Champions Opens Fall Enrollment: Back to School Starts Now

Before- and after-school program provider notes earlier than ever enrollment spike

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spring break is underway, summer is still off in the distance, yet families are already searching for before- and after-school care in the fall for the 2023-2024 school year. Amid this high demand, Champions — a member of the KinderCare Learning Companies’ family of brands serving more than 194,000 children in 40 states — announced their before- and after-school program schedule for the upcoming school year. Throughout the school year, Champions operates more than 800 before- and after-school programs in partnership with elementary and middle schools around the country.

“This year, families are enrolling their children in our school year programs at nearly twice the rate of last year—and we’ve only just opened fall enrollment,” said Dan Figurski, President, KinderCare for Employers and Champions. “We know from our Parent Confidence Report that 50 percent of parents find piecing together enough child care coverage is a significant source of stress. That’s why we run in-school before- and after-school nationwide, so families don’t have to worry about where their children are or what they’re doing outside of the typical school day.”

Families of school-age children know that wraparound programs – those that provide child care before or after the typical school day– can fill up quickly. A 2022 EdWeek Research Center report found that at the start of the summer, almost half of program providers already had a waitlist of students for fall programs. According to the Afterschool Alliance, 24.7 million children would be enrolled in an after-school program if one were available to them.

Champions programs are designed to allow children to choose from a variety of activities in the following interest areas.

• Creative arts
• Library
• Math and construction
• Puzzles and games
• Science

All Champions programs also include homework help, daily fitness activities and healthy snacks.

During the summer many of Champions' programs host Champ Camp, providing students ages 5-12 with out of classroom learning organized around activities designed to help children use their natural creativity and curiosity to learn and develop important social skills, such as independence and resilience.

Families can go online to enroll their children in a Champions before- and after-school program in their area. Families can sign up their school-age children for Champions summer Champ Camp here.

About KinderCare Learning Companies^®

A leading provider early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today’s dynamic work environment:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare^® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old and with Crème de la Crème®, which offers a premium early education model using a variety of themed classrooms;
• For work, wherever employees work, offering customized employer-supported child care benefits at more locations than any other provider, and
• In local schools, with Champions^® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare programs meet the highest standards, validated by independent, third-party evaluation including:

• Gallup, measuring workforce engagement,
• National Association for the Education of Young Children, ensuring individual early learning center quality,
• Cognia, accreditation for before- and after-school programs
• BRIGANCE^® and TerraNova^® assessments of children’s academic progress and achievement, and
• WELL Health-Safety Rating™, validating health and safety practices in our facilities.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites. In 2023, KinderCare earned its seventh Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award – one of only four organizations worldwide to achieve this milestone for six consecutive years. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.