Lottery FAQs

All children registered during Phase 3 will participate in a lottery to determine order of enrollment.  Children will be enrolled based on their lottery number until the program reaches capacity.

 Why are lotteries conducted?

Lotteries are conducted for schools where Extended Day registration exceeds program capacity.

How is program capacity determined?

The capacity for each school has been established based on the Virginia Department of Education child care standards regarding space availability and staffing.The standards include requirements specific to space availability (square footage per child) and staffing ratios (based on the age of the children).

How does the lottery determine enrollment?

Extended Day registration is conducted in phases.

Phase 1 registration is for students returning to Extended Day from the prior school year.  All children registered during Phase 1 will be enrolled in Extended Day if the family meets the registration eligibility requirements.

Phase 2 registration is for students who were registered for the after school session for the previous school year and placed on the program Waitlist as of October 1, and remain on the waitlist for the after school session as of May 1.

• Families who register during Phase 2, will be enrolled in the order of their waitlist placement for 2022-2023 school year, until capacity is reached.
• Once capacity is reached registrants will be placed on the 2023-2024 waitlist in the same order as their waitlist placement for for 2022-2023 school year

Phase 3 registration is open to all students not registered during Phase 1 and 2.

• After the Phase 3 registration window has closed, all eligible Phase 3 registrants will be included in a lottery and students will be enrolled, in order of their lottery number, until capacity is reached.  Remaining students will be placed on a waitlist.

When will the lotteries be conducted?

A few days following the conclusion of the Phase 3, after the registration information has been reviewed for eligibility and completeness, all Phase 3 registrants will be included in a lottery at schools where registration exceeds capacity.

When will families be notified of their enrollment status?

Families will be notified of their child’s enrollment status about a week after the conclusion of their phase.

How can I make sure my child is in the lottery?

Any child registered during Phase 3 will have his/her name entered in the lottery.  Families must have a $0 balance for their Extended Day family account.  The annual registration fee must be paid as well by the deadline posted on the Registration Page.

How are siblings considered for a lottery?

If siblings attend the same school, the family will have one entry in that school’s lottery. If a family’s number is selected before the program reaches capacity, all the children in that family will be enrolled.  If a family’s number is selected after the program has reached capacity, the children will be placed on the waitlist. Families registering children for different schools will have lottery numbers at each school.

What can I do if my child is placed on an Extended Day wait list?

Do not wait to develop contingency plans.  Other local childcare programs may be available to ensure coverage.  If your children are selected in the Extended Day lottery, you can choose to withdraw them from the other program.   If children who attend other local programs are accepted into Extended Day in the middle of a month, Extended Day will hold your spot until the following month, upon request.

Will Summer Extended Day have a lottery?

No. There will not be a lottery for summer school Extended Day as there is sufficient space for all children at the summer school programs.