DPS Before and After School Care Programs

About

Community Education provides before and after school care at all elementary sites in Durham Public Schools. All school age care sites meet the certification standards of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. In addition, our sites qualify for the Department of Social Services day care assistance program.

Programs operate on all full 180 school days listed in the school calendar, but they do not operate on full-day teacher workdays or holidays. All elementary schools operate on PLC days, when students district-wide are dismissed from school two hours early.

Star-Rated License

In 1999, the Division of Child Development (DCD) began issuing star-rated licenses to all eligible child care centers and family child care homes. Facilities can receive one to five stars. A rating of one star means that a child care program meets North Carolina’s minimum licensing standards for child care. Programs that choose to voluntarily meet higher standards can apply for a two- to five-star license. The star rating initially comprised a facility’s scores in three quality components:

• Staff Education
• Program Standards
• Compliance History

DPS Community Education Program has worked to fulfill all requirements of the North Carolina Rated License System. Programs that earn more than three stars show that the program has voluntarily chosen to provide higher levels of quality. In 2011, 25 schools earned five stars, the highest possible rating. The rest of the DPS schools received the second highest rating of four stars.

To learn more about the North Carolina Rated License System, please visit http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/parents/pr_sn2_ov_sr.asp.