Name jail.
It’s a thing!
One fairly strict private school in the midwest actually makes students as young as first grade miss recess if they forget to put their name on even one assignment. Forced to stay inside while their classmates enjoy a chance to be outside, Jail Time members have to stay inside and write their name 100 times. For many parents, this seems like a pretty harsh penalty. In fact, may recent studies indicate that children who are allowed plenty of recess time actually perform better when they are in class. For students who need to remain after school, the chance to be outside and enjoy free time with their friends is even more important. Students who do not have quality after school program options often struggle to focus the next day when they are in class.
Many Families Search for Worthwhile After School Program Options
The days of every mother waiting at home for her children to come home from school are long gone. While there are still some parents who have the advantage of staying at home and greeting their children with a plate of warm cookies and the end of the school day, this situation is becoming less and less common. In fact, research indicates that fewer than one of every three three children today have a parent who stays at home full time. As the economy continues to create homes with two working parents, many of these families struggle to find quality after school programs for their children.
A creative mix of physical activity, quiet down time, and educational opportunities create the best after school programs for children no matter what their age. The fact of the matter is many U.S. children go straight from their elementary classes to after school programs. the best of these programs provide healthy snacks, quiet study opportunities, academic assistance, and plenty of physical activities. Children who cannot be home with their parents after school deserve the chance to enjoy activities with their friends, but also the structure to complete and homework that they need to finish.
Payment and Attendance Flexibility Allows Families to Use Quality Childcare Options When They Need Them
What working families need most is flexibility. The need the opportunity to have access to an aftercare program when they need it, but also a flexible option of only paying when they need the service. The best child care management solutions allow child care and after school care centers to track and manage these options. Close to 32.7 million children are in childcare arrangements. And while 25% of these children are in organized facilities, the greater majority are in home daycare centers. Both organized facilities and smaller centers can benefit from computer software that is specially designed to track the things that childcare centers need to track, including:
- arrival and departure times
- emergency contact information
- food allergies
- eating, napping, and diapering records
- family vacation times
- center calendar, including days off for scheduled holidays
- emergency weather closings
- email updates about special events
- academic and social progress updates
- payment records
Finding a Child Care Center for Children during the Summer Can be Especially Challenging
Although many families struggle to find find after school care options for their children during the school year, for many of these families the summer is even more difficult. And expensive. In fact, working families often have to spend nearly as much time as money finding a way to keep their children busy during the summer. Places as diverse as indoor trampoline parks, outdoor hiking centers, and art museums offer all day camp options during the weeks when children are not in school. And while many of these camp opportunities are expensive, the challenge that is even greater is trying to get one of the available spots.
It takes a scheduling genius to help families piece together options that will both fill their child’s empty days, challenge them both physically and mentally, and also fit in the family’s budget. the open days and weeks in between camps often have to be covered by family friends and relatives. Day care centers who can offer the flexibility of drop in students, however, can provide another option. It likely comes as no surprise that working parents spend as much as 8% of their monthly income on child care and other creative options.