Champions to lease Dickinson Avenue Elementary for new after-school program

The Northport-East Northport board of education approved at their June 10 meeting a one-year agreement allowing Champions, a KinderCare partner, to lease space at Dickinson Avenue Elementary School for a new after-school care program beginning in the 2025–2026 school year.

While Champions is preparing to be operational for the start of the school year in September, final approval from New York State is still pending.

The program will operate from 2:20 to 6pm on school days, with bus transportation provided from all four elementary schools in the district. It will serve as an alternative option to the existing SCOPE after-school program, helping to accommodate families currently on the SCOPE waitlist.

Superintendent Dr. Dave Moyer said the district had long explored how to expand after-school care but faced logistical and operational hurdles. “Since I arrived, I’ve heard many times from many people that they would like to see us try to find ways to help them out with after-school child care,” Moyer said. “I do think in general that our community will appreciate this. I think that in some cases they sounded desperate for help. I don't know that this will solve the problem, but I think it's something that may help many of our families.” 

Moyer credited staff members, including Assistant Superintendent Robert Howard and former Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Dana Boshnack, for working closely with Champions to bring the option to families.

Champions, which operates nationally and has over 25 years of experience in before- and after-school care, will privately manage the program. The expected weekly rate is $85 for three to five days of care and $55 for one to two days. Discounts for military families and siblings, along with a registration fee, will apply. A parent interest survey was sent out by the district in late June to gauge community demand.

The resolution approved by the board on June 10 is a license agreement to allow Champions to privately use Dickinson for their after-school program, explained Howard. The one-year lease includes an option for annual renewal, he said. 

In addition to hosting the new Champions afterschool program, Dickinson Avenue Elementary School will continue to house the district’s Transportation Department and Community Services offices. Previously, Western Suffolk BOCES had leased a portion of Dickinson but opted not to renew, choosing instead to consolidate its programs at the larger, recently closed Forest Avenue Elementary School in West Babylon.

Howard noted that the district retains the right to shift the location of Champions’ program within the building in the future if another tenant expresses interest in the space.

“While the lease agreement with Champions has not yet been finalized, the district is optimistic it will be finalized and fully executed in August,” school officials told the Journal. “At that time, the lease will become a public document, and all associated rates will be publicly available.”

To listen to this discussion during the June 10 board of education meeting, use this link and begin at 34:00.