TK after school programs
Hi all,
I'm reaching for some advice on after-school care for our soon-to-be TK-er. The Learns program at his school (Washington) is understaffed at the moment, and therefore may not be an option. I have explored the city programs near our home (like the one in San Pablo Park), and great as they seem, I do worry that at 4.5 my son may be a little young for the level of supervision they provide. JCC doesn't provide after-school care for TK, and the New School is too far from our home. Are there any options I'm overlooking? Do people ever organize groups of kids with babysitters for afterschool care?
Thanks,
A working parent
Jun 13, 2022
Parent Replies
As it turns out JCC DOES have some openings available for TK after-school care, and they can provide transportation in many instances. I've been very impressed by their program so far...
My kindergartener went to one of the city programs this year (Live Oak) and it was great. He rode the bus and he had plenty of support navigating that. I think the level of supervision is about the same as at LEARNS - they do adult-led activities like group games and some craft projects and also have lots of time to just run and play, but always pretty well supervised. The city programs are actually smaller than LEARNS so the kids could may even get more personal attention. The only thing I could think of as a potential concern would be if your kid has a tendency to run away because they are at public parks rather than a fenced-in school park. I haven't heard of this ever being a problem in our program though, they keep the kids pretty well engaged so I wouldn't worry about this unless your kid really has a history of being a runner. Last thing: don't underestimate the power of convenience! If you live near San Pablo Park and there's a bus there from Washington (there aren't buses from all schools to all locations, so you'll have to check), I would definitely recommend that. Live Oak was far for us so we are going to try to get a spot at San Pablo this year.