2021 Registration FAQs

When can I register for Extended Day for the 2021-2022 school year? 

Registration for the upcoming school year will be conducted in three phases, beginning May 25th.

Phase 1, from May 25th – June 8th, is for families whose children were enrolled for the Extended Day after school session for the 2020-21 school year.  Siblings of students who were enrolled last year may also be enrolled during this phase.

Students registered during this period will participate in a lottery and receive a family enrollment number:

• If Extended Day is able to operate at pre-pandemic capacities: all students registered during this period will be conditionally enrolled.
• If Extended Day must operate at reduced capacity:  students will be enrolled in order of their lottery-determined enrollment number until capacity is reached

Phase 2, from June 9th – June 23rd, is open for all students.  Students registered during this phase will participate in a lottery and be assigned a family enrollment number.  Students will be enrolled, in order of the family enrollment number, if space is available.

Phase 3, begins after 4 pm on June 23rd and is ongoing throughout the school year.  Students registered during this time will be placed on a waitlist if their school has reached capacity, in the order that their registration is received.

Why is registration conducted in phases?

In response to the parent concerns, in recent years Extended Day has offered registration “windows” to provide equal access for all families and avoid first-come, first served enrollment.  The registration window eliminates the urgency to register immediately and provides access for everyone, regardless of work schedules, computer access and other mitigating factors.In prior years, Extended Day opened registration at different times, including midnight, 8 am, and Saturday morning and enrollment was based on a first-come, first served basis.  But, each year we heard from many parents that the first-come, first served nature of registration was extremely stressful and created a disadvantage for families that do not have online access at that time.

Why do returning students get to register before other students?

A few years ago, Extended Day reviewed the registration procedures of several local school-sponsored childcare programs.  It was discovered that most programs follow what is considered to be best practice in conducting registration, including allowing returning families to register and be enrolled first.   Conducting registration in this manner:

• Removes the inequity and anxiety of the first-come, first-served method.
• Provides families consistency of their childcare arrangements from year to year.
• Allows Extended Day to enroll between 85-90-percent of the children needing care immediately.
• Allows Extended Day to more quickly identify schools where more space and/or staff is needed to accommodate additional students and begin working with the administrators earlier to resolve waitlists.

Typically, Extended Day begins the school year with waitlists at about five of its 32 programs, comprising about 200 children (County-wide) on waitlists compared to over 4,000 enrolled.  Extended Day continues to work throughout the school year to accommodate the children on the waitlists.

What happens if COVID-related protocols limit Extended Day enrollment?

Extended Day is planning to open on the first day of school (August 30th) and operate under normal conditions.  However, if program capacity decreases due to COVID-related protocols, Extended Day may have to “unenroll” students to meet limited capacity based on the lottery-determined family enrollment number (last in, first out).

Is there a registration fee?

Yes. The annual registration fee is $40 for the first child and $30 for each additional child. The fee is billed and due once the child is enrolled.

Is my child guaranteed a spot in Extended Day?

Children registered during Phase 1 of the registration process are guaranteed enrollment, unless COVID-19 protocols restrict capacity.  Children registered after Phase 1 are not guaranteed enrollment, but at most schools every child will be enrolled.   However, there may be waitlists at some schools for the after-school session, where demand exceeds capacity.  There are no wait lists for the before school session, Middle School Check-In Program, or Summer Extended Day.

Do I need to register my child every year for Extended Day?

Yes. Each child needs to register for Extended Day each year.

Is there an end date for registration?

No, registration is ongoing throughout the school year. Students will be enrolled if there is not a waiting list at the school. IMPORTANT NOTICE: For the safety and accountability of the children, the start date for children registered after August 16th may be postponed until at least September 13th to prevent supervision challenges due to last minute changes to student rosters and allow for additional staffing needs to be met.

Can I register my child for Extended Day before I register my child with Arlington Public Schools?

Yes. However, the online registration system requests your child’s Student ID number. If your child does not yet have a Student ID number, please enter your child’s first and last name where the Student ID number is requested.

How do I register my child for Extended Day?

Extended Day registration is conducted online.  Please refer to the dates above indicating the eligibility for each phase of registration. Families with children returning to Extended Day should register online during Phase 1 at https://apsfamily.schoolcareworks.com/login.jsp.  If there are siblings new to Extended Day, they will need to be added to their existing Extended Day family account. Families new to Extended Day can request a new family account using our New Family Account Request form.

What information do I need to register my child for Extended Day?

You will be asked to provide general family and medical information and two emergency contacts that are within 30 minutes of the school.

I registered on the Extended Day website, but how do I know if my registration has been received?

Extended Day will send an email to confirm each session (before and after school) for which each child is registered. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 48 hours of registering, please email extended.day@apsva.us.

The registrar at my child’s school asked me if I intend to register my child for Extended Day, am I now registered?

No, you must first request a family account.  When you receive the login credentials you can register for Extended Day your family account.

If I do not have an email address, how will I receive information regarding my registration and enrollment?

Please contact the Extended Day Central Office at 703-228-6069.

We don’t know if my child will attend our home school or an elementary option school.  For which school should I register for Extended Day?

Please submit your Extended Day registration for your home school, not the option school.  If your child’s name is selected in the option school lottery and you choose to accept the slot, please e-mail extended.day@apsva.us to have your child’s Extended Day registration transferred to the new school.  If the option school requires an Extended Day lottery your child’s name will be included in the lottery.

Can I register my child for more than one school?

No. Please only submit a registration for one school. If we receive multiple registrations for a student, only the most recent registration information will be processed.

What happens if I submit my child’s Extended Day registration in Phase 3 (after June 23rd)?

If your child’s school has not reached capacity, your child will be enrolled. If your child’s school has a waitlist, your child will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

Can I register my child for only early release days (or one-day per week)?

This attendance option is only available for employees of Arlington Public Schools.