Every program has a grade level associated with it. As long as your child is going INTO that grade, they are eligible for that specific program. Before Care, After Care, and Lunch are for all ages.

When we begin registration on March 1st, your child is required to be attending Belding Elementary School in the 2024-2025 school year. We will open up registration to other Chicago Public School students on March 15th.

All of our teachers are either Belding teachers, CPS teachers, or experts in the field of the topic area. Our staff consists of program leaders who are Belding employees and Program Aides who are education majors in college. All employees have passed all necessary background checks.

We are hoping to receive funding from CPS to pay for the programs. The results will be made available in April. 

If we receive a lower amount than expected, you will be invoiced the difference in your child's registration. 

The $50, non-refundable registration fee is not refundable. All other programs are eligible for a 50% refund up to one week prior to the start of the program. After that, there are no more refunds.

Please contact us with any medical or special needs.

Yes, please contact us with any medical needs.

We take attendance before every program, including Before Care, After Care and Lunch. If your child is absent, we ask you to contact us to let us know about the absence. If you have not called and your child is not in attendance, we will be calling you to make sure your child is safe.

If your child is attending Before Care, they will be checked in at the door by a Program Aide.

If the first program is at 9am, your child should be dropped off after 8:45am and will go straight to their classroom for attendance.

If the first program is Lunch, they will be checked in at the cafeteria. Your child should be dropped off between 12:00pm-12:10pm.

If the first program is at 1pm, you child should be dropped off between 12:45pm-1:00pm and will go straight to their classroom for attendance.

Check out and pick up happens immediately after your child’s last program of the day. You should pick up your child like you do after school. If your child is in After Care, you will be required to check your child out with the Program Aide.

*If your child is coming to or leaving Belding on their own, we will need a signed note from the parent.

You are required to pick up your child within 10 minutes of the posted end time of their last program. Although we don’t like doing this, we will charge $10 for every five-minute increment you are late for pick up.

We will provide all supplies for each program, lunches at lunch, and even snacks in Before Care and After Care. We recommend your child bring a water bottle and a backpack to bring their work home.

Sorry, no discounts!

We do not offer scholarships or financial assistance, but are hoping to get CPS funding for our programs.

You can register up to the start date of the program, as long as there are seats still available.

Yes, we will have a waitlist for all our programs. If a seat becomes open, we will contact the person on top of the list to fill the seat.

It is summer, so dress weather appropriate! If your child is registered for Lunch, there will be recess time after lunch, so make sure they have appropriate shoes if they like running around!

Please contact us or send a note with your child if someone else is picking them up.

If you child signs up for Before Care, there will be a breakfast option available. Any child who registers for Lunch will have a lunch option available or they can bring their own lunch.

Just like Belding policy, only students going into 5th grade and up are able to walk or ride their bike. We will require a form that is signed by the parent for each student with permission to do this. Please email support@junioracademe.com to get the form before the start of the program.

Although highly unlikely, there is always a possibility the website can crash. If that happens, we will close registration for everyone and make an announcement on the Belding Facebook page with an update. We also ask you to email support@junioracademe.com with your child's name and list of programs you are trying to register.

Registration for Belding Elementary students will begin on March 1st. Any Chicago Public Schools student will be able to register beginning on March 15th at 9am. 

Unfortunately, we are not able to accept any children who are not part of the Chicago Public Schools system.

Kickoff to Kindergarten is a special program offered at Belding for kids who will be Belding kindergarteners in 2024. This program lasts all six weeks and you only have to register once. The attendance rules for this program are a little different since it is one registration for all six sessions. If your child has to miss a day, a week, or even two, we still encourage you to register and participate (just let us know when they will be gone).

If your child is coming to a 9am program and a 1pm program in the same week, they are required to be a part of the Lunch/Recess option and it will automatically appear in your cart. We do this to make sure your child is safe and accounted for while they are at Belding. They will be supervised by Junior AcadeME staff and can bring their own lunch or eat the lunch option. 

If your child is only coming to a 9am program or only a 1pm program, feel free to utilize the Lunch/Recess option as part of your child's schedule.

The simple answer is no. If you have paid the registration fee for your child, you will not have to pay for it for any subsequent registrations for that child.

If you are registering more than one child, each child is required to have a registration fee attached to their account.