The Extended Day Program, which includes the middle school Check-In programs, plays a critical role in the development of young people’s social, emotional and academic skills, with over 400 child care professionals working daily to meet the individual needs of each child and the expectations of every family.
Extended Day provides a safe, enriching and fun environment before and after school each day for over 4,000 children. It also operates during the summer in conjunction with the APS Summer School Program.
The care and education we provide in each of our programs is directly related to the high quality of our staff. If you are interested in working in the Extended Day Program, please check the the Arlington Public Schools employment page. Extended Day jobs are listed as ‘Classified (Support Staff)’ under Available Positions.
An integral part of the Arlington community, Extended Day supports the educational mission of APS by:
- Offering daily opportunities for children to participate in asset-building activities and experiences
- Instilling feelings of value, competence and confidence in each child
- Building positive relationships with children, families and the community
- Valuing the cultural diversity of the students
- Providing a high level of customer service to meet the needs of families
- Hiring and training qualified and experienced staff
The Arlington Public Schools Extended Day programs operate exempt from state licensure, per VA Code. However, the Extended Day programs comply with state licensing standards and are monitored by the Extended Day Central Office, which conducts at least two monitoring visits annually. There is no direct oversight by the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Services Provided
The Extended Day Program plays a critical role in the development of young people’s social and academic skills and experiences. Cognitive and social competencies are enhanced through the building of positive relationships and participation in a wide variety of activities, including games, art, drama, cooking, science, literacy, recreation and other projects and events. The major services provided include:
- Before school child care in 23 elementary schools and the Stratford Program (opens at 7 a.m.)
- After school child care in 23 elementary schools, six middle schools (Gunston, Hamm, Jefferson, Kenmore, Swanson, and Williamsburg) and the Shriver Program (closes at 6 p.m.)
- Services to meet the individual needs of children
- Daily asset-building activities and events
- Daily homework support
- Child care services for children attending summer school
- Convenient online services, including registration, payments and access to family account information
- On-going staff development