Ages 3-5 Child Care

Discovery Days is child care and kindergarten preparation for children ages 3-5.

Your child's early years are filled with curiosity, wonder and discovery. In our 4-Star Parent Aware program, children experience joyful learning every day through hands-on play, exploration and meaningful relationships with experienced educators.

Located in Spring Lake Park Schools' outstanding, world-class early learning facilities, Discovery Days provides a safe, nurturing environment where children build confidence, develop new skills and prepare for kindergarten - all with flexible scheduling to meet your family's needs.

On this page, you'll find:

Discovery Days Registration
Information for Prospective Families
Information for Registered Families
Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

For additional information about Discovery Days child care, please contact our Community Education offices at 763-600-5000 or stop by at 1415 81^st Avenue NE, Spring Lake Park. Our office hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

I love that the staff make every student feel loved! I enjoy viewing the pictures and newsletters so I know what’s going on at school. Very happy with the teachers, staff, and all the new activities they do with the kids!
Discovery days parent

Children in a classroom collaborate on an art project with playdough

A staff member and child work on learning alphabet letters and SLP is a 4-star highest rated parent aware program

Students smile in front of a fire truck after learning and touring

Discovery Days Registration

Registration for our Discovery Days program is open. Our spaces fill quickly. Do NOT wait to register if you would like a spot in our program. Current families had priority February 4-28. Registrations from new families are reviewed in the order that they were received by our online system. In order for a registration to be processed, all Community Education program balances must be paid in full. Accounts with a balance overdue will not be processed.

Our Child Care programs have a limited number of full-time and part-time spots. Upon confirmation by our registration staff that there is a spot for your child, the registration will be processed and the registration fee will be collected. Registrants will receive an email confirmation that the registration is complete.

If Your Schedule Changes: Requests to change or cancel care must be submitted online in your Arux account at at least 14 days in advance of cancellation. If the date you choose is less than two weeks out, Arux will assign your cancellation date. Email cancellations are accepted with at least 14 days' notice. Cancellations by email can only be accepted at this email address. Communication to cancel in any other manner is not acceptable notice, and tuition will continue to be assessed per the contract rate.

Child Care Handbook

Information for Prospective Families

Ages Served

Program Hours

Location

Flexible Scheduling Options

Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks

Breakfast and lunch are provided by SLP Schools' Nutrition Services Department on school days. When school is not in session, a bag lunch and beverage from home will be needed. Breakfast on non school days and all afternoon snacks are provided by the Discovery Days program.

Spring Lake Park Schools is participating in the 2024 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. See our Menu here.

Non School Days, When SLP is Not in Session

Most days when school is closed, Discovery Days is still open for care. These dates are NOT part of your regular contracted care. Families must register for the dates as needed. All care on Non School Days is provided at our DSC location. A bag lunch and beverage from home will be needed. Breakfast on non school days and all afternoon snacks are provided by the Discovery Days program.

Dates for Non School Days of 2026-2027 are: September 21, October 8, 9, 14, 15, November 30, December 28, 29, 30, February 11, 12, March 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, and April 23.

Dates when Child Care is closed for 2026-2027: September 7, October 16, November 25, 26, 27, December 24, 25, 31, January 1, 18, February 15, March 5, 26, May 31.

Non-School Day (NSD) Care Cancellation:

To cancel NSD care, email us at least 14 days before the NSD or the first day in a series. Invoicing occurs two weeks in advance, so the account owner will be responsible for all fees once invoiced.
No refunds are provided for cancellations made less than two weeks before the NSD or the first day in a series.

Summer Session

Register

Registration for our Discovery Days program opens on Wednesday, February 4, at 8:30 a.m.. Our spaces fill quickly. Do NOT wait to register if you would like a spot in our program. Current families have priority February 4-28.

Starting on or about March 1, registrations from new families will be reviewed in the order that they were received by our online system. In order for a registration to be processed, all Community Education program balances must be paid in full. Accounts with a balance overdue will not be processed.

If Your Schedule Changes: Requests to change or cancel care must be submitted online in your Arux account at at least 14 days in advance of cancellation. If the date you choose is less than 2 weeks out, Arux will assign your cancellation date. Email cancellations are accepted via email to Community Education, with at least 14 days' notice. Cancellations by email can only be accepted at this email address. Communication to cancel in any other manner is not acceptable notice, and tuition will continue to be assessed per the contract rate.

Lottery Placement

Due to limited space in some of our classes, a lottery system may be used for families new to our program.. To be considered for the lottery drawing, please complete your registration (including bringing in all the required documents) by April 1. Any class that has more registrations than openings will be placed into a random lottery drawing. Confirmation emails will be sent out after April 1.

Contact

Program Rates

Information for Registered Families

Daily Schedule

Children in Discovery Days will typically participate in the following schedule on a daily basis, however the schedule in each classroom may vary slightly.

Choices in opening room (large muscle room, outside and/or projects offered)
Breakfast
Stretch, music and movement
Morning meeting
Reading and writing time
Centers in room
Recess
Lunch
Personal time
Quiet choices
Afternoon meeting
Centers in room
Choice time
Snack time
Choices in room (large muscle room, outside and/or projects offered)

Bring the First Day

Rest Time - Bring Blanket

Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Menu

Breakfast and lunch are provided to Discovery Days students by Spring Lake Park Schools - Nutrition Services. At this time, only one choice is offered for each; there is not an alternate. If there is something on the menu your child will not eat, you may send a cold lunch from home. (Note: Parents will need to send a bag lunch and beverage on non school days as the kitchens are closed on these days.) See our Menu here.

Breakfast is served from 7:45-8:30 a.m.
Lunch is served at 12 p.m.

Reporting Absences

Invoices, Payment Schedule

Invoice Schedule and Details:

Timeline: Payment for care will be due one week in advance of the care week.
Timeline: Changes to contract must be made by the Wednesday prior to invoice. (12 days in advance)

Accounts not paid by Wednesday, at 4 p.m., the week before your care week will be canceled for the following week. Families needing care will need to reapply, pay the $25 registration fee and will be added to the wait list when their balance is at $0.
Simplify your account and avoid late or missed payments by setting up auto-pay. Sign into your account at https://springlakeparkschools.arux.app, click on your child’s child care account and selecting “Manage Account”.
Late fees of $15 will be charged on accounts that are not paid by the Due Date and will continue to accrue until paid in full.

Change or Cancel Contract

Requests to change or cancel care must be submitted online in your Arux account at least 14 days in advance of cancellation. If the date you choose is less than 2 weeks out, Arux will assign your cancellation date. Email cancellations are accepted via email to Community Education, with at least 14 days' notice. Cancellations by email can only be accepted at this email address. Communication to cancel in any other manner is not acceptable notice, and tuition will continue to be assessed per the contract rate.

Nut Aware Program Information

There are many students in the Spring Lake Park schools who have severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, and/or products that contain nuts. Accidental ingestion or even touching a tiny trace of a nut may cause a potential fatal reaction for some students.

We need your help in supporting the following guidelines to make our classroom peanut/nut aware and to prevent potential allergic reactions:

Please do not send any snacks with your student which contain nuts, peanuts, peanut butter or other nut products.
If your child packs a lunch containing tree nuts, peanuts, peanut butter or other nut products, it must stay in a sealed container while being kept in the classroom.
Students will be permitted to bring nut products as part of their lunch, as students with allergies sit at a separate table where there is adult supervision of food products.
Nut aware tables will be clearly labeled in lunch rooms for students with allergies.

Thank you for your support as we continue to create a safe environment for all students. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s building health care specialist.

What to Bring on Non School Days

Late Starts/Early Closings/School Cancellation

If Spring Lake Park Schools cancels school, and/or closes its buildings, because of adverse weather, or any other reason, Discovery Days Child Care will also be closed for the day. Listen to WCCO (830 AM) for any announcements concerning our schools. Special announcements for Child Care will NOT be made. Any school closure/delay includes our Discovery Days Child Care programs.

If Spring Lake Park Schools has a late-start because of adverse weather (for example, 1 or 2 hours late), staff will open our Child Care programs with a late-start as well (1 or 2 hours) to provide care. However, staff may be hampered with their travel, so please call your site before leaving your home.

If Spring Lake Park Schools cancels school after Child Care has opened, we will also need to close. We will notify parents that children need to be picked up within two hours.

Any and all announcements concerning Spring Lake Park Schools' closings or delayed starts will apply to Child Care. The official radio channel for these announcements is WCCO (830 AM). Information is posted on the school district website.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Discovery Days - Summer Session entail?

Tuesday, June 9 through Friday, August 21, 2026 (Closed Friday, June 19, and Friday, July 3) Full-time or part-time, open 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., at District Services Center, 1415 81^st Ave NE, Spring Lake Park, MN 55432

Program hours: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (participants break into home-room groups for daily activities)

Drop-off: 7-9 a.m. and Pick-up: 4-5:30 p.m.

Full-time (4 or 5 days of each week selected):
- Full Day (7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.): $68 per day
- Partial Day (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.): $64 per day
Part-time (2-3 days of each week selected):
- Full Day (7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.): $85 per day
- Partial Day (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.): $81 per day
Part-time (1 day of each week selected):
- Full Day (7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.): $92 per day

W.O.W. We will enjoy several “Water on Wednesday” events by filling up our water tables and pools outside! Your children may bring their swim suits and towels so they can run through the sprinklers, splash in the pools, and play games with soaked sponges and toys. It will be all things Water for fun!

Breakfast, Lunch, and Afternoon Snack Breakfast and lunch are provided by SLP Schools’ Summer Food Program, Monday through Thursday. A bag lunch and beverage from home will be needed on Fridays (and on some field trip days during the week). Friday breakfast and all afternoon snacks are provided by the Discovery Days program.

Spring Lake Park Schools is participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Weekly Field Trips and/or Special Events

No extra fees! Staff will plan and prepare on-site activities and events and off-site field trips. Participants will be provided with a Summer t-shirt to wear on all field trips for quick identification when exploring new places. Field trips and special events are included in tuition.

Summer Theme: Adventure Quest

Throughout the summer, our students and staff will be explorers on a quest - traveling, discovering, creating and trying new challenges. Weekly activities will include STEM activities, imaginative storytelling, and arts discovery. In addition to these activities, we will challenge our minds and bodies to grow stronger with school-readiness enrichment opportunities, outdoor games, walking trips, and bus field trips to exciting, fun sites. Note: Field trip activities listed below will be updated as confirmed. Subject to change.

June 9-12: Backyard Explorers, field trip to Chuck E. Cheese on Friday, bus departs at 10:45 am and returns about 1:15 pm.

June 15-18: Around the World Adventures, field trip to Mounds View Splash Pad on Thursday, bus departs at 9:45 am and returns about 1:15 pm.

June 22-26: Superhero Training Camp, field trip to Stages Theater to see "Shrek" on Friday, bus departs at 9 am and returns about 12 pm.

June 29-July 2: STEM Quest Lab, field trip to Shoreview Playground on Thursday, bus departs at 9:45 am and returns about 1:15 pm.

July 6-10: Under the Sea Voyage, field trip to Crayola Experience on Friday, bus departs at 9:15 am and returns about 1:45 pm.

July 13-17: Creative Campers, field trip to Andover Cinema to see "Minions and Monsters" on Thursday, bus departs at 9:30 am and returns about 12 pm.

July 20-24: Sports & Game Masters, field trip to Blainebrook Bowl on Friday, bus departs at 9:30 am and returns about 11:45.

July 27-31: Wildlife Safari, field trip to Bamboo Bay pool on Friday , bus departs at 9:30 am and returns about 12:45 pm.

August 3-7: Kindness & Community Quest, field trip for Padelford Cruise on Tuesday, bus departs at 9 am and returns about 12 pm.

August 10-14: Time Travelers, field trip to Kids Empire Roseville on Friday, bus departs at 9:30 and returns about 1:30 pm.

August 17-21: Summer Celebration - On-site activities throughout the week.

Does my child need a snack?

Should I send sunscreen with my student?

Please apply sunscreen on your child in the morning before arriving. As of November 1, 2018, our program was Certified by the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by new federal laws. Under Certification requirements, we cannot apply sunscreen for your child without written permission and a labeled bottle of sunscreen from home. Please send a labeled bottle of sunscreen for your child.

Terms and Conditions

Eligibility for Programs and Services:

Learning Ventures (School Year Programs): Open to students in Kindergarten through Grade Six who are at least five years old but not yet thirteen.
Learning Ventures (Non-School Day Only Program): Open to students in Kindergarten through Grade Six who are at least five years old but not yet thirteen.
Learning Ventures (Summer Programs): Open to students who have completed Kindergarten through Grade Six and are at least five years old but not yet thirteen.
Discovery Days (School Year Programs): Open to students who are at least three years old by September 1 of the current school year, potty-trained, and have not yet started Kindergarten.
Discovery Days (Summer Programs): Open to students who were at least three years old by June 1 of the current year, potty-trained, and have not yet started Kindergarten.

Schedule Options for Programs and Services:

School Year Program: Students must register for the same days each week. If additional "drop-in" days are needed, requests must be made online. Approval depends on space availability, and an email confirmation will be sent if the extra day is approved. Drop-in rates apply.
Summer Program: Families can select the number of weeks and days needed for care. If additional "drop-in" days are needed, requests must be made online. Approval depends on space availability, and an email confirmation will be sent if the extra day is approved. Drop-in rates apply.

Registration for Programs and Services:

A $25 non-refundable registration fee is required per contract at the time of registration.
Learning Ventures: A non-refundable deposit is required per contract at the time of registration. For summer, it is $150. For school-year, it is $100.
Discovery Days: A $350 non-refundable deposit is required per contract for new families at the time of registration.

Tuition Fees and Charges:

Tuition is paid in advance and is due on Monday, one week before care.
A $15 late fee applies to accounts not current by Tuesday.
A $25 Non Sufficient Funds (NSF) fee will be assessed to your account if an ACH Checking, Savings, Debit Card or Credit Card is returned unpaid for any reason.
Accounts not paid by Wednesday may result in contract cancellation, which could place families back on the waiting list until a spot becomes available.
Past-due accounts not brought current by Wednesday each week may result in suspension from the program.
Early/late arrival fees apply if children are dropped off or picked up outside of established hours: $10 for the first 10 minutes and $1 per minute thereafter.
There is no reduction in tuition for delays, closures due to emergencies or weather, or suspension. This applies to school days, non-school days, and summer care.
Absent days (due to vacation, illness, etc.) are not eligible for refund or credit.
The person signing the contract is responsible for all payments, regardless of assistance status, child support agreements, legal family arrangements, or attendance.
Any fees incurred during the collection process will be added to the account.
An annual statement of childcare payments will be available online for tax purposes beginning January 1.

Contract Changes and Cancellation:

Contract changes must be requested online and apply to a minimum of 10 care days. Schedule changes for fewer than 10 days are not eligible for tuition adjustments. A $25 fee applies for each contract change after the first occurrence.
To avoid additional tuition charges, contract cancellations require a two-week notice. Account owners are responsible for payment of all fees once invoiced, as invoicing occurs about two weeks before care.
Requests to change or cancel care must be submitted online in your Arux account at least 14 days in advance of cancellation. If the date you choose is less than 2 weeks out, Arux will assign your cancellation date.
Email cancellations are accepted with at least 14 days' notice. Cancellations by email can only be accepted at this email address.
Communication to cancel in any other manner is not acceptable notice, and tuition will continue to be assessed per the contract rate.
Lack of attendance is not an acceptable form of notice, and tuition will continue to be charged.
Contract changes to temporarily remove care are treated as cancellations (e.g., a three-week absence). Parents can either:
1. Cancel the contract and re-register on the waiting list for a new start date, pending availability.
2. Pay for the missed days to retain the current contract.

Drop-in Care:

Drop-in care is not guaranteed until approved. Requests are reviewed 2-3 weeks in advance. If a spot is available, it will be approved; otherwise, it will be denied. Some dates may not be available.
Drop-in care tuition is due upon approval, and the account owner is responsible for payment, even if the child does not attend.