Office for Children
Fairfax County Department of Family Services
12011 Government Center Pkwy., Suite 920
Fairfax, VA 22035
Media contacts: 703-324-7162 or 703-324-8042
TTY: 711

Office for Children Introduces
New School-Age Child Care Options

More than 50 Fairfax County child care providers have completed the School Age Child Care Academy training offered by the Fairfax County Department of Family Services Office for Children. Academy graduates represent additional child care options for working families.

The training included 30 hours of classroom instruction in child development, health, safety, and programming related to the care and education of 5-12 year-olds.

“The graduates of our program can provide quality care in their homes not only for infants and toddlers, but also for school age children,” explains Maria-Elena Martinez, program administrator of the Office for Children’s Provider Services division.

Each child care provider who participated in the academy has already received a child care permit from the Office for Children. Earning a permit requires background checks, home health and safety visits, and certification in CPR and First Aid. The permit must be renewed each year, and requires ongoing training.

According to Fairfax County’s most recent community assessment, almost 66 percent of Fairfax County’s 5-12 year-olds live in households where all the adults in the home are in the labor force. The Office for Children’s academy helps meet these working parents’ demand for school-age child care.

Parents can find academy graduates and other child care providers with permits or licenses by performing a child care search online.

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To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-8042, TTY 711.