Top 5 affordable childcare, after-school options in Raleigh & Durham
With the recent decision by Durham Public Schools to use a lottery system to fill slots for its popular after-school care program, many parents are concerned about childcare after-school option in Durham.
The issue of finding affordable after-school care is a problem many parents across North Carolina face. Here is a list of after-school care options for Raleigh, Durham and the surrounding areas.
After-school options in Raleigh, Durham area
YMCA of the Triangle
The YMCA has after-school programs for children in grades kindergarten through eighth in Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston and Lee counties. After-school is held from school dismissal until 6 p.m. Early release days are included.
Many of the after-school programs are held at area schools. The programs include homework time in a quiet environment, active indoor and outdoor games and activities and a weekly STEM project. Programs are led by a team of high school and college-age students who are supervised by full-time YMCA directors.
To register for before and after school programs, parents must sign up their child by Monday at 11:59 p.m. in order for their child to attend programs during that week. (If you register on a Tuesday, the first day your child is allowed to attend YMCA School Programs is the following week.)
See a list of YMCA after-school programs
Durham Parks and Recreation
The Durham Parks and Recreation after-school program runs from July 17, 2023, to June 6, 2024, for Year-round students and from Aug. 28, 2023, to June 6, 2024, for traditional students. Students must be between the ages of 5 and 12.
The programs are held from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following locations:
- Edison Johnson Recreation Center (Traditional Only)
- I.R. Holmes, Sr. Recreation Center at Campus Hills (Traditional Only)
- Walltown Recreation Center (Traditional Only)
- W.I. Patterson Recreation Center (Traditional and Year-Round)
The department uses a sliding fee scale to reduce the amount paid for School-Age Care programs. The scale ranges from 10-100% and is based on income, number of members per household, and special circumstances affecting the applicant’s ability to pay. Applications are available online, at the administration office, or any recreation center.
Get more information about the DPR after-school program
City of Raleigh Community After School Program (CAPs)
This recreation-based program is for children in kindergarten through 6th grade and features recreational games, arts, crafts and various special activities. It is offered at nine local community centers across the city:
- Carolina Pines, 2305 Lake Wheeler Road 27603
- Green Road, 4201 Green Rd 27604
- John Chavis Memorial Park, 505 MLK Jr. Blvd 27601
- Hill Street, 2307 Hill St. 27604
- Method, 514 Method Rd 27607
- Roberts Park, 1300 E. Martin St 27610
- Sanderford Road, 2623 Sanderford Rd. 27610
- Sgt. Courtney Johnson, 1801 Proctor St. 27610
- Worthdale, 1001 Cooper Rd. 27610
The program is available Monday through Friday afternoons and follows Wake County School System’s traditional school calendar. There is no program on teacher workdays, holidays, or when schools close early due to inclement weather.
The program is free.
Get information about enrolling your child in CAPS.
Boys & Girls Clubs
Boys & Girls Clubs offer after-school and summer programs for children ages 6 to 18 years old. Programs focus on education, the arts, leadership, workforce readiness, sports and health.
The Boys & Girls Clubs have seven clubs in Wake County. A summer day camp is open in Nash County during the Wake County Public School’s traditional summer calendar.
The Boys & Girls Clubs in Durham and Orange Counties have three locations in Durham and Chapel Hill. After-school programs are offered at those locations and registration is open. The member fee is $10. The program offers after-school busing for students from Parkwood Elementary, Lowes Grove Middle, Research Triangle Academy Elementary & Middle, Hope Valley Elementary, Triangle Day School, Hillside & Hillside NewTech High School to the Boys & Girls Club. It is $100 per child to sign up for bus transportation.
Wake Harvest
This program focuses on social-emotional development and is one of the few programs that accept teenagers as well. . Most camps and after-school programs stop accepting children at age 12. The program, which is located in the St. Paul's Christian Church campus on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, offers before and after-school care to schools within a 3 to 5-mile radius. Before school care is $68 a week and after-school is $125 per week. Daily rates are $35 for before or after-school care and $45 per day for both..
