Update:  All Community Education programs including Extended Day and Preschool will remain closed for the duration of the school closure.

On Monday, March 30, Governor Ducey announced that all Arizona schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year.   

Please suspend any automatic bill-pay payments to our department that you have set up with your bank.  You do not need to turn off auto-pay in your DayCareWorks account ; auto-pay only activates during auto-billing, and billing has been suspended for the remainder of the school year.  

We are currently crediting all accounts that were paid-in-full for March for the 12 days of closure in March.  Please do not make any more tuition payments .  If you paid for March but have withdrawn your child from the program (or your child will not be attending Summer Camp and not returning next year) you can request a refund by emailing commed@lesd.k12.az.us

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Now that we know that school is cancelled for the rest of the year, what will happen with my account?

A: Your account credit will remain to be applied to registration fees, summer camp tuition, or Preschool / Extended Day tuition in August.  If your child will not be returning to one of our programs, you may request a refund form by emailing commed@lesd.k12.az.us 

For most accounts that were paid with a credit card, we can usually refund directly back to the card.  Accounts paid by bank transfer, cash or check must be refunded by mailing a check to the account holder, and this may take several weeks after we receive the refund request form. 

Q:  Is summer camp still happening?

A:  We are currently continuing with our plans to hold Summer Camp as usual at Rancho Santa Fe Elementary and Belen Soto Elementary.  Depending on the trajectory of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we will reassess in late April whether or not we will be forced to delay the start of camp. 

Q:  What if my preschool-age child will be moving up to Kindergarten next year?

A: If you have a child in Preschool who will be moving up to Kindergarten next year, you may choose to apply your account balance to Extended Day next year or request a refund.

Q: Can I get a refund for my March payment?

A: Currently we are refunding for accounts of students who have been withdrawn from the program, since account credits would not apply to closed accounts.  All current (open) accounts are receiving an account credit for the 12 days of closure in March, to be used toward future tuition.  

Q: Do I need to make a payment?  

A:  Not unless your account was not paid in full for March. There will be no new tuition payments through the duration of the closure.  You can check your current balance by logging into the parent portal of your DayCareWorks account. 

Q: Will the discounted registration fees for early registration for 2020-2021 Extended Day and 2020 Summer Camp be extended?

A: We do not anticipate canceling or delaying Summer Camp or August Extended Day, so the early discount window will remain 50% off during the month of March and 25% off during the month of April.  Those who register for Extended Day and Summer camp at the same time in March will still receive 50% off Extended Day registration and camp registration for free.   Watch for updates on our web page. 

Q: When can I turn in the Preschool registration paperwork for my child?

A: We will resume preschool registration once the closure has ended.  You will not lose your spot if you have not registered during the closure.  If you have already filled out the registration paperwork, you may drop it in the mail slot in the door of the Community Education office or mail it to: Preschool Registrar, 272 E. Sagebrush St., Litchfield Park, AZ 85340.

Welcome to Community Education Department

Where our mission is to provide safe, fun and enriching
preschool, before-school and after-school programs for children

The following programs are offered through the Community Education Department:

Extended Day

• AM/PM Program – Attending Extended Day before school and after school

• AM Program – Attending Extended Day before school ONLY

• PM Program – Attending Extended Day after school ONLY

• AM/PM Minimum Use Program – Attending Extended Day BEFORE & AFTER school only Eight (8) days in a month (you select the days you want to attend)  

• PM Minimum Use Program – Attending Extended Day AFTER school a maximum of Eight (8) days in the month (you select the days you want to attend)

• Camp-Only Program – Attending Extended Day during Early Release Days, In-Service Days and Fall/Spring Camp weeks ONLY - not attending Extended Day any other time.

• All Extended Day programs are open 6:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Preschool

We also offer robust half-day and full-day Preschool Programs that are fully licensed with certified teachers.

Please click on the links on the right to explore these two programs.

Note:   Click here for the current rates.

Dr. Ron Sterr, Director of Community Education and Wellness
phone: 623.535.6042

Kristina Blockwitz, Community Education Administrative Assistant
phone: 623.535.6042

Angela Kidder, Accounts Receivable (Payments)
phone: 623.535.6052

Sandra Williamson, Accounts Receivable (Payments)
phone: 623.535.6046

Norma Chisolm, Preschool Program Specialist (registration and enrollment)
phone: 623.535.6068