ACAP providing licensed school aged child care in Caribou

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - A new School Aged Child Care program will be starting in Caribou. ACAP and the Caribou Community School are partnering together to offer the service. News Source 8′s Isaac Potter has the story.

A new School Age Child Care program will be coming to Caribou this fall. The Aroostook County Action Program will be providing licensed school aged child care to the Caribou community in an expanded partnership with RSU 39. Megan Barnes, The Director of Programs for ACAP, says this program won’t solve all of the issues of the child care shortage, but will support the families looking for the services.

Megan Barnes, Director of Programs for ACAP, says “So it’s a continuity of care, children are in school during the day and then they transition over to the after school program to provide those services until those families are done work. So it is exciting for those families that do need to access those extended day services.”

The program will run Monday through Fridays after school until 5:30., There will be extended hours during school vacations. Highly trained staff will be engaging with the youth in fun educational activities as well as providing and supporting time for school homework.

Megan Barnes: “There will be nutritious snacks provided, they have access to outdoor activities as well as indoor. Caribou Community school just recently added an outdoor learning center which is an outdoor classroom that the children will have access to during the time when they are in the program. During vacations and summer, we will have a full day programming where we offer breakfast, lunch, and snack for the children.”

The start date for the program has not been determined, but Barnes hopes it will start in October.

Megan Barnes: “As of right now there is a lot of moving pieces that is happening very quickly. We are securing staff, we are advertising, letting the public know that this program is starting in the fall. So we are enrolling children and families that are showing interest and once we know exactly what we need for staffing as well as how many children and families will be enrolled, we will be able to open.”

To learn more information regarding the new school age child care program, you can check out ACAP’s website or Facebook page. Isaac Potter News Source 8.

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