Fairfax County expands Beyond the Bell care to 21 more elementary schools

Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools will expand the Beyond the Bell before- and after-school child-care program to 21 additional elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year, extending a countywide transition that is planned to reach every Fairfax County school by 2029-30.

The program is operated by the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services in partnership with FCPS. It is designed to provide school-age care before and after the school day, and the county says the expansion is intended to increase access to affordable care.

How the expansion will work

Beyond the Bell began with a 2025-26 pilot at 20 elementary schools. Those pilot schools will continue in the program as the first 21 additional schools move into what the county calls Phase 1 during the 2026-27 school year.

Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School is listed as one of the continuing pilot sites. Woodlawn Elementary School is among the schools scheduled to transition in Phase 1. The two schools are relevant to the Mount Vernon-area community, although the county’s listing does not establish that every Engleside household falls within either school’s attendance boundary.

Engleside is served by Fairfax Connector route 151, identified as Engleside-Mount Vernon, and route 159, identified as Engleside limited-stop. The countywide child-care expansion is administered across Fairfax County, while the school list identifies specific participating schools.

What families should know

The program operates under Virginia regulations governing school-age child care offered by local governments and is staffed by local government employees. That regulatory structure distinguishes Beyond the Bell from an informal child-care arrangement and provides the framework for the county’s phased expansion.

The 2026-27 change does not mean that all county schools will join at once. The county’s stated schedule calls for additional phases after the initial 21-school expansion, with all Fairfax County schools planned to transition by the 2029-30 school year.

For families who rely on school-age care, the expansion could create more opportunities to use a county-operated before- or after-school program as participating schools are added. The county has not stated that every Engleside household will receive a seat, and the announcement does not specify a current enrollment capacity. Placement and availability therefore remain separate from the broader countywide transition schedule.

The next known expansion point is the 2026-27 school year, when Woodlawn and the other Phase 1 schools are scheduled to join the continuing pilot sites.