Before and After School Program

Medford Before/After School Office

Address: 489 Winthrop Street

Phone: 781-393-2211

Email
before-afterschool@medford.k12.ma.us

Social Media
@AfterMedford (facebook, twitter)

Medford Before/After School Lottery Request for 2024-2025 is Now Closed

Families of elementary-age students, to enter into the LOTTERY for next year's Before and After School programs, please fill out this Google Form. This form will be open from April 1 - April 13 and then CLOSE. The Lottery will run on April 14 and families will be notified within the next few days after that.

Google Form: Medford Before/After School Lottery Request for 2024-25

For questions, email before-afterschool@medford.k12.ma.us

Overview

Medford After School offers safe, strengths-based programs where students grow socially, emotionally, and physically through play-based learning and recreation. We are part of the Medford Public Schools.

Medford Before/After School offers before and after school care at all four MPS elementary schools.

2023-24: We are fully enrolled with a waitlist. See the tabs below for program information. Email us at before-afterschool@medford.k12.ma.us your child's name, school, and grade to inquire about availability and be added to the waitlist.

New Family Registration is an application by Lottery. Sign ups for the Lottery begin April 1 for the following year and are open until April 13; the Lottery will run on April 14. Once spots are filled, students will be placed on a Waitlist to be entered into a "Pool" - please see below for more information.

Before School Program

MPS Before School Programs

About

Medford Public Schools is pleased to offer Before School programming for students in grades K-5 at the four elementary schools: Brooks, McGlynn, Missituk (formerly the Columbus) and Roberts. The program runs from 7:30 AM until the start of the school day and breakfast is included.

The tuition-based program offers child care for families who need to start their day a little earlier. As part of the program, students have the choice to "get the sillies out" through physical play and interactive games in the gym or, for the groggier of the groups, "continue their wake up" with puzzles, small art projects, and quiet games. At 8:15, students go to the cafeteria for breakfast and to meet up with their class for the day. The Medford Before School program is staffed by teachers and paraprofessionals who work in the building and see the students throughout the day.

Registration is by Lottery.

Tuition for 2024-2025

$198.00 per month for 5 days a week
$119.00 per month for 3 days a week

Tuition can be paid online through the FACTS system.

After School Program

MPS After School Programs

About

Medford Public Schools is pleased to offer After School programming for students in grades K-5 at the four elementary schools: Brooks, McGlynn, Missituk (formerly the Columbus), and Roberts. The program runs from dismissal until 6:00PM and snack is included.

The After School programs follow the Medford Public Schools calendar and are therefore closed for snow days, holidays, school vacation weeks and summer. Registration is done by Lottery.

Tuition for 2024-2025

$518.00 per month for 5 days a week
$311.00 per month for 3 days a week
$208.00 per month for 2 days a week

Tuition can be paid online through the FACTS system.

After School (K - 5)

After School programming for students in grades K-5 at the four elementary schools: Brooks, McGlynn, Missituk (formerly the Columbus), and Roberts. Registration is for specific days of the week and students may only attend on the day[s] enrolled.

Hours and Days of Operation

School dismissal until 6PM There are 3 Early Closure days in the year when the program closes at 4PM: the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving break, the day before the Winter break, and the last day of school.

A Sample Day at After School

2:35 Check-In/Free Play
3:10 Snack provided through the Dept of Education food program
3:30 Activity Period 1 (Includes Homework Time)
4:30 Activity Period 2
5:30 Wind Down and Clean Up
6:00 Program Closes

Programming

Activities include arts and crafts, sports, science, drama, music, dance, cooperative games, literacy, community service, indoor and outdoor free play, and more!

Registration

All registration takes place online. In February/March, currently enrolled families re-enroll for next year, followed by those on our wait list. Each group will receive detailed information via email. New family registration begins in April after a Lottery.

If demand exceeds capacity for any site or grade, a Lottery will determine placement and begin a waitlist for students not enrolled.

We fill spots by the day. If you request all 5 days of the week, but only 3 are available, you will be offered the chance to enroll for those 3 and added to the waitlist for the remaining 2. We can share your approximate position on the waitlist, but as space only opens when another family reduces their schedule or withdraws, we cannot predict when a space may open. Our waitlist remains open and active throughout the school year.

The deadline by which you must commit to your schedule for the fall is May 20.

Homework Time

Students in grades 1 – 5 may have a designated Homework Time. We will ensure the space stays quiet, clarify homework directions, prompt to stay on task, help make connections between classroom lessons and assignments, and communicate with teachers and families. At the beginning of the year, we ask that families sign a Homework Contract.

Handbook

Please see the Medford After School Family Handbook 2023-24 for a full description of the After School Program.

Lottery, Waitlist, Enrollment Procedures

All of the Medford Before and After School programs have enrollment limits based on the space available in the building. The programs are typically full and maintain a “waitpool.” Depending on the school your child attends, it may take a year or more for a spot to open up. You only need to apply for the waitpool once.

Lottery

Starting on April 1, families are invited to enter a Lottery for available spots for the following school year
If you are moving to Medford, you must register for school before applying for the Lottery.
The Lottery entry will close on the13th of April, and the total number of students signed up will be entered into Random.org sequence generator.
The numbers will then be assigned to the names and ordered based on the sequence.
Once all of the seats are filled, families are notified by email of their enrollment or waitpool status. The waitpool status is only ‘in the waitpool’ - it is not a reflection of the number assigned during the Lottery.
Families will have five days to respond to their selection during the Lottery and the sequencing created during this process will be held until that five days is up should some families decide not to take the spots offered

Wait list

If your student is currently enrolled in Medford Public Schools, you may apply to be added to the waitpool at any time. Please contact the Before/AfterSchool office at before-afterschool@medford.k12.ma.us.
If you are moving to Medford, you must register for school before being placed on the Before or After School waitpool.
If your student will be starting school in the fall, you will have the opportunity to enter their name in the Lottery starting on April 1 of the prior school year. The Lottery will run in April and will determine whether your child gets an open spot, or put in the waitpool. Please note, any students in the waitpool who did not get a spot in a given year, will remain in the waitpool for the following year.

When a spot becomes available:

The waitpool will be divided up by GRADE GROUP. When a spot becomes available in a particular grade group, the students in that waitpool will be assigned numbers (like the Lottery) and run through Random.org to be sequenced.
If your child is at the top of the sequence, you will receive an email to let you know there is an opening.
You will typically have 5 days to decide if you still need the spot.
If you decline the spot, you will be removed from the waitpool.
We may offer you a limited spot if that is all that is available (such as Mondays and Wednesdays). If you require a five-day schedule you may decline the spot and still remain in the waitpool, but we will offer the limited spot to someone else.

Enrollment:

Once your child is enrolled in the program, the spot is guaranteed through 5th grade if you choose to stay enrolled. (*This spot is NOT guaranteed if you change schools within the district. **This spot is NOT guaranteed if the student is asked to leave the program per Handbook.) The Re-Registration period is in March.
Siblings of currently enrolled students are guaranteed a spot for the same schedule when they enter the school system, as long as they sign up during the Re-Registration period.
Open spots for the next school year are filled first by students who are currently enrolled in the program. Incoming siblings are then placed at their schools and any remaining spots are filled from the waitpool or the annual Lottery.

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In This Section

Before and After School Program

Medford Before/After School Office

Medford Before/After School Lottery Request for 2024-2025 is Now Closed

Overview

Before School Program

MPS Before School Programs

About

Tuition for 2024-2025

After School Program

MPS After School Programs

About

Tuition for 2024-2025

After School (K - 5)

Hours and Days of Operation

A Sample Day at After School

Programming

Registration

Homework Time

Handbook

Lottery, Waitlist, Enrollment Procedures

Lottery

Wait list

Enrollment:

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance