Learn more about After School Care

Baldwin County Public Schools offers After School Childcare at elementary and intermediate schools in the county. After School Childcare Programs serve students beginning at age 5, if the program is available. All students must attend the After School Childcare Program on the campus of their day school. Busing of students is not an option. 

All Registration and payments for the Afterschool Care Program should be made online.  Access our direct link on the BCBE website (bcbe.org); look under Departments; then After School Childcare/ Registration and Payments.  Cash is not accepted. Site Manager or designee can assist you at the site, if needed.   Payments are due one week in advance of attendance.

Students may participate in the After School Childcare Program on a full-time basis. Non-Refundable Registration fee is $20.00; $35 weekly rate. Fees are charged based on Registration and are not influenced by attendance. The discounted rate for Baldwin County Public School Employees is $25.00 per week per child. 

The program operates from 3:00-5:30 p.m. (or 3 – 5:45 p.m. at select sites) and follows the school calendar. Parents must complete online registration, pay the $20 non-refundable registration fee, and the first week fee - no fewer than two (2) days prior to the first day of attendance in the program.  Payments not made by Sunday at midnight are subject to late fee. 

Questions may be directed to the After School Childcare Department, 251-580-0678

To download a copy of the 2023-24 BCBE School Calendar click here. 

Q. What are the procedures for checking a student in late to school, or checking a student out early?

A. Parents or guardians must check their child out through the front office of the school. No child will be allowed to leave campus without the express consent of their parent or guardian. Early checkouts are discouraged; however, in the case of a medical necessity, it is requested that a doctor's note is submitted to the office the next day.

Baldwin County Schools' cafeterias participate in the USDA Child Nutrition Program. Nutritious meals are provided to students daily at nominal cost. Each student is assigned an account number to use in the cafeteria and encouraged to memorize this number. Parents may pay send their child to school with cash or check to pay for meals. We suggest that parents consider paying for meals in advance by either writing a check for the week or month or by submitting a payment online. This provides an additional measure of safety for your child by alleviating the need to bring money to school for daily lunch. Checks can be made payable to the school.

To pay online, you may use My School Bucks. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Child Nutrition Program office at 251-970-4402.

Children may also bring a lunch from home to eat during their designated lunch time. Food is not allowed in the classrooms. There are no board policies that limit what parents can pack for their child’s lunch, however, some schools may have special policies in place because of severe food allergies.  Wholesome, healthy lunch items will keep your child fueled and ready to learn for the afternoon until they arrive home.

If your child has a special dietary need, please contact your school nurse to complete a Diet Prescription Form.

For lunch prices, please click here

Q. How can I get timely and regular communication from my child's school and the school system? 

A. Please make sure your contact information is accurate when you register your child and that it is updated should any e-mail addresses or phone numbers change throughout the year. We have a Rapid Communication System that is regularly used to keep parents updated and to alert parents of any urgent matter. 

Also, we highly encourage you to download our smart phone application – find it here: GET THE APP Once you download the app, follow your child's school with the setting inside the app.

SOCIAL MEDIA: In addition to the BCBE Website, please join our school system Facebook page: @BCBEAlabama, Instagram page: @baldwincountypublicschools, Twitter: @BaldwinSchools and LinkedIn @Baldwin County Public Schools

Learn more about BCBE District Supported Curriculum Materials 

Q. What about the dress code? How strictly is it enforced?

A. Baldwin County students are required to wear approved uniforms to school daily. Please check your school's student handbook for guidance. For complete guidelines, see the Uniform Policy in the Student Handbook..

What are the requirements for excused absences? (BOE policy 985) 

Do you want your student tested for our Gifted Program?

Q. How can I check my child's grades online?

A. All Baldwin County schools use PowerSchool for recording grades and attendance. Click here to access the portal. At the beginning of the school year, you will be provided with a user id and password for each of your children who are enrolled in school. You may then access online grades by going to the website for your child's school, clicking on the online grades icon in the upper left panel, and entering the user id and password. You will be able to view your child's grades for each course, along with attendance and discipline records.

Please protect this confidential information. Should you misplace it, you must request it in person from the school registrar. No passwords will be provided over the phone.

Q. Who should I contact if I have a problem?

A. If you feel that your child is having difficulty in any particular class, please contact the teacher to schedule an appointment. If the problem is occurring outside the bounds of a particular classroom, e.g., on the bus or in the cafeteria, please contact the principal. 

Q: My child requires a special medical procedure to attend school. Is there a nurse at my child's school? If not, where can I find assistance?

A: The school system has a Registered School Nurse and/or a Licensed Practical Nurse assigned to each school. If your child requires a special medical procedure, the child’s physician will need to provide medical orders for your child’s care. Please contact the Supervisor of Health Services or your assigned school nurse before the planned date of enrollment. This will allow the nurse adequate time to plan for your child's arrival and ensure a smooth transition to your new school. The Health Services Supervisor can be reached at 251-239-4327. The school’s office personnel will provide you the contact information for your child’s assigned school nurse.

Q: My child receives medication daily. Will there be someone at school to safely assist with his or her medication?

A: Your child will receive medication from a licensed nurse or a trained medication assistant. The school nurses are required to follow the Alabama Board of Nursing and the State Department of Education standards and guidelines in order to administer medications in the schools. All medication assistants receive a maximum of 12 hours medication training before permission is granted to assist with medication administration.  A Prescriber/Parent Authorization Form must be signed before a child may receive prescription medication. The Prescriber/ Parent Authorization form is on the Health Services Section of this website. For more info., please review the Health Services section of the website, especially the section titled: Medication at School.

Q. What are the immunization requirements?

The OneVoice program is a program that we have in place at ALL of our schools. Students can use it AND parents can use it. You can use it via text or the web to anonymously report acts of bullying, aggression, violence, drugs, or other abusive or illegal concerns. If using the program by text you must use your school’s code, so be sure to look that up. If using the website, you can easily select the school to which you want the complaint to go. 

Once submitted, the complaint goes to all of my administrators at that school who have been instructed to take the proper actions. It also provides a system of accountability for us to track and make sure we are engaging these issues in a timely and effective manner. To learn more go to: www.bcbe.org/onevoice 

Q. How important is it to attend Open House events?

A. Education is a collaborative effort between schools, parents, and the community at large. Open House events provide an opportunity for your child's teachers to share with you information specific to their grade level or course. Your presence is extremely important; you will learn exactly what is expected of your child in each setting and be shown ways you can help them achieve success.

Q. What do you offer for Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten students?

Note: On May 10, 2016, Governor Robert Bentley signed into law Alabama Act #2016-297. Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the Act requires local education agencies to allow a child who is six years of age on or before December 31 to enroll in first grade. This extends the timeframe from the current date of on or before September 1 for first grade only. It does NOT extend the timeframe for enrollment in kindergarten.

Act #2016-297 amends the Alabama Code (1975), §16-28-4, minimum age for admission to first grade - a child who is 6 years of age on or before September 1 or the date on which school begins in the enrolling school system shall be entitled to admission to the public elementary schools at the opening of such schools for that school year or as soon as practical thereafter. 

Parents learn more about these resources to assist the educational growth of your student

Student holidays, reporting periods and more for the school year. 

Q. How can I find out what school supplies are necessary?

A. Required materials vary from school to school and from grade level to grade level. Many schools have supply lists posted on their websites. You may also find lists conveniently placed in the school supply aisles at stores such as Wal-mart and Target. Supply lists are also available in each school's office.

Q. How can I be certain which school my child should attend?

A. Click on the School Zone Locator, read the disclaimer, press "enter" and then type in your address to see the schools that serve your address. The web-based school locator page is provided as a fast-reference service. It is very important that you contact the schools it lists to ensure that the information is indeed correct.

Q. Do you allow a student to attend a school out of zone?

A. In order to adequately project school facility needs in our rapidly growing county, currently the Board of Education only allows a zone variance – the ability to attend a school outside of one's own zone – in the case of extreme hardship, which is usually mostly medical in nature. Zone variances are not granted for the sake of convenience. If you believe you are eligible for a zone variance due to extreme hardship, please contact the principal of the school you wish your child to attend first.

If the principal agrees that the student meets the requirements for eligibility for a zone variance, the parent must complete a Zone Variance Request Form provided by the school they are requesting to attend and attach a statement as to the necessity of the zone variance.

Q: What if your child received special education services at their previous school?

A.  The Baldwin County Board of Education will continue to provide special education services to students who transfer into the district with an active Individualized Education Plan (IEP). To help make this transition as smooth as possible, it is important to provide a copy of your child's most recent IEP and evaluation at registration, if the information is available.   If the IEP is available, it will be implemented as written (including services comparable to those in the IEP from the previous school).  Additional records, if needed, will be requested from the previous school.  A special education teacher will contact the parent/guardian to schedule a meeting to review these services and determine if further evaluations are needed to meet the Alabama Administrative Code (AAC) criteria.

Review the BCBE Student Handbook

Q. What about fees? How do I pay them?

A. Fees are set by your local school. Please contact your local school or check the school's registration information for details. Check your school's web site. School fees can be paid at the school office or online: https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home You can find the school fee payment link also under "resources" at bcbe.org. 

Q. What about summers and holidays? What programs are available for my child?

A. Summer activity opportunities abound for students across the county. Our school facilities are used for athletic clinics, conditioning exercise classes, and summer music and art instruction; you can find dates for these activities on this website or on the local school's website. Academic programs such as Camp Invention are also hosted by our schools.  Summer Programs are offered by the Afterschool Childcare Program at select locations within each feeder pattern.
Summer Program information and list of locations can be found on the BCBE website at this link: https://www.bcbe.org/Page/24807 .

Summer Program registration is in April.  Summer Registration fee is $50.00 per child. Summer programs run for six weeks, Monday through Thursday in June and July. Questions contact the Afterschool Childcare Department at 251-580-0678.

The YMCA of South Alabama often makes summer activities readily available. There are two branches of the YMCA in Baldwin County. The Bounds Family YMCA is located in Daphne at 8051 Whispering Pines Road. They may be reached at 251.626.0888. The Snook Family YMCA is located in Foley at 2560 South Pine Street. They may be reached at 251.970.3003.

Every school works closely with its surrounding community to help ensure that children continue to grow and learn during their summer vacation and holiday breaks. City libraries sponsor summer reading programs and computer classes, while city recreation departments provide swimming, tennis, softball, soccer, and basketball activities. Competitive city leagues also offer students the opportunity to compete throughout the school year in a wide variety of sporting events. 

If you are a parent and need assistance with the computer programs that are used by BCBE students in the classroom click this link for additional assistance. 

Q. Is bus service available in my neighborhood? What do I need to do to allow my child to ride the bus?

A. The Transportation Department for Baldwin County Schools oversees the daily operation of more than 280 bus routes. About half of our students ride the bus. Baldwin buses travel more than 16,000 miles each day. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama has rated our bus transportation program as the most efficiently run in Alabama. Our Transportation program also regularly garners awards for safety. All Baldwin County students are provided transportation to and from school daily, regardless of their proximity to their local school.

There is one person at each school responsible for managing student transportation. Maps of each bus route are available to assist in determining which bus will be designated to transport your child. Please contact your school prior to the beginning of the school year if you have additional questions.

Q. What if I choose to take my child to school myself?

A. Please contact your local school prior to the beginning of school to determine where you may safely drop off and pick up your child. Each school has very specific traffic flow patterns for the safety of all of our students. You will also learn what time students may enter the building and when they will be deemed tardy to school.