How to choose an after school program: a parent's checklist
Check three things before anything else: that the program is licensed or legally exempt, what its inspection record shows, and whether its hours and pickup match your day. Then visit. Everything below is something you can verify yourself.
1. Licensing and inspections
In Florida, look the program up in the DCF Child Care Provider Search. It shows the license, capacity and about three years of inspection history. Inspections with a violation are marked. Read what the violations were: a missing form is different from a supervision lapse.
Some programs are legally exempt. School-run programs on campus that serve only their own students, and programs serving only grade 6 and above, don’t need a state license (Fla. Admin. Code R. 65C-22.008). Sports and activity classes generally aren’t licensed as child care at all. Every care listing on this site shows which applies.
2. Staff screening and ratios
Florida requires child care personnel to pass a Level 2 background screening before they start work, and to be rescreened every five years (Florida DCF). Ask an unlicensed activity program whether its staff are screened, because it isn’t automatic.
Ask how many children each adult supervises. In Florida licensed facilities, the ratio for five-year-olds is one staff member to 25 children (DCF fact sheet). Many programs run smaller groups than the legal limit.
3. Hours, pickup and the calendar
- Does it run until you can realistically get there? Ask about late pickup fees.
- Does it pick up from your child’s school, and how? Van, walking group or school bus?
- Is it open on early-release days, teacher workdays and school holidays?
- Is there a summer camp, so you can stay in one program year round?
4. Cost, and what’s included
Ask for the weekly or monthly price, registration fees, and whether snacks, field trips or materials cost extra. Ask whether the program accepts School Readiness funding, which can pay toward care for eligible children under 13 (Florida Statutes § 1002.87). See free and low-cost options.
5. The visit
Go at around 4 PM, when the program is in full swing.
- Are the children busy and supervised, or waiting around?
- How do staff speak to the children?
- Is there a quiet place for homework and space to run around outside?
- How do they handle sign-out? Who is allowed to collect your child, and how is ID checked?
- How will they contact you about an incident?
6. After school program or babysitter?
A babysitter or nanny gives one-to-one attention at home and flexible hours, but usually costs more per hour. Florida doesn’t license or regulate babysitters, so checking references and screening is up to you. A program gives your child other children, structured activities and licensed oversight, with set hours and pickup rules. For children who need a quiet space or have complex needs, a sitter can suit better. For social children and full working days, a program usually does.
Before you sign
- Licensed, or a clear reason it’s exempt
- Inspection record read
- Staff screening confirmed
- Hours, pickup and holiday schedule fit
- Full cost in writing
- Visited at a busy time
Compare programs near you in Florida.