i also actually just learned that our DCPS school (where we just enrolled our 3yo) is switching from DCPS aftercare to a contractor, cost to be determined. as far as i can tell from the parents I currently know there, no one had any specific complaints about the DCPS program and it included all sorts of fun optional activities on site for a small fee. but maybe something was awry with the DCPS aftercare that I wasn't told about. i'm not terribly excited to be paying for 3 hours of fancy new instructional activity at the end of a long day for my 3yo, who I suspect would be better off turned loose on the playground with supervision and a snack.

If you need 30 minutes of care, consider a babysitter, possibly another parent or grandparent.
Having free PS3 and choices of aftercare is really not imposing anything on you. Aftercare is not a "right"

OP never said she was low income. She just doesn't want to have to go with a much more expensive option. She wants a choice.

Anonymous wrote:OP, depending on your child's SN you may find that any aftercare is a poor solution. The transition to DCPS is tough for many 3 year olds, and aftercare can be too much on top of that. It's not really like daycare. Not sure why you are so adamant about finding the lowest quality aftercare ...

My child has SN and I was going to say the same thing. Low quality aftercare with high ratios is not something I would want for him. Even good aftercare can be tough on a kid with SN after a long day, especially when they are little.

OP, depending on your child's SN you may find that any aftercare is a poor solution. The transition to DCPS is tough for many 3 year olds, and aftercare can be too much on top of that. It's not really like daycare. Not sure why you are so adamant about finding the lowest quality aftercare ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, while I get your concern, being annoyed that somebody made a choice for you when you are not even at the school is a stretch. once you are enrolled, make your calls to the PTA/whomever is in charge of aftercare and the aftercare provider and see if they have a sliding scale and also make them aware that you have a SN child.

Fair enough.

I guess I'm just stunned that the school would allow a change if the default.
I work at another title 1 school. It offers DCPS and private aftercare. And parents can choose.
I'd happily be a 'have' in a 'have not' aftercare.

How are you so sure about that? Anyway I'm betting there is some kind of agreement on the fees for low income parents at the outsourced program.

Anonymous wrote:OP, while I get your concern, being annoyed that somebody made a choice for you when you are not even at the school is a stretch. once you are enrolled, make your calls to the PTA/whomever is in charge of aftercare and the aftercare provider and see if they have a sliding scale and also make them aware that you have a SN child.

Fair enough.

I guess I'm just stunned that the school would allow a change if the default.
I work at another title 1 school. It offers DCPS and private aftercare. And parents can choose.
I'd happily be a 'have' in a 'have not' aftercare.

Principal can't do anything. It's the way the school has it set up.
Ridiculous. My child will be in aftercare for all of 30 minutes a day. I teach in the area.
It's a racket.

OP needs to talk to the principal. Something can probably be worked out but DCUM isn't the best venue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our Title 1, DCPS aftercare for the upcoming school year will only be free to low-income families.

Right, I get that. But you won't pay $500 a month for it either. That is the cost for the outside provider.

NP. You don't know how much the PP will be paying. $500 is on the high side but not way out of line for an aftercare provider.

And I do think that DCPS free aftercare should only be offered to families that qualify for free/reduced meals. Other families should either have to pay for the DCPS one, or enroll in a private aftercare. Free aftercare shouldn't be to save some middle class parents money, it should be for helping those who couldn't afford it otherwise.

Cool. But it should be be for another group of parents to make that CHOICE for me.
Also- the provider they selected has a history of not wanting to take SN kids. Its an issue for me. You bet your ass.

I suspect it's more the case of holding a vote and majority rules. It would be chaos indeed if everyone designed their own aftercare program.

That said, there have been schools which in the past have offered both the free aftercare, and the pricier enrichment variety. Looks like a great way to create a miniature caste-system at the ES level - everyone can tell who the "haves" and "have nots" are.

Anonymous wrote:Ok- we are starting PS3 at Tyler in the fall of 2016. Tyler is Title I, so we should have free aftercare.

But- turns out that the PTA at Tyler decided to use an outside supplier for the PS aftercare. That is all well and good if it was an option: where parents could pay for aftercare or use DCPS. However, DCPS does not even offer aftercare for the PS kids anymore at Tyler.

So help me understand this. Why, as a group of parents would you run out free aftercare?

Because in most cases, you get what you pay for. If you pay for very high-quality care, you may get enriching options like gardening, language clubs, music lessons, organized sports, robotics, dance, field trips, etc.

If you take the low-ball offer, you may get 40 kids in a room watching videos with minimal supervision.

Obviously the former costs more than the latter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the Tyler aftercare still Polite Piggies? You're lucky to have that option. They do a pretty good job. I think they have a sliding scale too. I'd prefer that over DCPS aftercare.

Polite Piggies charges $500/month? They should change their name to "Greedy Piggies."

Their website says it's $21/day and there is a sliding scale for lower income families. Before care is an additional $8/day.

Anonymous wrote:Is the Tyler aftercare still Polite Piggies? You're lucky to have that option. They do a pretty good job. I think they have a sliding scale too. I'd prefer that over DCPS aftercare.

Polite Piggies charges $500/month? They should change their name to "Greedy Piggies."

Is the Tyler aftercare still Polite Piggies? You're lucky to have that option. They do a pretty good job. I think they have a sliding scale too. I'd prefer that over DCPS aftercare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our Title 1, DCPS aftercare for the upcoming school year will only be free to low-income families.

Right, I get that. But you won't pay $500 a month for it either. That is the cost for the outside provider.

Whoa--$500/month!?! I don't know what these other posters are talking about. I'm with you OP, there should be some middle ground on price, and $500 isn't it. I'm UMC, and my children attend our Ward 3 IB school...and I would be pissed if they started charging such a ridiculous price. What is the name of this provider?