Welcome to Wonder,
Charles County Public Schools Families

2024-2025 School Year Registration is Open!

Enroll Now

2024/2025 Weekly Rates

Before and After School
1 day per week $46.00
2 days per week $56.00
3 days per week $74.00
4 days per week $85.00
5 days per week $88.00

Before or After School
1 day per week $35.00
2 days per week $41.00
3 days per week $54.00
4 days per week $62.00
5 days per week $62.00

Other Options
Full Day $37.00 per day
Flexible Scheduling $38.00 per visit

Annual Registration Fee
$75.00 per family

Discounts
Sibling 10%
Charles Fire/EMS Employee 30%

Additional Information

Hours
6:00 a.m. to Start of School
Dismissal to 6:00 p.m.

Locations
Barnhart, Berry, Billingsley, Dr. Brown, Craik, Diggs, Early Learning Center La Plata, Early Learning Center of Waldorf, Eva Turner, Higdon, Mt. Hope, Indian Head, Jenifer, Malcolm, TC Martin, Matula, Middleton, Mitchell, Dr. Mudd, Mary B. Neal, JC Parks, JP Ryon, Wade Elementary School and Port Tobacco Child Care Center

Subsidy Program

Child Care Subsidy Programs assist families in paying for after school programs like ours. If you are eligible, the Subsidy Program can pay some or all of your tuition fees. Click HERE for more information about subsidies in your state. For assistance, contact subsidy@alphabest.org.

Our Programs

Our programs are designed to give you peace of mind when your child is not in school. Experienced, caring, and licensed staff ensures your child is safe, engaged, and happy! Every student participates in enrichment activities every day, at no additional charge! Coding, Robotics, Art, Drama, Spanish, Mandarin, Sign Language, Fitness & Sports, and Engineering/Maker Activities keep your child engaged and having fun every day at AlphaBEST! Snacks, homework help, recreation, and student-choice clubs are also provided to every student.

Meet Your Area Managers

Shawnta Jones
sjones@alphabest.org
240.210.5149

Hello, my name is Shawnta Jones. It has been a pleasure working with AlphaBEST Education for over 15 years and I can truly say I am looking forward to the future of this company. I graduated from Kaplan University in 2014 with an Associates' Degree in Early Childhood Development. Working as an advocate for children has always been my passion. I am honored to say I am a loving wife, a mother of three, and a grandmother of two gorgeous grandsons who are all responsible for some of my proudest moments in life.

My schools: Barnhart, Berry, Billingsley, Brown, Diggs, ELC @ CSM, JC Parks, Jenifer, Mt. Hope, Neal, Port Tobacco, TC Martin, Wade

Erica Mahoney
emahoney@alphabest.org
301.448.2674

Hello, my name is Erica Mahoney. I have been working with AlphaBEST since 2006. My experiences included Senior staff teacher and assistant center director. I have over twenty years of child care experience. I am a mother of three and also a grandmother. I enjoy reading and shopping however nothing compares to the quality time spent with my wonderful family. I believe that all children need a strong learning foundation.

My schools: Craik, Dr. Higdon, Eva Turner, Gale Bailey, Indian Head, JP Ryon, Malcolm, Matula, Middleton, Mitchell, Mudd

Meet Your District Manager

Melissa Thomas
mthomas@alphabest.org

Hello, my name is Melissa Thomas. I have worked with AlphaBEST since 2005, and I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from Penn Foster College. I oversee all of our before & after-school programs and an early childcare center here in Charles County. I have been a certified Red Cross instructor in First Aid/CRP and AED for 15 years now. In 2016 I had the pleasure of working with author Bill Carter on an anti-bullying campaign, visiting many students in Charles County Schools. I am a wife and mother of three beautiful daughters and three bonus children who remind me how blessed I am every day. I believe that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Frequently Asked Questions

AlphaBEST Education has been providing before and after school programs since 2005. We currently serve approximately 30,000 students in 16 states. Family is important to us. We are a family-owned business and we take pride in the relationships we build with students, their parents, district staff, our staff, and the local communities that we become part of.
At AlphaBEST, we believe in the power of wonder, enabling and encouraging children to use their innate sense of imagination as we expand their horizons. We do far more than provide a safe, nurturing environment for children before and after school — we create rich, immersive experiences through a variety of enrichment activities including coding & robotics, digital animation, engineering, drama, arts, fitness, and more. We provide a schedule that includes homework time, snacks, outdoor play, our signature enrichment curriculum every day, and student-choice clubs to round out each day.
A daily snack is provided every day. Students are welcome to bring their own nut-free snacks from home if they prefer. All surfaces are cleaned before and after snack, and all students will wash hands prior to eating.
At AlphaBEST, we pride ourselves on our incredible staff members. Our staff will always be immediately visible for school administration, parents and students. You’ll recognize them by their AlphaBEST identification badge, and branded t-shirt. AlphaBEST follows all procedures and regulations related to a license Child Care program including all staff passing numerous fingerprinted background checks. All staff participate in an extensive training program which provides everything they need to know about operating a safe and inclusive program for our students.
The answer to this depends on your specific school district. If your district allows, we will operate camps during most national holidays. If your child’s school is closed due to weather or other unpredictable circumstances, AlphaBEST will likely not operate either.
AlphaBEST believes in creating learning environments where all children are welcome, and that includes children with special needs. Our staff receives special training to ensure that children with special needs can increase their skills and build their potential in meaningful, authentic enrichment opportunities. We will collaborate with our Inclusion Specialists, families, and school to ensure that your child has every opportunity to be successful in our program. To discuss your specific needs, please contact your Area Manager.
AlphaBEST employs a Tiered System of Supports we call Creating Connected Communities. All students actively participate in building the foundation for our after-school community where they discuss the importance of their community, the rules, and respecting and welcoming each other. When students struggle within those parameters, our staff will provide additional support to that student and will share the progress with the family. If additional supports are not successful, our staff will arrange a meeting with the family to explore additional options.
Student safety is a top priority for AlphaBEST. Our staff are trained in all emergency procedures and drills that align to each specific school and district. In addition to preparedness for responding to weather, earthquakes, fires, and intruders, staff are trained in first aid including CPR, airborne illnesses, epi-pen administration, etc. Staff clean all surfaces regularly and students wash hands periodically, before snack and at other designated times during the program.
Go to www.alphabest.org and click on "Locations" to find your location. The Enroll Now button on this page will take you to our student enrollment system.
To request a schedule change, contact the Customer Care Team at customercare@alphabest.org or call 866-300-7750 one week prior to the change date.
Weekly payments are due every Monday. Monthly payments are due the first Monday of each month.
A non-refundable registration fee is charged to secure you child(ren)'s spot in our program. Tuition is due when the program begins.
Yes! We are pleased to offer our families a variety of discounts. Discounts available for your school are shown on our website page for your school district. To apply for a discount, please go to: https://www.alphabest.org/discounts/
Scholarships and state subsidized aid are available in most regions. Please contact us for additional information.
Sorry, we do not provide refunds for absences such as illness and vacation. Your tuition holds the space in our program.
No refunds will be given for programs that are canceled because of school closures due to weather or other issues out of our control.
Tuition is based on the number of school days in the academic calendar year and does not bill for holidays and other planned school days off. The total tuition for the academic year is divided into equal weekly or monthly payments.
Our FEIN# is 20-2042559.
This can be accessed through your KT Connect app or by contacting your Customer Care specialist. When payments are made, a receipt is automatically emailed to you.