After School Programs in Oakland

11 parent questions ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • After 3 pm care

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    Sep 8, 2024

    Hey everyone! I'm looking for after-school care for my little one starting at 3 pm. Does anyone know of any affordable options where I can drop her off for a few hours and pick her up around 6:30 pm? I'm in the Oakland/Piedmont/Eastmont area. Thanks!

    Sep 8, 2024

    We placed out kiddo in Piedmont Rec Schoolmates, it's affordable enough and they offer flexible after-care so you can jump in once a month during registration for the following month. Good luck, such a struggle!

    Sep 11, 2024

    Studio One in Oakland offers an afterschool dropoff program for TK-5 that runs until 6 pm. It's already started, but you may be able to sign up if there are still spots. I don't know of many that run as late as 6:30 pm, unfortunately.

    Sep 16, 2024
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  • Alternatives to the OUSD school-partnered after school programs?

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    Jul 23, 2024

    I'm getting ready for my kid to start TK at Piedmont Avenue Elementary next month. My partner and I need for him to be watched after school gets out until 5 due to work schedules. The school has a free after school program, but space is limited, and they don't tell applicants if they got into the program until a week before classes start, so I'd like to have a backup plan in mind.

    Are there alternatives, like a different after school program that we could pay for? Do parents hire caregivers specifically to pick the kid up and watch them at a park for two hours? How do I find these kind of alternatives?

    Jul 23, 2024

    Here is a list of things we tried with varying degrees of success:

    -- Hired a sitter

    -- Enrolled in Studio One (near Oakland Tech) aftercare program but hired or arranged a ride separately (we hired a very expensive person who drove the kid for about a mile to Studio One but she was reliable.) Studio One did have pick-ups from several schools but did not pick up from PAES when we were there. At that time, they said they needed to have a minimum number of kids enrolled in the program from a particular school to add the school to their pick-up route.  You can ask them if PAES is a part of their pick-up routine. https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/studio-one-arts-center

    -- East Bay Dance Center. They pick up from different schools and it's worth asking them if they'd pick up from Piedmont Avenue Elementary. They picked up my kid from our school although there was only my kid attending and then later another kid joined.  There are boys in the program. It's not just for girls. https://www.eastbaydancecenter.org/eastbay_afterschool.htm

    -- Club Kesher at Temple Sinai near Sprouts Grocery Store in Oakland. They pick up from local schools, so it's worth a call to find out if they'd pick up from Piedmont Avenue Elementary https://www.oaklandsinai.org/club-kesher   

    Jul 24, 2024

    Check out creative Spanish - they walk kids from Piedmont Ave to their after school program. Also, I think studio one has said that if at least 10 families join, they will send someone to walk the kids to studio one (near Oakland tech) for their after school program. Of course, these programs aren’t free but you may be able to get it squared away before school starts!

    Jul 25, 2024

    Check out Studio One in North Oakland. They have an aftercare program that is affordable, flexible, and includes terrific arts classes. Back before Covid, they even used to have a bus that picked kids up from OUSD elementary schools and took them to Studio One. Maybe they still do? We loved it.  

    Yes, we also knew lots of folks who hired a nanny/babysitter/caregiver to be with their kid from school pick up time until end of work day. This was a great gig for college students or other young adults who weren't looking for full-time caregiving work. Urban Sitter and care.com are great places to connect with those folks. Good luck!

    Jul 25, 2024

  • Peralta Kindergarten Aftercare options

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    Jun 5, 2024

    Hey all -
    Our kindergartener is waitlisted for Peralta’s aftercare program. PEACE recommends sending our little one to Bushrod as an alrernative. Does anyone have experience with this aftercare program?


    Thanks!

    Jun 5, 2024

    We have twins who are rising first graders at Peralta. They did aftercare at Bushrod until late October last year when they got off the PEACE waitlist. We had a great experience there. Staff pick up kids at Peralta and walk them to Bushrod. The staff I met were all super lovely and engaged and fun. There seemed to be a mix of structured games and free play. Our kids were always happy when we picked them up!

    Jun 12, 2024

  • Thornhill Elementary School after care options?

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    May 28, 2024

    Hello!

    Our son will be starting Kindergarten this Fall at Thornhill. He is on the waitlist for their aftercare program, and I'd like to know what other options we have (outside of hiring a nanny). We saw that the City of Oakland Parks & Rec aftercare program is also waitlisted. For those of you working FT, where do you send your kids after school? I'd also love to hear any feedback on either aforementioned programs.

    Thanks so much!

    Chelsea

    May 28, 2024

    Our son is also starting Thornhill TK and we enrolled him in Open Minds for aftercare. It’s Spanish immersion, located in Montclair village, and they also run a preschool at the facility. The staff seem great and they are also trying to fill in OUSD gaps with the content for kids (they have a music program, khan academy math, etc.). 

    May 29, 2024

    Hi Chelsea, I am in the same boat at Montclair Elementary and would be very curious to hear what advice other folks can offer.  I am starting to feel a bit stressed about coming up with a Plan B. 

    May 31, 2024

    Hi- I am also in the same boat. I have a kindergartner starting at Thornhill. I wish there's a way to contact BACR to see if we are going to get in or not.  When I login it says my application was submitted but I didn't get any kind of email confirmation. Does anybody know a way to contact them during the summer?

    Any other afterschool programs that people recommend?

    Jun 20, 2024

  • After School Programs near Piedmont Avenue Elementary

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    Dec 9, 2023

    Hello, we're considering enrolling our son in the TK program at Piedmont Avenue Elementary School. I know they probably don't have enough slots at the onsite after-school program, so which programs do the other children attend and how do they get there? 

    Dec 9, 2023

    We just did a tour of Colibri PreK on Piedmont Avenue for our (almost) 2 year old son and they mentioned that they have an after-school program for TK/Elementary school kids just up the street, also on Piedmont Ave. This is a Spanish Immersion after care, so not sure if that would fit what you're looking for. During the tour they said that if we send our 4 year old to Piedmont Ave Elementary, they pick up the kids after class is over and walk them down the street to their after care program, which I believe is open until 6pm. While we're not sending our 4 year old to Piedmont Ave Elementary, we might consider this after care program because we have heard great things about the preschool and we were really impressed during our tour. 

    Dec 13, 2023

  • After School Care for OUSD TK

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    Apr 26, 2023

    Hi Parents, Our daughter is going to be attending Melrose Leadership Academy for TK starting in August of this year. Not surprisingly, their  after school program has filled up already and we are looking for alternatives.  I am touch with the the after school program coordinator, but it has not been very helpful. Any advice? Hot tips? Thanks! 

    Apr 26, 2023

    I am not sure if MLA is a designated pickup school but East Bay Dance Center picks up from several schools and they said that if there are 4-5 kids from the school, they would considering picking up from that school.

    TK and K are such a difficult age for after school if you can’t find an on-site program. I am sorry you have to deal with this logistical hurdle. We were glad to find EBDC which helped us tremendously. Before that, we used Studio One but had to get a sitter / driver / ride which was rather tricky and expensive. 

    Apr 29, 2023

  • Town After School at FM Smith?

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    Jul 12, 2022

    Hi everyone-- we are looking at Town afterschool care at FM Smith, but have seen zero reviews. Does anyone have any experience with the program or Rec Center there? What did you think of the programming and staff there? 

    Thank you!

    Jul 12, 2022

    Hi! I'm hoping some parents with direct experience will weigh in, but in case not, this is just my perspective as a parent who is often at FM Smith while the kids from the program are playing outside. So I can't speak much to what the programming is like inside, but outside, the kids can basically just free play with supervision, or hang out with the staff. The staff are all pretty young and seem engaged with the kids--they'll play ball games with them, and bring them back into line if they are doing stuff they blatantly shouldn't be doing (but some little stuff slips by, as I imagine it would if you're dealing with hyper kids for a long time). Overall no red flags.

    Jul 13, 2022

  • Great afterschool options in Oakland for the 22-23 school year?

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    Jul 12, 2022

    Hello, 

    My kids go to Manzanita SEED, but their afterschool program is full. Does anyone know of afterschool programs in Oakland that are operating this year that you would recommend? At this point, we might need to accept that there will be no programs that do pick up, so I would like to find something really enriching, and especially spending a lot of time outside. Any leads are greatly appreciated!

    Sally

    Jul 12, 2022

    It's not in Oakland but the Kids In Motion program at John Muir in Berkeley often gets kids from other schools and is a great free-range, super social, fun loving program. Both my kids and my sister as a kid really thrived there. 

    Rachel

    Jul 13, 2022

    Studio One and East Bay Dance Center come to my mind. We have done both and my kid liked them. I believe EBDC may be able to pick up -- do reach out to them and confirm. Studio One is not mostly outside but does have some outside time and has dance. EBDC does have outdoor time but dance class is inside in a space with windows and doors open and an air purifier running. Kids n Dance also has an after school program. My kid really likes the circus / aerial arts there. 

    Jul 14, 2022

  • What are the afterschool options for children in Oakland?

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    Nov 2, 2019

    Looking for organized after school programs for kindergarten-age in Oakland. Open to all sorts but would like to know what you love about some of them. Also when do we need to sign up for such things?

    Thanks in advance.

    [Moderator Note: see After-School Programs in Oakland for past reviews]

    Nov 2, 2019

    Normally, your school would have options. If you are asking because your school options are full or you're home schooling, we have liked the following programs: Studio One, East Bay Dance Center.

    Nov 9, 2019

  • Before School Care Options for Oakland Unified

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    Jan 11, 2019

    I’m a single mom to my seven year old daughter who’s in Oakland Unified School District. Her school starts at 8:30 every morning but I need some sort of before school care for her because my work starts earlier than that. I’ve tried asking the school staff, emailing the district, contacting the local YMCA and BANANAS, but no one seems to have any solutions. Just curious to see what other parents in my situation have done. 

    I’m getting desperate to the point I’m trying to move to Berkeley or Alameda because their school districts offer more hours of care.

    Jan 11, 2019

    Hi, I know my child’s OUSD school has before care. He goes to Piedmont Avenue Elementary School.

    Jan 16, 2019

    I guess this must vary by school.  I have 2 kids in OUSD and our school offers a (paid) before care option starting at 7 am. We don't use it very often, but as a working parent, I can't imagine not having the option.

    Jan 16, 2019

    This is probably not as helpful as you would like it to be, however, I attended OUSD as a child and my mom had a similar situation. She reached out to the school staff where I would be attending to see if there were any parents of students who offered before school care or would be interested in earning money watching me before school started. It turned out there were a host of before and after school home daycares within walking distance of our school that were able to support her. None of them were free unfortunately. 

    Jan 16, 2019

    You don't mention which school, and it matters. Lakeshore Children's Center provides before and after care with van drop-offs and pickups to Cleveland and Crocker Highlands elementary schools. Historically Glenview too, but I don't know how that's working with the school's current temporary location.

    Jan 16, 2019

    My child is out of school, so my information may be out of date.  When my daughter was in school, and I spoke to parents with children at other schools, the before-school options varied from school to school.  Some had Adventure Time facilities on campus (my daughter's did) that opened about an hour to 90 minutes before the school day started.  You don't say which Oakland school your daughter attends, so it might be difficult for someone to make appropriate recommendations.  

    Jan 16, 2019

    Hi there - our school, Peralta Elementary, offers pre-care via the PPTG (Parent Teacher Group) Maybe something to talk to the PTG at your school about ?

    Jan 16, 2019

    Post a job for the before school time on Care.com or Localwise.com.

    Jan 16, 2019

  • After-care options for Glenview at Santa Fe

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    Jan 8, 2017

    We're currently going through the oh-so-fun process of OUSD school options for our soon-to-be-kindergartener, and I'm hoping to pick your collective brains about Glenview school in its temporary home at Santa Fe school.  We went to the school info night and LOVED the vibe of the school, particularly its diversity.  We live in the Glenview neighborhood, and really want to be part of our neighborhood school.

    The only thing giving us pause is the after-care situation:  on-site after-care is at Santa Fe while Glenview school is under construction, and getting to the Santa Fe campus by 6pm will be a challenge for us commuting parents.  We're interested in an after-care program that's closer to the Glenview neighborhood.  I'd love any reviews or advice you have on East Bay Dance Center or Dimond Rec after-school programs, or others.

    For those of you who use the on-site after-care at Santa Fe, do any of you with sensitive kindergarteners have insight on the mix of kiddos from all grade levels being together after school?  I have the impression that Adventure Time is a bit chaotic, but would love to hear from folks who know first-hand.

    Thank you in advance!

    Jan 8, 2017

    We are in our ninth year at Glenview and have been using Adventure Time all these years. It's wonderful and they have been so kind and gentle with my kiddos. The first few days of Kindergarten, both my kids just hung close to the Adventure Time teachers and eventually got comfortable enough to go off an play. I can't say enough about how much I love Adventure Time at Glenview -- and my kids have a great time there.

    In terms of getting there by 6pm, I would suggest you look into the East Bay Dance Center or Dimond. We have a friend who is using the East Bay Dance Center and really likes it. I don't know the details on it, however.

    Jan 11, 2017

    my son is a 1st grader at glenview and had been going to AT since kindergarten. he was a shy kindergartener, and I think AT actually helped him come out of his shell a bit by mixing with some slightly older kids. when he saw the 1st to 3rd graders around campus during the day they'd say hi and I think he felt like bigger kids were watching out for him! didn't have a problem with anyone running over him b/c he was younger. the staff do take extra care with the kindergarteners. I've been happy with the staff, how well they seem to know the kids, and the various activities they can opt in/out of. I'm glad he's gravitated towards both the sporty and crafty/arty activities. good luck - I think there are some great aftercare options whether on or off campus.

    Jan 11, 2017

    I'm also in the middle of the options process and hoping hard for Glenview (we live two blocks outside the zone and crossing every digit), but I do have an answer to your question. My daughter has been going to Lakeshore Children's Center for preschool for almost two years, and my younger daughter will join her soon, and LCC has a school-age after school program that does drop off and pick up from Glenview, even at Santa Fe (at least they currently do, I think it will hold since there are current students who will still be at Glenview). We really like LCC and one of my biggest fears is not getting into one of the schools they work with, since we know the program well and my younger daughter will also be there. It's on Lakeshore Ave and Mandana, so close to Glenview. Hope that is a helpful option!

    Jan 16, 2017