No aftercare but full time worker

[Anonymous]

My DH and I work from home full time, our days end between 445 and 515. My DH wants to let our DD come home from school, which ends at 330, when she starts K this fall. I am considering an aftercare where our youngest DD goes to daycare, but she'd only be there for 1-2 hours each day. Alternatively, she'd come home and be bored and probably watch TV.

If you don't do aftercare but you work until 5pm, what do your kids do between 330 until dinner time?

[Anonymous]

At that age I paid for aftercare even though I WFH. I didn't think DD could occupy herself very well.

Now she's 9 and she does homework, art, reading, listens to music. The turning point was really when she could read independently.

[Anonymous]

I’d absolutely have my child come home and chill. I’d have a small snack ready and let her watch an hour of TV and read. She will already have been at school all day and there’s no benefit to her attending after care. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Whine, watch TV, bug me. I don’t think this is a good idea until your kid is in 2nd or 3rd grade and can entertain themselves by making their own snacks and playing outside on their own.

[Anonymous]

Only you know your child best. My kid is in pre k and comes home after school. He gets himself a snack out of the pantry and gets his ipad and plays Roblox. He does not bother me for another hour. He is not bored and I actually enjoy that he can decompress after a full day of sitting at a desk and working. He needs his down time. If you think your child will be bored or you wont be able to get anything done, then do aftercare. I personally, would not waste my money.

[Anonymous]

On the other side of the day, my kids go to before care and love it. It's just like being in school, but they can work on what they want - arts and crafts, reading, etc. They also get a snack. I know the after care kids also play outside. I'd look into what's available at the school and which organization runs it (Rec and Parks, etc.) These programs fill up fast, so don't spend too much time waiting to see what's there.

[Anonymous]

This doesn’t answer your question, but do aftercare. Having those last couple of hours after school is finished to focus on the job that pays you is invaluable. What’s the downside?

[Anonymous]

TV doesn't bother me, so we let our kids come home and decompress with a snack and a show after K. My youngest especially needed that. Lest you think they have turned into screen zombies, at 10 and 12 they come home and decompress by shooting hoops outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d absolutely have my child come home and chill. I’d have a small snack ready and let her watch an hour of TV and read. She will already have been at school all day and there’s no benefit to her attending after care. Thanks

There is a definite benefit to the parents. And I think having the option to play for another couple of hours rather than sit around and watch TV is beneficial to a kid.

[Anonymous]

Kids can decompress without TV. I would let her come home. K is a long day already. Work on her doing things independently over the summer. I’m not anti TV but you shouldn’t use it as a babysitter 5 days a week.

[Anonymous]

I don't think your plan will work. Can you dd just "come home"? I live right next to school and it takes at least 30 minutes. I walk 7 minutes to pick her up, wait about 15 minutes for her to come out (they bring them out SO SLOWLY and one at a time) and then we walk home. It's even slower if I were in a car line. Even if she rides a bus, my school's bus won't let Kindergarteners get off unless parents are there waiting.

So in January I put my kid in my school's aftercare program. It's been okay... some of the kids have a lot of behavioral problems and are a lot older than her (like 5th graders who are 6 years older). She doesn't like it and begs to not go.

My husband and I were trying to figure out when a kid can walk home on their own without a parent present. The walkers get let out much earlier than the ones having to wait for parents.

[Anonymous]

We do aftercare. My oldest will be in 3rd grade next year. It's the first year I would have considered her coming home. Except my youngest will be in K, so having him have something "to do" after school is really valuable. They make friends are play! It's great.

We are in APS, and there are Early Release days at least once a month, sometimes twice. I barely have to think about those because my kid just goes to aftercare. So I'd say look at the schedule and see what days your kid will be coming home at 1:30, not 3:30.

If you DH is pushing for this, I'd also put him in charge of managing her from when she gets home until it's knockoff time. So he can be the "on call" parent to help with getting her off the bus, a snack, getting settled. He may all of a sudden realize what a good deal is it have someone else do that.

Also, if you sign up for after care and it's not what you need after a month or 2 of school, you can drop out. I thin it's easier to go that way than the other way (sign up 2 months in).

[Anonymous]

definitely do after care where your youngest goes to daycare. She's going to be a kindergartner? that means one of you has to meet the bus each day. She will have fun at after care- she'll get to play outside, play with other kids etc. If you have her come home, but you still have hours of work to do- you will be rushing her off the bus, and plopping her in front of the tv, until you are done with work. Its nice when kids get home to be able to focus on them- how was your day, what happened, etc- let them show your their school papers etc. Its hard to do that if you are supposed to be working.

[Anonymous]

For my social kid, I enrolled her in aftercare. For my adhd/anxiety kid, he came home and relaxed after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whine, watch TV, bug me. I don’t think this is a good idea until your kid is in 2nd or 3rd grade and can entertain themselves by making their own snacks and playing outside on their own.

This. You won’t get any work done after she comes home at DD will be miserable. Shift your schedules or pay for aftercare for a few years. This isn’t a good way to save money.