After school child care programs

[Prancer]

Many people higher someone to watch their child(ren) at their house.

Since my neighborhood is a stone's throw from a university, one popular option here is for a couple of parents to pool their money and hire a college student or two to meet the buses and take care of a group of kids at home for a couple of hours. Most college students are done with classes by that time of day; you just have to find some who aren't working after school themselves then.

The advantage of that as opposed to a program is that your caregiver there can run the kids to sports or playdates or whatever after school. I have seen a lot of college students tapping their toes in the orthodontist's waiting room.

The Superintendent can shaft the parents (oops - ask the parents to make sacrifices) but won't have any luck with the teacher's union.

In the district here....the teachers tried to ban parents from helping in the classrooms. Why? Because there is a part of the contract that says you can't put a parent in the classroom if there are teachers and union workers available, who could be doing the job.

As with anything else involving US schools, though, that varies. I volunteered in the elementary and middle school here all the time. The high school doesn't want parents around, but the lower-level schools most certainly do. I've never heard any of the teachers express anything but gratitude for the help and the union has never made a peep.

Easier said than done. Do you cut 5% of the bus routes? Use 5% less electricity?

Yep, I hear people suggest cuts in spending here all the time, but none of them ever seem to have the slightest clue how school money is spent, much less where spending can be cut.

[Meredith]

The programs are not rare. Where I live (small town by any standards) the before- and after-school programs are still up and running. So are those in the city closest to me. That school district has before- and after-school programs available in 23 elementary schools.

[Aceon6]

Just heard that a neighboring town that does have before/after school programs is rethinking how they're supported. In the proposed budget, the programs need to break even or make money. If the programs can't pay for themselves, they will be shut down. That would mean a huge increase for those who can pay in order to subsidize those who can't, making the school's program about as expensive as private ones.

[jeffisjeff]

Since my neighborhood is a stone's throw from a university, one popular option here is for a couple of parents to pool their money and hire a college student or two to meet the buses and take care of a group of kids at home for a couple of hours. Most college students are done with classes by that time of day; you just have to find some who aren't working after school themselves then.

That's a possibility, but it requires finding a completely reliable college student. It can be done, but it takes a lot of work...

Today it was revealed that the district also plans to go from full day to half day kindergarten. So glad my youngest is in kindergarten this year! I can't imagine trying to coordinate two kids getting out of school at two different times without some kind of after school childcare program!

[DCA]

Arlington, VA, public schools have a fantastic extended day program, and I don't know what I would have done without them. Even middle schools have an after-school supervised program. It's the only experience I've had, and I just assumed that it was common. Staff were great, I didn't have to worry about transportation connections, and it meshed nicely with after-school extra-curricular activities.

[skatemommy]

Today it was revealed that the district also plans to go from full day to half day kindergarten. So glad my youngest is in kindergarten this year! I can't imagine trying to coordinate two kids getting out of school at two different times without some kind of after school childcare program!

A lot of districts around here that have went to full day are now going back to half day. Apparently, they don't get any more money from the state for having full day. My daughter went all day, 3 days a week. Really liked that!