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ACES Program Update
Guilford County Schools (GCS) offers the After-school Care Enrichment Services (ACES) program at 64 elementary schools for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The program is offered every day school is in session for students, from the end of the school day until 6 p.m., as well as on teacher workdays designated as ACES All-Days. The goal of the ACES program is to provide a quality, affordable and convenient after-school care program where children can study and play with friends in a safe, nurturing and fun environment. ACES is not currently offered at Fairview, Oak Hill and Wiley elementary schools as there is a low-cost, community-based, after-school program near the schools.
Currently, approximately 4,100 students are enrolled in ACES and there are about 300 ACES staff members. The 2008-09 ACES budget of $7.9 million is funded from fees collected from parents and agencies. The 2008-09 ACES annual fee (10-Month Calendar) is $1,560 per student. The majority of parents choose to pay the annual fee through weekly payments of $40.
Each of our ACES programs has been awarded a child care license by the North Carolina Division of Child Development. GCS chose to obtain a license for each ACES program as child care regulations provide a framework for safety and program quality. Licensure also enables parents with Department of Social Services (DSS) child care vouchers to enroll their children in ACES as vouchers can only be used at a licensed child care program. Currently, payment for 435 ACES students is made through DSS child care vouchers.
ACES supports the mission, goals and strategies outlined in the district’s Strategic Plan 2012, particularly in the areas of Improving Academic Achievement, Supportive Family & Community Involvement, Respectful & Responsive Service and Safe Schools & Character Development.
ACES 2009-10 Plan
The cost of salaries and fringe benefits, supplies and materials, and after-school snacks and ACES All-Day lunches increased for 2008-09. In addition, the global economic downturn and rising unemployment in our community resulted in fewer children participating in ACES. In order to balance 2008-09 ACES expenses and revenues, extensive funding cuts were required. This limited the ACES programs’ ability to replace and maintain supplies and materials, to add resources for the students and to provide enrichment activities. The 2009-10 ACES budget restores funding allotments and provides funds for anticipated cost increases for supplies and materials, snacks and meals, health insurance and employer’s retirement contributions.
The ACES plan for 2009-10 includes cost savings through consolidating programs with low enrollment at cluster sites and eliminating positions; increasing revenues by establishing an enrollment fee and ACES All-Day activity fee; and increasing the ACES tuition fee. In addition, some positions will be reassigned to provide regional technical assistance and training. The 2009-10 ACES plan provides access to ACES to all elementary students and positions the district to provide a quality, financially-viable ACES program which contributes to the district’s Strategic Plan 2012.
ACES fees recommended for 2009-10 are:
- Annual Enrollment Fee $15 per student
- ACES All-Day Activity Fee $8 per child per All-Day
- ACES Tuition Fee (10 Month Calendar) $1,794 per year - $46 per week
The annual tuition fee does not include the All-Day activity fee.
For weeks which have just two days, the fee will be one-half the weekly fee or $23. (Ex: Weeks prior to Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break)
The annual ACES fee for schools on an extended-year calendar will be calculated at $46 per week and $23 per two-day week.
School-Age After-School Care Rates
The School-Age After-School Care Rates chart shows current rates charged by some comparable school districts, community agencies and private day care providers. Information regarding DSS maximum reimbursement rates for school-age, after-school care is also provided.
Guilford County DSS child care maximum reimbursement rates are based on rates reported by Guilford County public and private child care providers on the department’s periodic market-rate surveys. The reimbursement rates are a good indicator of the prevailing child care fees charged in the county. The current Guilford County DSS maximum reimbursement rates for school-age, after-school care, based on a 2006 market-rate survey, range from $67.86 per week for a 1-star program, to $84.93 for a 3-star program, to $94.24 for a 5-star program. DSS reimburses programs at the maximum rate or the program's tuition fee, whichever is lower. Even though ACES programs have higher star-ratings, DSS currently reimburses GCS at $40 per week because the district's weekly fee is lower than the rate for even a 1-star after-school program.
The recommended ACES enrollment fee, All-Day activity fee and tuition fee for 2009-10 are lower than most school-age, after-school fees charged by Guilford County community providers and comparable school districts.
RECOMMENDATION: The administration recommends an annual ACES enrollment fee of $15 per child, an All-Day activity fee of $8, and an increase in the annual ACES tuition fee (10-month calendar) to $1,794 ($46 per week).
Attachment - Rate Chart
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