Warren County School Board Moves Forward with RFP for After-School Care Providers

Warren County Public Schools will seek outside providers interested in offering before and after-school care at three elementary schools that currently lack on-site programs.

At its June 3, 2026, meeting, the Warren County School Board voted to authorize the superintendent to develop and issue a request for proposals, or RFP, for after-school care services within the division. The proposal was presented by Dr. Charles Costner.

Costner said Warren County Public Schools currently has two outside organizations offering after-school care in school buildings. Warren County School-Age Care, or WCSAC, operates at Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School, while the Salvation Army Red Shield program operates at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School. That leaves A.S. Rhodes, Leslie Fox Keyser, and Ressie Jeffries elementary schools without after-school care programs in their buildings.

“So, in hearing from some parents and receiving phone calls from parents wanting to know if there’s any after-school care, we decided to look into this,” Costner said.

The school division surveyed parents at the three schools without on-site after-school care. According to the meeting materials, 102 parents responded. Of those, 79.4% said they would be interested in their child attending an after-school program, and 54.3% said they were interested in a program offered five days a week.

The proposed program would serve students at Leslie Fox Keyser, A.S. Rhodes, and Ressie Jeffries elementary schools. Costner said the RFP would be used to determine whether a qualified company or organization is interested in providing the service.

The program would operate at no cost to Warren County Public Schools. According to the meeting summary, the goal of a before and/or after-school program would be to provide a supervised environment for elementary school-aged children that promotes self-esteem, independence, and responsibility through safe, engaging, educational, physical, and social activities.

Board members raised several questions before the vote, including how the program could affect other groups that use school facilities. Costner said it could affect groups that rent elementary school space, including parks and recreation programs and outside organizations, and that schedules would have to be adjusted.

Board member Sara Jones said she supports exploring after-school care options, but she wants the division to make sure any program would be affordable for families.

“My biggest concern is just cost overall for the parents,” Jones said. “I know that there’s a need for child care in our community, but whether or not they can afford to pay for five days a week after-school care is another thing.”

Jones asked that pricing be part of the information gathered through the RFP process. She also suggested the division survey families again once estimated costs are available.

“I would just ask, as we’re getting these bids for this, that we’re able to get some ballpark price ranges and do another survey,” Jones said. “Finance and cost are a great need in our community, and so I want to make sure that if we’re going to bring it in here, it’s affordable.”

Costner said that information would be shared with the board if an organization is available to provide the service.

Board member Tom McFadden asked whether parents would be responsible for the additional after-school care.

“So, the parents would pay for the added—” McFadden said, before Costner clarified that parents would pay the outside provider directly.

Costner said the money would go to the provider, not Warren County Public Schools. He compared the arrangement to the current programs, in which parent fees are handled by outside organizations. He said WCSAC charges a fee for students to attend, while the Red Shield program has an initial fee but no ongoing costs for parents through that organization.

The board also discussed whether local daycare providers could submit proposals. Costner said that, if the board allowed the superintendent to issue the RFP, any qualified provider could apply.

Board chair Kristen Pence said the need for after-school care is clear, especially for families who are already waiting for available childcare spots and for students who do not currently have an on-site option.

“There’s a huge need,” Pence said. “There are a lot of people that are waiting in line, and then there are also, when you’re thinking about the Ressie community, those kids don’t have aftercare at all right now that allows them to then stay in the safety of the building versus walking home where maybe no one’s there.”

Pence said she hoped the division would find a workable solution.

“Hopefully, we can make this work for our parents and our students,” Pence said.

The motion authorized the superintendent to develop and issue an RFP seeking qualified providers capable of delivering safe, supervised, and developmentally appropriate after-school programming that meets the needs of students and families. The School Board approved the motion without opposition.