Alexandria, Virginia, is the latest jurisdiction in the D.C. area to offer new child care options for families of young children who will be learning virtually this fall.
The goal is to provide kids in kindergarten through fifth grade with a safe place to go during school hours, access their online learning platforms and supervise after-school activities.
Alexandria’s programs are specifically aimed at parents who are essential workers and don’t have anywhere else to turn for child care.
Free school day and after-school programs are available exclusively for students who attend one of the city’s Title 1 elementary schools, which serve many low-income families. Those include John Adams, Ferdinand T. Day, Cora Kelly, James K. Polk, Jefferson-Houston, Patrick Henry and William Ramsay.
Space is very limited and parents interested in enrolling their children must fill out an online eligibility form. The form is also available in Spanish.
Parents of students who attend other city elementary schools can apply to take part in a separate full-day program.
It will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mount Vernon and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers. Classes will be limited to 10 children each.
The fee for that program is $460, but it drops to $228 if your child gets free or reduced pricing on school meals, $190 if you receive SNAP benefits and $114 if you’re a recipient to benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
To take part, parents must fill out a form on the City of Alexandria’s website by Sept. 4 to determine if their eligibility. Applicants will be contacted Sept. 8-9. Eligible families will be able to finish registering by Sept. 11. If there is space remaining, more families will be allowed to register.
The first day of fall classes for Alexandria City Public Schools is Sept. 8, but because of the time constraints surrounding the application process, the program won’t begin until Sept. 14.
Fairfax County in Virginia and Howard County in Maryland have also launched similar programs.
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