Feel so sad hearing this today!

[Anonymous]

Stood at the fence at "John Eaton"?

Do you even live in DC, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couple thoughts-

You have never yelled at your kid? Either you or your kid is a saint. Can't say most of us have not had a cross moment

Most staff that works for aftercare programs- make crap wages, even if those of us that pay for the programs struggle. Try living in DC on less than $20 or 30 thousand a year. You might feel a bit cross about life also.

Sometimes you need to yell to get through to a kid that is ignoring you. Hate to say it, but there are times it is necessary. Yes I know there is a cultural difference between upper class my poor child/ lower class deal with it attitudes in DC, but a little empathy both ways may be a good idea.

Wait a minute. You're the lady I see with the 3, 5, and 7 year olds when I dash to the Columbia Heights Target at 9:55 pm, aren't you? Tuesday night, school night, smacking the middle one in the back of his head because he was dancing and telling the 3 year old to shut his mouth because he was getting on your "last nerve" ?

I have a question -- did you wind up buying the barbecue potato chips or the cheesy potato chips last time we saw each other? it looked like it could go either way there. And by the way, your son is a very good dancer for his age!

[Anonymous]

^^ the person you saw at Target probably is an aftercare worker. . .

[boyleanne]

It's obvious you have spent little time in DCPS. This is a long-standing problem. These teachers/aides think this is how they are supposed to do their job and woe be to you, you uppity outsider, to say anything to them. I have put my children in DCPS, but I never put them in the aftercare programs.

[Anonymous]

My child attended two different after care programs in DCPS--both run by outside entities from the school and both using school facilities. Both were excellent. I would look closely at the program before making blanket judgments. It would be wonderful if an arrangement could be made for the established, 'good' programs to mentor or expand.

[Anonymous]

How about setting up your own aftercare program at home. Hire a caregiver and split the cost with two other parents. Just a thought. This way you will hand-pick someone and they will have accountability.

Another point: after-care varies widely school-to-school. Aftercare at the school has advantages for older kids. Basis aftercare is the best I've seen, with many clubs and teachers available -- but that's middle school. Meantime, find another option. Yelling at kids is NEVER effective, I don't care how much they misbehave. The caregiver must be the adult: calm, cool, decisive, consequences given consistently without anger or reproach.

[Anonymous]

Call David Catania, Chairman of the Education Committee

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, long standing problem all right. My kids left DCPS after 6th, and many years ago I was part of all hopeful discussions with the new chancellor & co. One of their requested top priorities was addressing the critical hours between 3 and 6 pm. Nada.

Sorry honey, but what do you expect for ten dollars an hour? The only person willing to be their mommy, for free, is you. Except in your case, apparently not.

[Anonymous]

Why so flip, PP? The point others have made is that there are higher SES families at DCPS schools with high FRMS percentages who are willing to pay more for quality care and programming. But the FRMS kids can't afford that. So what to do? Set up two systems? One quality one for parents able to pay and one that's crap with short fused screamers as the caregiver? I seem to recall threads about this sort of double, have/have not system at Oyster? Anyway, not an palatable plan to most with any sense of fairness. Ten dollars or no, we should not tolerate children being treated terribly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why so flip, PP? The point others have made is that there are higher SES families at DCPS schools with high FRMS percentages who are willing to pay more for quality care and programming. But the FRMS kids can't afford that. So what to do? Set up two systems? One quality one for parents able to pay and one that's crap with short fused screamers as the caregiver? I seem to recall threads about this sort of double, have/have not system at Oyster? Anyway, not an palatable plan to most with any sense of fairness. Ten dollars or no, we should not tolerate children being treated terribly.

The point is that for ten dollars an hour you won't get someone who will nurture your child as you would. On an hourly basis, how well are YOU compensated?

That's obviously too much for you to give up and provide your child with enrichment, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couple thoughts-

You have never yelled at your kid? Either you or your kid is a saint. Can't say most of us have not had a cross moment

Most staff that works for aftercare programs- make crap wages, even if those of us that pay for the programs struggle. Try living in DC on less than $20 or 30 thousand a year. You might feel a bit cross about life also.

Sometimes you need to yell to get through to a kid that is ignoring you. Hate to say it, but there are times it is necessary. Yes I know there is a cultural difference between upper class my poor child/ lower class deal with it attitudes in DC, but a little empathy both ways may be a good idea.

I agree. I just saw a befor-care staffer "yell" and approach a kid yesterday morning. But you know what? The little boy was being acting rotten and disrespectful and he didnt do as he was told until she raised her voice and refused to let him walk by. His demeanor was what took me aback. Why are we raising kids who feel comfortable being disrespectful to adults? He had this attitude like "You're not a real teacher so therefore I don't have to respect you as such." Maybe it rubbed off from his parents?

[Anonymous]

excuse the typos*

[Anonymous]

Former Afterschool (we don't like the term aftercare-denotes babysitting and we were leaning towards more of an extended-day program) Coordinator here:

Often times the afterschool program was treated like an after thought by many DCPS principals. There was always an undercurrent of tension between the principals and the coordinators because, up until this school year, the coordinators could not be fired or rif'ed by principals. Only central office had the power to remove a coordinator. This did not go over well. Often coordinators and, by extension, the program was viewed as a necessary nuisance by school administration.

Resources: Save for the first year under Hartsock, the Out of School Time budget for DCPS afterschool was ALWAYS a problem. Often I had to recruit parent/high school student volunteers because I was not able to get enough hired staff to accommodate the number of students who signed up. It seemed like the mantra was "do the most with the least". Also, some principals would "reserve" afterschool positions for their favorite staff whether they were a good teacher/aide or not.

Age Range: This situation may vary from school to school, but my honest opinion (having supervised programs and monitored others) is that I would not recommend afterschool for any student under the age of 7. The day is tooooo long. Trust me. It is. These children are burned out. It's too many children for such little staff. It may be different for schools that offer non-profit/private afterschool services. At my school, we came up with creative, fun ways to keep the students engaged but sometimes it was an uphill battle. No one in Pre-K/Pre-S should be in afterschool IMHO. I can remember being in a classroom with my aide and we would spend half the afterschool session rocking frustrated, crying pre-schoolers. This happened ALOT. It became draining because I had 100+ other students to supervise in addition to other administrative duties.

[Anonymous]

The teachers who stayed after school when my kids went to Ross (pre-Hartsock) were paid about $30 an hour or more. As for $10 an hour counselors, it would be an acceptable fee if DCPS tapped into the many universities as resources for internships. Students majoring in early childhood ed. or similar could earn credit. Even local high schools, like GDS and Madeira, send upper grade students into city schools for community service. It takes time and creativity, and the system has been "free" of the binds of the old "central office" for some time, so really it is inexcusable this has not been re-created under Rhee or Henderson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Afterschool (we don't like the term aftercare-denotes babysitting and we were leaning towards more of an extended-day program) Coordinator here:

Often times the afterschool program was treated like an after thought by many DCPS principals. There was always an undercurrent of tension between the principals and the coordinators because, up until this school year, the coordinators could not be fired or rif'ed by principals. Only central office had the power to remove a coordinator. This did not go over well. Often coordinators and, by extension, the program was viewed as a necessary nuisance by school administration.

Resources: Save for the first year under Hartsock, the Out of School Time budget for DCPS afterschool was ALWAYS a problem. Often I had to recruit parent/high school student volunteers because I was not able to get enough hired staff to accommodate the number of students who signed up. It seemed like the mantra was "do the most with the least". Also, some principals would "reserve" afterschool positions for their favorite staff whether they were a good teacher/aide or not.

Age Range: This situation may vary from school to school, but my honest opinion (having supervised programs and monitored others) is that I would not recommend afterschool for any student under the age of 7. The day is tooooo long. Trust me. It is. These children are burned out. It's too many children for such little staff. It may be different for schools that offer non-profit/private afterschool services. At my school, we came up with creative, fun ways to keep the students engaged but sometimes it was an uphill battle. No one in Pre-K/Pre-S should be in afterschool IMHO. I can remember being in a classroom with my aide and we would spend half the afterschool session rocking frustrated, crying pre-schoolers. This happened ALOT. It became draining because I had 100+ other students to supervise in addition to other administrative duties.

"Quality time" is something parents tell themselves to relieve guilt. Children don't believe in "quality time" they want "quantity time." They just want you nearby, even if they're just in the other room engrossed in their legos.