Our Company
MARYLAND STATE DEPT OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF CHILD CARE (MSDE-OCC)
Clubhouse Kids is a Maryland State Department of Education – Office of Child Care (MSDE-OCC) licensed child care provider serving children and families throughout Frederick County, Maryland.
Our programs provide care for children from infancy through school age, including Infant and Toddler Care, Preschool, Pre-K, School-Age Before & After School Care, and Summer Camp. Clubhouse Kids also participates in Maryland EXCELS, Maryland's quality rating and improvement system for licensed child care and early education programs.
Across our programs, our experienced teachers work to provide children with a safe, nurturing and engaging environment where they can learn, play, build friendships and grow with confidence.
We welcome you to visit Clubhouse Kids and see why our child care programs are the right choice for your family.
CHILD CARE AT SEVERAL CONVENIENT FREDERICK-AREA LOCATIONS
Clubhouse Kids provides high-quality child care and summer camp programs for families throughout Frederick County, Maryland. We currently operate four active child care centers, including our all-ages Gas House Pike center and three convenient school-based locations, with an additional school-based location at Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School temporarily closed:
- Clubhouse Kids @ Gas House Pike
- Clubhouse Kids @ Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School
- Clubhouse Kids @ Frederick Classical Charter School
- Clubhouse Kids @ Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School (temporarily closed)
- Clubhouse Kids @ Sabillasville Environmental School - A Classical Charter
- Plus our Pick-Up & Drop-Off Schools below...
Clubhouse Kids has operated an on-site program at Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School, however, that location is temporarily closed while the school's new facility is being developed, and we look forward to serving MVM families on-site again in the future.
PICK-UP & DROP-OFF SCHOOL LOCATIONS
In addition to providing on-site school-age care at several area schools, Clubhouse Kids serves children attending the following Frederick-area schools with bus transportation to and from our Clubhouse Kids @ Gas House Pike and our Clubhouse Kids @ Frederick Classical Charter School locations:
- Glade Elementary School
- Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School
- North Frederick Elementary School
- Walkersville Elementary School
- Yellow Springs Elementary School
- Is your child's school not listed, but you would like it to be?
Click here to let us know!
HIGHER STAFF-TO-CHILD RATIOS
Additionally, at our centers we schedule staffing to maintain higher staff-to-child ratios than those required by MSDE-OCC during our school-year and summer camp child care programs.
AWESOME SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS
Summer is a special time at Clubhouse Kids! We offer separate summer camp experiences designed for both our Little Ones and our school-age children.
Our Little Ones Summer Camp keeps younger children busy with fun, age-appropriate summer activities at the center. Rather than taking off-site field trips, our Little Ones enjoy special guests and enrichment programs throughout the summer. Past and recurring favorites include magicians, The Science Guys, Drew's Blue Shoes, the FCPS Bookmobile, Kona Ice, and more!
Our School-Age Summer Camp combines activities at the center with multiple field trips each week. Trips vary throughout the summer and may include destinations such as the Earth and Space Science Lab, Chuck E. Cheese, Catoctin Wildlife Preserve, Hot Fired Arts, Ledo Pizza, waterslide parks, miniature golf, and other fun and educational destinations throughout the area.
On days spent at the center, campers enjoy theme days, spirit days, games, creative activities, outdoor play, and plenty of time having fun with friends. Our goal is to give children a summer filled with new experiences, great memories, and plenty of opportunities to laugh, learn, and grow!
Our Staff
A TOP PRIORITY
At Clubhouse Kids, we know that the people caring for your child are one of the most important parts of choosing a child care program. That's why recruiting, training, and retaining caring, dependable, and qualified staff members is a top priority throughout our organization.
Our teachers and child care professionals bring experience, training, and a genuine commitment to working with children. They help create safe, nurturing, and engaging environments where children can build friendships, develop new skills, gain confidence, and enjoy their time at Clubhouse Kids.
Our staff members meet Maryland State Department of Education – Office of Child Care (MSDE-OCC) requirements for their positions, and many bring additional education, certifications, and years of child care experience to their roles. Many of our staff members are parents themselves, bringing another valuable perspective to the care they provide each day.
STAFFING EACH CENTER
Building a strong team at each Clubhouse Kids location is an important part of providing a high-quality child care program for children and families. In addition to required qualifications and training, we look for staff members who are dependable, communicate well, use good judgment, work effectively as part of a team, and understand the importance of creating positive experiences for children.
We put considerable thought and effort into staffing each of our school-year and summer camp programs. Our goal is to build well-matched teams whose individual strengths complement one another and who can work together to meet the needs of the children, families, and Clubhouse Kids location they serve.
We also recognize the importance of staff continuity in child care. Many Clubhouse Kids staff members have come to us through referrals from existing and former staff members, school personnel, and families within our programs. We are proud of the long-term relationships we have developed with many members of our team and the experience they bring to Clubhouse Kids.
THE HIRING PROCESS
We take the responsibility of selecting individuals to care for children very seriously. Our hiring and onboarding process is designed to help us identify qualified, dependable individuals who will be a good fit for our children, families, and existing staff teams.
Depending on the position and applicable requirements, the Clubhouse Kids hiring and onboarding process includes:
- Required State and Federal criminal background screening
- Background screening and clearances required by the Maryland State Department of Education – Office of Child Care (MSDE-OCC)
- Required medical documentation and health screening
- Pre-employment and/or ongoing drug screening
- Personal and professional reference checks
- Evaluation of judgment, communication, and critical-thinking skills
- Interviews, orientation, and position-specific training
EDUCATION & CONTINUING EDUCATION
Learning doesn't stop when a staff member joins Clubhouse Kids. Our teachers, directors, and other child care professionals participate in continuing education and training based on their positions and applicable MSDE-OCC requirements.
Training and professional development may include:
- CPR and First Aid Certification
- Medication Administration Training
- Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Planning
- Child development and age-appropriate programming
- Health, safety, and child care-related continuing education
- At least 12 hours of continuing training annually, as applicable to the staff member's position
- Assistance with participation in the Maryland Child Care Credential Program
We believe ongoing professional development helps our staff continue building their knowledge and skills while providing children with safe, engaging, and developmentally appropriate care.
DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS
At each Clubhouse Kids location, our staff members work together to create a welcoming environment where children feel safe, supported, and excited to participate. From an infant's earliest experiences in child care to the friendships and adventures of our school-age programs, our staff play an important role in making Clubhouse Kids a place children enjoy being.
We are proud of the dedicated professionals who care for our children each day and of the relationships they build with the families we serve.
We invite you to Contact Us to learn more or schedule a visit to one of our Clubhouse Kids locations!
Our History
THE IDEA BEHIND CLUBHOUSE KIDS
Clubhouse Kids began with a simple idea: create the kind of child care program its founders wanted for their own children.
As parents of a kindergartener, Clubhouse Kids' founders experienced first-hand the challenges that many working parents face when choosing before-school and after-school care. While the program their daughter attended provided supervision, they often saw staff members focused on their cell phones and fast-food lunches rather than actively interacting with the children. Activities were limited, and children were frequently left to entertain themselves.
They knew school-age child care could be better. They wanted their daughter to have more than a place to wait for them before and after school. They wanted caring and engaged staff members, planned activities, opportunities to play and learn, and an environment where children could spend time with friends and genuinely enjoy being there.
Those experiences became part of the inspiration for Clubhouse Kids. Rather than simply accepting what they had encountered as parents, they decided to create the kind of program they had been looking for themselves.
A NEW SCHOOL BEGAN TAKING SHAPE
Meanwhile, in late 2009, a group of parents began meeting regularly to discuss the possibility of opening a new charter school in Frederick County, Maryland. After many meetings and much planning, in the summer of 2010 they announced their intention to create, and then legally formed, Frederick Classical Charter School (FCCS).
As plans for the new school moved forward, the FCCS Board began considering how before and after school child care would be provided for its families. Much like the idea behind Clubhouse Kids, they were interested in a fresh approach to school-age child care rather than simply following the traditional before and after school care model already common throughout the public school system.
THE FIRST MEETING
At the same time, with over 20 years of experience in managerial positions within the child care industry, Clubhouse Kids' founders were developing the idea behind Clubhouse Kids and looking for just the right school in which to launch their first on-site before and after school child care program in Frederick.
Eventually, the FCCS Board and Clubhouse Kids' founders connected. After their first meeting, it quickly became apparent that the vision FCCS had for its before and after school program aligned closely with the kind of child care program they wanted to create. Soon afterward, an agreement was reached for Clubhouse Kids to become the school's on-site child care provider.
After several years of planning and working through the Frederick County Public Schools and Board of Education approval process, Frederick Classical Charter School was approved to open for the 2013–2014 school year. In August 2013, FCCS officially opened its doors with Clubhouse Kids as its on-site Before & After School Child Care provider.
OPENING DAY!
In August 2013, Frederick Classical Charter School officially opened its doors — and Clubhouse Kids opened right along with it as the school's on-site Before & After School Child Care provider!
From the beginning, the goal was to create much more than a place for children to spend time before and after school. Clubhouse Kids was designed as a fun, engaging environment where children could laugh, learn, build friendships, and participate in club-like activities incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEM/STEAM), along with health and physical fitness activities. The program also provided dedicated homework and study time, with Clubhouse Kids staff available to provide support.
The response from families was extremely positive. Clubhouse Kids @ Frederick Classical Charter School quickly became popular not only with families who needed before and after school child care, but also with families who valued the stimulating activities, educational opportunities, social interaction, and fun that the program offered their children.
TWO ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS JOIN IN
Fast-forward three years. After hearing about the success and popularity of the Clubhouse Kids @ Frederick Classical Charter School program, Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School reached out to Clubhouse Kids about opening an on-site child care program at their school. Clubhouse Kids met with MVMPCS, reached an agreement, and Clubhouse Kids @ MVMPCS opened on the very next first day of school. Like the FCCS program, the new MVMPCS location quickly became popular with children and families.
Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School soon reached out to Clubhouse Kids as well. Once again, the two organizations met, reached an agreement, and Clubhouse Kids @ CCMPCS opened on the very next first day of school. The CCMPCS program also quickly became a popular location, and with its opening, Clubhouse Kids was providing on-site before and after school care at all three of Frederick County's public charter schools at that time.
Those school partnerships became an important part of Clubhouse Kids' growth. Today, the FCCS and CCMPCS locations continue serving children and families on-site, while the MVMPCS location is temporarily closed as Clubhouse Kids looks forward to returning to the school once child care space in its new facility has been completed.
Meanwhile, children attending MVMPCS continue to be served by Clubhouse Kids, with daily transportation between MVMPCS and the Clubhouse Kids @ FCCS center for before and after school child care.
A PANDEMIC ACCELERATES A PLAN ALREADY IN THE WORKS
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed nearly everything about daily life — including child care. When Maryland schools and most businesses were mandated to close, and remain closed effective Friday, March 13, 2020, all three school-based Clubhouse Kids centers were required to close as well, and remain closed.
Within a few weeks, many stand-alone child care centers were permitted to reopen to provide care for children of essential workers under strict COVID-19 health and safety requirements. Clubhouse Kids, however, faced a unique challenge. Because all three of its centers were located inside schools, Clubhouse Kids could not reopen as long as the school buildings were required to remain closed.
For years, Clubhouse Kids' owners had discussed eventually opening a stand-alone center that could serve children of all ages. The pandemic suddenly gave them a very good reason to accelerate that plan, and with schools remaining closed, the search began for the right location in Frederick.
In mid-July 2020, Clubhouse Kids' owners contacted a local commercial real estate agent to help with the search. Just days later, they learned that the nearby Pump It Up facility was preparing to close permanently because of the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns had on its business. In an incredible coincidence, the space was located only about 200 yards from the Clubhouse Kids @ FCCS location — almost exactly where they wanted the new center to be.
Things moved quickly from there. Clubhouse Kids signed the lease for the new space in September, took occupancy in October, and opened Clubhouse Kids @ Gas House Pike in November 2020. On opening day, the center welcomed its first two enrolled children — with socially distanced wide-open arms! Clubhouse Kids also welcomed a journalist and a photographer from The Frederick News-Post, who came to cover the opening and published a great article about the new center.
What began as a long-term idea became an important new chapter for Clubhouse Kids. The Gas House Pike location became the company's first stand-alone, all-ages child care center and expanded Clubhouse Kids beyond its original school-based model.
LIFE CONTINUES POST PANDEMIC
By the spring of 2022, life was gradually returning to normal following the pandemic, and another new school was preparing to open in Frederick County. Sabillasville Environmental School – A Classical Charter was scheduled to welcome students for the first time that August.
Representatives from the new school had met with Clubhouse Kids during the winter about providing on-site before and after school child care for their families. In April 2022, Clubhouse Kids announced its newest school-based location, Clubhouse Kids @ Sabillasville Environmental School – A Classical Charter.
Clubhouse Kids @ SES officially opened along with the new school on August 17, 2022, welcoming Sabillasville children and families into the Clubhouse Kids family.
From one school-based program in 2013 to multiple locations serving children from infancy through school age today, Clubhouse Kids has continued to grow while holding onto the idea that started it all: creating a place where children can Laugh, Learn, and Grow with Us!
Our Philosophy
AT OUR CORE
At Clubhouse Kids, our philosophy begins with building trusting relationships with children and partnering with the families we serve. We believe every child is an individual, and we strive to provide responsive, nurturing care that supports each child's development, confidence, independence, and sense of belonging.
The safety and well-being of every child in our care is always a priority. We work to create positive learning environments where children can learn through play, exploration, social interaction, and intentional teaching experiences that are developmentally appropriate for their ages, abilities, and individual needs.
We believe children thrive when they are cared for by qualified professionals who understand that every child develops differently and deserves to be known, supported, encouraged, and cared for as an individual.
We welcome children of all abilities and are committed to providing an inclusive environment where every child and family is treated with dignity and respect.
Testimonials
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Words truly can't express how grateful I am that a preschool like this exists. I thought that a place like this was a mythical unicorn that parents searched for, but never found.
Debra Banks
I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for all you have done for my daughter. I am in awe at how much Lauren has grown both emotionally and intellectually over the past year, and I KNOW that Clubhouse Kids was a tremendous part of it.
Steven King
Thank you for all that you do to make us confident in leaving our children in your care. :-)
Evelyne Crooks
Come the end of the day, you guys always have my kids wanting to come back to Clubhouse Kids for more tomorrow!
Eileen Lombardi
Laser tag sounded like a lot of fun! Thanks for going above and beyond with your program!
Amanda Young
I just want to say thank you again for your wonderful after school program. Have a great weekend!
Karen Angulo
Thanks for being an AWESOME club leader, I love going to aftercare every day, and I hope the fun never stops!
Alex Angulo
We truly appreciate your help during the school year. Annika loves Clubhouse Kids and thinks the world of you (as do we). Have a wonderful summer!
The Matthews Family
We'd love for your family to experience Clubhouse Kids, too! Contact us to learn more or schedule a tour.