Frequently Asked Questions
BCDC remains committed to providing high-quality child care while navigating continued COVID exposure risk. We are doing everything we can to keep children, staff and families as safe as possible.
Please review the DC Health/OSSE Return to Care Matrix for guidance. We will share with the BCDC community any updated guidance and additional recommendations from OSSE and the CDC related to early childhood programs(see attached)
The following monthly tuition rates are valid through August 31, 2023:
Lambs – Ages 6 weeks to 8 months – $2,741
Ducklings – Ages 9 to 15 months – $2,741
Bunnies – Ages 12 to 18 months – $2,599
Penguins – Ages 18 to 24 months – $2,599
Pandas – Ages 24 to 30 months – $2,451
Butterflies – Ages 2.5 to 3.5 years – $2,099
Rainbow Fish – Ages 3.5 to 5 years – $2,099
Yes! BCDC offers families with more than one child enrolled at the Center 10% off the oldest child’s tuition.
In order to ensure fairness, BCDC fills open spaces according to three tiers of priority:
- Currently Enrolled Children: We will first check to see if any of our currently enrolled children in younger classrooms are eligible to move up and into the new space. If the child’s parents are in agreement, we’ll move the child into the new space.
- Sibling Priority: If there are no currently enrolled children eligible to move up, we’ll check our waitlist to see if any of our currently enrolled families have another child waiting for a space.
- Waitlisted Families: If there are no currently enrolled children or siblings available to assume the open space, we’ll offer the space to the next eligible family on the waitlist.
Within five days of receiving an offer of enrollment, families must pay a $350 non-refundable enrollment fee and a deposit equal to one month tuition to hold the child’s space until their start date. This deposit will be applied to the child’s last month in the program provided that proper required notice is given.
BCDC maintains multiple waitlists that shift dynamically according to the children’s dates of birth, the number of slots in the classroom(s) in which the children are eligible to enroll, and the parents’ desired dates of enrollment. We also have families who join or withdraw from the waitlist according to their own needs at various times of the year. As you may imagine, this means that there isn’t a hard and fast answer to this question.
We always advise families that because of our long history in the community, we are fortunate to maintain a healthy waitlist at all times of the year. This is not a reason to avoid joining the waitlist, as it isn’t uncommon for newly listed families to receive offers in the next admissions cycle.
Because your waitlist position will shift numerous times in a rolling twelve month period based on your child’s age, your desired enrollment date, whether current families with sibling priority join the waitlist, and other factors, we do not issue waitlist numbers. Anytime we have an opening, we proceed down the waitlist offering the space until it is filled.
Please apply online. There is an application fee of $100.
Please contact us directly by email at [email protected] to inquire about availability. Please be sure to include your child’s date of birth so that we can check for availability in the appropriate age group(s).
You can also reach the Director by phone at 202-846-7672 to inquire about availability.
Our Center only provides full time care.
Yes! We offer tours each week for prospective families. If you would like to join us for a tour, please click here.
BCDC is a year-round early childhood program with classrooms that transition on a standard school-year calendar. This means that our children start the school year in a new classroom each September and stay in their rooms until August of the next year when it’s time to transition again. There are occasional mid-year transitions when spaces become available, creating opportunities for developmentally-ready children to transition early.
We are awaiting approval to be able to accept subsidy vouchers for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. We do not offer financial aid at this time.
Please visit our Careers page to read about current openings.