Brainerd Public Schools

Fun & Friends is a child care program for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. It has served the students of Brainerd Public Schools for over 30 years with age-appropriate, fun, recreational activities. Care is provided before school, after school, on non-school days, and over the summer.

Sites include Nisswa Elementary, Baxter Elementary, Riverside Elementary, and Harrison Elementary (also servicing Garfield and Lowell). 

SCHOOL YEAR 24-25

school year registration has ended. All sites are full with a waitlist. 

SUMMER 2025

Fun & Friends will be located at three different locations this summer: Baxter Elementary, Nisswa Elementary, and Riverside Elementary. Families can choose to register for any location, regardless of which school their child attends, although we do suggest choosing the location your child attends school if it is available.Our expected daily attendance capacity is around 50 students at Nisswa Elementary and 100 students at both Baxter and Riverside Elementary. For our larger sites (Riverside & Baxter), we will break into two smaller groups and have a K-2 group and a 3rd and up group. More info about the schedule will be sent out at a later date.

Summer Fun & Friends will operate from Wednesday, June 11 through Friday August 22. Programming is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM - 6:00 PM. A summer calendar is attached.

• Registration: Summer registration will open in two different phases starting at the end of February. Please note that you can sign up any time during your registration window. See the table below. Current families: all past due invoices must be paid in full before a registration is processed. If it is not paid in full by March 4, your registration will be waitlisted.

*Families must sign up during the correct stage for their application to be considered. Signing up before your registration window will result in a denied application.

• How to Register: Registration is done online (HERE). Choose the Fun & Friends location you would like to register for and click “Enroll Now.” *The site options will not show up on this link until registration opens.

• 3 Day Weekly Minimum: We know there is a high need for school age care in our area. To help prioritize families who are most in need of full time childcare, we are requiring a 3 day minimum a week for summer care. The exception to this rule would be the weeks we are open less than 5 days, which would be:
  • June 11-13
  • June 16-20 (closed on Thursday, June 19 for Juneteenth Holiday)
  • June 30- July 3 (closed Friday for the Fourth of July Holiday)
  • During the weeks above, you can just choose the days you need without a 3 day minimum.

• Scheduling:Schedules are due every other Wednesday by 4:00 PM for the upcoming two weeks. Invoices will be sent on Thursdays and are due by the following Monday. Email reminders will be sent out every other week by Cassandra Hale, Fun & Friends secretary, with schedule’s due reminders. Invoices must be paid on time to keep your summer registration active.

• Rates
  • The daily rate is $40/day and includes a breakfast snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. Please read below about drop-in day rates.
  • The annual registration fee is $30/year per child.

• Drop-In Days:If you are requesting child care with less than 7 days notice, the daily rate will be $45/day. Please contact your Site Supervisor beforehand to make sure there is room for your child to attend as a drop-in. *Due to requiring a 3 day minimum, families will only be allowed to add a drop in for any extra days after reaching the 3 day minimum. An example would be if your child was scheduled to attend Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but you would like to add a drop-in for Friday.

• Prolonged Absences: If a summer contract is accepted but does not have any scheduled attendance for 2+ weeks, the contract will be reviewed and may possibly be removed from the program. We understand that families have vacations, summer plans, custody arrangements, or other circumstances that may affect attendance. In those cases, please communicate with Cassandra and your Site Supervisor accordingly so that we know to keep your child’s contract active.

• Incoming Kindergartners: Per MN certified child care statutes, a child must be entering kindergarten within four months of their first day in school age care. Records will be reviewed with district enrollment personnel to confirm that a child will be attending kindergarten in the fall of 2025. If a child, even if they are 5 years old, will not be attending kindergarten in September 2025, they are ineligible to attend school age care.

For more information or to view our handbook, please visit the Fun & Friends website, HERE.