Free after-school care coming for all San Diego students
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San Diego will have free after-school care for every student who wants it next school year.
Why it matters: That's a big relief for parents who often pay hundreds of dollars for after-school care and struggle to secure spots for their children.
Driving the news: San Diego Unified successfully lobbied the state to provide universal access for its after-school and summer programs, Tobie Pace, the senior director of Extended Learning Opportunities, told Axios.
- "So that means families can have up to 9 hours a day of tuition-free child care at our 144 elementary and middle schools," she said.
Zoom in: Every enrolled student (or pre-enrolled for kids who haven't started Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten yet) can sign up for free for the program, known as Primetime.
- Primetime is run through the school district using state funds.
- Sign-ups start April 20 at 8am and close May 1 at 3pm.
- It's not first-come, first-served, so there's no reason to rush to sign up right at 8am, Pace stressed.
How it works: On April 17 from 7am-8am, parents will receive an email and text with a unique enrollment application link for each eligible student.
- For parents of kids entering the district for the first time, it's important to make sure they're enrolled in PowerSchool, the district's online portal, before April 17 to get that link, Pace said.
Caveat: The spaces will depend on Primetime being able to hire enough staff, but Pace said the district is committed to making room for every kid who wants a spot.
- The school district contracts with seven providers, including the YMCA and SAY San Diego, to run the Primetime programs, and Pace said they've already been ramping up this year to hire more staff and serve more kids.
Yes, but: The district isn't offering universal before-school care. For that, parents will have to enter a lottery.
Inside the classroom: Primetime programs have structured outside activities like sports and games, homework help and other educational activities.
- They also give every kid a free snack.
Catch up quick: Right now, there are multiple kinds of after-school programs at different San Diego schools.
- All 144 elementary and middle schools offer Primetime, but in the past may not have had enough space for every kid.
- Some schools also offer what's called licensed care, which parents pay for and are run on the school site by an outside provider.
- And outside providers might run Primetime at some schools and licensed care at other schools.
It can all be a tad confusing, but Pace said increasing Primetime access will make this simpler for families.