3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Arrival and snack
Charito Belmonte · Fellowship hall
After-school, grades 1 to 5
Homework first, then a project to build
A licensed after-school program in Gaithersburg: a snack, a quiet homework hour with a helper at every table, and a hands-on STEM project before pickup.
Programs
Pick the grade group and the days
Children come two, three or five afternoons a week, grouped by grade.
| Ages | Adults to children | Group size | Five afternoons3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Monday to Friday | Three afternoons3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Monday, Wednesday, Friday | Two afternoons3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1Ages 6 and 7Homework with a helper close by at every table | 1 adult to 12 children | 12 | Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Grades 2 and 3Ages 7 to 9Homework at a table, with a helper moving between tables | 1 adult to 15 children | 15 | Offered | Offered | Waitlist |
| Grades 4 and 5Ages 9 to 11Longer projects and homework on their own, with a helper to ask | 1 adult to 15 children | 15 | Offered | Waitlist | Full |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Sets up your child's file and pickup list. It is due when you register.
- Late pickup
- Applies after 6:30 p.m., when a staff member stays with your child. The terms come with registration.
- Closed-day care
- Full days when schools are closed are booked and billed separately, a few weeks ahead.
Sample programs.
The afternoon
Homework, then a build, every school day
The afternoon keeps one shape. Only the STEM project changes from day to day.
School days
Showing 20 of 20
Monday
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Homework hour
Junko Hirota · Homework tables
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
STEM: Bridges and towers
Yassin Hammoud · Project tables
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Games in the hall
Play · Charito Belmonte · Hall floor
Tuesday
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Arrival and snack
Charito Belmonte · Fellowship hall
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Homework hour
Junko Hirota · Homework tables
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
STEM: Circuits and light
Yassin Hammoud · Project tables
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Outside time
Play · Charito Belmonte · Church yard
Wednesday
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Arrival and snack
Charito Belmonte · Fellowship hall
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Homework hour
Junko Hirota · Homework tables
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
STEM: Ramps and marbles
Yassin Hammoud · Project tables
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Games in the hall
Play · Charito Belmonte · Hall floor
Thursday
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Arrival and snack
Charito Belmonte · Fellowship hall
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Homework hour
Junko Hirota · Homework tables
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
STEM: Kitchen science
Yassin Hammoud · Project tables
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Outside time
Play · Charito Belmonte · Church yard
Friday
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Arrival and snack
Charito Belmonte · Fellowship hall
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Homework hour
Junko Hirota · Homework tables
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
STEM: Build and share
Yassin Hammoud · Project tables
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Free play
Charito Belmonte · Hall floor
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
On early-dismissal days we open at dismissal and start with snack.
The hall
A fellowship hall, set up as an after-school room
We rent the fellowship hall of a neighborhood church on school days. The homework tables are set before the first child arrives, the snack table sits by the door, and the STEM supplies live on a rolling cart, so the room is a hall again when the last family has left.
Homework tables by the windows
A snack table by the side door
Hall floor for games when it rains
What we are held to
License and safety routines
License
Licensed by MSDE, Office of Child Care
School-age child care center license · MD License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 12 children
Grade 1
Group size: 12
1 adult to 15 children
Grades 2 and 3
Group size: 15
1 adult to 15 children
Grades 4 and 5
Group size: 15
Capacity
55
Ages 6 years to 11 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
- Medication training
Safety routines
Sign-in and pickup
A staff member greets each child at the hall's side door and checks them in on the sheet at the front table. At pickup a child leaves only with an adult on your authorized list, and we ask for photo identification from anyone we haven't met.
Allergies and medicine
Tell us about allergies when you visit; we ask privately once you enroll. Medicine is given only with your written instructions, by a staff member trained to give it.
STEM supplies
Projects use plain supplies: cardboard, craft sticks, batteries and bulbs, and things from the kitchen. An adult stays at every table, and projects that need glasses or gloves start with them on.
Weather and drills
We practice fire drills and a shelter-in-place drill on a schedule. When it rains, or is too hot or cold, outside time moves to the hall floor.
Outside time
Children play in the church yard only with staff outside, and staff count the group on the way out and again on the way in. A child who needs a break from the group can stay in the hall with a staff member.
Illness
A child with a fever, vomiting or a contagious rash stays home until they have been well for a full day. If a child becomes ill here, we call the first adult on your list.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
From parents
What families say about the afternoon
“The helpers at the homework tables know my daughter by name, and she tells me what she built that day before we reach the car.”
Folake A.Parent of a second grader
“Pickup is organized. They check ID, they sign my son out, and someone always walks him to the door.”
Chidi E.Parent of a fourth grader
“I like that the afternoon has the same shape every day, so my first grader always knows what comes next.”
Rosa M.Parent of a first grader
Sample reviews.
Questions parents ask
Which grades do you take?
Children in grades 1 to 5, about 6 to 11 years old. If your child is in kindergarten or grade 6, write to us and we will tell you what we can do.
How does my child get here from school?
Children arrive from nearby elementary schools on the school bus or with a parent, and staff meet them at the hall's side door. We ask privately, once you enroll, which school your child's day starts at.
What happens in the homework hour?
Children sit at tables by grade with a helper at each table. Helpers get children started, read directions with them and check in as they work, and the work stays the child's own. Whatever is not finished goes home in the backpack.
How does pickup work, and who may collect my child?
A child leaves only with an adult on your authorized list, and we ask for photo identification from anyone we haven't met. The adult signs the child out on the sheet at the front table.
How does tuition work?
It depends on the grade group and the days a week. How tuition works explains each part, and our enrollment page has the figures.
Ask about openings
Tell us your child's grade and the days you need, and we will tell you where we have room.