Arise and Shine offers preschool programming for children ages 33 months to kindergarten, and before and afterschool care for kids up through third grade.

Bottineau Park packs a lot into two square blocks, including playing fields, volleyball and basketball courts, a picnic area and playground, a wading pool, and a new skate park. Safety equipment and skateboards are available for checkout at the park - at no charge - for ages eight and up, with prior registration.

The recreation center complex, the first of its kind in the Minneapolis park system, includes a field house with gymnasium and indoor jogging and walking paths, and a kitchen and meeting rooms available for party rentals. The center is also a Rec Plus site, offering child care before and after school, and 6am-6pm in the summer. Rec center hours (apart from Rec Plus): Summer, Mon-Thu 12n-8pm; Fri 12n-6pm. School year, Mon-Fri 1pm-9pm; Sat 11am-3pm.

Formed when two century-old organizations - Children's Home Society and Family Services - merged in 2003, the non-profit CHSFS provides a multitude of valuable services for families and children in Minnesota.

Families can turn to CHSFS when they are in crisis, trying prevent crises, and for other needs. The organization offers adoption services, crisis nurseries, childcare, and a host of family support services, including financial counseling.

Not all services are offered at all locations. Check the website for specific programs.

CHSFS welcomes monetary donations and volunteers, and offers many opportunities for youth ages 16 and up to contribute on an ongoing basis or during special events.

Students at Classsic TaeKwonDo Studios range in age from five to 74! The majority are adults, but all get a challenging workout, with the potential benefit of self-defense. Many children attend class with siblings and/or parents. Classic TaeKwonDo Studios emphasizes family involvement; children are not separated from adults, and women are not separated from men. Discipline and respect are stressed in training, though the atmosphere is non-militaristic.

All program fees include three months of unlimited participation, offering scheduling flexibility. Uniforms and semi-private lessons are also included.

Afterschool care: Children can be picked up at their schools and spend the afternoon in a safe and secure environment where they work on homework, have a wholesome (and usually organic) snack, enjoy games and activities, then spend an hour on TaeKwonDo before pick up.

Summer Camps: Weekly offerings for kids ages six to 12.

Every parent should know about Club Kid ... just in case. It provides hourly childcare - backup, last-minute, during the summer, and on school release days - whenever it's needed, 12 or more hours a day (with reduced hours on Sundays) for kids ages 16 months to 10 years. There's no reservation required, just show up and drop off. It gives parents a chance to shop, handle urgencies, or just be a little spontaneous.

Kids play in a supervised, stimulating environment. They can enjoy free video games or watch movies on their own, or join new friends in craft projects, aerobics, storytime, or one of the other scheduled activities on the packed calendar.

Every parent should know about Club Kid ... just in case. It provides hourly childcare - backup, last-minute, during the summer, and on school release days - whenever it's needed, 12 or more hours a day (with reduced hours on Sundays) for kids ages 16 months to 10 years. There's no reservation required, just show up and drop off. It gives parents a chance to shop, handle urgencies, or just be a little spontaneous.

Kids play in a supervised, stimulating environment. They can enjoy free video games or watch movies on their own, or join new friends in craft projects, aerobics, storytime, or one of the other scheduled activities on the packed calendar.

Dayton's Bluff features a great, big indoor gym, meeting rooms that can be rented for parties, an on-site kitchen, a game room, and a craft room.

Outdoors, there are tennis courts, ball fields, and a good-sized modular playground.

The center hosts recreation and sports programming throughout the year, as well as special events for families. Dayton's Bluff is also a Rec Check site, providing low-cost afterschool programming for first through sixth graders.

Located within a nursing home, Grandma's House provides daycare for ages six weeks and up, and before and after care for schoolchildren up to 12 years of age, all in a unique intergenerational setting.

The staff is highly-qualified, and the program features daily interaction with the seniors in the Redeemer Residence nursing home. Kids do things like deliver balloons to residents on their birthdays, and participate in planned and spontaneous daily activities. The program is limited to 14 participants.

A bright, simple mural greets visitors to the Groveland Rec Center, part of the Southwest Area of the St. Paul parks department. Once inside, they'll find a spacious childcare center, game room, and gymnasium. The building is flanked by softball fields, and basketball and tennis courts. A playground with colorful structures gives toddlers and elementary school kids a place to let off steam, slide, climb, and dig.

The S'more Fun Childcare program offers recreational, educational, and social activities year-round for children ages six to 12 (K-6); call 651.695.3715 for more information.

The center hosts recreation and sports programming throughout the year, as well as special events for families, and field trips and outings for kids. Parts of the building can also be rented for parties and private use; contact the main number for more information on rentals. In the winter, weather-permitting, the rec center boasts an outdoor ice rink open for skating on weekends; lessons are usually available in January.

Hillcrest has both a convenient location and topnotch facilities going for it, making it a big draw for families, who use the fitness center, auditorium, indoor track, large gym, and meeting rooms and kitchen (which can be rented for parties), as well as the outdoor playgrounds, tennis court, and ball fields.

The center hosts recreation and sports programming, leagues, classes, and events throughout the year, and an ice skating rink in winter. Hillcrest is also a S'more Fun Childcare site, providing low-cost summer programming for kids ages six to 12. Registration for limited spots begins at the center in March ($140/week; $31/day).

Homecroft has a meeting room that can be rented for parties and an indoor gym, and shares outdoor facilities with an adjacent school, including ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, horseshoe pits, and a large and colorful playground.

The center hosts recreation and sports programming throughout the year, and is a Rec Check site, providing free afterschool programming for kids in grades K-5.

KidsPark is a licensed, professionally-staffed parent cooperative drop-in childcare service, providing safe, stimulating hourly care for children ages six weeks to five years while parents keep an appointment, have lunch with a friend, exercise, or spend one-on-one time with another child.

Once the initial registration process is completed, parents can utilize the service. Each family pays a $50 annual membership fee, as well as a $60 co-op fee, which is refundable upon completion of nine volunteer hours. Usage is not restricted to Macalester-Groveland area families.

This popular neighborhood park offers wide open spaces, picnic tables, a wading pool, and a large playground that's divided into two sections, with larger climbing structures and swings for older kids off to one side, and baby swings and inventive boat-themed play equipment - a nod to nearby Lake Harriet - on the other.

The park has fields for baseball and soccer which see heavy use from local leagues; same for the ice hockey rink that appears each winter. Lessons are offered at the tennis courts at the northwest corner of the park in the summer.

The Recreation Center hosts an extensive array of classes and community events throughout the year, in addition to a summer full of camps and activities. This is also a Rec Plus site, offering before- and afterschool care. Call the park for current offerings, or get general information from the Park Board.

The craft rooms here can be rented for parties, and there is a full kitchen on-site. There's also a comfortable seating area stocked with children's books, where parents and kids can take a break from the playground or wait out rain.

Despite the pain inflicted by ongoing budget cuts, the city's Park Board offerings are a key component of the generally high quality of life in Minneapolis.

The Park Board administers over 150 picnic areas, beaches, and parks, including some four dozen neighborhood Recreation Centers which offer free and low-cost enrichment programming, sports leagues, community events, and Rec Plus year-round childcare for ages five to 12. Phat Summer keeps kids ages 12 to 18 busy with specialized and evening offerings when school's out. Daily live entertainment is offered throughout the summer at several locations, including Minnehaha Park and Lake Harriet.

It also grooms skating rinks in the winter, and maintains the Parade Ice Garden, pastoral Nicollet Island, the Stone Arch Bridge, and other historical sites, and - in partnership with the Walker Art Center - the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, with its signature Spoonbridge and Cherry. Permits to reserve picnic pavillions for private parties at select sites start at $35/half-day.

The Park Board website is easy to navigate and full of useful information. The Park Finder lets users specify which facilities they're looking for, and parking info breaks down the combination of free, meter, pass, and pay-station parking offered in the parks. A page of suggested itineraries offers something for every age and activity level.

New Horizon - one of the largest childcare chains in the country - provides full- and part-time childcare for kids ages six weeks to 12 years old at locations throughout the metro area.

Programs include infant care with signing instruction, a preschool curriculum for ages three to five, and extended day care for school-age kids.

The New Horizon "brand" also includes Kinderberry Hill Child Development and Kid's Quest Hourly Childcare centers.

Summer camps: The Camp Discovery program for ages five to 12 includes monthly themes for programming and weekly field trips.

This neighborhood park offers wide open spaces - great for kite-flying, when the wind is right - and a colorful wading pool between two playground areas with updated equipment.

The pool and playground never seem to get as crowded as the ones at nearby Linden Hills park - perhaps because of the lack of shade - but the park itself attracts more high school students, given its proximity to Southwest High School, whose track and stadium are on the east side. The park also has fields for baseball, softball, and soccer, tennis courts, and a basketball court.

The Recreation Center hosts an extensive array of classes and community events throughout the year, in addition to a summer full of camps and activities. It's also a Rec Plus site, providing afterschool care for kids ages six to 12. Call the park for current offerings, or get information from the Minneapolis Park Board, which offers online registration for some programs.

A small seating area inside, with air hockey and other games, is open to the public. The craft rooms and gym can be rented for parties, and there's a full kitchen on-site. The center also has restrooms accessible from inside and out.

Pillsbury House, a non-profit inner-city neighborhood center based on the old settlement house model, is dedicated to helping people in poverty and building strong families.

Run by an umbrella organization with divisions for family services and employment, Pillsbury House offers on-site childcare, summer, and afterschool care, and homework help, computer labs, and mentoring for teens. Parenting classes are offered in English and Spanish, and families can join a food-buying co-op.

The center is also home to an acclaimed but intimate 96-seat multi-cultural theatre. Through the mentor-based Chicago Avenue Project, the Pillsbury House Theatre reaches out to marginalized youth with the collaborative creation of original plays; the Breaking Ice program explores hot-button issues with performances followed by open forum discussions; and bold Mainstage Season productions feature classic and new works.

The St. Paul JCC offers fitness classes and gym facilities (including a pool) with programming for all ages, as well as a technology center and library, sports leagues, summer camps, school release day trips and workshops, parent/child classes, and afterschool care. The center also hosts family events and special workshops, including babysitter training, and martial arts and scuba lessons for teens.

Childcare is available most mornings for kids ages six weeks to six years (with advance reservations) while parents are on-site to work out or attend classes. ($2/hour; Call 651.255.4757 to book.)

The JCC's offerings for teens are particularly notable. The Teen Lounge (open to members in grades seven to 12) features a stereo and big-screen TV with VCR and DVD player; pool, foosball, and ping pong tables; and internet access and a DVD/CD burner. Teen-only events and programs include a support group for GLBT teens, sports and leaderships organizations, and a Performing Arts School that mounts productions throughout the year. Van service is available to transport kids to the JCC from area schools.

The JCC also offers training for the JCC Maccabi Games, a Jewish Olympics-style competition. Kids in grades eight and nine can apply to be counselors-in-training at the JCC's Camp Butwin near Lebanon Hills County Park in Eagan, an ACA-accredited facility for kindergarteners and up offering summer camps with boating, climbing, crafts, nature, and theatre components.

Teens can also earn money as Party Peppers, helping out during birthday parties for kids ages five to 10 which are offered to member children (guests need not be members) at the center on Sundays. Parties include activity leaders, a decorated party room, set-up and clean-up, and use of the pool and gym. Call 651.255.4740 for more information.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Tutor Time offers before- and afterschool care, a daycare/preschool program (ages six weeks to five years), and summer camp.

Yinghua Academy, a public charter school, offers full immersion programming in Mandarin Chinese to kindergarteners, first, and second graders. Third and fourth grade classes are taught in English, with daily Chinese language arts classes.

Before and after school care is available for a fee, and afterschool programming includes yoga/tai chi, Chinese dance, and traditional Chinese music.

The Midway YMCA offers all the great stuff families would expect, including programming for kids and teens, youth sport leagues, swimming lessons, childcare and extended day care for kids ages 16 months and up, parent-child yoga classes, and much more.

Summer camps: On-site summer care is offered with a different theme and field trip each week. For a more traditional summer camp experience the Midway YMCA feeds Camp St. Croix, a wooded site with a lake located 30 miles east of the Twin Cities. Day camp activities include archery, canoeing, cookouts, horseback riding, crafts, and teen adventures. The camp also offers two special experiences: Pioneer Village, featuring games and activities from the past; and the pirate-themed Oasis Waterplay Area. Teen Quest camps aim to impart life skills alongside traditional camp activities, and feature one camping overnight. Extended care, bag lunches, and bus transportion are available for an additional fee. Check the website for details on current offerings.

The Southdale YMCA offers free on-site childcare (for kids from six weeks to 10 years old) while parents work out, with both indoor and outdoor play areas. And like most Ys, it also provides a wide variety of programming for kids and teens, including lots of youth sports leagues and enrichment classes, before and after school care, and teen councils and leadership clubs. Enrollment is open to all for most programs, though fees will be higher for non-members.

Group and private swim lessons are offered in the six-lane Olympic-size pool, with a smaller - and quieter - warming pool available for parents to use with babies and toddlers. Men's and women's family locker rooms provide a spacious place to change and shower. Kids can also get a workout on large muscle equipment in a Kids Gym and give the facility's climbing wall a shot.

The Tri-City SkatePark behind the building is open each afternoon from mid-April throught August, weather-permitting. The innovative in-ground concrete bowl provides a safe environment for skateboarders, inline skaters, and freestyle bikers to tool around, with depths ranging from four to 12 feet, street course elements, and challenges for a variety of skill levels. Waivers and safey gear are required for all users. Call 952.897.5462 for information on lessons. Daily use rates: Members $5; Non-members $9. Punch cards and season passes are also available.

Summer camp: Full-day programming is offered on-site all summer for school age kids, but for a real day camp experience the Southdale YMCA uses Kici Yapi, a fairly primitive 80-acre wooded site with a lake located near Prior Lake. Weeklong programs for ages four to 13 include traditional lanyard-and-archery-type camps, as well as specialized offerings for horseback riding, climbing, camping, and crafts. Seventh and eighth graders can take a leaders-in-training camp and assist counselors with younger kids. Bus transportation for campers is provided to/from sites in Minneapolis and several southern suburbs; kids enrolled in extended care in addition to camp get dropped off and/or picked up at the Southdale Y.

In addition to fitness programming, specialized classes for kids, and swim lessons and teams (go Otters!), the Uptown Y offers before and after school childcare - including school release days - for kids ages five to 12. Babysitting is also offered for younger kids while parents work out. Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 9am-1pm & 4:30pm-7:30pm; Tue & Thu 9am-7:30pm; Sat 8am-1pm; Sun 9am-3pm.

The facility has seen some updates in recent years, and provides locker rooms for girls and boys with their own showers and bathrooms beside the large Men's and Women's locker rooms downstairs. Couches just outside, across from vending machines stocked with snacks, give parents a place to wait for kids changing after lessons. Barefoot parents are welcome to observe swim lessons from chairs beside the pool; with shoes on, they can observe from tables beside a large window in the entry lobby overlooking the pool.

Expect to pay $0.50-$2 per visit for parking in the attached ramp; those fees are not included in monthly dues, but it's that or walking or biking over - street parking is nearly impossible in this area. Parking spaces right beside the entrance are reserved for parents picking up children from childcare; if they can get in and out within 15 minutes, there's no charge.

Birthday parties: Both the gym and the pool can be rented by the hour ($50 and up). Call 612.874.7131 for more information.