locations & contact information
We are separate from the school systems where our centers are located. We request that you not call the school office regarding Open Door business, but call the center phone number listed. Thank you.
About Us
Founded in 1983 to address the lack of available quality before and after school care, Open Door has a grass roots foundation. With over 20 years of providing services to children, Open Door now has 37 sites with over 2,200 children in grades kindergarten through eight in before and after school programs.
Child Care Vision
Working in partnership with parents and schools, Open Door provides children with choices before and after school. Balanced after school programming, where children are afforded many opportunities to succeed, fosters self esteem, and enhances healthy child development. Conflict resolution is learned through team building, academic skills are practiced and extended, and communication skills are nurtured in an environment where children feel secure.
Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the company has been operating since 1983.
Open Door, after school programs, currently has 37 sites in Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford Counties.
Children need choices after the structure of the school day:
- working a puzzle alone or reading a book
- social interaction, such as a board game, craft, or a building project with friends
- academic enrichment, like homework completion, available books for reading, or exploring themed topics in detail, practicing basic skills and extending learning
- organized games, such as dodge ball, capture the flag, red rover and freeze tag
To ease the transition between the after school program and the school day, children are served snack. This provides a quiet sitting time, after which children select their activity.
Responsive to feedback from parents and school administrators, formal evaluations lead to annual changes in program and policies. Parents, teachers and principals requested a stronger academic component to the after school program, to extend knowledge acquired in the classroom to a more casual, multi-age setting. Available books, rulers, calculators, and a designated space for quiet is part of our daily program.
Honors
Two particular honors stand out among those bestowed on Open Door over time:
- 2002 - 2006 Maryland Family Magazine Reader’s Survey named Open Door Maryland’s Best After School Program four consecutive years.
- 1988 Congressional Women’s Caucus named Open Door "an exemplary child care program."