FAQs

The DECATS day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. We do have a Before/After Care program that begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. This program is available at an additional charge.

Yes, we do have a Before / After Care program that begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

Payment must be made online prior to the start of DECATS so we can make proper arrangements for mentor supervision. Please make sure you indicate the name of your scholar when completing your payment online, as company credit cards and parents with different last names make tracking payments very difficult.

Before Care
It begins promptly at 7:30 a.m.  If you arrive prior to 7:30 a.m., please remain with your child until the mentor greets them at the door.  Due to allowing for proper staffing requirements, Before Care is not available for families who have not registered for the program in advance.   We do not offer daily rates for the Before Care Program.

After Care
After Care program is from 3:00 p.m. to  4:30 p.m. every day, except for our final day of DECATS.

Late Pick Up
We will allow a 5-minute grace period between 4:30 and 4:35 p.m. before late fees will apply.  Late fees are as follows:

4:35 – 4:45 p.m.  = $10.00 per child

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.  = $20.00 per child

Where is the Before/After Care Program?
The Before/After Care Program will be in the Great Room in the PAC (Parish Activity Center).

We encourage you to have an alternative pick-up for your child in the event you are running late, as we know Houston traffic can often be unpredictable.  Reaching out to another DECATS family is always an option.

If your scholar is not signed up for the Before/After Care Program and is not picked up in our carpool line by 3:20 p.m., you will be charged a rate of $25/day.

Tuition is $800. There is an additional fee for the Before/After Program, which is open from 7:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-4:30 p.m. The fee for the Before/After Program is a flat rate of $150 for the use of the program during the three weeks or $75 for just morning or afternoon care.

Before/After Care Program payments and their application fee will need to be paid at the start of the program.

Dress is summer casual (t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers), with designated DECATS t-shirt days on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.

In general, there is no homework in DECATS. Occasionally, a mentor may give scholars the option to complete work at home.

No. Research indicates that the optimum time for influence in the lives of gifted students is between the 3rd and 6th grades. The guidelines of the DeBusk Foundation, which provides the grant for DECATS, specifically target 3rd through 6th graders.

However, scholars who have graduated from DECATS often return to serve as scholar aids in the program.

Yes, parents will be provided an opportunity to fill out an evaluation toward the end of DECATS. This feedback is very helpful for future planning.

Unfortunately, there is limited space available. Please provide scholars with lunches that do not require refrigeration.

No, we do not have microwaves for scholars to use.

Scholars should be brought to DECATS each morning between 8:45 and 9:00 a.m. through the carpool line. Scholars should report immediately to the Family Center. Scholars should be picked up in the same place each afternoon at 3:05 p.m. Those scholars attending the Before/After Care Program should be in the PAC Building between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. and should be picked up between 3:05 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

An archdiocesan Permission to Administer Medication Form is available to you here. Meds should be brought to the DECATS office with the completed form on the first day of DECATS. The DECATS nurse will administer meds.

Parents are encouraged to join us each morning for prayer from 9-9:15 a.m. and each afternoon for prayer and class presentations from 2:40-3:05 p.m., both in the Family Center. In addition, please join us at the DECATS closing celebration on Thursday, June 25, from 9:00 a.m.- 10:45 a.m.