Project SCOPE is a before and after-school program that serves Springfield District 186 students from Kindergarten to fifth grade.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Springfield 186 Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that will raise the cost of the SCOPE after-school program. 

Project SCOPE is a before and after-school program that serves Springfield District 186 students from Kindergarten to fifth grade. 

They have increased the weekly fees by $5 to $10. Now it is $60/child for mornings, $65/child for afternoons, $125/child for mornings and afternoons and $80/child for mornings and Wednesday afternoons. In the summer, the program will cost $165/child with an activity fee of $30.

In March 2025, the Board of Education considered eliminating Project SCOPE as part of necessary budget cuts. However, after an outpouring of support from the community on behalf of SCOPE, they kept the program.

To keep the program breaking even, board member Sarah Blisset said they must increase the cost to offset expenses like salaries and benefits. 

"We're not looking to make a profit here, but we don't want to be in the red with the program either," she said.

Blisset said the need is great, with many programs at the elementary schools full, and other waitlists crowded with families who need childcare. 

"You see that not [only] with this particular program, but child care throughout the city. It's really difficult to find childcare these days for infants, toddlers, but also school age children as well," Blisset said.

The Child Care Assistance Program allows families who are low-income to use assistance to help offset the costs of SCOPE. Blisset said the Board of Education keeps SCOPE costs within the range CCAP will cover. 

District 186 released the following statement regarding the price increase:

"The SCOPE Advisory Committee recently recommended a modest fee adjustment following its annual review of program costs to ensure the program remains financially sustainable. The proposed increase reflects a $1 per day adjustment for the morning program and a $1 per day adjustment to afternoon care, with a weekly increase not to exceed $10.

The Board of Education has approved the updated SCOPE weekly rates as follows: $60 per child for morning care only, $65 per child for afternoon care only, $125 per child for both morning and afternoon care, and $80 per child for morning care with Wednesday afternoon only.

This adjustment allows SCOPE to continue providing a safe, structured program for students while maintaining fiscal responsibility."

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