After Care · North Barrie

The hours between school and home.

Trusted after-school care at Bright Steps Academy. We walk your child from school to our space, where they'll get homework support, gym time, snacks, and a calm end to their day. From 2:50 PM to 6:30 PM, with extended care available to 7:30 PM.

Register Your Child See if Your School's on the Route
✦
What It Is

After-school care that meets kids where they actually are.

The hours between 3 and 6 PM are the hardest part of a school day. Kids are tired, hungry, dysregulated from a long day in a busy classroom — and most after-school programs respond by piling on more loud, unstructured time. We do it differently.

Quiet first. Snack. Move. Homework. Play. Wind down.

Our After Care program is a calm, structured environment where kids decompress from the school day, get help with homework, eat a real snack, burn some energy in our gym, and go home regulated. Run by Bright Steps Academy educators with our same regulation-first philosophy — adapted for school-age kids, ages 4 through 12.

When
School pickup – 6:30 PM
Extended
Until 7:30 PM
Ages
4 – 12 years
From
$400 / month
A Typical Afternoon

The flow, hour by hour.

2:50 – 3:45

Pickup & Settle

Staff walk to local schools at dismissal. Kids arrive at BSA in small groups, hang up coats, and settle into the Quiet Zone with a chosen calming activity.

3:45 – 4:15

Snack Time

Real food, family-style. Fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, cheese, hummus — rotating menu. Allergen-aware kitchen.

4:15 – 5:00

Homework & Quiet Study

Supported homework time with adult help available. Kids without homework read, draw, or work on personal projects. Phones away, focus on.

5:00 – 5:45

Gym & Active Play

Big-energy block. Indoor gym games, obstacle courses, group challenges. The release valve after a long school day.

5:45 – 6:30

Free Choice & Wind-Down

Crafts, building projects, board games, quiet reading. Kids choose what feels right. Pickup window begins.

6:30 – 7:30

Extended Care (optional)

For families who need a later pickup. Light supper snack, quiet activities, calm wind-down. Pre-registration required.

School Pickup

We come to your school.

Our staff walks to local schools at dismissal and brings your child safely to BSA. No bus, no commute, no logistics for you.

Walking-Route Schools

— Free pickup included in your monthly fee —
  • Cundles Heights Public School
  • Frère-André Catholic Elementary
  • Monsignor Clair Catholic Elementary
  • Maple Grove Public School

Drop-Off Welcome

— Bring your child to us; same care, lower rate —
  • Terry Fox Elementary
  • Steele Street Public School
  • Oakley Park Public School
  • St. Monica's Catholic School
  • Any other school within 10 km
Your school not listed? Get in touch — if there's enough interest from your school we'll add a pickup route. We're expanding throughout the 2026/27 school year.
What's Included

Everything in one monthly fee.

🚶

School Pickup

Our staff walks to your child's school at dismissal. Bright safety vests, attendance check, safe arrival.

🥪

Nutritious Snack

Fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, cheese, hummus. Rotating menu. Allergen-aware kitchen.

📚

Homework Help

Adult support during quiet study time. Help available when needed, space to focus when wanted.

🏐

Gym & Active Play

Indoor gym access for daily group games, obstacle courses, and the energy release kids need.

🎨

Creative Projects

Crafts, building, art, board games. Free-choice blocks where kids pick what works for them.

🌿

Calm Environment

Regulation-first philosophy. Quiet Zone always open. Trained BSA educators throughout.

Pricing

Three ways to register.

Monthly committed enrollment saves you the most. Drop-in days available for busy weeks.

Drop-Off Monthly
Parents drop off; we take it from there
$400
per month
  • Care from drop-off to 6:30 PM
  • Snack, homework help, gym time
  • 5 days per week
  • Reserved seat — guaranteed space
Most Popular
Pickup Monthly
We walk to your school for you
$500
per month
  • School pickup included (walking-route schools)
  • Care from pickup to 6:30 PM
  • Snack, homework help, gym time
  • 5 days per week
  • Reserved seat — guaranteed space
Drop-In Daily
When you need it occasionally
$28
per day
  • Same program, same staff
  • 48 hours notice required
  • Drop-off only (no school pickup)
  • Subject to space availability

Extended Care available to 7:30 PM — $10/day add-on. Must be pre-booked.
Sibling discount — 10% off second child and beyond.
BSA enrolled families — 15% off any after-care plan.

Register

Reserve your child's spot.

Fill this out and we'll confirm availability within 24 hours, then send you the After Care service agreement.

Parent / Guardian

Your Child

Your Plan

Consent

We respond within 24 hours with confirmation, the service agreement, and payment instructions.

You're in — registration received.

Thanks for registering! We'll send you a confirmation email within 24 hours along with the After Care Service Agreement and payment instructions. Talk soon.

Common Questions

What parents ask first.

How does the school pickup actually work? +
A BSA staff member walks from our space to your child's school in time for dismissal. Bright safety vests, daily attendance check, written authorization at the school. Your child meets staff at the designated pickup spot the school uses for after-school programs. Staff walks the group safely back to BSA. The entire pickup process takes 20–35 minutes depending on the school.
What if my school isn't on the walking route? +
You're welcome to drop your child off at BSA directly after school — we keep the rate $100 lower per month for drop-off-only families. If there's enough interest from a particular school, we'll add it to our walking route. Let us know which school in your registration and we'll keep track of demand.
What ages do you accept? +
Ages 4 through 12 (JK through Grade 7). We group kids by developmental stage for some activities, but mix freely for others — older kids often love mentoring the younger ones, and the younger kids look up to them.
What about PA days, holidays, and snow days? +
We offer full-day PA day care for enrolled families at $40/day (8 AM – 6 PM, lunch included). Snow days follow school board cancellations — if schools are closed, we're closed for that day with no refund needed. Statutory holidays are no-fee days. Summer programming runs separately — ask us about Summer Camp.
What if my child is sick or doesn't need care that day? +
Please notify us by 11 AM if your child won't be attending. No make-up days for monthly enrolled families, but we appreciate the heads-up so staff can plan. For drop-in daily families, cancellations less than 24 hours notice are still billed.
How is this different from the school's own after-school program? +
Three big differences. First, we're not in a school gym — we're in a purpose-built space with a quiet zone, study space, gym, and craft areas. Second, we have a lower staff-to-child ratio with educators trained in regulation-first practice. Third, we pick up from multiple schools, so siblings at different schools can be in the same after-care together.
Late pickup policy? +
$1 per minute after 6:30 PM (or 7:30 PM if you've booked extended care). Three late pickups in a 30-day period triggers a conversation about whether the program is working for your family. We have to pay staff to stay; this protects them.
Can I tour the space first? +
Yes, absolutely. Tours run Tuesday and Thursday afternoons by appointment, plus our community Open House events. Email us to book a private tour.