WAUWATOSA, Wis. — A before- and after-school care program first piloted at one Wauwatosa elementary school is expanding to 10 schools across the district, bringing school-based child care and academic enrichment directly to more families.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee launched Blue Door Academy at Underwood Elementary earlier this summer. The organization says it was the first Boys & Girls Club in the country to launch the program and that its expansion to 10 Wauwatosa schools for the 2026-27 school year will create the largest Blue Door Academy footprint nationwide.
Beginning Sept. 1, Blue Door Academy will provide before-school care, after-school care and Junior Kindergarten wraparound care for Wauwatosa families. Before- and after-school care is available for students in JK through fifth grade, while JK wrap care is designed for families who need care before or after their child's assigned JK session, according to the Wauwatosa School District.
Wauwatosa School District Superintendent Dr. Demond Means said having those services in the same place where children already attend school can make life easier for families.
“Families are always looking for high-quality before and after school care. That is a constant,” Means said. “And I think what K-12 education systems have to understand is that they don't see that as separate enterprises. They see that as a one-stop shop. The more we can make it a one-stop shop, the better we can serve our families.”
Blue Door Academy is designed to go beyond simply supervising students before or after the school day. The program includes homework help and structured learning time, along with hands-on activities such as STEM, arts and other enrichment opportunities. Blue Door Academy says its programming also focuses on building positive relationships, confidence and a sense of belonging.
Vinnie Frias, a Blue Door Academy staff member who was born and raised in Milwaukee, said that distinction is important.
“Blue Door Academy, yes, we are care, but we're more than that,” Frias said. “We are helping make sure that your child is achieving, um, in the most positive academic sense.”
Frias said the program gives children opportunities to keep learning without simply extending the traditional school day.
“What we have is something that is both academic, but there's fun into it,” Frias said. “What they can do is that they can create, um, and still learn from what they're doing.”
Nakeida Campbell, an Academy Club Manager at Wauwatosa Montessori, is one of the staff members who will oversee Blue Door Academy programming. Campbell said she hopes parents see progress beyond the hours of care the program provides.
“Parents can expect to see more improvement in their child's education because we will assist with curriculum after school that helps build their education,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the program's curriculum changes every nine weeks, with students taking part in a showcase at the end of each cycle to demonstrate what they learned.
For working parents, Means said having care inside their child's school can provide something just as important: peace of mind.
“They have a sense of security. They can go off and do their work,” Means said. “Whatever their enterprise is, they can go and do that without the, the worry of where their child is going to receive care.”
Means said that consistency can also benefit children.
He said having care available before school, during the school day and afterward can “create a level of stability and comfort for that child to flourish and become the very best they can be.”
Blue Door Academy replaces Wauwatosa's previous provider
The expansion also comes amid a larger change in before- and after-school care in Wauwatosa.
The district ended its contract with its previous provider, Right at School, effective June 11 after the district said it confirmed incidents of “physically aggressive behavior” by provider employees toward students at Roosevelt and Eisenhower elementary schools. Wauwatosa police later investigated the incidents and closed the investigations without pursuing charges against the employees involved.
The Wauwatosa School Board voted in May in favor of a letter of intent to partner with Blue Door Academy as the district searched for a replacement provider.
The district's current website identifies Blue Door Academy, a Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee program, as the provider of before-school, after-school and JK wrap care for the 2026-27 school year.
For Frias, who said he was a Boys & Girls Club kid himself and recently joined the Blue Door Academy team, the work is personal.
“We will work with you, we want your child to succeed, we want your family to be safe and to be successful, and we are just a pillar to the bridge you are crossing with your family,” Frias said. “That is what motivates me and that is what enlightens me to do what I do.”
What families should know
Blue Door Academy begins its expanded Wauwatosa programming with the new school year on Sept. 1. The program serves elementary-age students, with before-school, after-school and JK wraparound options varying by school.
Blue Door Academy says scholarships are available and that children will not be turned away because of a family's inability to pay. Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is open.
For registration, enrollment or site-specific questions, the Wauwatosa School District directs families to Jennifer Raymond with Blue Door Academy/Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee at Jennifer.Raymond@bgcmilwaukee.org.
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