School Age Care

The School Age Care program provides high-quality, supervised, before and after school programming for children ages 5 through 12 who are currently enrolled in school. We offer a variety of care schedules to meet parents’ needs, including before and/or after school care, as well as full-day care during school breaks and summer vacation.

Serving school age children ages 5 to 12

Our programs and activities are designed to enhance the school day and encourage youth to explore their interests, as well as develop their self-confidence, curiosity, creativity, social skills, self-discipline, and resiliency.

Our School Age Care program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and certified by the Department of Defense.

What We Offer

School Age Care offers a wide variety of recreational, educational, social, and cultural programs for youth to explore, many of which are affiliated with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4H. Activities and programs change weekly and are planned based on knowledge of child development and the needs and interests of the youth enrolled in our program.

Along with our programming, our facility offers a fun, safe, and educational environment designed to provide opportunities for youth to broaden their horizons, engage in sports and recreational activities, and develop interests and skills that will continue into their teens and adulthood! Youth can explore our:

  • Full Basketball Court and Gym
  • STEAM Room
  • Adventure Room
  • Library
  • Sensory Room
  • Health and Wellness Room
  • And much more!

Request Care

To apply for care, eligible families must fill out their household profile and submit a request through MilitaryChildCare.com. Requests for care may be submitted at any time, even prior to receiving hard-copy orders for a PCS.

Priority & Waiting List

Filling out a request for care does not guarantee your child a slot. Priority determination will be made for placement unless space is available and no waiting list exists. The list is reviewed daily by management.

  • Priority 1A – Child Development Program Staff
  • Priority 1B – Single/Dual Military & Military with a Full-Time Working Spouse
  • Priority 1C – Military Members with a Part-Time Working Spouse or those with a Spouse Seeking Employment
  • Priority 1D – Military Members with a Spouse Enrolled Full-Time in a Post-Secondary Institution
  • Priority 2 – Single/Dual DoD Civilians with a Full-Time Working Spouse
  • Priority 3 – Space Available

View Full Priority Breakdown

Our waiting list is divided into an active list for families who will accept a space as soon as it is available, and an inactive list for families who will not need care within the next 30 days. Once families have a date of care needed within 30 days, they will automatically move to the active waitlist.

A family may go up or down on the list due to another family of higher priority signing up for, or declining care. It is always recommended that families have backup care.

Important: Families PCSing to GFAFB must update their profile to reflect what their family status will be upon arrival in Grand Forks in order to be accurately prioritized on the waitlist. If a family’s status is incorrect when offered care, they may have care revoked due to an incorrect priority and will have to reapply.

Fees

Our fees are determined using a sliding scale based on total family income

View Our Fee Chart

Events & Programs

Give Parents a Break

Let us entertain your kids, while you take a few hours off!

Free Care

The Give Parents a Break program provides hourly childcare for eligible parents who are subject to unique stresses due to the nature of military life, including deployments, remote tours of duty, and extended working hours.

In order to receive free care, parents must have a referral on file with the Military & Family Readiness Center. Referrals may be obtained from your commander, first sergeant, base chaplain, medical group, family support center, or child & youth programs personnel.

Parent’s Day/Night Out

Parent’s Day/Night Out runs concurrently with Give Parents a Break. Care is provided at a rate of $8 per hour on a space available basis.

Sign ups for both programs are required at least 2 Wednesdays prior to the event.

2024 GPAB/PNO Schedule

Parent Advisory Board

The Child and Youth Program’s Parent Advisory Board (PAB) is open to all parents of children using the CDC, School Age Care, Family Child Care, or the Youth & Teen Center. Its purpose is to increase awareness of all CYP activities, and provides opportunities for parent involvement in events and programming.

The PAB meets quarterly and the meetings are held at one of the Child & Youth Programs facilities. For more information on upcoming PAB meetings, please contact the CDC at 701.747.3042.