Reply to Aftercare is cruel to kindergarteners

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The thing is, obviously the quality of "aftercare" programs vary by school. Hell, even within a specific school, the quality probably varies by day. Is it great for kids to be parked in front of a TV with a dozen other kids at their school watching Dora the Explorer from 3-6? Probably not, in my opinion, but it also won't completely destroy them forever if they are living otherwise fulfilling lives. Most adults I know waste 3+ hours a day on things that are probably not good for them. Is it great for kids to have extra dance class, or supplemental languages, or arts, or whatever? We can disagree on whether it's healthy for kids ages 3-6 to be scheduled that much in general, but I know a lot of kids who really enjoy the things they do and learn in aftercare, when it's actually an enrichment program, rather than a glorified parking lot.[/quote]

I have never seen any kids at my kids' school watch TV. They have a healthy snack every day, spend part of the time in the gym playing a mix of supervised and unsupervised games (e.g., some kids will be playing kickball or tag and some will be jumping rope or something), and part of the time in the cafeteria where there are a huge number of "stations" they can choose from every day--books and bean bags, legos, board games, boxes of toy cars etc., a giant play kitchen, etc. etc. Plus they do some kind of craft every day and have a homework area. In nice weather they have occasional water play and field trips. All in all, my kids do way more in their 2-3 hours of aftercare every day then they would do at home (it's always more fun to play with someone else's toys....), plus they get to play with their friends instead of Mommy. Anyone who feels sorry for kids in aftercare is an idiot. At my kids' school, anyhow, they are having a blast. [/quote]

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