1167483 - KIDS SPOT Waiting Room Child Supervision Room

It is the Circuit Court’s intent to provide the children who have accompanied their parents or guardians to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County for court appearances, hearings, trials, and related services with a safe, welcoming, and supervised waiting area, called KIDS SPOT, dedicated to children between the ages of 2 and 12.

It is the Circuit Court’s intent to provide a supervised waiting area away from the general public that provides children involved in Court proceedings with a dedicated environment that lessens or mitigates the stress or trauma associated with court proceedings. Many of the matters before the Court involve subjects that may be inappropriate for children, whether the proceedings they observe involves their own family or others. Further, children may need to appear in court for testimony or an interview yet may be excluded from the bulk of the proceeding. These children were previously required to wait in public waiting areas with an adult.

It is further the intent of the Circuit Court is to allow parents who may have no other childcare options to give their full attention to the proceedings they are attending and the services they are seeking or receiving.

The Circuit Court intends to serve a maximum of 10 to 16 children, depending on the ages of the children under supervision, during the operational hours of the Court, on a first come, first served basis. Children may stay as long as their parent or guardian is conducting business in the building. Parents must pick up their children for the Court’s luncheon recess from 12:30 to 1:30 and may return them to KIDS SPOT during the afternoon if their business with the court requires. As there is no fee for this service, Court and County employees who are on duty are not eligible to bring their children to KIDS SPOT. Further, as no extended hours are available, jurors may not use KIDS SPOT for childcare during jury service.