Full-Day Learning Program Continues in 2012-13

The will offer its full-day, paid learning program for kindergarten students in the 2012-13 school year, it announced Monday.

“The district decided to run the Children At Play (CAP) program again for the 2012-13 school year based on an overwhelmingly positive response from parents, staff, and students,” Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Scott Rocco said.

The CAP program began this year as a potential revenue source for the district. The full-day, tuition-based program is not an all-academic program and instead offers a themed, play-based portion that distinguishes it from the existing half-day kindergarten. The program cannot offer an academic advantage for students who receive a slot in the CAP program and those who attend the half-day program.

The program will cost $599 per month in 2012-13, down $10 from the $609 charged this year, according to Rocco. He called the rate comparable to other area programs.

Though this year’s program was held in , and elementary schools, the locations could shift in 2012-13 if the district draws more interest from a certain area of town.

“The schools for 2012-2013 have not yet been chosen,” Rocco said. “The schools will be chosen based on space available in the elementary schools and the location of the registered participants”

“For parents of students not in the areas of the chosen schools, they will be given the option to send their child to a CAP program at a participating elementary school,” he added. “Currently, we have two students who do not have a CAP program in their home elementary school and they are bused to another elementary school with the CAP program. There were no additional transportation costs for this year because we had buses in the area.”

Admission into the CAP program will be determined by lottery, and registration for the lottery will occur during the district’s kindergarten registration on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The CAP lottery will be held on Feb. 7.

The district is still calculating its projected revenue from this year’s program, Rocco added. The program’s anticipated running cost was $57,014 per section and included teacher salaries, estimated at $27,500, health benefits at $13,000, supplies at $1,000, paying lunch aides, a cost of $2,464 for a 50-minute period, and transportation costs, estimated at $13,050.

“The district’s expectation for the program’s initial year was to break even and not cost the district any additional funds to run the program,” he said. “Expenses for 2011-2012 are salaries, benefits, and supplies. There was also the possibility that expenses would include the cost of transportation, but because we had buses in the areas there was no additional expense. The only area that would be revised for next year would be transportation, but that will be determined once we know the location of participating students.”

The district’s break-even point for the program was eight students per section if no additional transportation was needed. About 30 students participate in the program among the three elementary schools offering it, according to the district.

After-school programs at each elementary school will be available for a discounted rate as well, according to the district. The programs run from the end of the school day to 6 p.m.