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The Guilford County Schools After-school Care Enrichment Services program (ACES) provides quality after-school academic, enrichment, and recreational activities for kindergarten through fifth grade students. The program is offered every day school is in session for students, from the end of the school day until 6:00 p.m., as well as on teacher workdays designated as ACES All-Days. The goal of ACES is to provide staff and working parents a quality, affordable, and convenient after-school program where their children can study and play with friends in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment. ACES supports the district’s mission by enhancing academic achievement, creating a safe and orderly environment, supporting student wellness, and building home-school connections.
We began our district-wide ACES program at the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year. Some of you will recall the extraordinary efforts made by our elementary school and central office staff to open 64 ACES programs, 51 of which were brand new, on the first day of that school year. Since that time, we have discontinued the programs at Fairview, Oak Hill, Washington, and Wiley as students at these schools can attend a nearby, community-based after-school program. Our March 2007, ACES enrollment of 4,435 has grown by more than 1,000 students from March of that first year. Our current 62 programs employ more than 300 ACES staff members. Each of the new elementary schools (Guilford, Northern, Pearce, and Reedy Fork) opening in Fall 2007 will also have an ACES program. The ACES weekly fee is currently $35.
Safety and Program Quality
Each of our ACES programs has been awarded a child care license from the North Carolina Division of Child Development (NC-DCD). We chose to obtain licenses for our ACES programs as child care regulations provide a framework for safety and program quality, and parents with Department of Social Services (DSS) child care vouchers can only use their vouchers at a licensed child care program. Because our programs are licensed by NC-DCD, each receives an annual compliance visit from NC-DCD, and each is inspected twice a year by the Guilford County Children’s Environmental Health Division of the Guilford County Public Health Department.
ACES staff are focused on improving the quality of each school’s ACES environment and activities. This school year, eight ACES programs (Claxton, Colfax, Florence, Hunter, Jamestown, Jefferson, Madison, and Murphey) were awarded NC-DCD School Age Quality Improvement Initiative Grants totaling $61,221. Through the grant, we have purchased furnishings that facilitate free choice, privacy, relaxation and comfort, and gross motor activities.
Resource materials, especially in the areas of language/reading, math/reasoning, science/nature, blocks and construction, and cultural awareness, have also been purchased. The ACES staff at each of the schools has examined every area of their ACES program with the goal of improving their service to parents and children. Each program will undergo a School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale Assessment (SACERS). The SACERS assessment is a comprehensive scale used by NC-DCD to assess how well a school-age program meets the developmental needs and interests of children from five to 12 years of age. Our goal is to use these eight ACES programs as demonstration sites where ACES staff from other schools can learn about best practices in after-school care. Additionally, we intend to have all programs undergo the SACERS assessment.
Community After-School Fees
The Guilford County DSS child care reimbursement rates are set based on rates reported by Guilford County public and private child care providers on the department’s periodic surveys. The reimbursement rates are a good indicator of the prevailing prices charged in the county. The current Guilford County DSS maximum reimbursement rate for a one-star after-school program is $67.86/week; for a three-star after-school program the rate is $84.93/week. Currently, the majority of our ACES programs have a three-star license; however, we only receive a $35 DSS reimbursement since our weekly fee is lower than the DSS reimbursement rate. Our community YMCA programs’ rate structures are very different from our weekly fee; their 2006-2007 fee for comparable hours of after-school service is approximately $44/week for members and $48/week for non-members.
Fees in Other School Districts
Fees charged by some other school districts are:
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools: $190/month, approximately $44/week, plus $35 registration fee
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: $54/week for first child, $52/week for second, $44/week for third, $25 family registration fee
- Cumberland County: $46/week for similar hours of care
- Durham Public Schools: $140 for 20 days for first child ($35/week), $115 for second, $45 for third, plus $30 registration fee per child, school days only
- Wake County Public Schools: $2.75 hourly rate, $192.50/month, approximately $44/week, plus $15 registration fee
Recommended ACES Fee for 2007-2008
The recommended fee for 2007-2008 is $40/week ($1600/year for 10 Month Calendar). Funds generated from the tuition increase will be used for anticipated increases in salaries, health insurance, and employer’s retirement contributions, and for program supplies and materials. The tuition increase will also cover the cost of full-time positions for all ACES site coordinators (directors).
ACES Site-Coordinators (Directors)
Since August 2002, we have had 132 persons – a 200% turnover rate - working in our 66 ACES site-coordinator positions (includes former positions at Fairview, Oak Hill, Washington, and Wiley). Some site coordinators who resigned were college students who accepted full-time positions in their field after graduation. Others have resigned after accepting positions with lower hourly salaries but additional hours and full-time benefits. At 19 programs, we have had three or more site coordinators during the five years we have had a district-wide program. Currently, 24 (39%) of ACES site coordinators are part-time (25 or 27.5 hours/week).
ACES site coordinators working in a NC-DCD licensed after-school environment have many administrative duties. They must assist group leaders in creating developmentally-appropriate, written lesson plans for each day. Daily attendance and snack forms, as well as daily and monthly DSS voucher forms, must be completed. Monthly fire drills and playground safety inspections must be conducted and recorded. The site coordinator must constantly ensure that safety, sanitation and quality standards are met. The site coordinator must coordinate staff development activities and maintain in-service training logs for each staff member. Enrollment applications must be maintained for all students; accident reports, emergency care plans, diet plans, authorization to administer medication, and protective custody orders must be maintained for appropriate students. Site coordinators must also monitor ACES budgets, research and prepare purchase requisitions, receive goods, review and submit invoices to accounts payable, and take appropriate actions after reviewing financial reports. ACES group leaders must be interviewed, selected, trained and evaluated. Monthly timesheets and leave requests must be checked, approved and submitted. Site coordinators also collect, record and deposit parent payments, and must be available in the afternoon to assist parents. They are also expected to serve as a group leader substitute when needed.
Providing full-time hours will provide sufficient time for all ACES site coordinators to complete their administrative duties and will strengthen the educational partnership between ACES and school-day teachers and staff. Providing additional hours and full-time benefits will help us retain our trained, experienced leaders. This will provide greater consistency for our students and parents and will help build positive relationships with our children, parents, ACES group leaders and school staff. Investing in additional work hours and benefits for site coordinators will increase the quality of our ACES programs and will help our ACES enrollment grow.
RECOMMENDATION: In order to cover anticipated increases in ACES salaries and benefits, and to have a full-time ACES site coordinator position for each program, we request the Board’s approval to increase the ACES fee from $35 to $40 per week.
Attachment - Overview
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