DUNKIRK, Md. — Sung’s Black Belt Academy of Dunkirk will be allowed to increase its after-school care program enrollment to 30 kids per day, up from 19, pending the updated certificate and approval letter from the state of Maryland.
Sung’s is a martial arts academy located at 10750 Town Center Blvd. in Dunkirk. The center holds Tae Kwon Do classes and summer camps but also has a unique before- and after-school program — Sung’s staff pick kids up from local elementary and middle schools and bring them to the academy to take a Tae Kwon Do class and do their homework until their parents pick them up.
According to master instructor and daycare director Wendy Deeban, Sung’s was approved to have 30 clients by the state of Maryland before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that license was altered by the county. Sung’s is currently permitted to have 19 after-care clients at a time.
Deeban said she and the academy’s owner, Master Young Sung, get calls “all the time” and that she would love to be able to accept more families but is instead turning people away. She said there’s a significant need for child care in Calvert County, especially with recently eliminated telework options for federal workers.
Sung’s owns three 15-passenger vans that they use to transport the kids to and from school. This means they have both transport and on-site capacity for 30 clients and a backup in case one of their vans breaks down.
Deeban says they have a checklist for picking kids up from each school, where roll call is taken multiple times and verifies the kids are buckled for the drive. Kids are also brought in through the back of the building to avoid the heavy traffic area in the Dunkirk shopping center.
Board of Appeals members asked Deeban questions about fire safety, transport safety and CPR and first-aid certifications before signing off on the application.
Deeban assured the board members that all drivers are CPR certified and they have at least one CPR-certified staff member present at all times. They also undergo regular inspections and do monthly fire drills. She also outlined the process for parent pickup, which includes safety measures like written notice of pickup and never letting kids walk to a parent’s car by themselves, among other criteria.
Board members agreed that the increase of daycare clients will help the community and will not have adverse effects on the economy or adjacent property owners. They approved the application.
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