Anonymous wrote:OP, it is your job to raise your kids, not the schools. You don't like the aftercare and you want to work? Find different daycare.

School's, not schools, as in "It is your job, not the school's job." Your parents must have stashed you at daycare all day, too.

OP, it is your job to raise your kids, not the schools. You don't like the aftercare and you want to work? Find different daycare.

There's a huge range in the quality of aftercare providers at MCPS schools and it's not always about costs. We have one of the most expensive providers or maybe it's the most expensive and most parents are not fans.

The parents I know at other schools who are happy with their programs have ones run by companies that also have non-profit daycare programs nearby. They tend to have more experienced, professional staff with formal training unlike some of the staff at the aftercare-only companies owned by guys who have no experience in this type of thing but have buddies in the school system and want to squeeze every last dime of profit out of the fees.

I have long suspected there is a kick-back system for some of these companies because they are so incredibly bad and the schools do nothing to get rid of them despite parent complaints and even after their contracts are up.

Another plug for KAH. Also at a Focus school and it is very well liked.

Anonymous wrote:I'm on the committee that is currently reviewing applications for before/aftercare programs at my kids' ES. There are a handful of ES going through the process this year. We had to attend orientation provided by the County and there's a pretty formal review process, with a rating sheet we have to use to evaluate each applicant. At orientation we were told that this process happens every 7 years. To know when your school can get a new provider, you need to find out when your school last went through the rebidding process. In the meantime, I think your only option is to try to get the current provider to improve by getting parents to complain, etc.

I was on my ES's review committee a few years ago and they told us it was every 5 years! Maybe they've changed over the last few years.

I'm on the committee that is currently reviewing applications for before/aftercare programs at my kids' ES. There are a handful of ES going through the process this year. We had to attend orientation provided by the County and there's a pretty formal review process, with a rating sheet we have to use to evaluate each applicant. At orientation we were told that this process happens every 7 years. To know when your school can get a new provider, you need to find out when your school last went through the rebidding process. In the meantime, I think your only option is to try to get the current provider to improve by getting parents to complain, etc.

Anonymous wrote:you need KAH or Bar-T. KAH is at our school - and is beyond awesome - so I am partial, but I think they are comparable.

We've had a good experience with Bar-T - both aftercare and summer camp. No complaints