sessions and the next child on the wait list will be offered the space.
     
  • The monthly fees for our school year programs are established on an annual basis and are determined by program costs and the school hours as noted at www.aacps.org
     
  • The annual expense is then divided into ten equal monthly payments. There is no reduction in fees for months with a relatively few number of school days, just as there is no increase in fees for months with a greater number of days.
     
  • Click here if you would like to see the 2023-2024 School Year Locations & Fee Schedule. This page will be updated over the summer months.

  • We have exciting news regarding our AM school-age child care programs located in multiple elementary schools and one middle school in Anne Arundel County… The AM program will now operate from 6:30am until the start of the school day starting with the 2023-2024 school year! This is an additional half hour earlier than has been typical for our AM programs. We appreciate the partnership of AACPS to allow us access to the school buildings earlier in order to better meet the needs of working families with the new school hours. There is not an AM snack offered by our staff; therefore, your family is welcome to drop your child off with a snack or breakfast from home, or they may participate in the breakfast provided by the school at the start of their school day.
     
  • The PM program will operate from the end of the school day until 6:00pm every day that school is open for students. During the 2023-2024 school year, a PM snack is included in your monthly fee. If there are changes to this offering, parents will be notified in their July 2023 Fees Letter.
     
  • Children must be at least 5 years old by the first day of school, and entering Kindergarten through 5th grade for the 2023-2024 School Year to be eligible to attend the elementary school programs.
     
  • Please see our South County Rec Pre-K page for care for Pre-K children 3-5 years old. South County Rec Pre-K 
     
  • Children must be toilet trained. Your child must be able to be self-directed and self-sufficient in the restroom and able to care for their own hygiene needs.
     
  • Every child must have the State mandated Required Forms for Admission for Child Care completed and on file at the site on their first day. Visit the Child Care Required Forms for Admission page for a listing of all the required forms and general information about the forms.