New Aftercare Provider at Lafayette

[Anonymous]

I don't know that anyone doubts the need for aftercare at Lafayette and I'm not sure how that got to be the question.

The current provider -- no matter how they got there or who they replaced -- is doing a poor job. I hope they are able to improve, but I'm not sure they know what they are doing with this many kids. I think everyone is happy that the program was expanded and includes more families, but surely they can do better.

I hope they will.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone posting on this thread given their feedback to the actual provider?

[Anonymous]

They should talk to Janney. They serve over 300+ kids and is a homegrown program. It has survived a change in leadership from its dynamic founder to an ED with a non profit board, as well as a change in principal. Most parents are happy with the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should talk to Janney. They serve over 300+ kids and is a homegrown program. It has survived a change in leadership from its dynamic founder to an ED with a non profit board, as well as a change in principal. Most parents are happy with the program.

This should have happened 10'years ago, and followed through with an implementation plan.

[Anonymous]

Are those vests really needed?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are those vests really needed?!

Are the kids in an area where there are also kids who aren't in the program? If so, I'd say yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are those vests really needed?!

Are the kids in an area where there are also kids who aren't in the program? If so, I'd say yes.

Yes: the kids wear the vests when they are outside and mixed in with non-aftercare kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading this thread makes me very happy with our school with its homegrown aftercare and principal who a is hands off because it runs smoothly.

Sadly, this is what Lafayette had with Principal Main and LAP.

Please stop with this BS. we bought at house less than two blocks from Lafayette a few years ago and the only reason we did not enroll our kids at Lafayette but left them at another DCPS elementary school was the fact that there was no space in the beloved aftercare you are talking about (and the private at the church nearby was also full). we had friends who bought in the past two years and their kids were in the 200s in the waitlist for the aftercare. they have a spot now (we are at Deal now). aftercare does not exist to allow lazy moms to take the fourth yoga class of the day, as some people seem to believe. all the people I know are single working parents or couple where both people work, aftercare is a necessity when school ends at 3.15 and both parents need to work until 6 or later. if the current aftercare needs improvement, let's improve it but please stop going back at how fantastic was the one before because the fact that it left tens or hundreds of kids out is pretty important.

What exactly is BS? LAP was absolutely homegrown aftercare and the prior Principal was hands off. Sorry you are still butt hurt after all of these years but YOUR opinion does not make fact.

a fact is that hundreds of kids, including mine, never had the opportunity to enjoy the homegrown aftercare because said aftercare was unable to serve them. whatever aftercare Lafayette has, it should serve its kids, not just selected few.

"Hundreds" of kids is an exaggeration. CLS this year is serving 287 kids, 87 more kids than LAP served last year. I'm not denying that it was unfortunate that LAP was not able to grow as fast as the community would like it to, but paying attention to quality in addition to quantity is important.

[Anonymous]

Well, 87 is pretty close to 100, and I would bet that the number of families now being served with those 80 kids is close to 50-60 families, which is a huge help to the Lafayette Community. I think CLS will figure it out and if anyone still has concrete concerns, they should take those concerns to the program itself and try to help think of solutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are those vests really needed?!

Are the kids in an area where there are also kids who aren't in the program? If so, I'd say yes.

Yes: the kids wear the vests when they are outside and mixed in with non-aftercare kids.

I am not sure why this is a big deal. CLS kids at Murch were always using shirts or vests in specific colors (bright orange? green? i am not sure anymore) when they were using the playground at Murch (before the move). The playground was open to everybody and was also used by kids in the other aftercare program. for supervisors was obviously easier to supervise the kids when they were wearing a sort of uniform in a crowded playground. it seems reasonable to me and as a parent I would think it is safer.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'm not sure it's a terrible idea to close the playground for non aftercare kids. It's already a crowded space for 300 kids, and then add in anyone else who walks in off the street.
At Janney, the preK playground is closed to the public until 5pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'm not sure it's a terrible idea to close the playground for non aftercare kids. It's already a crowded space for 300 kids, and then add in anyone else who walks in off the street.
At Janney, the preK playground is closed to the public until 5pm.

The majority play in a public park, you can't close it.

[Anonymous]

I think restricting playgrounds after school hours to a paying group of aftercare kids is not a good approach.

The aftercare program can rotate kids onto the playground and not put all 300 on at one time. It should not be closed to everyone else until 5pm if it is an otherwise publicly accessible playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are those vests really needed?!

Are the kids in an area where there are also kids who aren't in the program? If so, I'd say yes.

Yes: the kids wear the vests when they are outside and mixed in with non-aftercare kids.

I am not sure why this is a big deal. CLS kids at Murch were always using shirts or vests in specific colors (bright orange? green? i am not sure anymore) when they were using the playground at Murch (before the move). The playground was open to everybody and was also used by kids in the other aftercare program. for supervisors was obviously easier to supervise the kids when they were wearing a sort of uniform in a crowded playground. it seems reasonable to me and as a parent I would think it is safer.

One comment from another Murch parent. I HATED picking up kids from Language (CLS) vs XDay at Murch. XDay folks all know who I was, knew who my kids friends were and would let me pick them up and take them. Because, surprise kids often forget they are going home with you for playdate or you are their ride to something. CLS would refuse to release kids to me even when the kids told them who I was, even when I picked them up every week, they kept "losing" the authorization. While I appreciate the safety approach - it was overdone to the point of paranoia.

[Anonymous]

The kids were fine last year without the vests and I don't really see what they offer in terms of added security.

The park is a public space and can not be closed. There are plenty of experienced caregivers out there to watch the kids.

If security was the only concern, we could lock the kids in a room until they get picked up. At least they would be safe.

Unfortunately, the CLS structure is going to have to change for improvements to occcur. There is way too much centralization and not enough capability at the center to handle the expectations.

Good luck trying to talk with the woman in charge; she knows she has the contract and has zero interest in improving.