Another Kindergarten Question - Aftercare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would really think it thru using aftercare for a K student. It is very intimidating with the older kids rough housing, bullying, talking grown-up. They are all mixed together in cafeteria with the same stuff daily. I think you are better off getting a college student to help him/her off the bus and have her do homework and play with neighborhood friends or take to activities.

Well, your kid is clearly not getting that at home...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, most parents do not send their K students to aftercare. I would say 5-10% max of the after club are K students and most have an older sibling. It is just too much/too long for 5yr olds. And historically in our school, the kids going thru 6yrs of aftercare are not the brightest or well behaved.

Oh good lord. OP, call KAH at your school and ask approximately how many K students they have and whether their activities are different. For your amusement, I suppose you could also ask whether 6 years of afterschool care makes children dumber and less well behaved than the children who spend those 2 hours at home with their mothers.

I expect this may be a class issue. I suppose at some upper class schools, it is uncommon for children to have 2 working parents so not many parents make use of aftercare. At our school, fully a quarter of the student body uses KAH, so there are lots of 2-working-professional families.

I'll be sending my kindergartener to KAH this fall from 3:30-5:00 and he is SO excited.

I think he should be excited! I believe that the aftercare programs are even more fun for K. I know my kids LOVED aftercare in K and 1st. By the time they were in 3rd, they were playing afterschool sports and didn't attend. But it was fantastic and the counselors pay extra attention to the little one. It was really a great option and I was sad to leave it when I then had to switch to afterschool sitter so that the kids could get to practices. OP, I suspect your K will love it!

[Anonymous]

I expect this may be a class issue. I suppose at some upper class schools, it is uncommon for children to have 2 working parents so not many parents make use of aftercare. At our school, fully a quarter of the student body uses KAH, so there are lots of 2-working-professional families

Not the poster you are responding to, but I don't necessarily think it is a class issue. Our school is very mixed. Most kids have two working parents, but for kids with siblings young enough to be home with a nanny, it just makes sense to have the nanny pick the K child up. Due to the age difference between siblings, aftercare is much better attended by 2-3 graders and up, who are less likely to have a younger sib at home with a nanny.

[Anonymous]

But having a nanny is a class thing, 15:34. You know that's the most expensive form of childcare, right? (It might be worth it, but it's not something everyone can afford.)