I also know plenty of kids that love aftercare and are disappointed to leave when their parents arrive...

Also, PP makes an assumption that all kids who go to HGC have a long bus ride. The HGC (not at our home school) is 1.2 miles away. My child does an afterschool sport several times during the week. The only thing curbing his very active post-school life is homework!

To PP who commented on the long day:
Our DCs love aftercare and as they see it as a time to hang out with their friends and run around at the playground. But they are social butterflies and would be bored at home. They have friends with a SAHM or SAHD who want to be in aftercare instead of hanging out with their parents.

To the poster who thinks it's a long day: what do you suggest instead? We had a babysitter for a while. After she took another job our child started taking the bus to aftercare at the home school. He prefers bus and aftercare. He sees friends there as likes the bus. Unless I stopped working that is just how the day is.

For my kid the bus ride meant they were at before/after care for less time so there was no extension of the day..and she LOVED the bus ride as she had her bus friends..actually turned down rides to school to have her bus time!

And BTW..aftercare is a time to be with friends and do activities.

That is seriously a long day for kids. I feel sorry for them. Long bus ride, school, long bus ride, aftercare.

No time to be with friends or after school activities?

Our HGC does not have before/after care. So, he's going to home school. Before care walks him to the bus. He comes directly home afterschool, gets a snack and starts his homework.

DS will be going to aftercare at our home school. I spoke with the aftercare and they said they have kids do it every year.

The bus will drop him off right out front of our home school and he can just walk right in. He already goes to aftercare there, so he is comfortable and familiar with it. Plus I will still have another child there. But, it sounds like he will probably arrive after they have already done homework time. I considered looking into aftercare at the HGC, but it is not close to home and that would make 3 different pickup locations.

If your center is not near by you would have to pick up there. My child took the bus to home school for aftercare..and left from before care too.

Does your child take a bus to the home school for after care? Just wondering how it works.

We use after care at our home school. It's a great program and our younger child is there.

Wondering what other parents do and the advantages/disadvantages you considered before deciding?