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Early Education and After School Programs

Group or Center-Based Child Care Programs serve children full or part-time in groups or classrooms. Children are usually grouped according to age:

  • Infant/Toddler: birth – 2 years 9 months old
  • Nursery Schools, Preschools, and Pre-K: 2 years 9 months old - Kindergarten
  • Early Head Start/Head Start: infants to age 5; offers comprehensive child and family development services for eligible families

School Age / After School Programs (also called Extended Day / Out of School Time) is a type of group child care program that serves children five through fourteen years old (or sixteen with disabilities). These programs are generally open before and/or after school and/or during school vacations. Some after school programs in public school buildings are run by private providers and are EEC licensed programs- if this is the case, they will appear in your search results.

Family Child Care (FCC) is care that is delivered in a provider’s home.  There are 3 types of FCC Provider: Family Child Care (FCC) which allows up to a maximum of six children; Family Child Care Plus (FCCP) which allows up to 8 children so long as at least two of the children are school aged; Large Family Child Care (LFCC) which allows for up to 10 children if the provider has an approved assistant working with them. Children may range in age from infant through school age. Some FCC providers are part of an FCC System, which may offer the provider additional support.