Baltimore City Schools to host final School's Out Day of Play Friday

Baltimore City Public Schools will close to students Friday, May 1, and use the day to open its final School’s Out Day of Play of the year, a $30 option that gives families an all-day mix of supervision, enrichment and child care. The program is set for children ages 5 to 12 and will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CC Jackson, Cahill, Middle Branch and Rita Church.

The timing matters for Baltimore families heading into the last stretch of the school year. City Schools’ calendar shows May 1 as a Systemic Professional Development Day with schools closed for students, while the district’s 2025-26 calendar runs from the first day of school on Monday, August 25, 2025, to the last day on Thursday, June 11, 2026, pending Maryland State Department of Education approval. Spring break already ran from March 28 through April 6, leaving many parents and guardians to navigate a long late-spring period of work schedules, child care needs and changing after-school routines.

Inside the day of play, students will get more than a place to spend the day. The program includes games, lunch, snacks, STEM projects, nature exploration and creative crafts, giving children a structured break that blends recreation with hands-on learning. For families balancing work and school closures, the price tag is a key part of the appeal: $30 per child is far less than many full-day camps and private care options.

The multiple site choices also spread access across Baltimore, rather than forcing families into one central location. CC Jackson, Cahill, Middle Branch and Rita Church give parents options that can cut down on travel time and make participation easier in different parts of the city.

City Schools’ family resources page already points parents and guardians to tools including the calendar, meals, transportation and family updates, underscoring how the district now operates as more than a classroom system. The 2025-26 calendar was approved by the Board and developed with input from educators, parents and community members, a reminder that the schedule itself is meant to reflect family realities as much as instructional time.

For Baltimore working families, the final School’s Out Day of Play is less a calendar note than a practical answer to a familiar problem: what to do when school is closed, summer is still weeks away and a low-cost, supervised option can make the difference between scrambling for care and keeping the day on track.