Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

Don't underestimate the early dismissal PINA. We are on the SACC waitlist and the amount of time we have taken off for early dismissal, etc is nuts.

Exactly! Early release goes to aftercare at our school too. It’s sanity saving.

Also for all the random days off our school system (MCPS) has. "Snow" days, unless there's actually so much snow our kids can go out and play in it, in which case it's fine having them home while we work.

It's not just afterschool care, which my kids love, it's all the other care. That's included at no extra cost, at least with our provider.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would put them in aftercare - they get to play and will make new friends there, and you can finish your workday.

This!

+100000 My DD met so many more kids through aftercare, which was great for her. Particularly when classes were still cohorted due to Covid. They didn't cohort in aftercare (yeah, make that all make sense, but whatever!) and that was the only time of the day she got to spend with kids outside of her class. Covid aside, it's still been a great way to meet more kids in her grade and even other grades. Plus it was fun and she loved it. Usually got mad when I picked her up early, haha.

Are there any older kids in the neighborhood who could be a mother’s helper for 1-2 hours? I did that when I was in middle school for the family 2 doors down. I got home about 40 min before the elementary school and then walked over and helped with snack and a craft or play. Not sure the cost would be worth it over the other option, but might suit you child’s personality better
^^
I would not attempt this. Other kids have their own commitments. It could be an occasional "fun" thing to have another kid come over to help/play, but should not be your plan for childcare. Those kids are off to piano or karate or soccer and will not be able to consistently help.

Are there any older kids in the neighborhood who could be a mother’s helper for 1-2 hours? I did that when I was in middle school for the family 2 doors down. I got home about 40 min before the elementary school and then walked over and helped with snack and a craft or play. Not sure the cost would be worth it over the other option, but might suit you child’s personality better.

Kindergarten is exhausting. My daughter would have a snack and take a nap. Or take a nap, then eat dinner. It took a good six months for her to get used to the schedule.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

I agree with others that it would be entirely kid-dependent. My oldest craves constant social interaction. He can play independently, but if anyone is around he wants that interaction. I would not have been able to work with him around at that age.

Anonymous wrote:Only you know your child best. My kid is in pre k and comes home after school. He gets himself a snack out of the pantry and gets his ipad and plays Roblox. He does not bother me for another hour. He is not bored and I actually enjoy that he can decompress after a full day of sitting at a desk and working. He needs his down time. If you think your child will be bored or you wont be able to get anything done, then do aftercare. I personally, would not waste my money.

Your preschooler sits at a desk all day "working"?? What kind of school is this? Sounds awful and inappropriate for his age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

I pay $500 a month for my kid to be in extended day for 1-2 hours a day. On early release days, she's there for 3-4 hours. So monthly, for my $500, I generally get over 40 hours a month of care for that money. It feels VERY well spent, since a private babysitter would be much more.

Do either of you ever travel for work? That's the other consideration I'd think about.

Honestly it seems like an amazing deal to me. Our school has a KAH and really the kids love it. It’s like a play date for them. We don’t need it every day so kids do get to come home right at 3:30 some days and I like that balance. You could do that if it’s an option. But we all hate having the kids home while we are working if no one is available. They feel ignored and it just doesn’t work for us.

Like the others said, it’s kid/program dependent. My kid (7 years old, only child) loves it 90% of the time — every so often there’s friend drama, no different than school.

I appreciate the flexibility. On normal school days, I could probably make it work without aftercare, but it would be a lot more stressful.

Definitely worth it for the half-days and random teacher workdays. Our aftercare also tried to be open during snow days, which was AMAZING for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

I pay $500 a month for my kid to be in extended day for 1-2 hours a day. On early release days, she's there for 3-4 hours. So monthly, for my $500, I generally get over 40 hours a month of care for that money. It feels VERY well spent, since a private babysitter would be much more.

Do either of you ever travel for work? That's the other consideration I'd think about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

Don't underestimate the early dismissal PINA. We are on the SACC waitlist and the amount of time we have taken off for early dismissal, etc is nuts.

Exactly! Early release goes to aftercare at our school too. It’s sanity saving.

Anonymous wrote:For my social kid, I enrolled her in aftercare. For my adhd/anxiety kid, he came home and relaxed after school.

I have one of each as well and I can say the social kid would/does drive me batty when not socially engaged. The anxious introverted kid is so happy to be home and to have time to decompress.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d absolutely have my child come home and chill. I’d have a small snack ready and let her watch an hour of TV and read. She will already have been at school all day and there’s no benefit to her attending after care. Thanks

There is a definite benefit to the parents. And I think having the option to play for another couple of hours rather than sit around and watch TV is beneficial to a kid.

My kid enjoyed the time to play with her friends and run around on the playground. When school had started back in person but there was no aftercare, she'd come home and be frustrated that we couldn't play with her, and it was harder to concentrate on my work. An hour or two at aftercare gives me time to finish my work so I can be fully present when she gets home, and she gets a good social outlet and some more exercise.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….

Don't underestimate the early dismissal PINA. We are on the SACC waitlist and the amount of time we have taken off for early dismissal, etc is nuts.

OP here. I asked the school. It’s $600 a month. She’d be there 1-2 hours a day. Not sure it’s worth that much money….