Rite at School outlines after-school program for Dare County Schools, billing $160 every two weeks

Rite at School representatives presented plans for after-school programs for Dare County Schools in a virtual meeting led by Andrew Cohen, the company’s regional vice president of operations. Cohen said April Thomas will serve as interim regional manager for Dare County and described staff roles, safety procedures, daily schedules and registration steps.

Cohen told families that site-based program managers and many current ASAP site managers intend to join Rite at School, and that the provider aims to hire locally—cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, college students and retired teachers—to avoid waitlists. He said the organization will also name a local area manager supported by regional staff and HR to maintain staffing levels.

On safety and oversight, Cohen said Rite at School is licensed by the state of North Carolina and will follow state background-check requirements, conduct multi-step interviews, provide pre-start and ongoing training, align emergency drills with school procedures, and use incident reports and behavior plans for individual needs.

Cohen walked families through a typical after-school day that includes a brief group meeting, snack, short physical activities, a five-minute language micro‑lesson, homework support when needed, longer outdoor play and play-based thematic units such as an “ancient civilizations” project and a two-week variety-show unit. He said the program will operate at all elementary-school locations in the district.

On cost and registration, Cohen said the displayed pricing is billed biweekly: "you would be charged $160 every two weeks," and he noted families must provide a credit card to register but are not billed immediately; the first billing is scheduled for August. He also described discount paths for district employees, military families and siblings, and said financial-assistance options and reduced-price eligibility can be entered during registration.

Cohen explained that Rite at School is transferring a license from the incumbent ASAP program; as a result, families who use state childcare subsidy will remain in the provider’s queue and their registrations will be held until the licensing transfer is finalized. "If you are on subsidy, you will stay in our queue," he said, and staff will follow up with families as the process completes.

In the Q&A, a parent asked whether children would be required to complete homework; Cohen said homework is encouraged but not forced. He reiterated that the program emphasizes hands-on learning and "disguised learning," and an attendee said their grandchildren enjoy the activities. Parents also asked about billing for single-day school closures, grouping by age, early-release days and whether pre-K would be allowed; Cohen said single-day closures may still be billed under two-week cycles, early-release care is provided at no extra charge for registered children, and pre-K will not be offered in the coming school year but might be added in a future year.

Cohen provided customer-support contact information and said recordings and follow-up Q&A will be shared with families. He closed by repeating the provider’s goal that ASAP staff who want to join will do so and by promising ongoing communications as families complete registration.

What happens next: families can register through the provider’s portal by selecting North Carolina and Dare County and choosing a school; Rite at School said it will contact families on subsidy as the license transfer is completed and will post follow-up information before the school year begins.